Austin and Luck, Texas—The renowned live music television series Austin City Limits (ACL) will travel to Luck, Texas on March 19 for a first-ever collaboration with Luck Reunion, the annual gathering founded by Willie Nelson on his property each year. Two Texas institutions with a shared history and a deep commitment to showcasing trailblazing artists, ACL is proud to bring the spirit of Austin City Limits to Willie’s backyard.
Rooted in a mutual passion for authentic, eclectic music, the collaboration strengthens ACL’s ties to the creative community while expanding its presence beyond Austin’s city limits. As part of the activation, ACL will debut the Austin City Limits Artist Lounge, a dedicated space offering the ACL experience exclusively to Luck Reunion artists.
Willie Nelson on Austin City Limits. Photo by Scott Newton.
“Our story began with Willie Nelson on the Austin City Limits stage in 1974, and that connection remains central to who we are. Luck Reunion carries that same independent, Texas-born spirit, making this partnership both natural and meaningful. Austin City Limits has always championed artists and preserved a stage for authentic music discovery. As a community-supported public media organization, we’re excited to bring that shared spirit to Luck this year,” Luis Patiño, president and CEO of Austin PBS, said.
Designed as an intimate artist hub, ACL Artist Lounge will be outfitted by Sheila Youngblood, owner and creator of Round Top, Texas’s esteemed creative retreat Rancho Pillow, whose signature aesthetic will transform the space into a welcoming, one-of-a-kind gathering place within the Luck artist area. Fondly known as “the house that Willie built,” ACL embraces the outpost’s nostalgic, lived-in feel—evoking a throwback living room and nodding to the many artists who have remarked that their earliest memories of Austin City Limits were formed watching performances around the family television set.
The lounge will feature a vintage television playing classic ACL episodes alongside retro living room touches, including an old-school phone. Artists are invited to leave a favorite Austin City Limits memory or share early birthday wishes for ACL patron saint Willie Nelson ahead of his 93rd birthday on April 29th. The space will serve as a lively destination for artist interviews and informal conversations, inviting performers to connect, chat, and trade stories steeped in the shared lore of Luck and ACL in a relaxed setting.
Originally created to spotlight authentic Texas music and capture Austin’s burgeoning Cosmic Cowboy and Outlaw Country scenes of the early 1970s, Austin City Limits shares a deep, longstanding bond with Willie Nelson. The program was born more than 50 years ago when Willie taped the now-legendary 1974 pilot episode—an event that became the cornerstone of what would grow into the longest-running music series in television history. Willie has appeared on Austin City Limits nineteen times—more than any other performer —and was inducted into the inaugural ACL Hall of Fame in 2014; he most recently returned in 2024 to celebrate the show’s 50th Anniversary milestone with a historic outdoor concert in Austin. As Willie recently told Billboard: “Austin City Limits and PBS were and are an essential part of education, understanding, curiosity and empathy, which are the essentials and building blocks of humanity.”
Luck Reunion and Austin City Limits will also team up for the first time on a limited-edition merchandise collaboration, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting Austin PBS, home of Austin City Limits. The capsule collection will debut exclusively at Luck Reunion’s flagship store in Spicewood, TX, with additional availability to follow at Austin’s Hotel Magdalena and online via Luck Presents.
Austin PBS will also be onsite at Luck with a booth in the LFF Garden offering attendees photo opportunities featuring backdrops from beloved PBS series, including Mr. Rogers, Bob Ross and Sesame Street. Festivalgoers are invited to stop by, take photos, and learn more about how to support public media.
Austin City Limits continues to honor its roots while evolving alongside the artists and audiences it serves. This partnership brings that legacy full circle, uniting two Austin originals that personify music’s freewheeling spirit and share a common mission: championing both outliers and legends, celebrating the authentic sounds of Texas and beyond, and supporting the values of public media. Austin City Limits recently announced the initial tapings of its upcoming Season 52, with all-new episodes premiering on PBS later this year.
February 23, 2026 – Austin City Limits (ACL) is proud to announce the initial tapings for its upcoming Season 52, spotlighting a dynamic slate of acclaimed and award-winning artists: Grammy Award-winner Miguel—who made an unforgettable ACL debut in Season 44 (2018)—returns to the ACL stage on March 19 in support of his latest album, CAOS.
ACL also welcomes a trio of acts making highly anticipated series debuts. The Oscar- and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Ryan Bingham takes the stage on April 21 to preview new songs from his upcoming album They Call Us The Lucky Ones, joined by The Texas Gentlemen. On April 27, reigning CMA Awards Vocal Group of the Year and ACM Awards New Group of the Year, Southern rock standouts TheRed Clay Strays bring swagger and arena-sized sound to the ACL stage with songs from their album Made by These Moments. Rounding out the initial tapings, celebrated Colombian superstar Carlos Vives delivers his big band and a career-spanning catalog of hits to Austin City Limits on May 5.
“Season 52 marks an unprecedented new chapter in Austin City Limits’ 50-plus-year history,” says Executive Producer Terry Lickona. “We’re expanding our new season by adding five additional episodes, and for the first time, every artist will have their own full-hour program, deepening our commitment to presenting live music in its fullest form.” At a moment when national platforms for live music on television are rapidly disappearing, the role of Austin City Limits and public media has never been more vital. As late-night shows scale back or shutter entirely, artists are losing critical opportunities to reach new audiences, making discovery increasingly elusive—especially for emerging artists. Against this backdrop, the ACL stage remains a rare and essential platform, offering artists the creative freedom to deliver full-set, uncompromised performances and giving music fans everywhere a front-row seat to experience live music’s finest.
As an added highlight of the upcoming Season 52, the series’ studio home, ACL Live at the Moody Theater, will debut a large-scale mural installation, inviting show attendees to walk through Austin City Limits history as they enter. The immersive display features nearly two decades of iconic ACL taping posters, serving as a visual tribute to the artists and moments that have shaped the live music institution’s enduring legacy.
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
With a voice that transcends genres and generations, multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning artist Miguel emerged in the 2010’s as a trailblazer who expanded the boundaries of R&B, earning widespread acclaim and chart-topping hits. Los Angeles-raised, with Black and Latino roots, the singer-songwriter—born Miguel Jontel Pimentel—remains a magnetic performer and one of the most adventurous voices in contemporary R&B. His 2012 breakthrough Kaleidoscope Dream fused rock, soul, and psychedelia into a freewheeling sound, delivering the smash “Adorn,” a crossover hit that dominated culture and earned the Grammy Award for Song of the Year. A testament to the timeless appeal of his music, Miguel’s 2010 classic “Sure Thing” went viral more than a decade after its release, becoming a massive hit for a new generation. Now Miguel returns with CAOS, his fifth studio album and first new album in eight years. In a career defined by innovation and soul, CAOS stands as his most vulnerable and timely work to date. “This is an album about searching for meaning as you try your best to process a world on fire,” raves Rolling Stone. Emerging from years marked by personal and global turbulence, Miguel offers his clearest vision yet, exploring grief, heartache, fatherhood, love, sex, and identity with striking candor. “The past eight years have been so unpredictable—and for lack of a better word, chaotic—in terms of having any kind of guarantees or semblance of normalcy,” he reflects. “Whether it’s a global pandemic or a new election, our beliefs overall have been challenged.” Miguel enlisted an A-list group of collaborators to help shape CAOS, including Dave Sitek of TV on the Radio; Ray Brady (b.k.a. RRReymundo), known for work with Kilo Kish, Santigold, and Vince Staples; and Grammy Award-winning producer Jeff Bhasker, whose credits span Harry Styles, Kanye West, and Lana Del Rey. Intentionally sequenced, the album unfolds as an emotional journey through the ebbs and flows of Miguel’s life. “El Pleito,” (“the fight”) draws deeply from his Mexican heritage, as Miguel sings in Spanish to address the immigrant experience, while “Angel’s Song” reflects on fatherhood and the hopes and fears he holds for his newborn son. Tracks such as “The Killing,” “RIP,” “New Martyrs,” and “Triggered” confront our current landscape of fear and violence, while the album’s closer, “COMMA/KARMA,” offers a searching meditation on peace amid the storm. Revealing and revelatory, CAOS marks a powerful return for Miguel—one that’s been a long time coming, and proves he’s back with purpose. Miguel made a soaring ACL debut in Season 44 in 2018 and we’re thrilled to have him back on the ACL stage.
Texas musician Ryan Bingham is a Grammy, Oscar, Golden Globe, and Critics’ Choice Award-winning singer-songwriter and actor whose raw, world-weary voice and evocative storytelling have made him one of the most distinctive artists of his generation. From his early years as a drifter and bull rider to penning the Academy Award-winning song “The Weary Kind” for the film Crazy Heart, Bingham has built a career defined by authenticity and artistic independence. His music—spanning folk, blues, country, and rock—reflects a life fully lived, blending grit, vulnerability, and resilience in equal measure. His first full-length project since 2019, They Call Us The Lucky Ones, is set for release on May 15; the record marks his seventh studio album since his seminal debut, 2007’s Mescalito. They Call Us The Lucky Ones is his first with The Texas Gentlemen, the all-star collective of players from the Lone Star State. Of the namesake track “Ballad of The Texas Gentlemen,” Bingham shares, “After years of being out on my own and playing shows on and off with The Texas Gentlemen, I realized somewhere along the way I was part of a band again without really planning it. ‘Ballad of The Texas Gentlemen’ really came out of that moment – just being back out on the road with people you trust and remembering why you fell in love with playing music in the first place.” Across the album’s 10 tracks, including “The Lucky Ones” and “Americana,” Bingham reflects on the highs and lows of an artist’s life on the road and his newfound sense of joy and hope, all framed by the unique genre-defying sound he and the band create together. “This album was probably the most fun I’ve had making a record,” Bingham reflects. “I’ve always loved records that feel loose and live and gritty with a bit of soul, where the imperfections from the moment are left in. Working with musicians as talented as The Texas Gentlemen really let us lean into that in a way I hadn’t experienced before. There was an unspoken understanding between us about what each song needed, so we tracked most of it live with minimal overdubs, just playing and letting the feel lead. It finally felt like I was capturing these songs the way I always heard them in my head. We can’t wait to get out on the road and share them with fans.” In celebration of the new music, Bingham and The Texas Gentlemen will embark on their extensive “Still Gettin’ Away With It Tour” this spring. In addition to his acclaimed music career, Bingham starred as fan-favorite “Walker” on Paramount’s record-breaking series Yellowstone.
A road-tested band that have carved their own lane musically, The Red Clay Strays are Brandon Coleman (lead vocals, guitar, keys), Drew Nix (electric guitar, vocals, harmonica), Zach Rishel (electric guitar), Andrew Bishop (bass), John Hall (drums), and Sevans Henderson (keys). Hailing from Mobile, Alabama, the Strays formed in 2016 and rocketed from club gigs to major stages on the strength of electrifying live shows and a soaring Southern rock sound. The Strays’ 2022 debut album, Moment of Truth, delivered the breakout single, “Wondering Why,” which propelled the band into the top 10 on Billboard’s Hot Rock & Alternative Songs Chart and inside the top 20 of the Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. In 2024, the group signed to RCA Records and released their critically acclaimed sophomore album, Made by These Moments. Produced by Grammy Award-winning producer Dave Cobb (Chris Stapleton, Jason Isbell), the album is filled with the band’s signature genre-blending sound, as they meld electric rock and roll with Southern soul. Rolling Stone hails the Strays “a blistering rock & roll band, one well on its way to revitalizing a certain brand of muscular Southern rock,” and Pollstar raves, “Their music is a familiar, yet fresh, energetic take on Southern rootsy rock music infused with hard rock energy.” Made by These Moments marked the band’s first entry into the Billboard 200 and debuted in the top 10 of the Billboard Top Country Albums Chart, earning the ‘Emerging Artist of the Year’ Award at the 2024 Americana Honors & Awards, their first Billboard Music Award win for Top Country Group, and the 2025 ACM Award win for New Duo or Group of the Year. They have also garnered consecutive CMA Award nominations for Vocal Group of the Year for 2024 and 2025, taking home the award at the 59th Annual CMA Awards. The band released their first live album, Live At The Ryman, recorded during their three-night stint at the historic Ryman Auditorium in Nashville as part of their sold-out 2024 These Moments Tour. The group recently wrapped the North American and European legs of their sold-out global Get Right Tour, making notable stops at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles, two nights at Red Rocks Amphitheatre, and three nights at The Amphitheater at the Wharf in their home state of Alabama. In 2026, the band will perform at Stagecoach, Madison Square Garden, and two nights at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
With a career spanning more than three decades, two GRAMMY® Awards and 18 Latin GRAMMY® Awards, Carlos Vives stands as one of the most important figures in Spanish-language music and a pioneer of a new Latin American sound. Deeply connected to his Colombian roots, Vives drew from traditional vallenato to create a distinctive, modern, tropical style he famously dubbed “El rock de mi pueblo” (“The Rock of My People”)—allowing the vallenato spirit to transcend borders, languages, and cultures. In 1993, he founded his band La Provincia and the label Gaira Música Local, conceived as a tribute to rural and mestizo musicians of the Colombian Caribbean and as a creative laboratory for new talent. In subsequent years, Vives has cemented his status as one of the most influential cultural icons in Latin music. With more than 10 billion digital streams and 20 million albums sold worldwide, Vives has become an ambassador for Colombian music through iconic songs including “La Gota Fría,” “Pa’ Mayte,” “La Tierra del Olvido,” “Fruta Fresca,” and “Volví a Nacer.” The year 2026 marks a new era in his career with the release of El Último Disco (The Last Album), introduced by its lead single, “Te Dedico,”which signals a return to values that truly matter, such as romanticism and a more intimate way of connecting through music. The celebrated artist has received countless career accolades, including the Latin Recording Academy’s 2024 Person of the Year, and induction into the Billboard Latin Music Awards Hall of Fame in 2020, an honor reserved for artists with global impact who transcend genres and languages. His numerous lifetime achievement honors include the Icon Award at the Musa Awards, ASCAP’s Founders Award, the Legacy Award at the Latin American Music Awards, and multiple Billboard Awards, positioning him as one of the most distinguished and beloved Latin American artists of his generation. Over the past five years, Vives has performed more than 350 concerts, filling arenas and stadiums in over 25 countries. In 2024, he was honored at the Mexico City Wax Museum, where his likeness was unveiled alongside icons such as Frida Kahlo, Lady Gaga and Madonna. An in-demand collaborator, Vivos has worked with key figures in Ibero-American music including Shakira, Rubén Blades, Alejandro Sanz, Juanes, Marc Anthony, Sebastián Yatra, Luis Fonsi, and Camilo.
ACL is thrilled to welcome these singular acts to the stage. Want to be part of the audience? Information on how to obtain free passes will be posted one week prior to each taping. Follow @acltv on IG, Facebook and X for updates. Broadcast episodes will air and stream on PBS as part of Austin City Limits’ upcoming Season 52; previous seasons are available to stream online anytime or on the free PBS App.
Joe Ely is a legend, whether you know it or not – even more so now that he’s left this mortal plane. The dynamic singer/songwriter died on Dec. 15, 2025 from complications of Lewy body dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and pneumonia.
Born in Amarillo, bred in Lubbock, based in Austin and Taos, New Mexico, Ely somehow never became a household name, and that’s honestly a shock. He toured with the Clash. His pals include Lyle Lovett, John Hiatt, Terry Allen, and some guy named Bruce Springsteen. Shock jock pioneer Don Imus loved his band the Flatlanders (with his best buds Jimmie Dale Gilmore and Butch Hancock) so much he pushed them at every opportunity, including offering major market radio stations $10K if they could get one of the band’s singles into the top 10. His genre-crossing early albums Joe Ely (1977) and Honky Tonk Masquerade mark him as as much of a pioneer of the music we call Americana as anyone. And he was such a powerhouse of a performer that Springsteen once declared, “Thank god he wasn’t from New Jersey. I would have had a lot more of my work cut out for me.”
Of course, to Texans, and particularly to those of us who work for Austin City Limits, Ely was recognized as an icon – a maverick, genre-agnostic songwriter who gave performances that alternated between touching our hearts and melting down our cameras. Ely first appeared on the show in Season 5, backed by guitarist Jesse Taylor, accordionist Ponty Bone, and other members of the original Joe Ely Band that tore up stages all across the country. He next appeared in Season 10 for a fabled episode recorded on Halloween that found him surrounded by bizarre costumes and a crack backing group for a blazing performance that showed him to be one of the greatest live performers in the world. Ely would make another nine appearances on ACL: three more headlining shows; performances as part of the Flatlanders, the ensemble gathered for the Season 24 Mexican roots music episode, a singer/songwriter gang twang with Lovett, Hiatt, and Guy Clark, and in the 40th anniversary special; and guest appearances in episodes featuring Steve Earle, Ryan Bingham, and Kevin Welch. He appeared across forty years before being inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2022.
Ely made a good two dozen records over the course of his career – gifts to his loyal audience. But his concerts were what made him the beloved figure he became. As documented on catalog classics Live Shots, Live at Liberty Lunch, and Live @ Antone’s, there were few musicians who could touch him. On a good night, the Ely Band could produce enough energy to light up a city. Even the Clash, on whose tour Ely recorded Live Shots, feared having to follow him.
Joe Ely on Austin City Limits, Season 5.
In later years Ely concentrated more on his songwriting than stage-scorching shows, as his songs became more literate, reflective, and immediate over time. Even as his health became more frail, he continued producing albums full of them on his own Rack ‘em Records label – a sign that no medical difficulties were going to slow him down. He left this mortal coil boasting a musical legacy nearly unmatched by anyone in Texas or elsewhere.
“Joe Ely came out of West Texas like a rocket and shook the ACL stage like nobody before or since,” notes ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “As far as we’re concerned, Joe was and will always be a superstar.”
We’re proud to have showcased such a remarkable musician for forty years.
Trailblazing live music series Austin City Limits (ACL) unveils the second half of its Season 51, announcing five new episodes beginning in January 2026 to round out the acclaimed program’s thirteen-episode run. As a special treat for fans, ACL also presents a bonus mid-season installment featuring freshly minted triple 2026 Grammy nominee Jon Batiste in a sensational new hour premiering December 13, 2025 at 7pm CT/8pm ET.
ACL ushers in the new year with a standout slate of broadcast episodes showcasing best-in-class performances from returning favorites and highly-anticipated debuts by some of today’s most talked-about acts: Jon Batiste, Leon Thomas, Marcus King Band, Queens of the Stone Age, Reneé Rapp, Thee Sacred Souls and Wyatt Flores. Season 51’s second half premieres Saturday, January 17 at 7pm CT/8pm ET. ACL airs weekly on PBS stations nationwide (check local listings) with full episodes available to stream at pbs.org/austincitylimits and on the free PBS App.
Following its milestone 50th Anniversary in 2024, Austin City Limits continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music series in television history, offering viewers a front-row seat to iconic performances for more than five decades. Produced by Austin PBS, the series is recorded live at ACL’s studio home, ACL Live, in Austin, Texas, and remains a pillar of public media, presenting stellar live music across all genres of popular music.
Seven-time Grammy and Academy Award-winning singer, songwriter, and composer Jon Batiste returns to the ACL stage for the first time since his electrifying 2021 Season 47 debut. Riding high with a trio of 2026 Grammy nominations for his latest album Big Money, the New Orleans native—an exuberant ambassador of jazz, blues, roots and soul—delivers a joyful, high-energy performance featuring selections from the Grammy-nominated release, which earned nods for Best Americana Album, Best Americana Song and Best American Roots Performance. Batiste, backed by a 14-piece band including legendary players, guitarist Nick Waterhouse, drummer Steve Jordan and percussionist Pedrito Martinez, is joined by special guest, soul/R&B favorite Andra Day for a song, making for an unforgettable Season 51 hour.
Rock titans Queens of the Stone Age take the ACL stage anew for the first time in a decade with a performance unlike anything in the show’s 50-plus-year history. In a rare television appearance, Josh Homme & Co. showcase their innovative opus Alive in the Catacombs—conceived and recorded in the ancient tombs beneath Paris—delivering an epic, three-act, full-hour master class in music and mood, accompanied by a nine-piece orchestra.
ACL is also thrilled to spotlight six-time 2026 Grammy nominee and R&B innovator Leon Thomas in a full-hour Season 51 finale. Dubbed “R&B’s hottest rock star,” Thomas leads the pack as one of 2026’s top Grammy contenders, including the prestigious Album of the Year and Best New Artist. This chart-topping dynamo—already a Grammy-winning songwriter—brings highlights from his acclaimed Album of the Year-nominated MUTT and new EP PHOLKS in a magnetic ACL debut, which features a special appearance by Ty Dolla $ign.
Reneé Rapp on ACL TV; photo by Scott Newton
Season 51 introduces multiple fan-favorite acts in revelatory ACL debuts. Pop phenom Reneé Rapp delivers chart-toppers and kiss-off anthems from her LP BITE ME in a double-bill with acclaimed modern soul trio Thee Sacred Souls, who shine with sweet-soul highlights from their critically lauded sophomore album Got A Story To Tell. One of music’s most electrifying live acts, South Carolina’s Marcus King Band, make their long-awaited ACL premiere with a scorching performance of blistering guitar, rockin’ fan faves, and new tracks from their latest LP Darling Blue. Sharing the hour is breakout Red Dirt country singer-songwriter Wyatt Flores, in an impressive first visit to the ACL stage, bringing gems from his standout release Welcome to the Plains.
“As we roll out five new episodes, representing at least that many different genres, ACL proves itself once again to be the home for music discovery and a showcase for a new generation of deserving talent,” said longtime ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “For 50 years, our stage has hosted past, present and future legends, and these new episodes lean into the future more than ever.”
Season 51 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):
December 13, 2025 Jon Batiste
January 17, 2026 Reneé Rapp | Thee Sacred Souls
January 24, 2026Marcus King Band | Wyatt Flores
January 31, 2026Queens of the Stone Age
February 7, 2026Leon Thomas
Season 51 premiered in October 2025 with standout sets from numerous 2026 Grammy nominees, including 10x Grammy-winning artist and producer FINNEAS, LA breakout band the Marías, country superstar Kelsea Ballerini, country & western maverick Charley Crockett, country singer-songwriter Cam, and 5x Grammy-winning jazz vocalist Samara Joy; along with acclaimed debut performances from chart-topper Role Model, and rising singer-songwriters Waxahatchee and MJ Lenderman.
ACL also welcomed rock legends My Morning Jacket into the 11th Annual ACL Hall of Fame, celebrated by Oscar-winning filmmaker Cameron Crowe, with the band returning to the ACL stage for the first time in over a decade to deliver a powerhouse performance in the commemorative hour. ACL additionally honored the 50-year legacy of iconic Austin blues club Antone’s with Austin City Limits Celebrates Antone’s & the Blues, a supercharged, all-star salute, and a genre integral to the series’ own history. Fan-favorite encore episodes will continue to air through the end of 2025.
Watch live, stream online, or download the PBS App. Visit acltv.com for updates on live streams, future tapings and episode schedules, or follow @acltv on Facebook, X/Twitter, IG and TikTok.Fans can also explore the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes content, and full-length artist interviews. Learn more about Austin City Limits, its programming and its history at acltv.com.
Austin City Limits returns to the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville for a special broadcast featuring standout moments from the 24th Annual Americana Honors. For nearly 25 years, this cornerstone celebration of roots music has shone a spotlight on the beacons of the Americana genre, showcasing unforgettable performances and collaborations from pioneering mainstays and trailblazing newcomers alike.
This year’s hourlong presentation features musical highlights from award-winning legends, breakthrough artists and longtime fan favorites, including (in order of appearance): Medium Build, Maggie Rose, Jesse Welles, Old 97s, I’m With Her’sSarah Jarosz, Sara Watkins and Aoife O’Donovan, Darrell Scott, Nathaniel Rateliff, David Rawlings, Gillian Welch, Dawes, Joy Oladokun, Margo Price, John C. Reilly, Emmylou Harris, Daniel Lanois and John Fogerty.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 10: John Fogerty performs onstage for the 24th Annual Americana Honors & Awards at Ryman Auditorium on September 10, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Americana Music Association)
The special premieres Saturday, November 29 @ 8pm ET/7pm CT on PBS and the PBS app and varies by market (check local listings for times). Check PBS listings for local airtimes. The broadcast will be available to music fans everywhere to stream on pbs.org/austincitylimits and the free PBS app. The program’s official hashtags: #acltv and #americanafest.
Recorded live at Nashville’s historic “Mother Church,” the Ryman Auditorium, in September 2025, the Americana Music Association’s 24th Annual Americana Honors & Awards celebrates the powerful intersection of roots, blues, soul, folk and country music. For the fourteenth year, the producers of Austin City Limits, in conjunction with producers Martin Fischer, Michelle Aquilato, and Jed Hilly for the Americana Music Association, proudly deliver a special ACL Presents.
Hosted for the first time by actor-singer and longtime Americana champion John C. Reilly, the hour brims with roots music magic and unforgettable performances from top honorees.
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 10: (L-R) David Rawlings, Nathaniel Rateliff and Gillian Welch perform onstage for the 24th Annual Americana Honors & Awards at Ryman Auditorium on September 10, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Americana Music Association)
A pair of Album of the Year-nominated acts take the stage together for a moving collaboration as Nathaniel Rateliff, newly crowned Album of the Year winner, takes the stage with Duo/Group of the Year recipients Gillian Welch & David Rawlings for a stirring “Center of Me” from Rateliff and his band The Night Sweats awarded album South of Here. The acclaimed trio I’m With Her—Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan and Sara Watkins—performs their Song of the Year-winning “Ancient Light,” written by the three songwriters, and newly-nominated for two 2026 Grammys, including Best American Roots Song. Valerie June introduces a fellow genre standout, Artist of the Year nominee Joy Oladokun, who earns a Ryman standing ovation with her breathtaking solo acoustic performance of “I’d Miss the Birds.”
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE – SEPTEMBER 10: Joy Oladokun performs onstage for the 24th Annual Americana Honors & Awards at Ryman Auditorium on September 10, 2025 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Americana Music Association)
Multiple distinguished honorees deliver show-stopping performances. Folk-rocker Jesse Welles, recipient of the Spirit of Americana Free Speech in MusicAward, performs his searing protest song “War Isn’t Murder.” The Arkansas singer-songwriter recently scored a stunning quartet of 2026 Grammy nominations including Best Americana Album and Best Folk Album. Rosanne Cash presents a Lifetime Achievement Honor to alt-country trailblazers Old 97s, who ignite the room with their signature “Timebomb.” Hayes Carll honors Lifetime Achievement Honoree Darrell Scott,and the Kentucky-born singer-songwriter performs his oft-covered coal-mining classic “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive,” raising the Ryman rafters in a soaring rendition amplified by the vocals of fellow Lifetime Achievement Honorees, gospel greats TheMcCrary Sisters.
The venerable Ryman stage is the scene of multiple magical moments: LA band Dawes performs their “Time Spent in Los Angeles,” dedicated to those affected by this year’s devastating wildfires. Host John C. Reilly joins Americana favorite Margo Price to salute the 50th anniversary of Americana North Star Willie Nelson’s landmark 1975 album Red Headed Stranger; they deliver a gorgeous duet of his classic “Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain.” Genre icons Emmylou Harris and Daniel Lanois reunite to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Harris’s seminal Wrecking Ball, with a spellbinding “May This Be Love.”
Two Emerging Act of the Year nominees deliver revelatory performances backed by the mighty Americana All-Stars Band: Singer-songwriter Nick Carpenter, who performs as Medium Build, opens the hour with “Drug Dealer,” his standout song about loneliness and parasocial relationships. Nashville-based Maggie Rose, a 2026 Grammy contender for Best Americana Performance, showcases her powerhouse vocals on her sparkling tour de force “No One Gets Out Alive.”
The luminous hour concludes with an ecstatic finale as the legendary John Fogerty unleashes a high-energy rendition of the Creedence classic “Up Around the Bend.”
Americana MVP Buddy Miller returns as the longstanding musical director for the Americana All-Star Band, featuring Don Was, Larry Campbell, Fred Eltringham, Jen Gunderman, Jim Hoke, and The McCrary Sisters backing many of the hour’s performances.
Broadcast setlist:
Medium Build — “Drug Dealer”
Maggie Rose — “No One Gets Out Alive”
Jesse Welles — “War Isn’t Murder”
Old 97s — “Timebomb”
I’m With Her — “Ancient Light”
Darrell Scott — “You’ll Never Leave Harlan Alive”
Nathaniel Rateliff with David Rawlings & Gillian Welch — “Center of Me”
Dawes — “Time Spent in Los Angeles”
Joy Oladokun — “I’d Miss the Birds”
Margo Price & John C. Reilly — “Blue Eyes Crying In the Rain”
Emmylou Harris & Daniel Lanois — “May This Be Love”
John Fogerty — “Up Around the Bend”
Watch new Austin City Limits episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding the Season 51 second half broadcast line-up and episode schedules or follow 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.
Austin City Limits will tape a performance by Queens of the Stone Age on Tuesday, November 18th at 8 pm at ACL Live at The Moody Theater (310 W. 2nd Street, Willie Nelson Blvd). Austin City Limits Taping Giveaways are presented by AXS Events.
Winners will be chosen at random and a photo ID will be required to pick up tickets. Winners will be notified via email. Duplicate entries for a single taping will be automatically voided. Tickets are not transferable and will be voided if sold. Standing may be required. No photography, recording or cell phone use in the studio. No cameras, computers or recording devices allowed in the venue. While we do our best to accommodate all winners, we cannot guarantee admission. These passes are based on space available therefore you will be filling in spots available on the floor or balcony depending on the tickets that are available when you arrive.
Queens of the Stone Age—Josh Homme, Troy Van Leeuwen, Michael Shuman, Dean Fertita and Jon Theodore—continue to defy boundaries and expectations. Three decades into a groundbreaking career, the band ventured underground for Alive in the Catacombs, an innovative album-and-film pairing that reimagines their famously heavy catalog in an otherworldly setting. Recorded beneath Paris in centuries-old crypts, the project serves as both séance and statement—summoning everything that has made QOTSA a singular force in modern rock.
In a musical landscape dominated by conformity and speed, QOTSA persist in carving out space for nuance, mystery, and soul. That creative balance has powered the band’s music since their beloved 1998 self-titled debut—a breath of fresh rock’n’roll air at a time when pop and boy bands ruled the airwaves. Their trailblazing discography includes the acclaimed Rated R (2000), the Grammy-nominated Songs for the Deaf (2003), the chart-topping …Like Clockwork (2013), the Mark Ronson-produced Villains (2017) and the international No. 1 In Times New Roman (2023). Known for their electrifying live performances, QOTSA have long held a reputation as one of the most powerhouse bands on earth.
Frontman Josh Homme—formerly the lead guitarist in Palm Springs stoner-rock pioneers Kyuss—has also fueled numerous acclaimed side projects, including The Desert Sessions, Eagles of Death Metal and Them Crooked Vultures (with Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and Led Zeppelin’s John Paul Jones).
QOTSA are currently on a limited run of tour dates in support of Alive in the Catacombs, bringing that immersive Paris experience to audiences for the first time. “If you’re ever going to be haunted, surrounded by several million dead people is the place,” Homme reflects. “I’ve never felt so welcome in my life.”
