A Day at Austin City Limits

By Jenna Langan and Madison Brattoli

What happens when you buy last minute tickets to a music festival from a man in the middle of a Hooters

We found ourselves in Austin, Texas, for a public relations conference during the same time as Austin City Limits. So, with that being said, we did the logical thing and met a man selling tickets in the middle of a Hooters.

Austin City Limits (ACL) is an annual music festival held in Zilker Park for two-consecutive three day weekends. Since 2012, the festival has been bringing in about 450,00 people to the festival each year.

This year’s headliners included Paul McCartney, The Arctic Monkeys, Travis Scott, Metallica and more.

Luckily, our wristbands weren’t a bust and we made it into the festival with no issues. On Oct. 7, we attended the festival and got to experience some amazing acts.

We saw Travis Scott, Sylvan Esso, Phoenix, Camila Cabello, Shakey Graves, Tinashe, Houndmouth, and ILLENIUM.

Jenna’s Favorite Performance:

Nothing can really top seeing Travis Scott perform while wearing a cowboy hat. Although he ended early, it was still amazing to be a human punching bag to those around me in the presence of Travis Scott.

Astroworld is my favorite album of the year, so seeing it live was a treat. He played songs all over the board from Astroworld to Rodeo.

I recommend seeing his full set on tour when he brings Astroworld to Cleveland on Dec. 14.

Jenna’s Least Favorite Performance:

The second Camila Cabello, the singer of the hit song, “Havana” said she classifies her music as “emo” made me leave the crowd. I am not a big fan of her music, but I went to see her just to say I did and immediately regretted it that moment.

Madison’s Favorite Performances:

I have been a fan of Phoenix since high school and finally seeing them live was a great experience! They played their classic hit, “Lisztomania.” As soon as the first beat drop the audience went wild!

Although they were added last minute to the festival, many fans appeared to be at the festival just for Phoenix.

Madison’s Least Favorite Performance:

What disappointed me about ACL the most was Childish Gambino canceling his appearance only about a month in advance. I bought my ticket primarily for the purpose of seeing his set. I have been a fan of his since 2014 and he is one hard artist to see on tour. I thought this was finally my big break! Then, he suffered an injury while on tour and had to cancel the rest of his dates. The festival added Phoenix to the lineup but never added another big headliner act.

Acts to look out for:

Two words: Shakey Graves

This man has boatloads of talent and seeing him live definitely certified that.

Check out this performance he did for Audiotree Live! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sD72LbIk02M

Overall Festival Rating: 8/10

Musical Act Variety: 10/10, Rap, Pop, Indie, Metal, EDM, you name it. ACL had it all.

Eco-Friendliness: 10/10, we were given trash bags when we entered to collect recyclable items in exchange for a free T-shirt. This was such a great idea and I think more festivals should hop on it.

Location: 9/10, Zilker Park wasn’t too far from downtown Austin. Each stage was a good, walkable distance away.

Food/Vendors: 8/10, prices of food and drink were super affordable! Only $2 for a bottle of water + free hydration stations.