Special event Archives - Austin City Limits

As Austin City Limits (ACL) prepares to celebrate a remarkable 50th Anniversary this year, the live music program salutes the iconic work of legendary longtime staff photographer Scott Newton. Austin City Limits Heritage unveils a stunning collection of signed limited edition black & white photographic prints, capturing many of music’s most enduring figures from the early days of the longest-running music program in television history. To commemorate Austin City Limits‘ 50 years of music, Modern Rocks Gallery founder and owner (and former Modern English guitarist) Steven Walker has curated a heritage collection of fifty classic prints from Newton’s extensive ACL archive, available to fans to purchase for the first time, exclusively from Modern Rocks Gallery in conjunction with Austin PBS. These limited edition fine arts prints will be displayed to view in person at an opening night reception with Scott Newton at Austin’s Modern Rocks Gallery on Friday, April 26 from 7pm-10pm. Fans will also be able to view and purchase the prints online.

A self-taught photographer, Newton has captured memorable images on the ACL stage since Season 5 of the series in 1979 and has remained the program’s official photographer for four and a half decades. As integral to an ACL taping as the television cameras, Newton can frequently be spotted in the footlights and dodging the swinging camera crane to document the artists onstage. During his remarkable tenure, Newton has chronicled early ACL legends including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, B.B. King, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Ray Charles, John Prine and many more.

From left: Steven Walker, Scott Newton and Terry Lickona. Image courtesy of Emily Bolf.

“After shooting all those great shows, I finally get to share the results with my fellow music lovers!” says Newton. “This is exciting; decades of my work made accessible as wall art. It’s a dream come true.” Modern Rocks Gallery’s Steven Walker states, “I can’t help but feel a profound sense of pride having been given the honor of curating Austin City Limits Heritage Collection. It seems quite fitting that Modern Rocks Gallery hits its 10th anniversary the same year ACL celebrates 50 years of music. Not only visually striking, this collection holds significant importance. Austin City Limits is ingrained in the very fabric of Austin—it’s singular and cherished, much like Scott Newton’s photography.”

Longtime ACL executive producer Terry Lickona adds: “Scott has always captured the essence and spirit of Austin City Limits through his lens. This nostalgic collection brings to life some of the most historic moments of ACL’s formative years.”

Newton began photographing musicians at Austin’s infamous Armadillo World Headquarters in the early 1970s. His work has been championed for capturing the spirit of the live music capital of the world, and has appeared in coffee table books and hotels, and is regularly featured in publications and on acltv.com.

Live music beacon Austin City Limits (ACL) spotlights breakout Vermont singer-songwriter Noah Kahan in a special streaming event on Wednesday, December 13 at 8pm CT/9pm ET. Newly-nominated for a 2024 Best New Artist Grammy, Kahan makes a highly-anticipated ACL debut with songs from his acclaimed Stick Season. The full-set debut was recorded live on September 25, 2023 in Austin, TX and ACL is thrilled to offer fans everywhere the one-time-only opportunity to watch the performance in its entirety on ACLTV’s YouTube Channel ahead of Kahan’s broadcast debut on the legendary series premiering February 10, 2024. ACL returns with all-new episodes on PBS on January 13, 2024 as part of the second half of the series current Season 49.

The New England native delivers a revelatory performance with a 16-song streaming set, showcasing highlights from Stick Season including the double platinum-certified title track and the platinum breakthrough smash “Dial Drunk.” The hour-plus set is unedited and Kahan regales the Austin crowd with the stories behind his confessional lyrics. The 26-year-old singer/songwriter/guitarist has struck a chord with his legions of fans through highly relatable songs that resonate about contemporary life—viral smashes that erupt into crowd singalongs. The folk-pop phenomenon has had a banner year, fostering a connection with audiences to become one of 2023’s most talked-about live acts; he will soon embark on a U.S. stadium and arena tour in March 2024. A frequent collaborator, Kahan has worked with Kacey Musgraves, Zach Bryan, Post Malone, Joy Oladokun, Hozier and more.

We’re thrilled to showcase this singular talent on the iconic ACL stage. Join us here Wednesday, December 13 at 8pm CT/9pm ET for Noah Kahan, and on PBS early next year for the broadcast episode. Tune in to your local PBS station on Saturday nights for brand new episodes of Austin City Limits or stream on the PBS App or pbs.org/austincitylimits following the initial broadcast.

Noah Kahan Austin City Limits Dec. 13 setlist:

All My Love

She Calls Me Back

New Perspective

Everywhere Everything

Your Needs, My Needs

Growing Sideways

Paul Revere

Northern Attitude

False Confidence

Call Your Mom

You’re Gonna Go Far

Orange Juice

Dial Drunk

View Between Villages

Stick Season

Homesick

Season 49 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):

January 13 Austin City Limits 9th Annual Hall of Fame Honors John Prine

January 20 Robert Glasper | DOMi and JD BECK

January 27 Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo

February 3 Tanya Tucker | Brittney Spencer

February 10 Noah Kahan | Flor de Toloache

February 17 Alanis Morissette

February 24 Bonnie Raitt

March 2 Austin City Limits 9th Annual Hall of Fame Honors Trisha Yearwood

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.

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 49th 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. ACL celebrates 50 years as an American music institution in 2024.

Austin City Limits is produced by Austin PBS and funding is provided in part by Dell Technologies, 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.

Noah Kahan

Over the past year, GRAMMY-nominated Vermont singer & songwriter Noah Kahan has exploded from his New England roots into the global mainstream and has been touted as one of 2023’s biggest and best new artists. At the core of his music are vulnerable lyrics and an unfiltered yet relatable honesty, as the critically acclaimed artist pens songs straight from the heart and cracks jokes with his signature, self-deprecating sense of humor. Across his three albums and an EP, Kahan has garnered global renown for his singular mix of Folk, Americana, and Rock, landing more than four billion streams, a Double Platinum Certification for his hit single “Stick Season,” and collaborations with the likes of Post Malone, Kacey Musgraves, Hozier, Lizzy McAlpine, Zach Bryan, Joy Oladokun, and more. His widely adored, Platinum-Certified album, Stick Season, is inspired by his New England roots and earliest musical inspirations—from Paul Simon to Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens)—conveying a vivid representation of what he loves, fears, and struggles with most passionately. Noah embarked on his sold-out “Stick Season Tour” across North America since the album’s release last year, selling over half-a-million tickets and performing in the biggest venues of his career, with stadium and arena dates already sold-out for his 2024 world tour. In June, he released an extended version of Stick Season (We’ll All Be Here Forever), which has gone on to surpass sales of the original and shows no signs of slowing down. His latest single, “Dial Drunk,” has already amassed millions of streams, a Platinum Certification, and a slew of critical acclaim, cementing Noah Kahan as one of the most successful breakout artists of the year.