Co-authored by Caitlin Stewart

ACL Weekend 1: A Megaphonian’s Review

Since 2002, Zilker Park has hosted the Austin City Limits music festival at the beginning of the fall season. A cultural landmark for the city, for years the festival has introduced upcoming artists to the masses and allowed known superstars to have some of their best moments. This year, I finally got to see for myself what all the hype was about. And of course, I had to take my roommate along with me! Donning our SPF 50 and comfiest footwear, we stepped out into the Texas heat and watched 9 artists give it their all on stage. My roommate and I thought ranking the artists against each other would be too hard (seriously, everyone was amazing!) So instead, we decided to assign every artist a superlative title, like a high school yearbook. Here are our titles for the Saturday weekend one performers we saw!

Best Discoveries – Next of Kin, Alemeda

After paying an exorbitant amount of money at the merch stalls and buying two overpriced cans of soda, we started the day by hiding from the sun in the Coca-Cola tent. We had a perfect view of both the Tito’s performance tent and Lady Bird stage, and got to watch two incredible performances from a relatively comfortable park bench. 

Next of Kin, a trio consisting of Lili Hickman, Madison Baker, and Caelin, played one of the best live country sets I’ve ever heard. Their music is refreshing, a blend of bluegrass with a distinct streak of rock-and-roll. Their voices blending together in beautiful harmony to create one uniform sound. After feverishly listening to their discography front to back since first encountering them, my personal favorite tracks are “Jekyll & Hyde” and “Cruel”.

Even though I was only able to view her set from a screen, I can tell Alemeda is a special performer. She filled up the entire stage, constantly moving while singing her music and interacting with the crowd. I loved her pop punk and indie sound! She also has a new song with Doechii, which I hope will give her the exposure she deserves! Her songs “I Already Dug Your Grave” and “1-800-F**K-YOU” would be perfect for your next breakup playlist.

Most Likely To Be Famous – Olivia Dean

I was introduced to Olivia Dean through her single “Nice to Each Other”,released ahead of her Sophomore album, The Art of Loving. She has had a great year so far, and is rumored to be one of the top contenders for the coveted “Best New Artist” award at the 2026 Grammy’s. Her ability to blend soul, jazz, R&B, and pop gives her a vibe that is uniquely hers. Her music sounds like a cool autumn day: wearing your favorite sweater, drinking your favorite beverage, and reading a new book. Plus, she somehow sounds even better live! I recommend starting with “Lady Lady” or “Man I Need”.

Biggest Party Animals – Joey Valence and Brae

After taking the internet by storm with their 2022 smash hit “PUNK TACTICS”, the duo released three back-to-back albums flexing their skills as hip-hop/punk rap creators. The stage was decorated to reflect their most recent work, HYPERYOUTH. Before their set even began, the vibe was established by their DJ, who did a quick opener set of iconic dance staples like Icona Pop x Charli XCX’s  “I Don’t Care” and Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance”. They came on stage with another of their most popular tracks, “THE BADDEST”. After a few songs, they slowed things down a bit, and played their songs “HYPERYOUTH”, “HAVE TO CRY”, and “THE PARTY SONG”. These songs reflect on the cost of fame and growing up, and it was really touching to hear the duo reflect on their emotional state while writing and performing their songs. 

Most Nostalgic – Marina

If you ever used the internet in the 2010’s, chances are you have heard of or even listened to Marina (formerly Marina and the Diamonds). Her songs, such as “Primadonna”, “Are You Satisfied?”, “Teen Idle”, and “How to Be a Heartbreaker” helped her go triple platinum among angst-ridden, pop-fueled teens and tweens. Her set was based on an 8-bit video game, with her acting as the main heroine and every song corresponding with a new “level”. Aside from a few songs off of her newest album, she primarily played her greatest hits. As someone who identifies as an aforementioned “angst-ridden tween”, getting to hear the songs that were so fundamental to my identity live was an amazing experience. She stuck to her roots for the most part at the festival, and I am so glad she did! 

Biggest Vibe – Magdelena Bay

The indie pop duo Magdalena Bay has maintained a chokehold on any focus music playlist I’ve made since discovering them in 2023 from their Mini Mix Vol. 3 release. Their most recent release, Imaginal Disk, was excellent live. With a sleek, synth-pop/electronic sound, the Magdelena Bay set was a much needed part of our day. We were able to lay out our beach towel and enjoy the relaxed vibes as the sun began to set. Plus, the corn dogs we enjoyed during their set definitely improved the overall viewing experience!

Biggest Stage Presence – Doechii

As a Doechii fan since the earliest days of her career, I was overjoyed to finally get the chance to see her live. She came out electric, performing her song “Nosebleeds”, which she released after her historic Grammy win. Sticking mostly to her hit mixtape Alligator Bites Never Heal, she rapped and danced in real time alongside her killer DJ, DJ Miss Milan. She even had to pause the show mid set to point out that she had ripped her pants from, as she phrased it, “twerking it too hard”. Her crowd was one of the best of the day, especially in my section. They enthusiastically participated in her call-and-response chants, cheered her on during her freestyle and dance break, and kept the vibe going by dancing and singing along. Doechii controlled the crowd with ease, and I expected no less from the swamp princess herself!

Roommates Favorite – Djo

I had known all of Djo’s greatest hits, but I didn’t learn more about his deeper cuts until moving in with my roommate. His music is always on when we are together, so it was a given that we would be seeing his set. He put on an amazing show, even when interrupted by ACL staff due to crowd surge concerns. I had an amazing time watching him perform, but of course I had to ask the expert for her opinion. When I asked my roommate if she had anything she wanted to say about the experience, she told me “he’s one of my favorite artists of all time and he was so amazing live, some would even say epic”. 

Craziest Performance – Sabrina Carpenter

The sun finally set, the crowd swelled to an unimaginable amount of people, and it was time for Sabrina Carpenter to take the stage. Her set was comprised of her typical vintage flair, with retro-inspired “news reports” sprinkled in throughout to introduce new songs. She spent time connecting with the audience, like complimenting us on our “amazing accents” and encouraging us to sing along. She brought back some of her classic songs, such as “because i liked a boy” and “Nonsense”. I discovered her from this era of her music, so finally getting to sing along to them was amazing. In concert tradition, she “arrested” Djo prior to her song Juno, had a dance break to the Ginuwine song “Pony” during “Bed Chem”, and she flew above the crowd on a floating platform during “Don’t Smile”. She also blessed us with a surprise rendition of “That Don’t Impress Me Much”, featuring the iconic Shania Twain herself! Her set was pure pop perfection, and it is no surprise that she is one of the most popular performers of the year. I couldn’t imagine a better way to end the day!

Biggest Regret — Missing Japanese Breakfast!

After reading her book my freshman year of high school, I fell deeply in love with Japanese Breakfast and her music. I was so excited to see her on the ACL lineup! But when the finished schedule dropped, we were shocked, horrified, even appalled to see that she and Djo were scheduled to perform at the same exact time. Unfortunately, for reasons listed above, Djo ended up winning that battle, and I had to tearfully watch clips of her performance from my bed after.

Overall, every artist was amazing, and I highly recommend catching them individually as soon as you possibly can!