Austin City Limits is a musical beacon in the midst of darkness. When you enter Zilker Park, a garden of musical dreams opens before you. It’s populated by people who care for each other, ask if you’re okay or if you need water, and are concerned about their well-being. They understand that our differences pale in comparison to our passion for music. Affection, smiles, and love are shared, and unlike what happens outside the park, everyone seeks to understand and share. Austin City Limits is one of the last remnants of that Austin that, as Willie Nelson defines as a group of cool people eager to change the world.
Every year, we leave ACL eager to share with the world everything that has happened there, in that place where everything good that can happen actually happens. We tell you about a unique musical experience through its stories and sounds in our Austin City Limits diary.
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS – DAY 1 – OCTOBER 3, 2025 – ZILKER PARK
The day has arrived. And it began with a pleasant surprise. Since the release of their first album on September 19th, Home Sweet Home, the most recognizable song by The Favors, the new project by the great Finneas, had crept into my TikTok. I went without hesitation to meet them, seduced by the mix of pop, folk, and soul that has captivated me on social media. What I found exceeded my expectations. Ashe and Finneas’s chemistry is hypnotic, and the defeats, heartbreaks, and small victories in their lyrics quickly become yours. Finneas makes it clear his desire to fly free without his sister. It was their third live performance together and their first time at a festival. Their introduction couldn’t have been more fascinating. A sweet surprise that led us to one of the highlights of the afternoon.
Cage the Elephant literally set the festival on fire with a garage set and a riot of uncontrolled riffs. It was hard to stop moving with such a frenzy, which served as a review of a career that deserves more consideration than it receives. This is confirmed by the Shultz brothers’ ability to maintain the physique and attitude necessary to keep their most recognizable hits like Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked, Come a Little Closer and Trouble relevant.
The Most Irresistible Charisma
They claim to be from Australia, but in reality, Empire of the Sun hail from another dimension. Their stage presence is out of this world. Giant, mobile sculptures of a face and a hand, people dressed as strange beings dancing and jumping, bizarre costume changes, and visuals that seemed to draw us into a cult homily. What was going through your hypothalamus was already difficult to process, but even so, it didn’t compare to the impact the band’s songs had. Empire of the Sun’s anthems haven’t remained inert in the 2010s. They’ve evolved and been enriched by nostalgia, the good vibes they evoke, and the band’s on-stage performance. A smile guided us to the star of the night.
Hozier is pure charisma. A millennial Dylan for those who haven’t encountered Dylan, bridging the gaps in talent and impact. The discreet Irishman performed in Austin with an impressive band and visuals that delivered necessary messages about the inequality and injustices that make this world a dark place. I arrived not believing in Hozier. A serious mistake. This musician has the ability to serenely turn you into a fervent fan. At some point during his concert, he corners you, steals your heart, and shows you he’s much more than Too Sweet or Take Me to the Church. He invites you to stay and change the world with a final speech. In it, he recalled the United States of the 1960s, the one that united for civil rights against unreason. I opened my eyes. Thanks to Austin City Limits, I am now one of Hozier’s church members.
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS – DAY 2 – OCTOBER 4, 2025 – ZILKER PARK
With the echo of Hozier’s voice in our hearts, we returned to the Austin City Limits. The day began early. On the fascinating morning of the ACL, we met with Olivia Dean, the latest contender for the British pop crown. Her blend of pop and soul is irresistible and blends well with her charisma and innocence. Her lyrics are a shortcut to the heart, unraveled in the universal stories she tells almost in a whisper in songs like Dive, Man I Need, and You Can’t Hurry, Love. Pure tenderness in the park.
After enjoying the passion of youth, we meet one of the most veteran bands on the lineup. Modest Mouse is much more than Float On; it’s an ode to the ’90s and the Portland sound that so influenced that happy decade. It’s also a tribute to perseverance, delivered through a group of guys who continue to enjoy their music and make it enjoyable for people of all generations. Behind them, we find other illustrious members of the alternative scene, the Ohio boys, the Backseat Lovers. Their songs, like those of Modest Mouse, speak the same language.
The Night I Saw the Strokes at Austin City Limits
Far from the Juno Arrest and the whole drama brewing at Sabrina Carpenter’s concert, which has given rise to a torrent of speculation, we found ourselves facing the weight of expectation. Amidst a shadowy atmosphere similar to that of the after-party where we spent our youth, silhouettes appeared, hiding from time and from themselves. It was the Strokes. With them came a recognizable rhythm that reminded us how much fun rock once was. With two riffs, Albert Hammond won the audience over, as expected, but Julián Casablancas seemed unwilling. He wandered listlessly through the shadows of the stage, with that anti-aura that only icons can afford. He hemmed in the audience and sang, one by one, those songs that are part of music history. In between, he criticized Chat GPT, the only moment I felt empathy for our shared revulsion at the use of AI.
His pride was hurt by having his setlist cut short for security reasons and having to finish before the blonde from America, and he barely said goodbye after barely singing Last Nite. Despite everything, I will always remember the night of October 4th as the night I saw the Strokes for the first time. That’s what happens with myths.
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS – DAY 3 – OCTOBER 5, 2025 – ZILKER PARK
After two days of such intense intensity, the icing on the cake and our farewell to Austin City Limits 2025 awaited us. We arrived at the park with our legs craving a calm that Mallrat’s sophisticated electronics seemed to contradict. This Australian’s musician is a delicious interpretation of trip-hop and 90s electronic music in general.
It gave way to the unleashed bpms of The Dare. The Californian has had a meteoric rise since his beginnings as Turtlenecked. In just ten years, he’s composed a generational anthem like Charli XCX’s Guess and unleashed the noises in his head in this electro-punk delirium that is The Dare. Radical, elegant, sophisticated, punk… His music and his staging have it all. Far from the electronic spell of The Dare but with the charm of old rock bands, we found Royal & The Serpent, a more than interesting offering that turned out to be a pleasant surprise under the scorching Austin sun.
A Grand Finale
Wet Leg found us bouncing like crazy to the garage anthems of the Isle of Wight girls. We lost ourselves in songs like Chaise Long, Wet Dream, CPR, and Catch These Fists, the one chosen to open one of the best live shows of the festival. Wet Leg have matured their sound since Rhian and Hester visited us at SXSW 22. They are now more feminist and garage-oriented. Their stage presence is a madcap that highlights how different they both are. Rhian is a powerful and hypnotic whirlwind; Hester is a calm girl who sends messages through her guitar and the bold sounds she can convey with it. Along with guitarist Josh Mobaraki, bassist Ellis Durand, and drummer Henry Holmes, they form a band on the road to stardom.
Following them, T-Pain arrived. The most recognizable rap, as well as many of the dancefloor-destroying songs of the last 20 years, strolled through the ACL before delivering us into the arms of the Killers. The Las Vegas band may be less dramatic or fun than the Strokes, but they are much more professional and solid. Brandon Flowers appeared on stage accompanied by a spectacular band and incredible backing vocalists.
They began their exuberant set with a nod to Texas. They opened with Willie Nelson’s Whiskey River, a Texas flag in the visuals, and the presence of Guy Forsyth, a blues legend. Live, they were a delight. They covered Elvis and his Always on My Mind and showcased their extensive and fabulous discography. They left with Mr. Brightside, leaving behind a trail of stardust and a handful of songs that will never leave our hearts.
And after saying goodbye, we weren’t alone in the park. We looked for a way to process so many emotions, and an enormous gratitude for what we had experienced surged through us. In that moment, we activated the countdown to return to that beacon in the darkness that is Austin City Limits.
See you next year in Zilker Park!
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