Austin City Limits spotlights one of country music’s brightest stars, Maren Morris, making her ACL debut with gems from her triple Grammy-nominated album Humble Quest alongside chart-topping hits in a sparkling hour. The new installment premieres February 11 at 7pm CT/8pm ET on PBS as part of ACL’s Season 48. Following the broadcast, the episode will be available to stream at 11pm CT/12am ET at pbs.org/austincitylimits for four weeks. The Peabody Award-winning program, recorded live at ACL’s studio home in Austin, Texas, continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history. ACL gives viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance as this American music institution nears its 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 following the initial broadcast.
Maren Morris kicks off this radiant hour with the autobiographical “Circles Around This Town,” detailing her early days in Nashville, trying to connect as a songwriter. The multi-platinum, award-winning singer-songwriter demonstrates why she’s one of the leading voices in modern music, equipped with a knockout voice and songwriting chops, lyrics that dig deep and boundary-pushing hits that cover the country-rock-pop landscape while transcending genre labels. Backed by a six-piece band, the Arlington, Texas native’s relaxed persona charms the Austin crowd as she performs highlights from her acclaimed album, Humble Quest, including the soul-searching title track in which she struggles to find “the line between fulfilled and full of myself,” the hard-edged rocker “Nervous” and the atmospheric “Detour.” The career-spanning 13-song set includes numbers from her chart-topping 2016 major label debut Hero, including the instantly memorable melody of platinum smash “80s Mercedes,” along with fan-favorites “I Could Use A Love Song” and “Rich.” A bonafide hitmaker, Morris shines on the quadruple platinum smash “Bones” from her 2019 album Girl, the song that dominated 2020 and catapulted Morris into the mainstream Top 40. Morris closes the hour with her Grammy-winning breakthrough hit, the rousing gospel-tinged anthem “My Church,” as the thrilled audience sings along with its “Can I get a hallelujah?” chorus.
“Like few others in today’s Country music scene, Maren captures the spirit of legends like Loretta Lynn and Dolly Parton while blazing her own path with her raw, personal and sometimes even rowdy songs,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “She’s a perfect fit for ACL, and this show is one for the ages.”
Episode setlist:
CIRCLES AROUND THIS TOWN
I CAN’T LOVE YOU ANYMORE
80s MERCEDES
HUMBLE QUEST
BACKGROUND MUSIC
NERVOUS
I COULD USE A LOVE SONG
HUMMINGBIRD
DETOUR
RICH
GOOD FRIENDS
BONES
MY CHURCH
Season 48 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):
January 7 Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Sheryl Crow
January 14 Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats/ Adia Victoria
January 21 Adrian Quesada Boleros Psicodélicos
January 28 The War On Drugs
February 4 Pavement
February 11 Maren Morris
February 18 Spoon
February 25 Austin City Limits 8th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Joe Ely
Watch live on PBS, or stream anytime. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding episode schedules, future tapings and select live stream updates 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.