All Photos © Steve Galli + Story by : Chloe Catajan
The American Express Stage at the 2024 Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL)
Welcome to the Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) where the population is over 100 artists and 450,000 music fans. The forecast reads sunny with a high chance of great tunes, the food is packed with flavor, and the folks like to keep it weird. The music festival is an extension of the vibrant music scene in the area (and promoter C3 Presents’ home turf).
This year, Austin City Limits returned to Zilker Park for back-to-back weekends in October, offering an expertly-curated soundtrack of local and global acts performing across seven stages. The Honda and American Express stages hosted some of the music world’s biggest names at the moment, while undercard acts and niche favorites shined on the Miller Lite, BMI, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, and T-Mobile stages. The stages, named after festival sponsors, offered some cool perks like a hospitality area at the IHG Hotels & Resorts, side-stage viewing at Amex and T-Mobile, and a lounge at Tito’s.
For the festival’s 22nd edition, country music was alive and well, hi- met lo-fi, and people danced in the name of disco. This was photographer Steve Galli’s 15th year covering the fest, capturing 109 different artists over both weekends.
Straight from the live music capital of the world, this is what Austin City Limits looked like on weekend one.
Country music comeback
From Southern staples to fresher sounds, the country music renaissance was in full effect at Austin City Limits this year. Headlining sets from Chris Stapleton and Sturgill Simpson filled the American Express and Honda stages, and ACL mainstays Asleep At The Wheel kept the annual tradition of opening day one.
Chris Stapleton performed 20 songs for his headlining set at American Express on day one. He took the mainstage donning a Stetson, a Western shirt, and his Gretsch electric guitar. Only his silhouette was visible as he and his band opened with “White Horse.” The stage lights brightened on the second song, “No One To Blame,” revealing Stapleton’s five bandmates. Together, Stapleton and company delivered a crisp twang with their rhythms and harmonies.
Chris Stapleton
Speaking of comebacks, Sturgill Simpson headlined Honda on day three in part of his first full tour since 2020. Simpson was sharp with his shredding on songs like “A Good Look” and “Best Clockmaker on Mars.” His band of four—a bassist, second guitarist, drummer, and keyboardist-saxophonist—did an excellent job punctuating every single riff with a heavy-handed grit. Sturgill went on to perform mostly songs off SOUND & FURY and his Johnny Blue Skies project, as well as his famous cover of When In Rome’s “The Promise.”
Sturgill Simpson
Dressed in red leather with sequined flames, Orville Peck serenaded the Honda Stage crowd with his signature croon. The enigmatic cowboy’s baritone vocals got a lot of woos during the first song alone. He opened with “Big Sky,” a fan favorite off 2019’s Pony; but his setlist had a heavy focus on 2022’s Bronco.
Orville Peck
Teddy Swims mixed country, R&B, rock, and soul at his Honda Stage set. But his performance? His performance came from the heart. The Georgia singer-songwriter touched on heartbreak and grief with expressive, headstrong vocals. He even delivered a touching message on closure before “Some Things I’ll Never Know.”
“You’re left with all these unanswered questions, all these pieces of yourself you’re picking back up and I’ve found the only closure you get is internal. It’s accepting things you can’t control…” Swims said, met with cheers of solidarity. “I hope this song is a blessing for you.”
Teddy Swims
Country meets pop music with Dasha’s American Express performance on day one. The San Luis Obipso singer-songwriter delivered powerhouse vocals, while her four-piece band kept things clean and country—fiddle and all. Her setlist included a few unreleased songs, and ended with her viral hit “Austin (Boots Stop Workin’).” The closer featured a special shout out to the namesake city and a fun honky tonk hoedown at the chorus.
Dasha
Stunning and haunting all at once, Goldie Boutilier served indie twang to the American Express on day two. Her vocals were magnetic, like a chanteuse from a David Lynch project, and carried a tone that reminisced Stevie Nicks’. Her songs had a cinematic quality, with “The Actress” channeling an old Hollywood glamour and “Body Heat” building up some suspense.
Goldie Boutilier
“The 24th year in a row, don’t look now, but we’re Asleep At The Wheel!” frontman Ray Benson yelled as he and the band opened their ACL set on the Honda Stage. The local legends kicked off day one in full swing—heavy on the fiddle and honky tonk keys. Their setlist began with “Miles and Miles of Texas” and went on with a handful of cover songs.
Ray Benson of Asleep At The Wheel
Other folk and country highlights from weekend one included:
Mon Rovîa at the BMI Stage on day one.
Hudson Westbrook at the Honda Stage on day one.
Richy Mitch and the Coal Miners at the Honda Stage on day three.
Dexter and The Moonrocks at the BMI Stage on day one.
Tanner Adell at the BMI Stage on day one.
Katie Pruitt at the Miller Lite Stage on day one.
Cale Tyson at the T-Mobile Stage on day three.
Myles Smith at the IHG Hotels & Resorts Stage on day three.
Dance the night away
From disco to electronica, Austin City Limits had attendees in a trance to dance.
Dua Lipa delivered nonstop hits for her headlining day two set at the American Express Stage. Dressed in black leather, the British singer and her crew of dancers started off strong with “Training Season” before breaking into her iconic Calvin Harris-collab “One Kiss.” Lipa was an absolute force with her vocals and choreography, while her band provided hard-hitting live arrangements on Lipa’s disco and dance-heavy set. She alternated between mostly songs off her latest release, Radical Optimism, and 2020’s Future Nostalgia.
Dua Lipa
Porter Robinson mixed electronic beats with indie pop riffs at his Miller Lite Stage performance on day one. Flanked by a live band and a large inflatable cat, Porter Robinson delivered a textured sound with his autotune vocals and the fuzzy tones of his live arrangements. Songs like “Knock Yourself Out XD” and “Kitsune Maison Freestyle” leaned on the sentimental side, but still had the crowd dancing.
Porter Robinson
MisterWives hit the Honda Stage crowd with a set full of pure dance pop on day three. Dressed in matching red plaid outfits, lead singer Mandy Lee, guitarist Marc Campbell, bassist William Hehir, saxophonist Mike Murphy, and drummer Etienne Bowler had fiery energy. They performed songs mostly off 2023’s Nosebleeds, plus a cover of Robyn’s “Dancing On My Own.”
Mandy Lee and William Hehir of MisterWives
Other dance-heavy sets from weekend one included:
Jungle at the Miller Lite Stage on day two.
Elderbrook at the Miller Lite Stage on day one.
From pop power to power-pop
Infiltrate it. Activate it. Austin, Texas city limits. Everybody talk about pop muzik.
A sea of rainbow folding fans and waving hands greeted Reneé Rapp as she opened her set at the T-Mobile Stage on day two. She wore sunglasses, a black tie, and a white dress shirt that read “BLEACH BLONDE BAD BUILT BUTCH BODY” and moved across all ends of the stage as sang “Talk Too Much.” Her setlist included mostly songs off 2023’s Snow Angel.
Renee Rapp
Chappell Roan drew an undeniably large crowd to the American Express Stage on day three. She wore a red and white leather outfit custom-made by Zana Bayne as she performed several songs off The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess. The midwest princess herself led a massive dance-along to her hit song “HOT TO GO!” and also covered Heart’s “Barracuda,” nailing the intense vocal range.
Chappell Roan
Currently on the Crash Tour to celebrate the album of the same name, Kehlani leaned into the new release for their ACL set while mixing in a few older favorites. The Oakland singer wore silver tones and delivered stunning vocals as they performed hard-hitting dance breakdowns with their dance crew. Their set was a smooth mix of pop, soul, and R&B, layered with punctuated riffs from the live band. Kehlani also reflected on their first ACL performance eight years ago, a daytime set, and showed gratitude to be headlining the Miller Lite Stage set this weekend.
Kehlani
Fletcher headlined the IHG Hotels & Resorts on day one and delivered a strong set. Songs like “Sting” and “Serial Heartbreaker” featured ferocious drums and fiery riffage, as the singer belted effortlessly and with incredible range.
Fletcher
Viral pop sensation Benson Boone gave the Honda Stage an undeniably energized performance full of anthemic choruses, powerful vocals, and acrobatics. The Washington-based singer-songwriter would do literal flips off his grand piano and go back to belting his lyrics flawlessly. Matching in red outfits with his band, Boone and company looked and sounded red hot with their pop-rock set, closing with hit song “Beautiful Things.”
Benson Boone
Cannons took the American Express Stage on day three, looking glamorous in matching silver outfits. The Los Angeles trio had lush synth-pop sounds, performing songs mostly off Heartbeat Highway, Fever Dream, and Shadows.
Michelle Joy of Cannons
Sir Chloe leaned into power-pop tendencies for its day one set at the T-Mobile Stage. Their setlist combined a lot of songs off their debut album Party Favors and sophomore release I Am The Dog. They also performed an unreleased song called “Forgiving.”
Dana Foote and Palmer Foote of Sir Chloe
Also in the power-pop territory was Mannequin Pussy, who performed at the Miller Lite Stage on day one. Marisa “Missy” Dabice’s vocals roared with rasp and rage, as drummer Kaleen Reading, bassist Colins “Bear” Regisford, guitarist and Maxine Steen were on point with their high voltage rhythms.
Marisa “Missy” Dabice of Mannequin Pussy
Go with the flow
ACL’s selection of hip hop and R&B acts kept up a good flow all weekend long.
Empress Of brought alternative R&B to the American Express Stage on day three. As a DJ took care of the beats, the bilingual singer-songwriter, born Lorely Rodriguez, had a magnetic stage presence with her flowy choreography and expressive vocals. She sang in both English and Spanish, performing songs off 2024’s For Your Consideration, 2020’s I’m Your Empress Of, and a handful of other releases.
Empress Of
Other hip hop, R&B, and soul highlights from weekend one included:
Connor Price at the IHG Hotels & Resorts stage on day one.
Brittany Davis at the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage on day two.
Godly the Ruler at the Miller Lite stage on day two.
Lola Young at the American Express stage on day two.
Shxwnfresh at the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage on day two.
Chief Cleopatra at the IHG Hotels & Resorts stage on day three.
Deyaz at the BMI stage on day three.
Flo at the Miller Lite stage on day three.
Malcolm Todd at the T-Mobile stage on day three.
Mike. at the Honda stage on day three.
We got the funk
The ‘70s called to say that funk and psychedelia were alive and well at ACL.
Foster the People’s Honda Stage set on day one brought the hits, leaning heavily into the band’s debut album Torches. The Los Angeles six-piece dressed in monochrome looks and sounded ultra smooth with their synth-pop and neo-psychedelia sensibilities. Three songs from 2024’s Paradise State of Mind, Foster’s first release in seven years, made the setlist too. The new material channeled Chic and Talking Heads—a sound that suits the band well.
Mark Foster of Foster The People
Other psychedelic highlights from weekend one included:
Midnight Navy at the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage on day one.
Obed Padilla at the BMI stage on day two.
Glass Beams at the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage on day three.
Classic sounds
Turning back the analog clock even more, ACL offered a handful of retro sounds, from jazz and jukebox vibes to lo-fi earworms.
Dressed in a retro rainbow-striped dress that perfectly matched the stage backdrop, Norah Jones was, as expected, a sensation with her piano and vocals. Her keys, backed by a full rhythm section, sounded vibrant and pleasant; her vocals, rich and full. Jones spent most of her setlist on latest album, Visions, acknowledging that it had been a while since she last saw Austin. She also performed the hit single “Don’t Know Why,” as well as a cover of Kris Kristofferson’s “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” which she dedicated to the late singer.
Norah Jones
Stephen Sanchez leaned fully into the ‘50s crooner vibe at his day one set. He transformed the T-Mobile Stage into a vintage theater of sorts, as he and his band dressed to the nines in black suits. Sanchez and company’s sound mixed jangly pop with classic and rockabilly sensibilities. The singer’s vocals flowed between quiet moments and belted parts flawlessly, with a gorgeous and resonant tone.
Stephen Sanchez
Branded as K-indie rock, wave to earth brought its signature lo-fi sound to the IHG Hotels & Resorts Stage on day two. Elements of jazz, bedroom pop, and soul were brought to life by the band’s saxophone solos, careful drums, and guitar-driven melodies. Vocalist-guitarist Daniel Kim sounded smooth at the mic, delivering dreamy lyrics of songs like “play with earth” and “annie.” Their undercard set brought some of the loudest singalongs of the weekend.
Jeon-min of wave to earth
More weekend one standouts
Penny & Sparrow at the IHG Hotels & Resorts stage on day one.
The Saint Cecilia at the American Express stage on day one.
Geese at the T-Mobile stage on day two.
Rett Madison at the BMI stage on day two.
Sawyer Hill at the BMI stage on day two.
Telescreens at the BMI stage on day two.
Zach Person at the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage on day two.
David Shaw at the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage on day three.
Medium Build at the Miller Lite stage on day three.
Vlad Holiday at the BMI stage on day three.
West 22nd at the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage on day three.
DeathbyRomy at the Miller Lite stage on day three.
Stay tuned for coverage of Austin City Limits Weekend 2. Austin City Limits returns to Zilker Park October 3-5 and 10–12, 2025.
All Photos © Steve Galli + Story by : Chloe Catajan
