Austin City Limits Music Festival
Weekend 1: October 4-6, 2019 / Weekend 2: October 11-13, 2019
Zilker Park, Austin, Texas
By Stacey Lovett
The ACL lineup has always presented a full spectrum of influence crossing genres and generations of what is popular today and what has guided artists into creating the next wave of music. Everything 2019 has in store amplifies this diversity, arguable moreso than ever, over the two signature weekends of music.
At the 2018 festival, Paul McCartney ushered in a surge of love, clearing space for a slew of emerging artists over this past year and spreading the same sentiment onto today’s stage. Yet this love isn’t as organic as it was in his generation, it’s an extension of those times circling back around today with new voice and vision. The ladies take center stage representing the strong influx of female artists with a lot to say. Fem-anthemist Lizzo will be transforming self-love from the spotlight, sharing it with the likes of Yola’s songs of strength from across the pond, Alabama Shakes’ bold frontwoman Brittany Howard, the golden hour glow of Kacey Musgraves, an etheric melancholic magic from Weyes Blood, the break-out sensation Lauren Daigle, and the prolific balladry of Jenny Lewis. Billie Elish will be performing both weekends as the youngest headliner in the festival’s history alongside heavy-hitters Cardi B for weekend one and Robyn for weekend two.
Creative renaissance man Donald Glover will be headlining as Childish Gambino – a monumental set following the record-breaking crowd he drew last month at San Francisco’s Outside Lands Music & Arts festival, predicted to happen again as this show is intended to be one of his last. Indie psych outfit Tame Impala raises the experiential bar for concertgoers to observe the full sensual experience the sonic thread binds for live music. Mumford and Sons will be representing a decade on the scene since their first release and return to the ACL stage rather quickly with their latest release “Delta.” Another recent headliner to return to the ACL headlining stage, this time with his solo work, Thom Yorke lends the electronic topography to the lineup with his Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes – a project that spoke volumes to the conversation of the mechanics of the industry and the depth of the music itself. One which may very well bleed that intent into not only this music city but this massive musical environment. Austin’s own Gary Clark Jr. sings social relevance into fashion mirroring his own talents amidst Jack White and The Raconteurs narrating a new paradigm in the industry with the promotion of their third album “Help Me Stranger.” Quite a bit of representation of the industry shift will come together this year at Zilker Park, to include a lot of genre-bending acts like Judah & the Lion, Bruce Hornsby, and MASEGO.
The progressive influence in the rock scene of the 70s and 80s is coming full force with both The Cure and Guns N’ Roses Headlining each weekend. 30 years since their milestone best-selling record, Robert Smith and crew revisit their contributions to integrating their signature style into the time that has not only persevered but inclined so many after them. Axl, Slash, & Duff bring back the classic GNR lineup to showcase their massive infusion into rock, steering music once again into a pivotal era of broader social significance. No matter how big the band or the stage, there will undoubtedly be something for everyone’s appetite at ACL 2019 as it presents the full spectrum of pop culture, blending much of what was more heavily defined only a couple of decades ago but unifying more of what it’s always stood for.
For a full interactive lineup by day, you can curate your own ACL 2019 experience at www.aclfestival.com
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