From nostalgic sing-alongs to surprise guests, Austin City Limits performers brought sprawling audiences a variety of vibrant performances, once again shining a spotlight on the city’s love for live music. As Austin closes the door on this year’s ACL, The Daily Texan reflects on the best acts from the festival’s second weekend. 

Magdalena Bay

The energy radiating from synth-pop duo Mica Tenenbaum and Matthew Lewin’s transcendental performance could not be contained to the Tito’s Handmade Vodka stage — the sound of pulsating rhythms and electrifying guitar riffs drew festivalgoers relaxing at nearby ACL Eats booths to the vibrating tent. With the addition of vaporwave visuals and a looming holographic head named Chaeri rousing the crowd between songs, Magdalena Bay delivered a psychedelic visual feast to the festival audience. 

Wallows

The alternative indie-rock band delivered a lighthearted, entertaining set full of past and present fan favorites, curating an energized performance from the group. Additionally, each member performed dynamic solos, but lead singer Dylan Minnette particularly shined, lighting up the stage with lots of fan interactions. At one point, the singer even left the stage and walked right up to the barricade, singing to frenzied fans, creating a high moment in the set. 

The group fostered highly engaging chemistry, both onstage with their performance and vocally, effortlessly blending their specific, unique voices together to create a stunning cohesive sound. Overall, Wallows showcased a highly interactive set of the band’s greatest hits, making for an upbeat and entertaining performance for the band’s first ACL performance in four years.  

The Marías 

Overflowing with romance, The Marías’ frontwoman María Zardoya shined as a suave centerpiece to the band’s ACL set. Pops of red throughout the set, bold visuals and overhead strobe lights worked in tandem to turn the outdoor Barton Springs stage into an intimate jazz club. Isolated trumpet solos and piano melodies showcased the band’s jazz and funk-infused pop soundscapes presented on their Grammy-nominated debut album CINEMA, resulting in a strong follow-up to their nationwide tour for the album.

BIA 

BIA commanded the stage and brought a confident performance for her ACL debut. With her charming and suave stage presence, BIA instantly gained the adoration of the crowd and drew on its energy in her performance. With fiery trap beats to back her up, her smooth voice, empowering lyrics and bold stage presence, BIA perfectly created an impressive and engaging rap performance — one of the best at the festival. 

The set featured countless memorable moments — such as BIA bringing a fan on stage to dance with her, performing an unreleased song starting with an iconic NeNe Leakes line and the crowd coming together to sing Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl.”  After the set came to a close, fans chanted “one more song,” causing BIA to perform “CAN’T TOUCH THIS” as her encore, a song that ended the set on a high note, fitting for the electric performance. 

Kacey Musgraves

Hailing from Golden, Texas, country-pop sensation Kacey Musgraves returned to her home state as an ACL headliner, closing out both weekends with her signature Southern charm and cross-genre hits. The Grammy’s 2019 Album of the Year winner performed a collection of songs old and new, keeping fans on their toes with a variety of surprises — a flaming heart, a round of what she deemed “Kacey-oke” to the tune of Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams” and a surprise visit from gubernatorial candidate Beto O’Rourke. The beloved country artist sealed this year’s ACL festival with ease, recalling her Texan roots and shining in acoustic performances of her older country hits.