On the precipice of ACL’s 50th anniversary, folks filed into Austin City Limits’ studio home ACL Live at The Moody Theater on September 5 to witness Garth Brooks’ induction into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame, thus kicking off 50th anniversary celebrations with a hoot and holler heard round our great state. We knew the 10th Anniversary Austin City Limits Annual Hall of Fame Honors was going to be special, but nothing could have prepared us for a night the Austin American-Statesman declared a “raucous hoedown,” evoking the spirit of old Austin drawn from late nights at honky tonks, sharing beers with friends and strangers.
For the first time in the decade-long history of the ACL Hall of Fame, only one inductee was honored, making it all the more special of a celebration. Established in 2014, the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame recognizes legendary musicians and key individuals who have been instrumental in making television’s longest-running popular music show an institution. The ACL HoF is a historical archive, educational resource and celebration of ACL and the Austin spirit, capturing milestones in the history of the show and celebrating the performers who have graced its iconic stage. A longtime friend of the show, Brooks made his ACL debut in 1990 during Season 15 at the beginning of his career, and anchored ACL’s 25th Anniversary broadcast season with a pair of appearances in 2000 (and closing down Studio 6A on the UT campus before ACL moved its studio downtown), and made his celebrated return almost a quarter of a century later to the ACL stage, something he and executive producer Terry Lickona spoke of doing way back in Season 25.
Following remarks from Chet Garner of The Daytripper and Austin PBS CEO Luis Patiño, a video tribute took guests on a journey through Brooks’ past Austin City Limits appearances. Next, executive producer Terry Lickona took the stage to present Brooks with the award of the evening. Overwhelmed with emotion, Garth stood back from the award podium for a beat, taking in the unending cheers from the studio audience. Joking about putting his award next to wife Trisha’s Yearwood’s (Yearwood was inducted in 2023), Brooks gave a rollicking acceptance speech before posing with the studio audience behind him for a crowd selfie.
Brooks kicked off the night with unrivaled energy in what would turn out to be a career-spanning stadium-worthy performance, clocking in at over two hours. Playing a medley of songs that influenced his roots and served as a music lesson for the audience, including “Unchained Melody” and “Hallelujah,” Brooks warmed the audience up before his incredible 9-piece band joined him onstage for “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old).” “We’re gonna have fun tonight,” laughed Brooks as he and his band tore through hit after hit, including crowd favorites “Two Piña Coladas,” and “Thunder Rolls.”
Brooks picked up a stack of papers with previously submitted audience requests written on them. He theatrically called out the requesters, asked them to stand, and interacted with them in a heartfelt way before playing requests; “Unanswered Prayers,” “It’s Your Song,” and more. When Brooks reached the last request, he read it animatedly, “Garth, I love you but…. can you bring out Trisha?” The audience was out of their seats, cheering, at that point. Trisha Yearwood joined her husband and now fellow ACL Hall of Fame icon onstage for an acoustic version of their “In Another’s Eyes” and a rousing solo rendition of her fan-favorite “She’s in Love With a Boy.”
At that point the studio audience was probably wondering if it could get any better than that. Brooks took a pause to introduce his longtime band, calling out backing vocalist Robert Bailey Jr. A little lively back and forth revealed Bailey Jr. had appeared in the legendary movie Animal House (as a member of Otis Day & The Knights), and led to Bailey Jr. performing a roof-rattling cover of the movie’s iconic “Shout!” joined by the band. Brooks then paid moving tribute to the night’s other man of the hour, longtime ACL executive producer Terry Lickona, dedicating “The Dance,” to him and describing Lickona as “the beating heart of the show.” From there, the grand finale had everyone out of their seats, clapping, dancing in a joyous crowd-singalong. Brooks brought the house down with his biggest hit, “Friends in Low Places,” ending the unforgettable night on a perfect note with his Austin friends. Before exiting the stage, Brooks and band bowed and waved to the audience. It almost seemed like Brooks would have stayed onstage all night, taking requests. That’s how much he loves his fans.
Highlights from Brooks’ Hall of Fame induction ceremony will air as a special hourlong Austin City Limits broadcast in early 2025 to celebrate the program’s golden anniversary Season 50.
The series’ anniversary season launches on PBS on September 28, 2024 with a season premiere featuring an hour with Kacey Musgraves.
Garth Brooks performs at 10th Annual ACL Hall of Fame, 2024. Photos courtesy of © 8 Ten, Inc.
SETLIST:
“Don’t Close Your Eyes”
“Three Wooden Crosses”
“Night Moves”
“Unchained Melody/Hallelujah/Girl Crush/perfect”
“Much Too Young to Feel This Damn Old”
“Two of a Kind”
“Beaches of Cheyenne”
“Two Pina Coladas”
“The River”
“Turn the Page”
“Thunder Rolls”
Request Songs:
“Unanswered Prayers”
“It’s Your Song”
“We Shall Be Free”
“In Another’s Eyes” (w/Trisha Yearwood)
“She’s in Love With the Boy” (w/ Trisha Yearwood)
“Calling Baton Rouge”
“Shout” (performed by Robert Bailey)
“The Dance”
“Piano Man”
“You Never Even Called Me by My Name”
“Friends in Low Places”
