On the eve of Weekend 1 of Austin City Limits Music Festival, Chris Stapleton returned to the Austin City Limits stage for the first time since his debut in 2018 as part of Season 43. Also headlining both Fridays of ACL Festival, Stapleton’s precursor performance at The Moody Theater made for an intimate evening that set it apart from the festival weekend that would ensue.
Joined by wife Morgane Stapleton and a talented six-piece backing band (including Mickey Raphael, member of Willie Nelson’s Family Band since 1973), Stapleton powered through career highlights including “White Horse,” “You Should Probably Leave,” “Cold,” and “Tennessee Whiskey” to cap the evening.
Chris Stapleton performs on Austin City Limits, October 3, 2024. Photos by Scott Newton.
Listen to the set list from the Austin City Limits taping below:
Kacey Musgraves on Austin City Limits, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.
Live music beacon Austin City Limits (ACL) kicks off a celebratory Season 50 with an unforgettable hour from an American original, seven-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves. The celebrated artist is newly nominated for a trio of awards from the Country Music Association for the upcoming CMA Awards (on November 20), including top honors of Album of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year. The season premiere airs on Saturday, September 28th at 7pm CT/8pm ET. 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.
Kacey Musgraves on Austin City Limits, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.
“It’s such an honor to be kicking off the 50th Season of ACL,” says Kacey Musgraves from the famed ACL stage. The Golden, Texas native returns for Austin City Limits golden anniversary season in her third series appearance; Musgraves made her ACL debut in 2014 and returned in 2018 for Season 44. The songstress shines in a radiant hour, with a new collection of songs from her latest album Deeper Well as the centerpiece, alongside career highlights and songwriting tales. With an easy rapport and exquisite singing, Musgraves delivers a captivating 13-song set joined by her seven-piece band. She opens with the delicate, soaring “Cardinal,” which pays homage to her late friend and mentor John Prine. Musgraves performs a suite of album highlights including “Deeper Well,” “Sway” and “Too Good To Be True,” weaving soft melodies around sparkling songs in a tender performance.
“ACL! Should we throw it back a little bit?” asks Musgraves before launching into the irresistible “Butterflies” from 2018’s Grammy-winning album Slow Burn. Musgraves performs a moving solo rendition of “Rainbow” with piano accompaniment, inviting the audience to sing-along. She reaches back to her 2013 breakthrough for “Follow Your Arrow,” letting the crowd take over on the final verse. A barefoot Musgraves thrills with lush vocals and harmonies on her fan-favorite anthem “Slow Burn.” “We’re gonna leave each other with good vibes,” smiles the free-spirited artist as she closes with the ACL audience joining in for her set staple “Three Little Birds.”
“Kacey Musgraves represents what Austin City Limits is all about – past, present, and hopefully future,” said longtime executive producer Terry Lickona. “There’s a through line from that very first ACL, from Willie to Kacey 50 years later: groundbreaking artists pushing boundaries, with powerful songs, and powerful performances. She sets the perfect tone for the 50th anniversary!”
Kacey Musgraves on Austin City Limits, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.
Episode setlist:
Cardinal
Deeper Well
Sway
Too Good To Be True
Butterflies
Giver-Taker
Follow Your Arrow
The Architect
Heaven Is
Rainbow
Justified
Slow BurnThree Little Birds/Easier Said
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
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:
A monument to music, Austin City Limits has showcased iconic performances from legends and innovators in every genre of popular song for a remarkable five decades. The series is the flagship of the popular Austin City Limits Music Festival and has earned countless accolades for its quality presentation of live music performances, including a Peabody Award, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame designation and it remains the only TV series awarded the National Medal of Arts.
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.
About Austin PBS:
Since 1962, Austin PBS has been a part of Central Texas, delivering programs that educate, entertain and inspire. As the only locally owned and operated nonprofit public television station in Central Texas, Austin PBS uses its unique position to serve as a bridge to the community and provide essential services to 3 million potential viewers in more than 20 counties across the region.
Kacey Musgraves returned to the Austin City Limits stage for her third appearance in ten years Monday, June 3, 2024 in support of her latest release, Deeper Well. We at Austin City Limits were thrilled to have her back to the show.
“It’s good to be back here in Texas,” said Musgraves, after taking the stage with her talented band, all sporting Canadian tuxedos. She continued, “It is such an honor to be kicking off the 50th season of ACL.”
Kacey Musgraves’ performance will air as the season premiere of the 50th anniversary of Austin City Limits, the longest running music series in television history. Season 50 is slated to premiere on PBS in September 2024.
Kacey Musgraves performs on Austin City Limits, June 3, 2024. Photos by Scott Newton.
Listen to the full set list from the Austin City Limits taping below:
Nickel Creek returned to the Austin City Limits stage Sunday, May 5 for their fourth performance over a 25-year period, in continued support for their 2023 release of fifth album, Celebrants, coming off a nine-year hiatus in releasing new material. With their debut in 1999, Terry Lickona mentioned in introducing them that “they were teenagers when they came on the show the first time,” sharing an episode from their second performance on ACL with none other than Dolly Parton. Siblings Sara Watkins (fiddle, guitar, vocals) and Sean Watkins (guitar, vocals), with Chris Thile (mandolin, mandola, bouzouki, vocals) and Jeff Picker (bass, vocals) came onstage jumping for joy and hyping up the crowd. They began the dazzling hour with “Where the Long Line Leads,” “The Lighthouse’s Tale,” and the instrumental “Going Out…,” with Chris Thile pausing in between to reflect on their fourth visit to ACL, “We’re not teenagers anymore…”
In title track, “Celebrants,” the band clapped rhythmically in unison, pairing that enthusiasm with whimsical licks from the mandolin, with Thile switching between the mandolin, mandola and bouzouki throughout the set. Sara Watkins wielded her fiddle with expert showmanship, with band member introductions before and after “Strangers.” Jeff Picker and Sean Watkins grounded the set with consistency and self-assurance only earned from years of growth and experience. In fact the underlying tone of the set seemed to be an introspective look at growth with a fond acceptance of where they’re currently at musically and in life, and embracing those in between moments.
The trio shared one microphone for “Water under the bridge Part 1,” with their flawless harmonies dipping and diving into low and high registers, showcasing their skillful range. Their infectious energy proved they were truly having fun onstage, which the studio audience definitely seemed to pick up on and feed off, clapping along throughout the set.
Sara prefaced “Thinnest Wall,” with a few background notes, “We would like to address the relationship part of relationships where you’re in there dealing with all the stuff,” with the song being a look at the “beautiful monotony of the in between.”
“To the Airport,” featured an impassioned monologue about Amy’s Ice Cream from Chris Thile, followed by a vocals-only section where the trio harmonized perfectly to a quietly intent audience. Followed by fiddle tune, “Cuckoo’s Nest,” the second half of the hour picked up in energy, leading the group to a strong finish with “New Blood,” “Smoothie Song,” and “The Fox,” with Sara chiming in between songs, “It’s so special to us to get to do ACL.” With that the band did a choreographed jump and bow, and walked offstage momentarily before returning to perform an encore of “When in Rome,” and “Holding Pattern.” Catch the taping of Nickel Creek later this year as part of Austin City Limits’ special 50th anniversary season.
Nickel Creek performs on Austin City Limits, May 5, 2024. Photos by Scott Newton.
Listen to the full set list from the Austin City Limits taping below:
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Austin City Limits, Zilker Belts has designed and produced two custom leather belts, the Spotlight and Backstage, featuring signature black Argentine leather expertly hand-stitched in Buenos Aires with tonal grey and gold nylon thread, incorporating the iconic Austin City Limits logo.
Zilker Belts values handmade artistry and are passionate about bringing traditional Argentine fashion to our hometown of Austin and beyond. We’re thrilled to partner with a brand like Zilker Belts, music lovers through and through, whose passion for their city is reinforced by their Zilker Sessions and collaborations with other Austin brands like SXSW, Luck Reunion, and The Daytripper, to name a few.
DON’T KNOW YOUR SIZE? A good rule when choosing a Zilker Belt is to go 2” larger than your pants’ waist size. So if you typically wear size 34 jeans, order a size 36 belt. For odd sizes, we suggest ordering 3” larger to be safe (ex. – choose a size 38 Zilker Belt for size 35 jeans).
Belts will also be sold at the merch table at Austin City Limits tapings and other events, and are available to purchase online HERE.
Austin City Limits is excited to announce that we will be live streaming our upcoming Season 49 taping with Grammy-winning guitar duo Rodrigo y Gabriela in their first appearance in a decade, with a one-of-a-kind performancefeaturing the Austin Symphony Orchestra on July 7 at 8pm CT. This appearance marks the first time Austin City Limits/Austin PBS has collaborated with the Austin Symphony Orchestra, one of Austin’s oldest and most respected arts institutions. ACL offers fans worldwide the unique opportunity to watch this taping live in its entirety free here on our ACLTV YouTube Channel.
In an unprecedented performance, Rodrigo y Gabriela will be joined by over thirty musicians from the Austin Symphony Orchestra to bring to life their latest release In Between Thoughts…A New World on the ACL stage. For over two decades, the Mexico City-bred duo of Gabriela Quintero and Rodrigo Sanchez have created music that invites lasting transcendence, captivating audiences across the globe with their virtuosic and wildly inventive guitar playing. In Between Thoughts marks a sharp departure from the signature acoustic sound the acclaimed act first showcased on their 2006 self-titled studio debut, and finds the pair expanding their sound with an orchestra. Conceived during the pandemic, the duo worked remotely with Vienna-based composer Adam Ilyas Kuruc and The Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, who ornamented their serpentine arrangements with lush strings and powerful percussion. Sparked from their study of Advaita Vedanta (a Hindu philosophy rooted in the concept of nondualism), In Between Thoughts…A New World arrives as one of Rodrigo y Gabriela’s most revelatory offerings to date: a spontaneously composed body of work primed to bring about the very expansion of consciousness that inspired its creation. As they delved further into the philosophy, the duo began channeling their sense of heightened awareness into song form. “The music just started flowing out, without any real intention,” says Rodrigo. “When we looked back we realized we’d come up with nine songs that told the story of our coming to understand the Advaita path, in the exact perfect order.” The album finds Rodrigo trading his acoustic guitar for electric, adding a mercurial new energy that’s elegantly amplified by the duo’s subtle use of analog synths, Mellotron, and other electronic instruments. Propelled by a fierce vitality hinting at their thrash-metal roots, the result is an album of relentless movement and endless fluidity, each moment charged with the pure thrill of discovery. “When the subject matter is something like spirituality or seeking meaning, that can very easily go along with music that’s calming or serene,” says Gabriela. “But we wanted to do something different — we wanted to bring a cinematic quality and a lot of action to the music, and make it feel as exciting as we find all this to be.”
Join us here on July 7 at 8 p.m. CT for Rodrigo y Gabriela featuring the Austin Symphony Orchestra; the broadcast episode will air on PBS this fall as part of our upcoming Season 49. Tune in to your local PBS station on Saturday nights for fan-favorite encore episodes of Austin City Limits; watch live on PBS, or stream anytime at PBS.org.
