ACL day 2 came stacked

Morgan-Taylor Thomas, Life and Arts Associate Editor

What started as heavy overcast, plagued with thick rain clouds and a crisp breeze quickly turned into coma-inducing heat waves of humidity and dehydration. Although only 82 degrees, Zilker Park melted away with each passing second.

At 11 a.m., the “Star Wars” overture blared as hundreds of music-hungry fans sprinted through the check-in to their designated stages. With back-to-back-to-back most anticipated artists such as Billie Eilish, Doja Cat and Phoebe Bridgers at Lady Bird Stage, picnic blankets and CamelBak water backpacks littered the arena as supporters camped for hours.

Starting hot at 12:05 p.m. with artists such as fresh young rapper Payday and surf rockers Sun Room, day two came out swinging. At 2:20 p.m., the sea parted, half of the party heading to Honda for TikTok viral duo Surfaces and the other half to Lady Bird for queer icon Girl in Red. 


Then, the walkways became blocked at 3:20 p.m. as flocks of viewers flew in to see Remi Wolf, full of sick breath control and intoxicating vibrato, do her thing at the T-Mobile stage.

By 4:20 p.m., Lady Bird was packed as Phoebe Bridgers hit the stage, playing favorites such as opener “Motion Sickness” and closer “I Know the End.” A large crew stayed at the stage, anxiously waiting for Doja Cat’s engaging, colorful and downright badass showcase at 6:20 p.m.

All of a sudden, the sun set and the park stood still. Why? Because everyone flooded the Miller Lite stage as Twitter’s white boy of the month Jack Harlow captivated the audience with his sick beats and hot — very hot — looks. Remember when Lizzo shut down the park in 2019? Yeah, multiply that by 10 and you’ve got the sheer insanity that covered the entire park for Mr. Harlow. 

Finishing the day out with a bang stood none other than the queen, Billie Eilish. With a  simplistic stage set and brother Finneas, the 19-year-old caused a ruckus, shaking the ground and giving the middle finger, literally, to Greg Abbott’s latest abortion ban. 

Hard to beat, day two simply came locked and loaded, the best lineup of the entire weekend.