The small rectangular cardboard totem top I saw in the middle of the Chappell Roan mob almost certainly wasn’t the first time anyone had ever used the phrase “gayCL.” In fact, I might well have seen that totem in previous years. But this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival may have been the most appropriate use of it in ACL history. Ditto for the Texas LGBTQ+ flag that towered over a spot near my vantage point.
Roan’s appearance (top photo) — once again a tight pack-in of humanity at Weekend 2 — was the culmination of a weekend in which LGBTQ+ performers — and fans — pressed their fingerprints all over the festival’s vibe. Everyone from Roan to Orville Peck to Beaches to Remi Wolf represented part of the non-hetero/cis community and did so with confidence. That was one high-level takeaway.
The other was the impact of the dust … which didn’t hit me until possibly about four days later, when I fell ill with what may or may not have been the “ACL flu.” But it certainly impacted many others moozying around in bandanas all weekend trying to avoid the vicious particulates that made news during Weekend 1. I didn’t go to those lengths and felt basically nothing … until the following Thursday or so. Maybe the bank robber-looking motherfuckers were all smarter than me.
It was hot, as always, and plenty of performances matched that heat. Here are my superlatives following the settling of the dust on Weekend 2. (Click here and here for my previous recaps of days 1 and 2.)
Best Performances
1. Jungle — There’s no comparison to seeing Jungle in the afternoon, as I did at ACL in 2018, and Jungle during twilight and after sundown, as occurred this year. The British disco-soul juggernaut used its bright, flashing and ornate lightcraft to its advantage, creating the vibe of a modern Studio 54 (Studio 74? Eh?) as it presided over a warm hour of head-bobbing and ass-shaking. The likes of “Busy Earnin’,” “Keep Moving” and “I’ve Been in Love” — not to mention “Back on 74,” of course — served notice that as a live act, Jungle are disco perfected; arguably, what the “Saturday Night Fever”-era Bee Gees could have been if they had a shred of imaginativeness or grit.
2. Beaches — Sparing you any broad, meandering setup here, they simply rocked. Beaches just crank out
one propulsive, windows-down rock ‘n’ roll song after another, with relationship difficulties usually front and center. Vocalist/bassist Jordan Miller, her guitarist sister Kylie, guitarist/keyboardist Leandra Earl and drummer Eliza Enman-McDaniel didn’t let up on the gas for their whole hour, narrowly edging out the next guy for the best set I saw by Canadian artists.
3. Orville Peck — I’ll admit, I preferred Peck’s overall artistry a little more back when no one knew his real name (a near-impossibility to sustain today) and when his face was completely obscured. These days, wearing only a standard Lone Ranger-type mask, he’d have a much harder time passing himself off as Mr. America. But with more of his mug visible, you do get a greater sense of the passion this unique voice in today’s music scene has for his dramatic, cinematic and muscular take on trad-country. The emergence of Willie Nelson to perform their duet of the four-decade-old gay-cowboy anthem “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other,” was the kind of warm-and-fuzzy moment that fosters dreams of today’s mainstream country someday leaving its bro-ish (read: homophobic) vibe completely behind.
4. Santigold — Flanked by expressionless backup dancers/vocalists who stood motionless, then broke into their moves without registering any facial emotion, Santi White herself exhibited an easy energy inside the Tito’s tent, playing most of the gems that have made her an alt-rock force since the late ’00s. And her finale — a wild invitation for any crowd member who wanted to do so to come onstage and back her for “Creator” — was an “Are you really doing this?” moment in the age of Astroworld. Since it went off without any deaths or injuries, it put a nice bow on the set.
5. Chappell Roan — The need to register something for the historical record of ACL — and popular music, really –would dictate that I discuss Chappell Roan’s set even if I hadn’t enjoyed it, or even if it made no impression. Fortunately, the Midwest Princess and her adoring megathrong lived up to the hype — no more, no less. With colorful visuals on the video boards behind her and to her flanks, and that throng ready to sing along to every song she offered, Roan presided over an overcrowded crowded cultural moment that will cling to the memory banks of both young queer folk and straight cis-eses. It was the last performance of an incredibly ascendant year for Roan, perhaps best typified by the “YMCA”-ish arm-gesture spelling she directs the crowd to participate in for “Hot To Go!” Hard to spell “T” with your arms when you have no more than about two inches of breathing room on each side of you.
Ten song performances that stood out (in no particular order)
Beaches, “Jocelyn” — The band’s newest single had a particular power live, especially for its soul-baring portrayal of low self-esteem. (“You just got your Ph.D. in politics/And I’m just phoning it in.”)
Santigold, “Lights Out” — My mild fear that Santigold’s best basic rock song might not make the cut because it’s so old (2008) was quickly assuaged. It came early in the set and its hooky melodic magic was there.
Orville Peck feat. Willie Nelson, “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other” — As noted above, 91-year-old Willie’s appearance — at least his second of the weekend following a drop-in with Chris Stapleton — was a heartening and fun cross-generational strike against homophobic cowboy culture.
Orville Peck, “Any Turn” — This shitkicking uptempo country number with an “I’ve Been Everywhere” feel displayed the high-speed end of Peck’s range; it’s a good roadhouse rabble-rouser.
Sturgill Simpson, “A Good Look/L.A. Woman” — During Simpson’s festival-closing headliner set, the playing was sublime, but his steadfast commitment to staying disengaged from the audience and a slight over-reliance on covers made it less than spectacular. That’s not to say the covers didn’t sound good, though, and this medley of Sturgill’s own “A Good Look” and the Doors’ classic created an arena rock-like storm that took the set into a new gear early on.
Chappell Roan, “Good Luck Babe!” — Partially because of the passion from the huge crowd as it faithfully sang along, Roan’s newest hit single was more moving than any other moment of her performance, as well as a palpable benchmark of the LGBTQ+ themes in her music.
Being Dead, “Firefighters” — Nastily distorted and viciously double-picked by guitarist/co-lead vocalist Schmoofy, this stood out in a set of ample psychedelic bangers from these locals.
Jungle, “Busy Earnin'” — The vocal harmonies, ceremonious synths and earwormy “can’t get enough” hook were an incontainable smash live, providing just one highlight among many.
Norah Jones, “Staring at the Wall” — This 2024 Jones single was a changeup relative to the rest of her set, its country-rock flavor displaying Jones’ perhaps-underrated versatility.
Red Clay Strays, “Drowning” — Band frontman Brandon Coleman perhaps surprised a few people who think of the Alabamans as a trad-country or country-rock outfit: “We love country music, and maybe one of these days we’ll make a country record. But as of right now, we think we’re a rock ‘n’ roll band.” Then “Drowning,” a rootsy and soulful power ballad reminiscent of Friday headliner Chris Stapleton, hit the Sunday crowd hard and made a defensible argument for Coleman’s claim.
A few memorable quotes
- “I don’t know if some of you saw me after our show at the Scoot Inn, but if you did see me, I apologize.” — Kylie Miller of the Beaches, talking about trips to Austin having an impact on her alcohol consumption
- “My music is kind of here and there and there and there, so thank you for riding the roller coaster with me.” — Remi Wolf
- “I can’t exaggerate how much I loved that moment just now. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.” — Chris Stapleton after opening his Friday set with a Willie Nelson guest shot