While this year's ACL was extremely headliner-heavy, it allowed smaller acts, including Jack Garratt and St. Paul and the Broken Bones, to shine. But as small acts had breakthrough moments, the festival's headliners didn't disappoint, bringing energy that radiated through the crowds each night.
This Friday, Radiohead’s energetic performance of songs such as “The National Anthem,” “Reckoner” and “Idioteque” stunned their audience. While they played plenty of songs from their most recent release, A Moon Shaped Pool, the band satisfied their fans with long-awaited live performances of their older songs as well.
Another noteworthy performance was given by Flying Lotus, who incorporated stunning visuals into the show. Die Antwoord, on the other hand, relied on flashy stage performances to cover up an uninspired performance.
On Saturday, Kendrick Lamar captivated fans with his band’s improvisational jams and his own freestyling talent. Cage the Elephant provided a surprisingly satisfying concert experience, incorporating engaging theatrics while performing their discography to a T.
Jack Garratt deserves a mention as well, as his bluesy guitar riffs and on point percussion performances produced one of the most satisfying acts at the festival.
City and Colour wasn’t able to generate such an energetic crowd, stiffly playing their show without many attempts to engage the audience.
The Samsung stage drew some of the largest crowds on Sunday, as fans flocked to hear impressive and powerful vocals from country singer Chris Stapleton. Stapleton and his wife Morgane charmed the audience with their harmonies and onstage chemistry.
Mumford & Sons followed Stapleton and closed out the festival, bringing enthusiasm and energy even to their slower songs. The folk rock band performed a mix of material from all three of their albums and incorporated an unreleased song, “Forever,” into their set. As the final act of the weekend, the group definitely made their mark on the crowd.
Life&Arts will return next weekend to cover the second half of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Check out @TheDailyTexan on Snapchat, Instagram and Twitter for live updates.
