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Season 48 premiere episode recap: Brandi Carlile

Austin City Limits launches a historic new season spotlighting an unprecedented line-up of diverse and eclectic female artists with a season premiere featuring celebrated singer-songwriter and six-time Grammy Award winner Brandi Carlile. The acclaimed Americana artist, accompanied by a nine-piece band, shines in a breathtaking hour, delivering an eleven-song set with selections from her latest In These Silent Days alongside fan-favorite classics. The hourlong season premiere airs October 1 at 8pm CT/9pm ET as part of the esteemed broadcast’s fourteen episode season. The program, recorded live at ACL’s studio home in Austin, Texas, continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history, providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for 48 years as the music institution nears a remarkable half-century milestone. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) and full episodes are made available to stream online at pbs.org/austincitylimits immediately following the initial broadcast. . 

There are few musicians in the current era more respected and beloved than Brandi Carlile, and this award-winning singer/songwriter/producer/author and activist makes her third appearance on the ACL stage with a stunning show centered around her seventh album In These Silent Days. Carlile first-appeared on Austin City Limits in 2010 and is now firmly established at the forefront of Americana music. A magnetic performer, she dazzles with numbers from her acclaimed album, including the hard-rocking set opener “Broken Horses,” and a joyful “You And Me On The Rock,” joined by a trio of guest vocalists. Carlile soars with a radiant take on the chart-topping “Right on Time,” a triple Grammy-nominated number named “Song of the Year” at the 2022 Americana Music Awards. Carlile pays tribute to her influences with inspired covers of choice classics, including David Bowie’s “Space Oddity,” Radiohead’s “Creep” and Joni Mitchell’s “Woodstock.” Carlile’s ace band features her longtime collaborators Tim and Phil Hanseroth, twin brothers on guitar, bass and harmonies, album co-producer Shooter Jennings joins on keyboards, along with a guest appearance from guitar ringer Celisse. Carlile’s remarkable showmanship is on full display throughout as she thrills with “The Joke,” the 2019 multiple Grammy-winning anthem of love and empowerment that’s become her signature tune, earning rapturous applause from the ACL audience. Accompanied by strings, piano, Hanseroth-brother harmonies and her own acoustic guitar, Carlile closes with the stripped-down benediction “Stay Gentle,” seguing beautifully into a potent solo rendition of the beloved standard “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

“All of us are so proud of Brandi’s incredible success story since her debut on the ACL stage 12 years ago,” said ACL Executive Producer Terry Lickona. “Her growth not only as a singer but as a superstar entertainer in every sense of the word is inspiring. She helped lead the way for a new generation of talented young female artists, many of whom will be showcased in future episodes.”

Episode setlist:

BROKEN HORSES

YOU AND ME ON THE ROCK

THIS TIME TOMORROW

MAMA WEREWOLF

SPACE ODDITY

CREEP

RIGHT ON TIME

THE JOKE

WOODSTOCK

STAY GENTLE

SOMEWHERE OVER THE RAINBOW

Season 48 Broadcast Line-up (first half of season)

October 1 Brandi Carlile

October 8 Japanese Breakfast/Arlo Parks

October 15 Sylvan Esso/Lucius

October 22 Allison Russell/The Weather Station

October 29 Parker McCollum/Robert Earl Keen

November 5 Lyle Lovett and His Large Band

November 12 Cimafunk and The Tribe

Watch live, stream anytime, The complete line-up for the full 14-week season, including seven new episodes to air beginning January 2023, will be announced at a later date.  Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding live streams, future tapings and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter and IG. Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.

Austin City Limits

Austin City Limits (ACL) offers viewers unparalleled access to featured acts in an intimate setting that provides a platform for artists to deliver inspired, memorable, full-length performances. Now in its 48th Season, the program is taped live before a concert audience from The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. Austin City Limits is the longest-running music series in television history and remains the only TV series to ever be awarded the National Medal of Arts. Since its inception, the groundbreaking music series has become an institution that’s helped secure Austin’s reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. The historic Austin PBS Studio 6A, home to 36 years of ACL concerts, has been designated an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark. In 2011, ACL moved to the new venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. ACL received a rare institutional Peabody Award for excellence and outstanding achievement in 2012.  

Austin City Limits is produced by Austin PBS and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, Workrise, the Austin Convention Center Department, Cirrus Logic and AXS Ticketing. Additional funding is provided by the Friends of Austin City Limits. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.