As a self-diagnosed festival addict, Austin City Limits has been one of the weekends I look forward to the most every year. My first year going was in 2018 and from the moment I walked into the park, I was hooked. 2022 will be my fourth time attending the festival and the lineup is once again very well suited for my tastes.
I have to give props to a few things overall on the lineup, the first being the number of women in the top 8. While P!nk and The Chicks might not be sets I see myself attending, it’s still wild to see ACL have 5 out of their 8 top artists be women in a time where it seems like less and less are making it onto festival lineups. Another thing is just how many Texan artists made it onto the bill. From headliners like (again) The Chicks and Kacey Musgraves to artists in the mid-card like Spoon and Robert Glasper, to even acts closer to the bottom like Primo the Alien, Me ND Adam, and Darkbird. There’s so much Texas music here and it’s always great to see some of the talents the state is continuing to provide.
As someone who has had a 3 Day Weekend 1 pass on layaway since December of last year, I am very excited to get back to Zilker and spend a weekend in the sun listening to some awesome music with my friends. In this article, I’ll be listing my top 10 most anticipated sets of the weekend and sets that I don’t think you should miss if you’re going to the festival this year.
The War on Drugs:
Starting this list off hot, The War on Drugs have become one of my favorite bands in the world in the past year. I think frontman Adam Granduciel is a fantastic singer and songwriter and I will always love any frontman who’s a guitar nerd. I also love the band’s blend of Heartland Rock and Americana with elements of Psych Rock. Those elements plus how anthemic and catchy their songs can be, it’s right up my alley. I got to see the band live back in February at a festival in Arizona and they surpassed the already high expectations I had set for them. Between the awesome light show, some of the guitar tones Granduciel pulled off live, and just how tight the band was live, there were so many things to love. My hope is that the band gets a slot during sunset or after the sun has gone down to truly give their set its full effect.
Try Listening To: Under The Pressure, I Don’t Live Here Anymore, Pain, I Don’t Wanna Wait
Billy Strings
From an outsider’s perspective, Billy Strings shouldn’t be billed #14 overall at a major festival like ACL or #10 overall at Lollapalooza. With less than a million monthly listeners on Spotify, it might be confusing why Billy is getting the spots he’s getting at these festivals, especially given that he’s a bluegrass musician. However, Billy appeals to a different group of people, jam fans. Jam fans tend to skip Spotify in favor of streaming full sets on the platform nugs.net and buy tickets to shows chasing down songs they want to hear live since Billy and other jam artists tend to shake up their setlists each night big time (Billy recently played a three-night run at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium and didn’t repeat a single song across all three nights). But what sells him for me is just how great he can play the guitar. Just watch the video I linked above, the solos he can play just off the top of his head are amazing. I also have to mention that at times watching that video, it’s hard to remember that there’s absolutely no percussion in the mix at all yet the music still has an incredibly pounding rhythm. Billy last played the fest in 2019 on the festival’s smallest stage, the showcase BMI stage. This time around, I would not be shocked to see him on a main stage before Kacey Musgraves or The Chicks end the night.
Try Listening To: Hide And Seek, Dust in a Baggie, Turmoil & Tinfoil, Fire Line
Carly Rae Jepsen
While I have your attention, I am going to make sure everyone reading this knows that Carly Rae Jepsen isn’t just the Call Me Maybe girl. Her last two albums, Emotion and Dedicated, were incredible pop albums and proved that she should be taken more seriously than just being the Call Me Maybe girl. This set is going to be a giant dance party and if you don’t agree, you must hate things like smiling, puppies, sunshine, and just being happy in general. I mean that too. If you leave this set with any other feelings besides joy, excitement, happiness, and/or a hunch to just keep on dancing for the rest of the weekend, then you must not have been paying attention to the performance. I’m thrilled to see Carly. I’ve been wanting to see her since the first time I listened to both albums I mentioned earlier in the height of the pandemic. Run Away With Me was the soundtrack to many dance parties in my bedroom during that period. Hearing that song live is going to be an absolutely ethereal moment for me. If you’re going to ACL’s first weekend and need to fill the pop void left by Dua Lipa not being booked, Carly is going to be right up your alley.
Try Listening To: Run Away With Me, Julien, I Really Like You, I Want You In My Room
Japanese Breakfast
Japanese Breakfast is a name I laughed at when I first heard it but as time has gone by, I’ve fallen in love with the band. It took me a little while to get used to frontwoman Michelle Zauner’s voice but once I got used to it, I was hooked. The bands song Be Sweet was my pick for song of the year last year. I absolutely love the groove, the production, and Michelle’s performance. The synth outro is absolutely killer and even as I’m typing this, that “be sweet to me baybay!” hook is stuck in my head. It’s a perfect song in my book. The band’s album Jubilee, released last year, was a change in pace due to how happy and joyous it sounded and I welcome that change very much. I can’t wait to hear songs like Slide Tackle and Savage Good Boy from that new album live along with the opener Paprika. I’m also excited to hear some of the earlier dream pop stuff like Diving Woman and hopefully scream along to the chorus of Everybody Wants to Love You. It seems like Michelle and the band aren’t taking any breaks of saying no to any offers this year, so for that, I’m both thankful that it lands them in Zilker Park this fall but also hope they’re not burnt out by the time the fest rolls around.
Try Listening To: Be Sweet, Slide Tackle, Diving Woman, Everbody Wants to Love You
Arlo Parks
When Collapsed in Sunbeams came out, I saw Billie Eilish and Clairo posting themselves listening to the album and hyping it up. Normally I just skip past when artists support other artists but for some reason, I got the urge to listen to that album so that night, I listened to it and was absolutely blown away. Arlo isn’t so much a singer as she is a poet. She’s a fantastic storyteller, a poet, and her voice is incredible as well. What I loved most about the album was the instrumentals she chose to sing over with awesome drums all over the album and lots of fantastic basslines as well. Collapsed in Sunbeams manages to have a lot of lyrical potency but at the same time has tons of catchy hooks, tons of sing-along moments, it can even be happy at times! My guess is that Arlo will be a chill mid-afternoon set. She’ll probably draw a solid crowd that won’t know her songs but it doesn’t matter so long as they can respect her pen game. A song like Softly or Too Good I can already see going over well even if no one knows the lyrics. I’m excited to see Arlo, and I’m glad to see that Billie Eilish and Clairo have good taste in indie.
Try Listening To: Softly, Too Good, Hope, Eugene
L’Impératrice
I remember watching L’impératrice’s set on the Coachella live stream and really really enjoying it. I even had a buddy who went the second weekend and said that not only was it the best set of the weekend, but it was also the best show he had ever seen in his life and he cried in a port-a-potty for two minutes afterward. If that sounds like it’s up your alley, you better see L’impératrice at ACL this year. I am honestly shocked that ACL booked them. Watching them on Coachella’s live stream I even told myself “This is a booking that only Coachella could pull off” and I was proven wrong by C3 (the company that owns the fest). I couldn’t be happier about that though. I am thrilled that they’re going to be playing and my hope is that they play the VRBO stage that’s tucked behind trees on the festival’s far south edge. Even better would be if they play that stage once the sun is down. This set is going to give you your disco fix if you’re into that. I can’t even begin to imagine how hard I’m going to get down to songs like Peur des filles and Voodoo? I am so stoked to hear the latter as it has become permanently stuck in my rotation ever since that Coachella set. While I fear this set could be underattended just given how strange this booking is to ACL’s demo, I would love some more room to dance so I wouldn’t complain.
Try LIstening To: Peur des filles, Voodoo?, Fou, Vanille Fraise, La lune
The Marías
I am a sucker for great dream pop and The Marías are going to knock that category out of the park for me this year I feel. While the music is pretty soft, it still seems to hit hard live. Songs like Hush and Clueless both have steady grooves and will be highlights of the set. Especially Clueless, which finishes off with an awesome trumpet solo and has probably my favorite chorus out of any of their songs. This is another band that I got turned on to from Coachella’s livestream and while I had been recommended to listen to them by a few friends before, their Coachella set really pushed me to actually take a deep dive. The band’s debut album, CINEMA, is an excellent blend of dream and synthpop. The album’s production is super lush and dreamy as well. There are so many songs from the album that I can’t wait to hear. All I Really Want is You is probably at the top of that list. The only way I can describe the song is that it’s the sound of floating up above the clouds in a state of bliss. The hook on this song is addictive, lead singer María Zardoya’s voice on the song is perfect. It’s going to be a song that might make my eyes sweat a little bit. I’m not sure where exactly I think the band would play but the best scenario for me would be a mid-afternoon set on one of the fest’s smaller T-Mobile or Miller Lite stages.
Try Listening To: Hush, Calling You Back, Clueless, All I Really Want is You, Only in My Dreams
Zach Bryan
Zach Bryan is going to be a household name in the next 5 years so if this is your first time hearing about him, you better run and jump on because the “I was there before he was huge” train is pulling out of the station right now. His story is amazing as well. He was an active duty member of the US Navy for 6 years and would write songs just for fun. Zach originally blew up by posting YouTube videos he or his friends would record in the back of a truck or in a friend’s backyard playing guitar and singing songs he wrote. The first one to go viral was the song Heading South which is the first song I heard from him and it instantly hooked me in. Now, he’s about to release his first studio album, he’s already sold out two nationwide tours and performed at the Grand Ole Opry, and he was also honorably discharged from the US Navy last year. What I think I’m looking forward to most at Zach’s set is his crowd. No matter where he goes, Zach always draws in droves of adoring fans who know every last word to every song he’ll perform, even stuff that isn’t out yet. There’s a video of a crowd screaming the words to Something In The Orange back at him after the song had only been out for a day. I’m also just excited to get to see him in general as he is easily the most hyped-up artist in the alternative country scene right now and I believe it’s for good reason. His shows always look like a great time, Zach is an extremely fun and charismatic person, and this set is going to be a great time no matter what stage and what time he plays at.
Try Listening To: Something In The Orange, Condemned, God Speed, Heading South, Highway Boys
Kacey Musgraves
In 2016, Kacey Musgraves played ACL for the first time. She was billed at #27 on the lineup poster, was billed at #10 on Sunday, and played on the festival’s bigger mainstage at 2 PM. In 2019, following the breakout success of her album Golden Hour, she returned to the festival. She was billed #9 overall, #4 on Sunday, and played the same mainstage at 6 PM. Now, following the release of her biggest album so far, star-crossed, and an arena across the country, Kacey is back once again to finally headline.
It’s always super special to see an artist climb up the ranks that way. In 2016, it still felt like Kacey was my little secret and that I was the only guy jamming out to Biscuits and Follow Your Arrow in my parent’s car. While I don’t care for star-crossed all that much, there’s no doubt in my mind that Kacey will rise to the occasion of headlining a fest she’s been playing for the better part of the past decade. Even though I know her set will mostly rely on star-crossed and Golden Hour, the hits on Golden Hour will definitely beat out the duds she plays from star-crossed. When it comes to my most anticipated songs for this set, I absolutely cannot wait to hear Slow Burn and Rainbow live. Slow Burn has been one of my favorite Kacey songs from the moment I first heard Golden Hour. It’s an absolutely beautiful opening to the album and it might be one of my favorite opening tracks of all time. Rainbow, on the other hand, closes the album perfectly and should Kacey end up playing on Sunday again, I think it would be the perfect closing song to the weekend. I’m also crossing my fingers that she’ll dive back and actually play songs from Pageant Material (what I consider to be her best album) and Same Trailer, Different Park. Even if she only plays Follow Your Arrow and Die Fun, I’ll still be content. If you want a country headliner and The Chicks aren’t your bag, definitely stop by Kacey’s set.
Try Listening To: justified, Slow Burn, Butterflies, simple times, Rainbow
Paramore
I’ve been trying to keep this list unranked and unbiased but come on guys, it’s Paramore. This is easily my most anticipated set of the weekend, what I think will be the best set of the weekend, and if you’re one of my friends that goes and you don’t see Paramore, I won’t talk to you again. It’s as simple as this to me, if you don’t like Paramore, I don’t like you.
In 2018, Paramore and Foster the People went on a co-headlining tour across America and it included a stop in Corpus Christi, my home. Like a bozo, I skipped that show because I didn’t see the point in paying $50 just to hear Pumped Up Kicks, Sit Next to Me, and Misery Business. Ever since then, I’ve been dying for the opportunity to see them live and even though this will most likely be a shorter set than their regular shows, I don’t care, I’m still seeing Paramore live. It’s the perfect storm combination for me personally. I get to see one of my favorite bands in the world at my favorite festival in the world. I can’t even begin to list the things I’m excited for in this set. I’m excited to find out that Hayley Williams is indeed a real human being. I’m excited to lose my mind when Still Into You and Rose Colored Boy start. Hell, I’m excited to hear every song they play. It could be Hayley just telling me I’m the worst person to ever walk on this earth but I’ll still be turning up to it. Most of all, however, I’m excited just to be in the crowd with one of my best friends who is a giant Paramore fan and is one of the main reasons I love the band. When the lineup for last year’s festival dropped, George Strait was the top-billed artist and I told myself that nothing would ever top ACL booking him as a headliner for my personal tastes. Paramore being booked for this years fest is a very very close second place to George for me.
Enough of why I’m excited for this set though. If the hype is lost on you, I’ll try my hand at convincing you. For starters, the band has almost 20 years of hits to rely on at this point. If you’ve listened to alternative or rock radio in that time, you know at least one Paramore song. Outside of that, Hayley is just an incredible human being and an incredible frontwoman. The energy she has on stage and the positive vibes she puts out are off the charts. I cannot recommend this set enough and I hope everyone sees them and enjoys them.
Try Listening To: Still Into You, Ain’t It Fun, That’s What You Get, Rose Colored Boy, Hard Times
I of course couldn’t list everyone I’m excited to see but I do want to close out this list with some honorable mentions, those being:
– Lil Nas X
– James Blake
– Red Hot Chili Peppers
– Purple Disco Machine
– Magdelena Bay
and last but not least
– GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSE
I have a playlist running right now on Spotify with 5 songs from each headliner and 3 songs from everyone in the undercard that I have an interest in seeing except for Goose. They only have one song listed and it’s 17 minutes long so I decided to spare y’all. It’s embeded below and I’m still updating it:
Tickets for the festival’s first weekend have already sold out. Limited GA tickets remain for the festival’s second weekend at aclfestival.com. The lineup-by-day and single-day tickets will both be available soon.
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