Weekend 2 of ACL kicked off October 11 once the gates opened at 11 am. Friday was filled with over 30 artists and performers with headliners like Tame Impala and Guns N’ Roses performing last on the final two stages forcing audience members to choose. The streets leading up to Zilker Park were closed off for all vehicles and filled with eager people ready to join the festival fun. The crowd was dressed differently than ACL crowds in the past as the morning was a surprising 47 degrees yet as always people were divided between comfort for the long day ahead and avant garde, trendy for the ‘gram.

Multiple brands like RedBull and Kleenex were handing out free supplies to help those attending the festival. The supplies ranged from energy drinks to help keep up with the long hours of the festival and wet wipes to help keep sanitary in the festival’s disgusting port-a-potties. 

All of the acts of Friday were able to show. King Princess, a pop lesbian artist, gave an emotional yet hype performance of many songs like Cheap Queen, Pussy Is God, Talia, Upper West Side, and more. Lil Uzi Vert gave the crowd a scare after not showing at his set the previous weekend and being late to his set this weekend however he did not disappoint. First, a hype man joined the stage rapping and hyping the crowd up which caused some to some worry that he was there in place of Lil Uzi Vert. When Lil Uzi Vert came on the stage, the crowd cheered and rapped along to al his hit he performed. Thom Yorke, the lead singer of Radiohead, joined ACL yet again after having performed there with his band and as a solo artist in the past. His performance consisted of songs from his solo album Tomorrow’s Modern Boxes, accompanied by small speeches thanking the crowd, incredible vocals, and mesmerizing visuals in the background that made all his viewers feel immersed in the music. Headliner Tame Impala focused on visual as well as making their performance a light show. They performed many hits from their discography and made the crowd sway and dance and feel the music all while showing an amazing light show along with their music.

The Saturday of weekend 2 was brisk yet exciting all the same. Acts like Flora Cash and The Aquadolls opened up the day exciting crowds and creating hype. The crowd at Miller Lite became antsy after 1:15 pm when rapper Megan Thee Stallion seemed to be late. The crowd continued to wait and chant for around 25 minutes until a crew member came onstage saying she was on her way but going to be late. Some of the crowd decided to leave while others stayed hoping to catch the last minutes of her set but again a crew member came out to say she would not be making her performance. Despite the disappointment, the day continued on with acts like Denzel Curry and HIPPIE SABOTAGE hyping up crowds and thanking their audiences. More popular acts like Kali Uchis, Billie Eilish, and 21 Savage showed to dedicated fans and sang their hearts out to large, adoring crowds. The night ended with Childish Gambino and The Cure headlining for the night signing many of their popular hits. Childish Gambino was a special artist to have headlining as he was scheduled to perform last year but couldn’t due to an injury, his fans were excited he was able to make it instead this year.

The final day of weekend 2, Sunday, was warmer and the festivities going off with a bang. The highlight of this day was Lizzo who was not scheduled as a headliner but had a crowd of over 75,000 people. She had an audience so big people were complaining about the sound not reaching the back of the crowd. She filled up the entire Miller Lite stage and the entire Honda stage, which is usually meant for headliners and larger artists. ACL decided to show footage of the performance at both stages to help everyone view. Her performance lasted into the sunset and ended before headliners Robyn and Mumford & Sons performed. 

After the festival ended and people were headed home ACL sent out a notification to those with their app saying thank you for the weekend and announcing that they will see us next year at ACL 2020 on October 2-4 and 9-11. This years festival was filled with lots of fun, empowerment, and memories that anyone would be grateful to have. Everyone should stay on the lookout for next year’s festivals details to see what’s in store and what to plan!