Garth Brooks Kicks Off 50th Celebrations!

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 September 5, 2024 - 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.

On the precipice of ACL’s 50th anniversary and 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. 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 a video tribute, 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.

Following the award presentation, Brooks kicked off a career-spanning stadium-worthy performance, clocking in at over two hours. The set included both audience requests (one of which was for Garth to bring his wife on stage) a duet with Trisha Yearwood followed by her own moment in the spotlight.

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.

About the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame

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.

Austin City Limits and the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame are produced by Austin PBS. Austin PBS is a non-profit organization providing public television and educational resources to Central Texas as well as producing quality national programming.