News - Austin City Limits

Grammy-Winner Leon Thomas to Make Austin City Limits Debut; Performance to Livestream for Fans

Post author By Lily Angelle
Post date October 29, 2025

AUSTIN, TX—October 29, 2025–Austin City Limits (ACL) is thrilled to announce a worldwide livestream featuring Grammy-winning songwriter and chart-topping R&B innovator Leon Thomas in his full-set ACL debut on Sunday, November 2. Thomas takes the ACL stage riding a wave of acclaim, with his smash hit “Mutt” landing in the Top 10 of Billboard’s Hot 100 this week and just days after dropping the brand-new EP PHOLKS. Billboard raves, “PHOLKS deepens and expands the now-signature blend of funk, soul and classic rock that Thomas honed across MUTT.”

The breakout artist has dominated 2025, earning Best New Artist at the BET Awards, Billboard’s Breakthrough of the Year Award, and his first two MTV Video Music Award nominations. Thomas also launches his headlining Mutts Don’t Heel Tour on October 30th with sold-out dates across the U.S., Europe and Australia.

Fans around the world can experience this highly anticipated ACL taping live in its entirety from the iconic Austin City Limits stage in Austin, Texas. The performance will stream free and live at YouTube.com/AustinCityLimitsTV and YouTube.com/leonthomasmusic, beginning promptly at 9pm ET/8pm CT on Sunday, November 2. The hour-long stream will be available only in real time. The broadcast episode of this performance will air as a full hour on PBS early next year and stream nationwide at pbs.org/austincitylimits and on the PBS App as part of Austin City Limits’ acclaimed Season 51.

Thomas’ 2024 breakout sophomore album MUTT, fueled by live instrumentation and dizzying riffs, was named Billboard’s No. 1 R&B Album of the Year. Its Platinum-certified title track topped multiple charts and surpassed more than 315 million streams, while standout singles “Far Fetched” and “Vibes Don’t Lie” solidified his status as a defining voice in modern R&B.

In 2025, Thomas expanded his sonic universe with MUTT Deluxe: HEEL, a genre-bending extension featuring guest spots from Kehlani, Big Sean, and Halle. Exploring themes of singlehood, connection, and self-exposure with tightly crafted compositions and distinct creative clarity, the project led to standout performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and a viral NPR Tiny Desk set.

Taping Pass Giveaway: Marcus King Band

Post author By Lily Angelle
Post date October 27, 2025

Austin City Limits will tape a performance by Marcus King Band on Tuesday, November 4th 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.

ENTER TO WIN TAPING PASSES

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.

With Darling Blue, Grammy-nominated Marcus King reunites with his longtime live band for their first recorded album together since 2018’s Carolina Confessions. Inspired heavily by the Blue Ridge Mountains in his home state of South Carolina, the new album incorporates elements of country, folk, psychedelic rock and Motown-era R&B and continues the conversation on King’s experience with addiction and depression. Recorded at the legendary Capricorn Studios in Macon, Georgia, the album features collaborations with Billy Strings, Noah Cyrus, Jesse Welles, Jamey Johnson and Kaitlin Butts, with co-writes from the band Midland and Lainey Wilson. Tracks like “Carolina Honey,” “Heartlands” and “Honky Tonk Hell” pay homage to King’s Greenville roots and deep appreciation for his home state. Set for release September 26 on American Records/Republic Records, Darling Blue captures the spirit of a live band performance. “It truly felt like home,” King shares. “My band and I were just working out songs to perform live but ended up creating a piece of recorded music for our fans. More than anything I’ve done before, this album felt like a real concerted effort to make music for myself, and for ourselves as a band—creating for the love of creating and being as honest as we possibly can. We put everything we had into making something that we love and we have faith that the audience will feel that and love it too.” Following a successful run of critically acclaimed releases with the Marcus King Band, the singer and guitar phenom made his solo debut with the Grammy-nominated El Dorado in 2020, followed by Young Blood (2022) and Mood Swings (2024). This summer saw the return of King’s beloved Marcus King Band Family Reunion festival in Charleston, SC. King continues to tour internationally throughout 2025, sharing stages with Eric Church, Chris Stapleton and Cody Johnson.

For entry to Austin City Limits tapings, you agree to abide by the Taping Health & Safety Protocols based on the current COVID-19 Community Risk Stage in effect at the time of the event. By attending the ACL tapings, you agree to the Terms & Conditions.

News Ticket Giveaway

Taping Pass Giveaway: Leon Thomas

Post author By Lily Angelle
Post date October 24, 2025

Austin City Limits will tape a performance by Leon Thomas on Sunday, November 2 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.

enter to win taping passes

Recently dubbed “R&B’s hottest ‘rock star’” by Billboard, Leon Thomas is a Grammy-winning artist, producer, and actor from Brooklyn who seamlessly fuses R&B, soul, and rock with fearless creativity. After signing to Ty Dolla $ign’s EZMNY Records in 2022, he made his debut with Electric Dusk (2023), featuring collaborations with Victoria Monét and Benny the Butcher, then earned a 2024 Grammy for his work on SZA’s smash single “Snooze.” His 2024 breakout sophomore release MUTT, fueled by live instrumentation and dizzying riffs, was named Billboard’s No. 1 R&B Album of the Year, with its Platinum-certified title track topping multiple charts and amassing more than 315 million streams. MUTT and its standout singles “Far Fetched” and “Vibes Don’t Lie” cemented his status as a rising force in modern R&B. In 2025, Thomas expanded his sonic universe with MUTT Deluxe: HEEL, a genre-bending extension featuring guest spots from Kehlani, Big Sean, and Halle. Exploring themes of singlehood, connection, and self-exposure with tightly crafted compositions and distinct creative clarity, the project brought performances on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and a viral NPR Tiny Desk set. Honored as Billboard’s Chartbreaker and MTV PUSH’s Artist of the Month, Thomas capped off a banner year with a BET Award for Best New Artist and a sold-out MUTTS DON’T HEEL World Tour.

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Queens of the Stone Age to Return to ACL TV for Final Season 51 Taping

Post author By Lily Angelle
Post date October 22, 2025

Austin City Limits is proud to announce the final taping of Season 51: rock superstars Queens of the Stone Age return for the first time in over a decade on November 18. The celebrated band takes the ACL stage to showcase their remarkable new work, Alive in the Catacombs—conceived and recorded in the ancient tombs beneath Paris—for what promises to be one of the most unique and unforgettable tapings in ACL’s 50-plus-year history.

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.”

ACL is thrilled to welcome Queens of the Stone Age back to the stage for this intimate and historic performance. Details on how to win free passes will be announced one week prior to the taping—follow ACLTV on IG and Facebook and X for updates. The hourlong broadcast episode will air and stream early next year on PBS as the finale of Austin City Limits’ current Season 51. Stream previous seasons online or on your connected TV with the free PBS App.

Giveaway: Reneé Rapp

Post author By Lily Angelle
Post date October 14, 2025

**UPDATE: Giveaway is now closed** Austin City Limits will tape a performance by Reneé Rapp on Tuesday, October 21 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.

Reneé Rapp is a critically acclaimed multi-hyphenate with experience in music, film and TV acting, and Broadway. In just a few short years, Rapp has solidified her position as a dynamic force across all industries, reaching widespread critical acclaim while simultaneously cultivating her rapidly growing fan-base. Recently, she hit a major career milestone with her sophomore album BITE ME, landing her first ever #1 in the UK and the Netherlands, #1 on the Billboard chart for Pure US Album Sales, and #3 on the Billboard 200 chart.

After landing her breakout role as Regina George in Mean Girls on Broadway, Rapp eventually turned her attention to her solo music career in 2022. That year saw the release of her debut EP, Everything to Everyone, which featured standout tracks “Too Well,” and “In The Kitchen.” Following the momentum of Everything to Everyone, Rapp channeled her raw talent and authentic voice into the creation of her first full-length studio album Snow Angel in 2023. The project, which earned the largest first-week sales for a female artist’s debut album in the U.S. upon release that year, showcased her powerful vocals, introspective songwriting, and ability to connect with her fans on a deeply emotional level. Snow Angel marked a significant step in Rapp’s musical journey, cementing her status as one of the most compelling and dynamic new artists in the pop landscape, now amassing over 1.4 billion streams and counting across her entire discography.

Across her career, Rapp has played to packed crowds at iconic festivals across the globe, including Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, Lollapalooza, Governors Ball, Boston Calling, and many more. She’s been nominated for two MTV VMA Awards, in the categories of ‘Best New Artist’ and ‘PUSH Performance of the Year,’ and held performance spots on a number of coveted television programs including Saturday Night Live, The Today Show’s Summer Concert Series, Late Night with Seth Meyers, and more. This consistent presence on major stages and recognition from tastemakers across industries firmly establishes Reneé Rapp as a burgeoning powerhouse and a vital new voice shaping the future of pop culture.

Rapp released her highly anticipated sophomore album BITE ME, which features “Leave Me Alone, “Mad” and “I Think I Like You Better When You’re Gone” on August 1^st via Interscope Records. Rapp’s BITE ME North American headlining tour kicked off September 23rd in Colorado at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. The 16-city run includes major arena plays at venues across the country including the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York, TD Garden in Boston, and The Kia Forum in Los Angeles

Featured Live Stream News

Role Model’s ACL TV Debut to Stream Live Worldwide 10/7 @ 8 PM CT

Post author By Lily Angelle
Post date October 1, 2025

Role Model’s No Place Like Tour touches down in Austin and Austin City Limits (ACL) is thrilled to present a worldwide livestream of the in-demand musician’s full-set ACL debut on Tuesday, October 7. Riding high with his career-defining album Kansas Anymore and his first-ever Billboard No. 1 single, Role Model arrives on the ACL stage amid one of the year’s hottest tours, a featured slot on our namesake ACL Festival, and just days before his Saturday Night Live debut on October 11.

Fans everywhere can experience this highly anticipated taping live in its entirety from the iconic Austin City Limits stage in Austin, Texas. The taping performance streams free and live at YouTube.com/AustinCityLimitsTV, starting promptly at 9pm ET/8pm CT on Tuesday, October 7. The stream will only be available to watch in real time. The broadcast episode of this performance will air on PBS and stream nationwide on pbs.org/austincitylimits on December 13, 2025, as part of the television series’ upcoming Season 51, which launches October 4 with a season premiere featuring Grammy-winning artist and producer FINNEAS.

Role Model—aka Tucker Pillsbury—first made waves with his 2022 debut album Rx, a confessional, genre-blurring pop record. His sophomore release Kansas Anymore expands his sound with 13 folk-tinged, lyrically driven tracks, including the viral hit “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.” Praised by GQ for its “big-swing pop music” and Paper for its “folk-tinged, heart-heavy” sound, the album cemented his rise as one of music’s most exciting voices. Following his sold-out No Place Like Tour, which sold over 90,000 tickets worldwide, the Maine native released a deluxe edition, Kansas Anymore (The Longest Goodbye), featuring four new songs that expand the emotional and sonic scope of the original album. Expanding his creative reach, he is also set to make his acting debut opposite Natalie Portman and Mark Ruffalo in Lena Dunham’s upcoming Netflix film Good Sex.