Austin, TX—October 4, 2024—As Austin City Limits (ACL) celebrates its Season 50, the program is proud to spotlight a pair of acclaimed Austin acts for the occasion. Four-time Grammy Award winner Gary Clark Jr. performs highlights from his powerful LP JPEG RAW and eight-time Grammy-nominated Black Pumas sparkle with selections from their Chronicles of a Diamond in a thrilling hour of next-generation rock and soul. The new episode premieres Saturday, October 5 @8pm ET/7pm CT. 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. 2024 marks the 50th Anniversary of the revered music institution, which continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music series in television history, providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for an incredible half-century.
Ever since Austin City Limits taped its pilot episode in 1974 (featuring the one and only Willie Nelson), a hallmark of the series has always been the strong connection between performer and audience. This week’s installment highlights that relationship as a pair of sensational live acts demonstrate the communal experience with concertgoers and viewers. Austin hometown six-string hero Gary Clark Jr., who made his ACL debut in 2013, has often mentioned how, as a kid, he watched his heroes (like Stevie Ray Vaughan), on old episodes of the series. Clark Jr. now returns for his fourth appearance with selections from his latest studio album, JPEG RAW. The record signals the advent of an expansive sonic era in his musical journey, and finds the revered axeman exploring new sounds and textures from West Africa to the Mississippi Delta, classic ‘70s funk and soul, ‘90s R&B and elements of jazz and hip-hop. Clark Jr. opens the magnetic set with the powerful call to action “Maktub,” singing the urgent lyrics “We gotta move…time for a new revolution,” accompanied by his blazing guitar. The standout “What About The Children,” an album duet with Stevie Wonder, is both a funk stunner as Clark Jr. flexes his falsetto, and a family affair, as he is joined by his three sisters on celestial backing vocals. The epic set-closer “Habits,” a nine-minute opus, is a showcase for his honest, open-hearted songwriting, elevated by a passionate guitar solo for an electrifying close.
Black Pumas return to the ACL stage for their second appearance with highlights from their acclaimed sophomore release Chronicles of a Diamond. The psychedelic soul act, led by vocalist Eric Burton and guitarist Adrian Quesada, and an ace six-piece band, are known for their transcendent live shows which Burton refers to as “electric church.” Opening with the 2024 Grammy-nominated “More Than A Love Song,” a blissed-out marvel enhanced by their backing singers sublime vocals, Burton invites the rapt crowd to sing-along on the soaring “We’ll fly together” refrain. Pumas reach back to their star-making 2019 debut for the breakout hit “Colors,” a soulful anthem that spoke to fans across the globe, pairing it with the chorus of the soul classic “You’re All I Need to Get By.” Burton contemplates the romance of rock music while pointing out the perils on the hypnotic “Rock and Roll,” as Quesada’s guitar wails, for a spellbinding close.
“Beyond being the ‘Live Music Capital of the World,’ Austin has long been a launchpad for fresh, new music that has gone on to national acclaim, world stages, and many Grammy awards,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Gary took the guitar to new heights with his unique stylings, and Black Pumas fused a myriad of sounds, styles and genres into a powerhouse live show.”
Gary Clark Jr. setlist:
Maktub
This Is Who We Are
What About the Children
Habits
Black Pumas setlist:
More Than A Love Song
Ice Cream (Pay Phone)
Colors/You’re All I Need to Get By
Rock and Roll
Season 50 Broadcast Line-Up (second half of season to be announced separately):
September 28 – Kacey Musgraves
October 5 – Gary Clark Jr. | Black Pumas
October 12 – Maggie Rogers | Gracie Abrams
October 19 – Jacob Collier | Nickel Creek
October 26 – Brittany Howard
November 2 – Jelly Roll | The War And Treaty
November 9 – Chris Stapleton
November 16 – Juanes
2024 marks the 50th Anniversary of Austin City Limits, which taped its debut pilot episode with Willie Nelson on October 17, 1974; the pioneering series then premiered on PBS in 1975. That now legendary debut became the cornerstone for 50 years of groundbreaking, award-winning music television. ACL is proud to announce that Willie Nelson will return on the 50th anniversary of the pilot taping to commemorate Austin City Limits’ remarkable half-century milestone with a Texas-sized outdoor concert on October 17, 2024, at Austin’s Long Center. The performance will be taped; musical highlights will air as a special hourlong broadcast of Austin City Limits to air in early 2025 as a season highlight of the program’s golden anniversary Season 50.
Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding upcoming Season 50 tapings, live streams and episode schedules or by following ACL on Facebook, Twitter, IG and TikTok. Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews.