“Ask how many times I come to Texas, I said Austin” were the words ringing across Zilker Park as The Weeknd performed one of the festival’s closing shows. In that moment, I reflected over the amazing experiences and memories Austin City Limits had given me. As an avid concert-goer and lover of music, I had been longing to attend a major music festival for as long as I can remember, and Austin City Limits was finally my chance. The anticipation leading up to the weekend had been building since the beginning of fall, and my expectations were exceeded. Austin City Limits expels an aura of good vibes, and the experience I had at ACL was absolutely amazing.
Walking through the gates at Zilker Park, I was immediately blown away by the atmosphere the festival emitted. The sun was setting over the Austin skyline, and Flosstradamus was killing it on a stage near the entrance. I was absolutely elated to finally experience what I had been looking forward to for so long. I didn’t get to spend much time at the festival on Friday, but the time I did spend set the stage for the rest of the weekend. On Friday, I was able to see George Ezra, Flosstradamus, Disclosure, and the Foo Fighters. Each performance was completely different, and I was so amazed by the diversity I could see by walking a short distance across the park. I went from dancing to remixes by Flosstradamus to singing along to “Budapest” with George Ezra fans to rocking out with the Foo Fighters. To me, one of the most appealing aspects of music festivals are the different performers and artists you’re able to see in such a small amount of time, and my first night at ACL really accentuated that very fact.
I woke up Saturday morning eager to conquer the day ahead. My line up for that day included Twenty One Pilots, Walk the Moon, A$AP Rocky, and Drake. Walk the Moon was easily one of the best parts of ACL for me. Granted, they are one of my favorite bands, but they put on an absolutely amazing show that had me dancing and singing at the top of my lungs. A$AP Rocky was more enjoyable than I originally thought he would be, and Drake was absolutely amazing. Drake’s performance was one that I had been most looking forward to going into the weekend, and he did not disappoint. I tried to get closer to the stage for Drake’s set, but I soon had to escape the pushing and claustrophobia that ensued after A$AP finished his set. I went to the back of the crowd to watch the performance, and even though I couldn’t necessarily see, I enjoyed every minute of it, especially when J. Cole came on stage as a surprise guest.
When J. Cole finished performing I decided to leave in order to check on the score of the TCU football, and I am so grateful I did. The best moment of all weekend had to have been when the mighty Horned Frogs got that win over Kansas State. The boys scored to take the lead right when I got to the bar where they were showing the game. A hundred TCU fans gathered, praying that TCU would come back and win. We all watched together as Boykin connected with Doctson and pranced into the end zone. We immediately cheered, screamed and thanked the football gods that our team had pulled through, and as we were celebrating the win, fireworks started going off signifying the end of Drake’s set and the reign of TCU football. It was a truly amazing thing to experience.
My final day spent in Zilker Park was, of course, another splendid day. By then, I had begun to understand the best approach to tackling the crowds of ACL. Even though I couldn’t necessarily see everything, I spent the afternoon chilling in the back of crowds and just enjoying the people, the atmosphere and the music. I went from Vance Joy to Alt-J to Hozier and then to the Weeknd. Every performance absolutely rocked my socks off. It was so amazing to see the community of people gather together to celebrate music and the city of Austin. Austin kept it weird in so many ways, and I loved every single minute of it. I was sad when leaving the park for the final time, but I know that I will be back again someday to enjoy more music and make more memories. Austin City Limits kept it real and fun, and I can’t wait to go back.
Photo by Hayden Mahaney