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.”
The 2026 GRAMMY OFFICIAL nominations have been announced, and Austin City Limits congratulates all the amazing nominees populating 95 categories.
We’d like to give special recognition to the nominees who have appeared on Austin City Limits. We’re thrilled to showcase many of this year’s nominees during our current Season 51. Stay tuned for new episodes premiering weekly on PBS.
R&B innovator Leon Thomas leads the pack as one of this year’s top nominees with an impressive six nominations, including the prestigious Album of the Year and Best New Artist. The chart-topping artist recently taped a sensational ACL debut featuring songs from his Grammy-nominated album Mutt. ACL is thrilled to spotlight the breakout star in a full-hour performance airing early next year as the Season 51 finale.
Leon Thomas on Austin City Limits, 2025. Photo by Scott Newton.Kelsea Ballerini on Austin City Limits, 2025. Photo by Scott Newton. Jon Batiste returns to Austin City Limits, 2025. Photo by Scott Newton.
Congratulations to Country star Kelsea Ballerini, nominated for Best Contemporary Country Album for Patterns. Ballerini shines in an irresistible ACL hour premiering November 15, showcasing highlights from the acclaimed album. Country standout CAM, who shares the episode, also earned a Grammy nomination for her latest release All Things Light, beautifully showcased in her forthcoming ACL debut.
A big shoutout to Jon Batiste, a triple 2026 Grammy nominee for his latest album Big Money, including a nod for Best Americana Album and Best Americana Song for the title track. Already a 7x Grammy Award-winner, Batiste made his ACL debut in 2021 and recently returned for an unforgettable full-hour performance spotlighting Big Money highlights, set to air in December.
Charley Crockett on Austin City Limits, 2025. Photo by Scott Newton.FINNEAS on Austin City Limits, 2025. Photo by Scott Newton.
10x Grammy-winning artist FINNEAS, who opened Season 51 with a revelatory solo ACL debut, adds two more nominations to his growing collection—recognized for his collaboration on Billie Eilish’s “Wildflower” in the top categories of Record of the Year and Song of the Year.
ACL favorite and country maverick Charley Crockett, who first graced the ACL stage in 2021 and returned for a powerhouse Season 51 set, earned a Best Traditional Country Album nomination for Dollar A Day.
Samara Joy on Austin City Limits. Photo by Scott Newton.
Jazz standout Samara Joy, who captured Best New Artist at the 2023 Grammys and holds five Grammy Awards, continues her remarkable rise with two new nominations, including Best Jazz Vocal Album for Portrait, which the 25-year-old vocalist showcased in a stunning recent ACL hour, and Best Jazz Vocal Performance.
ACL also celebrates breakout band The Marías, nominated for Best New Artist. Their hypnotic full-hour Season 51 debut has become one of the season’s most-watched and beloved episodes—a total vibe.
And last but not least, a special salute to legendary 91-year-old bluesman Bobby Rush, nominated for Best Traditional Blues Album. The Blues Hall of Famer is living proof the blues is alive and well, delivering a swaggering, joy-filled performance in this week’s ACL episode, Austin City Limits Celebrates Antone’s and the Blues, honoring the genre alongside Austin’s iconic “Home of the Blues,” Antone’s.
From ACL executive producer Terry Lickona – “We’re so proud to have so many great Grammy nominees on the ACL stage this year! After 50 years, it’s exciting to discover and share a new generation of talent with music fans everywhere. And a big shout-out to Bobby Rush, still going strong at 91!”
Bobby Rush on ACL TV, 2025. Photo by Scott Newton.The Marías on ACL TV, 2025. Photo by Scott Newton.
A special shoutout to other ACL alumni spanning our 51-year legacy who earned nominations: Billie Eilish (Record of the Year, Song of the Year), Kendrick Lamar (Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Best Pop Duo/Group Performance, Best Rap Performance, Best Melodic Rap Performance,Best Rap Album ), Dan Auerbach (Producer of the Year), Robert Glasper (Best Alternative Jazz Album), Brandi Carlile (alongside Elton John for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album, Best Song Written for Visual Media), Miranda Lambert And Chris Stapleton (Best Country Duo/Group Performance, Best Country Song), Margot Price (alongside Tyler Childers for Best Country Duo/Group Performance,Best Traditional Country Album ), George Strait And Chris Stapleton (Best Country Duo/Group Performance), Reba McEntire And Miranda Lambert (with Lainey Wilson for Best Country Duo/Group Performance), Lukas Nelson (Best Traditional Country Album), our good friend Willie Nelson (Best Traditional Country Album, Best Americana Album), Jelly Roll (Best Contemporary Country Album), Miranda Lambert (Best Contemporary Country Album), Jason Isbell (Best American Roots Performance, Best American Roots Song, Best Folk Album), Alison Krauss & Union Station (Best American Roots Performance,Best Bluegrass Album), Mavis Staples (Best American Roots Performance, Best Americana Performance), Sierra Hull (Best Americana Performance,Best American Roots Song, Best Bluegrass Album,Best Instrumental Composition), Molly Tuttle (Best Americana Performance, Best Americana Album), Sarah Jarosz (Best American Roots Song), Billy Strings (Best Bluegrass Album), Buddy Guy (Best Traditional Blues Album), Patti Griffin (Best Folk Album), Carín León (Best Música Mexicana Album (Including Tejano)), Duran Duran (Best Recording Package), Wilco (Best Album Notes), Japanese Breakfast (Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical), Jacob Collier (Best Arrangement, Instruments and Vocals).
Willie Nelson on Austin City Limits, Season 50.
A full list of all GRAMMY nominees can be found here – good luck to all. Co-produced by ACL executive producer Terry Lickona, the 2026 Annual GRAMMY Awards will telecast on Sunday, February 1, 2026 from the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles.
FINNEAS on Austin City Limits, 2025. Photo by Scott Newton.
Trailblazing live music series Austin City Limits is proud to write the next chapter in its remarkable 50+ year run, forging ahead with the announcement of the series’ Season 51 broadcast season. ACL presents an all-star slate of highly-anticipated debuts and callbacks, including FINNEAS as the season opener and multiple 2025 Grammy nominees, including The Marías, My Morning Jacket, Charley Crockett, Waxahatchee, Samara Joy, Kelsea Ballerini, Cam and Jon Batiste. ACL will also celebrate the legendary Austin blues club Antone’s 50th anniversary as well as the series’ own 50+ year history of showcasing the blues in a special hour, Austin City Limits Celebrates Antone’s & the Blues, featuring a stellar slate of all-stars taking the ACL stage in a new installment.
ACL returns on Saturday, October 4 at 7pm CT/8pm ET with a revelatory hour showcasing ten-time Grammy-winning artist and producer FINNEAS making his solo headlining debut with a collection of songs from his critically acclaimed sophomore album For Cryin’ Out Loud! FINNEAS first appeared on the ACL stage in Season 45 in 2019 alongside his sister Billie Eilish and ACL presents the gifted singer and songwriter’s solo work in this outing.
Facing headwinds from the recent PBS funding cuts effective October 1, Austin City Limits’ longtime executive producer Terry Lickona recently spoke with Billboard magazine regarding the impact of the federal funding cuts to public media. Willie Nelson, who taped the series’ original pilot in 1974, and has appeared on the program more than any other performer, 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.” Beck, who has made multiple appearances on the series, commented: “Austin City Limits is one of the only film and TV outlets that documents great musicians at the peak of their powers. In decades to come, the shows are going to be some of the best documents and snapshots of this era of music.” To support Austin City Limits, donate to Austin PBS.
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. Austin City Limits recently celebrated its milestone 50th Anniversary in 2024, and ACL 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. Produced by Austin PBS, and recorded live at ACL’s studio home ACL Live in Austin, Texas, the live music beacon is a public media institution that presents quality live music performances featuring artists from all genres of popular music.
The Marías on ACL TV – Photo by Scott Newton
ACL’s Season 51 spotlights multiple fan-adored acts with epic hours: Groundbreaking singer, songwriter and producer FINNEAS takes center stage with new songs from his sophomore solo album For Cryin’ Out Loud! in a captivating season premiere. The hitmaker dazzles with highlights and new gems reflecting his compelling sonic journey in a must-see hour. Genre-blending LA indie pop band The Marías, a favorite of the festival circuit with buzzed about appearances at Coachella, Lollapalooza and ACL Fest, make their series debut in a spellbinding hour featuring songs from their acclaimed album Submarine. The bilingual group blends English and Spanish lyrics anchored by smoke velvet vocals, hypnotic guitar and lush jazz percussion. Jon Batiste makes his return to the ACL stage for the first time since his electrifying 2021 Season 47 debut. The seven-time Grammy-winner and Academy Award-winning musician and entertainer showcases a rootsy new collection of songs, Big Money, in an ecstatic, high-energy hour. NAACP Image Award winner and 5x Grammy winner Samara Joy shines with gorgeous vocals and exciting arrangements in her ACL debut, performing songs from her breakthrough album Linger Awhile and her latest studio album Portrait.
My Morning Jacket on ACL TV – Photo by Scott Newton
In an epic installment, rock legends My Morning Jacket return for the first time in nearly a decade on the occasion of their induction into the 11th Annual ACL Hall of Fame, joining the esteemed acts inducted since 2014. Special guest Oscar-winning filmmaker and best-selling author Cameron Crowe honors the fan-favorite Kentucky band, and MMJ take the stage with classics and new highlights from their latest album is in a thrilling hour with one of music’s great live acts.
Two standout country artists dazzle with their genre-bending sounds in a revelatory hour: The celebrated and chart-topping Kelsea Ballerini is luminous in her first-ever appearance performing a selection of hits and highlights from her acclaimed Patterns; Singer and songwriter Cam (who kicked off 2025 with a Grammy win for her songwriting contributions to Beyoncé’s landmark Cowboy Carter) shares the hour, in a sublime ACL debut showcasing heartfelt songs from her upcoming new collection All Things Light.
Another trailblazing pair of Grammy-nominated and road-tested roots acts get the ACL treatment in a magnetic hour: Texas troubadour Charley Crockett, who made a sensational ACL debut in 2021’s Season 47, carves his name in ACL history once again performing songs from Lonesome Drifter, the first installment of his Sagebrush Trilogy (followed by recently released Dollar A Day). He shares the episode with breakout singer-songwriter Waxahatchee in a sparkling ACL debut showcasing the best of her acclaimed Tiger’s Blood.
The legendary Antone’s “Home of the Blues” celebrates its half-century legacy in 2025, and ACL is proud to salute this influential Austin music institution’s milestone, along with the series’ own 50-year history of blues love, with a special Texas-sized installment, Austin City Limits Celebrates Antone’s & the Blues.This supercharged hour features a murderers’ row of blues all-stars and torchbearers who ignite the ACL stage with epic performances. Guest performers include Jimmie Vaughan, Kingfish, Charlie Sexton, Bobby Rush, Big Bill Morganfield, Grace Bowers and more, backed by a 14-piece house band of legendary players.
“As public media and PBS face severe funding cuts, ACL continues to lay the groundwork for the future in our 51st season,” said executive producer Terry Lickona. “A new generation of artists showcases their remarkable talents, mixed with a touch of down-and-dirty blues celebrating Austin’s iconic music venue, Antone’s.”
Season 51 2025 Broadcast Line-Up (second half of season to be announced separately):
October 4
FINNEAS
October 11
The Marías
October 18
Austin City Limits 11th Hall of Fame Honors My Morning Jacket
October 25
Charley Crockett | Waxahatchee
November 1
Samara Joy
November 8
Austin City Limits Celebrates Antone’s & the Blues
November 15
Kelsea Ballerini | CAM
November 22
Jon Batiste
Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. The complete line-up for the full 14-week season, including five new episodes to air beginning January 2026, 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, IG and TikTok.Fans can also browse the ACL YouTube channel for exclusive songs, behind-the-scenes videos and full-length artist interviews. Learn more about Austin City Limits, programming and history at acltv.com.
Austin PBS broadcasts 35,000 hours of curated content across four channels, devoted to education, arts and culture, and news and public affairs. We also provide a safe space for kids to learn and grow through our Austin PBS KIDS 24/7 channel. The station is home to beloved, award-winning Austin PBS Original series such as Austin City Limits, Overheard with Evan Smith, Central Texas Gardener, and its new weekly news program, Austin InSight, which blends in-depth reporting, incisive interviews, and Austin PBS’s unique approach to storytelling in an expanded commitment to news and public affairs content.
Tune into Austin PBS through one of our 4 channels, or stream online with the PBS App. Become a member and receive Austin PBS Passport, which gives station supporters access to even more content online—binge entire series before they air or catch up on programs you may have missed.
Austin City Limits is very sorry to hear of the death of Tejano music legend Flaco Jiménez. The Tejano music icon made seven appearances on the show, beginning with episode 4 of the inaugural season and culminating in his induction into the ACL Hall of Fame in 2015. He was 86.
Tejano music royalty, “El Rey de Texas” was the son of Santiago Jiménez and grandson of Patricio Jiménez – both conjunto pioneers. Starting on the bajo sexto, San Antonio native Flaco began performing at age seven with his dad and made his first recordings at fifteen as part of Los Caporales. Influenced by Santiago Sr. and zydeco master Clifton Chenier, Flaco took up the three-button accordion, the instrument that would propel him to international fame.
Alongside his equally talented brother Santiago Jr., Flaco released his first album El Rey y El Principe de la Musica Norteña in 1962. That was only the first of over fifty years’ worth of records for major, independent, and regional labels – the most recent of which is 2014’s Flaco Jiménez y Tomas Ortíz De Los Alegres De Terán. He toured all over the world, earning shelves’ worth of honors: six Grammy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement award), the Americana Music Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award, a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Billboard Latin Music Lifetime Achievement Award, and, of course, the ACL Hall of Fame.
Ever eager to spread the gospel of Tejano music, Flaco was also a lively collaborator, with famous friends and wide-open ears. He met Doug Sahm in the sixties, beginning a partnership that would last until Sahm’s 1999 death. With Sir Doug, he was a founding member of Texas treasure the Texas Tornados, with whom he recorded seven albums. Flaco often kept company with genre-agnostic guitarist, singer, and songwriter Ry Cooder, starting with 1976’ Chicken Skin Music. That LP included “He’ll Have to Go,” the Jim Reeves cover that led to Cooder’s appearance as a guest on Flaco’s first ACL taping. His squeezebox skills and irrepressible spirit also led him to appear on record and in concert with dozens of major stars: Dwight Yoakam and Buck Owens (“Streets of Bakersfield”), the Mavericks (“All You Ever Do is Bring Me Down”), Bob Dylan, Dr. John, Los Lobos, Grammy-winning supergroup Los Super Seven, Peter Rowan, and even the Rolling Stones, with whom he recorded on the double platinum Voodoo Lounge.
Flaco Jiménez, Season 1 of ACL
Flaco’s extraordinary talent, undeniable charisma, and willingness to expand the horizons of Tejano music beyond the boundaries of the Lone Star State meant he isn’t just a key note in the sound of Texas. His work is integral to the fabric of American music. We mourn his passing.
Austin City Limits is proud to announce the 11th Annual Austin City Limits Hall of Fame, welcoming a new inductee into its ranks: My Morning Jacket. The ACL veterans and fan-favorites get their flowers, joining the other legendary acts who have been inducted over the past decade. My Morning Jacket will return to the ACL stage on Friday, August 1, 2025, for the first time in nearly a decade, and perform a full set taping for the occasion. The 10th Anniversary ACL Hall of Fame in 2024 marked the first time a single artist was honored with a deep-dive celebration and this year’s Hall of Fame will follow suit. In a new first, the event will be open to all, and the Hall of Fame will not be a ticketed event; instead fans will have the opportunity to win free passes to attend.
photo by Scott Newton
ACL is thrilled to welcome My Morning Jacket back to the stage for a victory dance with their induction into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. The taping will take place at ACL’s studio home, ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin. The hourlong broadcast episode will air as a season highlight of Austin City Limits’ upcoming Season 51, premiering this October on PBS. More information about the guest induction and the ticket giveaway will be announced prior to the event.
”We are so beyond honored to be included alongside so many of our heroes and favorite legends in the ACL Hall of Fame!” said My Morning Jacket’s Jim James. “We can’t wait to hit that sacred ACL stage again on August 1st and celebrate this great honor with our beautiful fans.”
My Morning Jacket has made a trio of appearances on the series over their 25+ year career, with revelatory performances that have earned the band a place in the ACL canon. They made their series debut in Season 31 (2006) and returned within the course of a decade during Season 34 (2008) and Season 42 (2016). Bandleader Jim James also appeared during that period with Monsters of Folk (S36/2010), and as a guest of Bright Eyes (S30/2005) and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band (S37/2011). Additionally, James also taped a solo appearance in 2013 for Season 39.
photo by Scott Newton
Widely ranked among the greatest live bands of their generation, My Morning Jacket have long maintained their status as one of the most vital forces in American rock-and-roll. Known for their thrillingly expansive and eclectic sound, the Louisville, KY-bred five-piece – vocalist/guitarist Jim James, bassist Tom Blankenship, guitarist Carl Broemel, drummer Patrick Hallahan, keyboardist Bo Koster – has influenced an entire era of musicians, largely by staying one step ahead of mainstream pop culture and following their instincts toward endless innovation. For more than 25 years, My Morning Jacket has achieved an incredibly rare feat in the world of modern rock – upholding a long-established cultural legacy while sustaining all the curiosity and creative hunger of their earliest days.
“My Morning Jacket’s debut in 2006 was on the heels of their breakthrough album ‘Z,’ and they shook the rafters in ole Studio 6A,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Few acts can compare to their ability to take command of the stage – so much so that they appeared three times in ten years! Austin City Limits is proud to welcome them to our Hall of Fame, and I have a feeling the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is next!”
Since its inception in 2014, the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame has honored legendary artists who have played a pivotal role in the trailblazing music series’ remarkable half-century legacy as a music institution. The inaugural awards honored Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The Hall of Fame has inducted over twenty-five artists at ten previous ceremonies including Lloyd Maines, Asleep at the Wheel, Loretta Lynn, Guy Clark, Flaco Jiménez, Townes Van Zandt, Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Roy Orbison, Rosanne Cash, The Neville Brothers, Ray Charles, Marcia Ball, Los Lobos, Lyle Lovett, Buddy Guy, Shawn Colvin, Lucinda Williams, Wilco, Alejandro Escovedo, Sheryl Crow, Joe Ely, John Prine and Trisha Yearwood. The 10th Anniversary Hall of Fame in 2025 welcomed Garth Brooks to its ranks.
ACL is thrilled to welcome My Morning Jacket into the ACL Hall of Fame and to showcase their latest sonic adventure, is. The band recently released is, their first album in nearly four years, and their 10th studio album; the result is perhaps the most masterfully realized work yet from a band fully committed to their belief in music as a conduit for revelation of all kinds. is finds MMJ deviating from their typically self-produced approach by teaming up with 3x Grammy-winner Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen), and represents a newfound willingness to expand the creative process and involve an outside force in shaping MMJ’s restlessly inventive yet nuanced form of psych-rock. New songs such as the sprawling, album-opening epic, “Out In The Open,” the ravishing love song “Time Waited,” (which soared to #1 on AAA radio), and the delightfully warped “Squid Ink” reveal a band whose voracious creative appetite is wholly matched by a deft command of their visionary musicality.
“All these songs came into existence out of an attempt to connect with something beyond the human experiment, which for me is the whole purpose of music – that connection with something larger than us, yet something we are all equally a part of,” says Jim James. is represents another milestone in the band’s ever-evolving body of work, as well as an opportunity to breathe new energy into their historically stunning and hard-driving live performances. James points to the “undeniable force of loving” as the most essential factor in the band’s longevity and unending enchantment with the process of musical creation.
Austin City Limits caps off its 50th Anniversary celebrations with the broadcast premiere of Austin City Limits Hall of Fame Honors Garth BrooksSaturday, May 3 @8pm ET/7pm CT(check local listings). After the broadcast, the special will be available to music fans everywhere to stream online at pbs.org/austincitylimits for four weeks.
The Country music singer and songwriter brings a stadium-size show to the ACL stage for this landmark occasion, thrilling with fan-favorites and the stories behind his beloved hits in an entertaining, singalong hour recorded live at ACL’s studio home ACL Live in Austin, Texas. 2025 marks the 50th Anniversary of Austin City Limits, which premiered on PBS in 1975. The program celebrates 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 a half-century.
A trailblazing artist whose ties to ACL go a long way back, Garth Brooks made his series debut in 1990 during Season 15, on the heels of his breakout 1989 debut album. The hour opens with highlights showcasing Brooks’ distinctive ACL performances over the decades; sprinkled throughout the special is new commentary from Brooks, his wife, country superstar Trisha Yearwood, and longtime ACL executive producer Terry Lickona, who handles induction honors. Brooks holds his cowboy hat to his heart as he accepts the honor with impassioned remarks and sings the program’s praises, saying Austin City Limits’ heartbeat is raw and true. He even cites favorite episodes that inspired his own career from early on. “You can bring all the smoke and mirrors you want, and trust me—I’ve used ‘em all,” laughs Brooks, “but you come here and it’s the real deal.”
“Always try to associate your name with a name greater than your own,” says Brooks. “Being associated with ACL has been one of the greatest assets of my career. I can’t thank Terry and the gang enough for all the years and all the love.”
“You can’t tell the story of Austin City Limits without Garth Brooks,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Garth gets it. He gets what makes Austin City Limits special, and why it’s an honor for an artist to step onto that stage and deliver the best performance of their life. And it’s an honor for us to share that stage with artists like Garth, who have so much to offer.”
Since its inception in 2014, the ACL Hall of Fame has honored legendary artists who have played a pivotal role in the pioneering music series’ outstanding half-century as a music institution. The inaugural awards in 2014 honored Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Garth Brooks has multiple Austin City Limits performances under his belt; he made his series debut in 1990 and returned a decade later to both open and close ACL’s milestone Season 25 with two hourlong episodes.
Brooks returned to ACL in 2021 for a memorable pair of intimate, non-broadcast events to close Studio 6A on the University of Texas campus, the fabled soundstage where the program first started recording in 1974. Brooks carved his name into ACL’s history with the final performances in the historic studio that was the show’s home from 1974 to 2010, before a move to downtown Austin. The singular artist performed the special benefit shows solo acoustic to a sold-out audience of 200 fans per night.
The Austin City Limits Hall of Fame has inducted over twenty artists at nine previous ceremonies including Willie Nelson, Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, Lloyd Maines, Asleep at the Wheel, Loretta Lynn, Guy Clark, Flaco Jiménez, Townes Van Zandt, Kris Kristofferson, Bonnie Raitt, B.B. King, Roy Orbison, Rosanne Cash, The Neville Brothers, Ray Charles, Marcia Ball, Los Lobos, Lyle Lovett, Buddy Guy, Shawn Colvin, Lucinda Williams, Wilco, Alejandro Escovedo, Sheryl Crow and Joe Ely. The ninth annual Hall of Fame in 2023 welcomed John Prine and Trisha Yearwood to its ranks.
