The 1975 Headline, Karen O Melts Our Faces: The Best of ACL Weekend 2

One weekend is never enough to see it all at ACL Festival. So we saddled back up and headed out to Zilker Park for a second helping of tunes and people-watching. Friday in Austin was a hot anomaly, but as the weekend progressed it cooled down to beautiful 70-degree afternoons. Talk about perfect festival weather.

Jimmie Vaughan & Tilt-a-Whirl Band kicked things off early in the day on the Honda stage. The Oak Cliff native treated fest goers to a feast of bluesy tunes and masterful musicianship. Jimmie is well known as brother to one of the most legendary guitar players of all time, Stevie Ray Vaughan, but he is iconic in his own right.

Around the 3 p.m. mark, Fort Worth’s own Abraham Alexander took the stage. The previous week he seemed to let nerves get to him, so we wanted to see if he was able to shake them off and let loose during Week 2.

“Let’s show them how we do it in Texas,” Alexander said as he started his set. The blues rocker looked more relaxed than the previous outing as he reveled in the audience singing along to “Tears Run Dry."

It was a relief to see the North Texas native work the stage with his signature swagger, which we expect and love from him.
Scoring a midday Honda main stage time slot was one of our most anticipated sets of the weekend, British songstress and independent artist RAYE. The breakout star, whose song “Escapism” went viral earlier this year, is on a tour for her album My 21st Century Blues. The stage was dressed up with a backing band you’d expect to see at a jazz club, as RAYE performed vocal gymnastics. The singer has an impressive range that would give Mariah a run for her money — and  paired with catchy poetic verses, you have something unique and fresh. RAYE showed a rare candor with the audience, which made her feel grounded and personable. She cheekily grinned and shared in her Cockney accent, “I forgot my tit covers. So you’ll have to hold me down and let me know if one pops out.”

She even shed a few tears during a couple of emotional numbers. Her set was a real treat; everyone in attendance might have just seen a set from a future superstar.

As the evening progressed, we checked out a literal band of blues brothers from Australia. The Teskey Brothers played the Miller Lite stage around 5 p.m. Like a modern-day Joe Cocker or Ray Charles, the band's vocals are nothing short of incredible. Their stage presence was lacking, however, as if all of their feet had been glued in place for 90% of the set. For now, you could pop in their CD or listen on Spotify, and the experience would be about equal to their live performance. If Ray Lamontagne is your jam, check them out.
We love a good redemption story, so after the Week 1 debacle with Kendrick Lamar — who'd arrived late and had to cut his set short — we went back for more. The audience was lighter as we walked to the Amex Main Stage. But a few songs in, the crowd had filled out, jamming up against the barricade, packed in like sardines. Lamar showed up on time and showed out. He gave a noticeably more energetic set, the true Kendrick Lamar experience — or as he referred to it “a journey” —  keeping spectacle to a minimum with occasional pyro, and a few backup dancers on a handful of numbers.

The performer spent most time on stage alone, his bold presence and lyrical cadence showing why he is so revered in the rap game. Those who gave him a second chance after last week were rewarded by a powerful performance as the Friday headliner was able to fully be in his element. You can’t kill his vibe.

Saturday made way for a much buzzed-about performance from musician and actress Rina Sawayama on the Honda Main stage at 4 pm. Hers is quite possibly the only performance we saw over the festival that included a costume change, or, to be exact, three of them. Her indie pop set ran the gamut of emotions — one moment singing a bop about self-acceptance, the next singing a rage-filled mashup of her song "STFU" and Limp Bizkit's “Break Stuff.” It was a visually interesting set, one you could tell was well rehearsed with a lot of effort. We just wish we liked Rina’s vocals more. They are unfortunately kind of mid.

Mid-day at the T-Mobile stage was filled by country music firecracker and original wild child Tanya Tucker. The West Texas native began performing at the age of 13, when the song “Delta Dawn” became a huge hit. Can we just say, they don’t make them like Tanya anymore: classic country songs mixed with a stage presence that plays and thrives off the crowd. A couple of songs in, Tucker apologized for not being able to dance around more. The singer explained she had neck surgery recently. Her shimmies and shakes were more than getting the job done, and the crowd went crazy over it. It might be possible that 65-year-old Tanya Tucker is the person who had the most fun at ACL Festival this weekend. Who would have thought?

As the sun started to set, Tegan and Sara took the stage in the Tito’s Tent. It’s been years since we’ve seen the Quin twin duo rock it on stage. The pair sounded fantastically spot-on. Their signature electric dance sound, backed by a full band, was immaculate. But as the two took turns on lead vocals during the set, it often felt as if Sara was only giving her best on songs where she took lead, which resulted in much of the set feeling awkward and a little flat. We expected more "awesome."

The dance vibes continued over on the IHG stage with Swedish pop singer Tove Lo. The performer is well-known for her provocative songs, performances and videos. So we weren’t shocked at her continuous wardrobe malfunction. It hardly seemed to faze or bother her. Much of her latest release Dirt Femme is electronic and synthy, a perfect recipe for turning the field of grass into a nightclub dance floor. Just like the song says, she is in fact a “Cool Girl.” Tove Lo did a fantastic job working the stage throughout the performance. Her audience ate up her signature sexual dance moves.

Saturday night made way for the big headliner energy over at the Honda Main Stage. The 1975, Still … At Their Very Best, according to the band's latest tour. The group's music and live show are still ... next level. It’s no surprise even Taylor Swift wanted to see it when she was preparing her Eras tour.

The 1975 excels at recreating the magical full sound from the studio, quite possibly amping it up to 11 for some songs. Their stage setup was basic compared with their tour set, but they still had the full band, including two drum kits, a horn section, several keyboards and multiple guitars.

The audience vibed as the band played “Saturday night bangers,” to quote singer Matty Healy. The energy for songs  “Happiness,” “Robbers,” “Chocolate” and “It’s Not Living (If It’s Not With You)” soared. They might've been the happiest crowd we saw at the festival.

In the middle of the show, the band performed “The Sound,” a favorite of casual and diehard fans alike. Healy used this time to rally the audience into unity during the sax solo, saying, “Let’s do something to combat the crisis of individualism, by doing something corny."

Their set was stellar, even if Healy is slightly unhinged. If the flask he had on stage was actually full of booze, the alcohol consumption during his set alone is taking its toll. During the night, he often slurred his words. Even though “drunk” Matty didn’t miss a beat and the band are Still At Their Very Best, we hope for the best. If Healy was not drunk, and it was an act, the boys still looked on the edge of exhausted. Their impending hiatus is a well-earned one at the very least.
Sunday, the final day of ACL was upon us. Over at the IHG set was a country music up-and-comer named Morgan Wade. Wade isn’t your stereotypical country musician, though, donning fully tatted sleeves and rumored to be dating Real Housewives' Kyle Richards. Even if the rumor isn’t true, Richards does make an appearance in Morgan’s latest music video for a tune called “Fall in Love With Me.” Wade's performance seemed plagued by technical difficulties, but even without accounting for those, her songs didn’t know what genre they wanted to be — and in a messy way. Pairing that with a performance that felt phoned in, consider us underwhelmed.

Niall Horan was back on the Amex Main Stage midday on Sunday, and we hoped the Irish favorite would mix it up. Disappointingly, he did not. He did dress more appropriately this week, wearing a lighter color and roasting himself for getting burnt the prior week. This time around, he also seemed to take his time, becoming super chatty between songs. It sounds like Niall took in the true ACL experience, coming to enjoy sets by Noah Kahan and Foo Fighters on Saturday, getting a rare turn at being a fan. Even though he had the same setlist as the previous week, he was still adorable and just so damn likable.

The T-Mobile stage got crowded at 5 p.m., hosting British-Nigerian rapper Little Simz, whose sound is inspired by and reminiscent of classic hip-hop. Many of her songs contain captivating beats paired with beautiful piano melodies. Little Simz had an aura of feel-good-ness about her set, including a song titled “Woman” with lyrics such as, “Woman to woman, I just wanna see you glow.” We love some female empowerment jams. She had great flow on the verses and catchy hooks she would spit off as she would glide and bop around the stage in her classic black-and-white Vans. Hers is a sound that would pair well with The Fugees.

Sunday evening meant it was time for the face-melting Yeah Yeah Yeahs to take on the Honda Main Stage. The iconic Karen O took the lead, rocking the stage with her flashy, green tasseled jumpsuit with "KO" all over it, most prominently on her belt. She is the epitome of a rock star: microphone twirling, water spitting, and yet at times even soft. The set felt tame compared to the prior week where O shoved an entire microphone in her mouth. But the crowd this week was treated to an extra song.

Karen O does a good job of being a complimentary frontwoman to the rest of the rock talent on stage, all of whom are still at the top of their game and able to shine with her, not just behind her. Watching these rock legends demand that “Heads Will Roll” after their decade-long break was a great way to end the weekend.