The release of the ACL schedule inevitably brings a measure of disappointment for anyone serious about submerging themselves in the entirety of one, two or all three days of music. For months, you’ve had a big poster with enough enticing names to get you to commit to the whole weekend; or, for a little less time, you had lineups by day that convinced you to make a shorter commitment.
But with the full schedule release like the one we saw this week, it’s likely your anticipated Zilker Park date with one or more musical acts has been either shortened or cancelled outright. That’s because they’re in a time slot with an exact or close-enough overlap with someone else you really wanted to see, and it’s time to make a hard decision.
Everyone will have their own toughest conflicts to sort out. Somewhere out there, if you can believe it, there’s a person agonizing over the apples-to-dragon-fruit headliner conflict between diametrically opposite acts the Strokes and Sabrina Carpenter. But if you’re hitting Weekend 1 like I plan to, and your biggest conflicts happen to be the exact same as mine … then hey, I got your most pivotal decisions of the year covered. Here in chronological order are my three toughest set-time conflicts for the first weekend, the case for seeing each performer, and the recommendation on how to handle it if you’re in the same bind. Then, you’ll find a few schedule odds and ends, including my headliner picks for each night.
Friday — Cage the Elephant (6:30-7:30) vs. Empire of the Sun (7:00-8:15)
The case for Cage: With a high-energy lead performer in vocalist Matt Shultz, and a heavy sack full of sonically diverse rock hits going back nearly two decades, CtE should present a set high on familiar bangers and atmospheric gems like personal favorite “Cigarette Daydreams.” The “Pixies rip-off” broadsides they endured as they ascended in the late ‘00s — largely due to Shultz’s voice — are a thing of the past; these Kentuckians found their own voice long ago and are perhaps on the short list of underrated rock bands of this millennium.
The case for Empire: “Walking on a dream/How can I explain?” about sums it up. Empire of the Sun has other good songs — “Alive” or “We Are The People” should sound plenty good as a drink or gummy goes to work in your system in the Zilker twilight. But that invigorating melodic electro-stomp of “Walking On a Dream” is what you come for. As day becomes night, it’s probably reasonable to count on some solid visual lights and magic from this Aussie synth-pop duo as well.
The call: See Cage the Elephant. After they’re done, head over to the Miller Lite stage for the second half of Empire and hope you haven’t missed “Walking on a Dream.” Chances are, you haven’t.
Sunday — Rainbow Kitten Surprise (4:15-5:15) vs. Wet Leg (4:30-5:30)
The case for RKS: The quirky and eclectic indie rock sensibility of their sound — think Modest Mouse meets Bartees Strange, ish — has more than its share of ragged charm. RKS will provide good late-afternoon atmosphere to gently transition your festival experience from afternoon toward the inevitable all-senses-on-deck tendencies of the showtime-y evening sets.
The case for Wet Leg: Rhian Teasdale (top photo, from SXSW 2022) and Hester Chambers are as charming and witty onstage as the songs that have deservedly made them one of indie’s post-pandemic darlings. If “bubblegum postpunk” were a thing rather a ridiculous-sounding subgenre I assume I just made up, Wet Leg would be … maybe not quite it, but close to it. Their self-titled debut lived up to a considerable amount of hype back in 2022, and with new album moisturizer, we see them going in some new directions (with more of a true full-band approach) without losing their sharp attitude, wordplay or wit. Drawing from those two albums should make for a great, rocking hour.
The call: See Wet Leg, particularly if you haven’t already. Time may be running out on “I saw them when” moments for this crew, which has the talent and charisma to perhaps breach the line between indie stardom and Real Stardom.
Sunday — Phantogram vs. MK.Gee (both 7:30-8:30)
The case for Phantogram: Similar to the case for Empire of the Sun — a broadly similar electronic synth act, and also a duo — Phantogram on a festival stage in the twilight/evening hours sounds awfully inviting, and maybe even mind-expanding. The Greenwich twosome isn’t defined by the outsized appeal of one song, though. “When I’m Small,” “Mouthful of Diamonds,” “Black Out Days” and “You Don’t Get Me High Anymore” are all certain or near-certain set inclusions, and all are excellent, propelled to mystical heights by Sarah Barthel’s ethereal voice.
The case for MK.Gee: Well, he’s a talented dude. Michael Todd Gordon’s angular, about-anything-goes indie rock takes on an experimental-sounding, hypnotic quality similar to what you might absorb from freak folk, darkwave or the Synchronicity-era Police. Moody in sound, musically curious and melody-forward, Gordon has a strong discography with the onstage potential to both rivet you and make you wonder just what you’ll hear next.
The call: Phantogram. The potential they carry for audiovisual excitement is too tempting to pass up.
Odds ’n ends from the schedule:
Strongest headliner nights, with Ear Traffic pick to see:
1. Saturday — Strokes over Sabrina Carpenter
2. Sunday — Doja Cat over John Summit
3. Friday — Hozier over Luke Combs
Band that crushes the rest of its time slot: Magdalena Bay (5:30-6:30 Saturday) over RIIZE, GoldFord and Latin Mafia
Pre-4 p.m.-start sets worth the sun exposure: Hotline TNT (12:45 Saturday), Anderson East (12:15 Sunday), Lucius (3:30 Sunday)
Playing surprisingly early: Hotline TNT (12:45 Saturday); runner-up, slightly early: Modest Mouse (4:15 Saturday)
Earlier-evening acts most likely to headline in the future: Doechii, Maren Morris