Kacey Musgraves, The Chicks, Lil Nas X, Paramore and the Best of ACL Fest 2022 Week 1

Austin City Limits Fest kicked off the first of two weekends this past Friday with a crammed three-days of shows at Zilker Park.

The first act we saw was up-and-comer (and Plano native) Gayle, who rocked out on the stage, jamming on her bass in one of the most energetic sets of the weekend. The crowd went wild when she finally performed her viral hit song “abcdefu.”

Jazmine Sullivan had a fierce yet sultry set on the Honda mainstage. She was a pleasant surprise, serenading the audience with fantastic vocals. It was a good set for early fest-goers to relax and vibe out.

A New Zealander musician named Benee took over on the T-Mobile stage with a thoroughly enjoyable performance. While her stage presence can be awkward at times, it was apparent she was genuinely having fun, bopping from one end of the stage to the other.

James Blake was next up on the Honda Stage. Those of us unfamiliar with his music probably assumed he’d be worth checking since he was given such a good time slot on one of the main stages. This was a mistake. While he’s a good-looking guy, his music all sounded the same. The ironic part is, it’s not bad. It’s a cool electronic vibe, but it’s not worth listening to the same drum beat for an hour.

After trudging through that set, we bounced on over to the Barton Springs stage to catch a personal favorite, Carly Rae Jepsen. Her stage was decorated with clouds and stars, which you’d know is appropriate if you’re familiar with Jepson’s work beyond “Call Me Maybe.” 

Jepsen put on what was easily one of the best sets at the first weekend of the festival. Organizers might have really underestimated the demand for her performance, as people were spilling out of the primary viewing area and into the street meant for golf carts. It’s the most packed we’ve ever seen that stage.

We ended the Friday concert night over at The American Express Stage for Dallas’ own “The Chicks.” The trio kicked the show off with “Sin Wagon,” jamming out and taking in the massive crowd that turned up. While their set was heavy with tunes from their latest Gaslighter, and on politics, at this point in their career, if you go to a Chicks show you know exactly what you’re getting. But the trio are no rookies when it comes to touring, and packed the last half of their set with their hits. Closing out the show with their biggest hit, “Goodbye Earl.”

Saturday was an even hotter one at Zilker. At the Miller Lite stage, Slayyyter whipped her braid around while wearing a fur coat, singing electronic pop. It was good for dancing, but there wasn’t much depth to her set.

Around 2 p.m., The Midnight brought their brand of ’80s synth pop to the American Express stage, sax solos and all. Their tunes were excellent and are worth checking out, however their stage presence still needs some work.

Next up was Role Model at T-Mobile. The singer was full of energy, running from one side to the other, bouncing around and eating up all the attention from the girls screaming in the front row. He stopped at one point to give a spiel about winning over people who were only at his set because their friend, family or significant other wanted to be there. It was a bit reminiscent of Jason Lee’s whole speech in Almost Famous and came off, perhaps unintentionally, a little arrogant. Role Model’s music is just OK. It sounds very much like everything else on the radio right now.

The BMI stage featured Charlotte Sands, a fun pop-punk singer who was encouraging everyone to stay hydrated and rock out. She would do well on Warped Tour, if it still existed.

Next up on the Honda Main stage was Conan Gray, a Texan out of Georgetown with quite the following. His voice is often too pitchy, but his songwriting is good and his stage presence is great. It’s clear why he’s blowing up.

Sister duo Aly and AJ closed out the BMI stage on Saturday and their crowd was massive. In this case, it was more than clear the festival underestimated the draw they would have. Their music has definitely evolved from their bubblegum Radio Disney days.

As the sun started to set, it was time for the set to catch for the weekend, Lil Nas X in all his Montero Tour glory. His show was filled with backup dancers, outfit changes and hit after hit. It was an absolute spectacle; the only downside was the awkward lull during the outfit changes – surely due to the quick change area being further than it would be during his tour. Nonetheless, the legend of Lil Nas X continues to grow.

The evening was nightcapped with Diplo’s show. But on this scale it felt like a glorified wedding DJ set. It was unclear why he wasn’t headlining and doing more of his actual songs. But who knows, maybe his DJ set was actually fire, and we were too worn out to appreciate it.

The heat didn’t let up on Sunday, with another sweltering day at the arena and another day of hot performances.

Jake Wesley Rogers kicked things off with a surprisingly fun set of piano-driven pop, which is kind of what you would expect knowing he’s opening for Panic at the Disco right now. Expect to see more of him.
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Around 3 p.m., we popped over to see British singer PinkPantheress. She was bubbly and fun, but we were left disappointed when it was clear she was lip-syncing along to pre-recorded track.

Austin favorites Spoon jammed out on the Honda Stage at 4 p.m, giving us flashbacks of the TV show The O.C. when they played “The Way We Get By.” Lead singer Britt Daniel absolutely rocked out and soaked up the energy from the audience.

We had to catch the much buzzed about Japanese Breakfast, playing the T-Mobile stage. Michelle Zauner and the band had mesmerizing stage presence – there’s just something entertaining about watching someone bang on a giant gong – and Zauner’s airy voice adds a rad quality to the group’s sound.

At 6 p.m. the Honda stage hosted one of the most anticipated sets. Paramore. After a four year hiatus, it was good to see them back on stage. Hayley Williams jumped around flipping her hair around like she’s still 19. The rest of us would need too many Advils. The real highlight of their set, however, was Paramore Grandpa, a 60-something gentleman in the crowd dancing his ass off to “Ain’t it Fun,” winning entirely at life. 

Paramore made way on the Honda stage for East Texan Kacey Musgraves, who entered the stage performing “Star-Crossed” from her latest album by the same title, as a star-filled sky appeared on the screen behind her. The country star eased into her mellow set, which was a split of songs from Star-Crossed and Golden Hour. 

The only song from her debut album to make an appearance was “Merry Go ‘Round,” which is a shame. More than a few of us probably wanted to hear more from that album. It was a good set, but it definitely could have used some more energy, and was in stark contrast to the Red Hot Chili Peppers set closing out Sunday on the other end of Zilker Park.