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Season premiere: Rodrigo y Gabriela featuring the Austin Symphony Orchestra

Photo by Scott Newton.

Austin City Limits launches a new slate of must-see performances from music’s finest with a singular highlight as its season premiere: famed guitar virtuoso duo Rodrigo y Gabriela take viewers on a sonic adventure with their super-charged instrumentals, accompanied by the Austin Symphony Orchestra. The Mexico City natives are joined by over 30 musicians from the world-class ensemble to bring to life their latest album In Between Thoughts…A New World. This groundbreaking performance marks the very first time the live music series has partnered with the esteemed orchestra, one of Austin’s leading arts institutions. The hourlong episode premieres October 7 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.

The program, produced by Austin PBS and recorded live at ACL’s studio home ACL Live in Austin, Texas, continues its extraordinary run as the longest-running music television show in history, providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance for 49 years as the music institution nears a remarkable half-century milestone. Austin City Limits celebrates 50 years as a live music beacon in 2024: on October 17, 1974, Willie Nelson taped the pilot episode and the trailblazing series premiered in 1975. Stay tuned for news on special concerts, fan events and activations as Austin City Limits salutes an incredible legacy of 50 golden years of American musical history and iconic performances. 

For over two decades, the duo of Gabriela Quintero and Rodrigo Sánchez have captivated audiences across the globe with their fast, rhythmic and wildly inventive guitar playing. In their first appearance on the ACL stage in a decade, they return with a one-of-a-kind collaboration featuring the Austin Symphony Orchestra. Rodrigo y Gabriela open the spellbinding hour with a furious clash of acoustic and electric guitar amid a maelstrom of distortion and flashing lights. Their latest album In Between Thoughts…A New World is a highpoint of their career and it serves as the centerpiece of this ACL performance. The work is designed to bring about an “expansion of consciousness” as the guitarists lead viewers on an exhilarating thrill ride showcasing their hypnotic, muscular blend of song which owes as much to rock and heavy metal as to the music of their native Mexico. 

Renowned previously for their signature acoustic interplay, this latest outing introduces electric guitar, as Rodrigo’s blistering, intricate fretboard moves create an alchemy with Gabriela’s dazzling flamenco-based acoustic rhythms. Accompanied by the Austin Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Peter Bay, the innovative duo explore new sonic horizons, expanding their sound from classical to metal in a stunning, high-energy hour. The orchestra soars with lush strings and powerful percussion on the magical “The Eye That Catches The Dream” and the guitar maestros receive a standing ovation as the powerful set-closer “Descending to Nowhere” reaches its epic climax.

“We’re always looking for new ways to make history, so after 49 years this is our first collaboration with a symphony, and we found one of the best in our own backyard,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “The Austin Symphony under Peter Bay’s baton provides a rich, lush accompaniment to the jarring, furious guitar riffs of Rodrigo y Gabriela. It’s pure magic.”

Episode setlist:

Astrium In Corpore

True Nature

The Eye That Catches the Dream

Egoland

Monster

Seeking Unreality

The Ride of the Mind

Broken Rage

Finding Myself Leads Me to You

In Between Thoughts…A New World

Descending to Nowhere

Season 49 Broadcast Line-up (second half of season to be announced separately)

Oct. 7 Rodrigo y Gabriela featuring the Austin Symphony Orchestra

Oct. 14 Jenny Lewis / MUNA

Oct. 21 Lil Yachty / Sudan Archives

Oct. 28 Margo Price / Molly Tuttle & Golden Highway

Nov. 4 Jorge Drexler

Nov. 11 Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit

Nov. 18 Foo Fighters

Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. The complete line-up for the full 14-week season, including seven new episodes to air beginning January 2023, 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.

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.  

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.

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Featured New Broadcast News

Fan-Favorites The Avett Brothers Return for Austin City Limits Celebratory Season 50 in Must-See Hour

The Avett Brothers return to Austin City Limits for the first time in a decade during the series’ historic Season 50. This fan-favorite act thrills in a high-energy, career-spanning hour packed with highlights and new songs from their first album in five years. The new episode premieres Saturday, January 18 @8pm ET/7pm CT as part of Austin City Limits anniversary Season 50. 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. 2025 continues the yearlong 50th Anniversary of the revered music institution, which 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 an incredible half-century.

North Carolina roots rockers and alt-country trailblazers The Avett Brothers are among music’s most popular live acts, captivating audiences with uplifting songs and tuneful wonder for more than two decades. Fronted by siblings Scott and Seth Avett and bandmate Bob Crawford, they made their ACL debut in Season 35 and returned for Season 40. They now return for Season 50 showcasing their latest album, simply titled The Avett Brothers. The Avetts open the sparkling 10-song set with a pair of new numbers, “Love Of A Girl” and “2020 Regret.” Anchored by gorgeous vocals and mountain-music harmonies, the band thrills with the crowd-pleaser “I Wish I Was,” an acoustic marvel from their 2016 album True Sadness. The group’s onstage chemistry is obvious as they radiate joy and forge a unique connection with the audience. A set highlight is a spirited cover of Toby Keith’s “As Good As I Once Was,” as the Avetts tip their hat to the late country great with a rousing rendition of his 2005 hit. They wrap the hour with the stunning meditation “No Hard Feelings,” and the ACL crowd joins in for a powerful closer.

The Avett Brothers on ACL
The Avett Brothers on Austin City Limits. Photo courtesy of Scott Newton.

The Avett Brothers setlist:

Love Of A Girl

2020 Regret

I Wish I Was

Laundry Room

Talk On Indolence

Cheap Coffee

We Are Loved

Country Kid

As Good As I Once Was

No Hard Feelings

Season 50 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):

January 11 Norah Jones | Hurray for the Riff Raff

January 18 The Avett Brothers

January 25 Mickey Guyton | Carín León

February 1 Chris Stapleton

February 8 Sturgill Simpson Presents Johnny Blue Skies

February 15 ACL Presents: Willie Nelson & Family

Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding the Season 50 second half broadcast line-up and episode schedules or follow 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.

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Uncategorized

Latin Rock Superstar Juanes Thrills in Epic Austin City Limits Hour

Austin City Limits is thrilled to welcome back Colombian superstar Juanes for the first time in over a decade in an arena-worthy, hourlong performance. The Latin rock icon delivers an irresistible, career-spanning, all Spanish-language set featuring selections from his acclaimed album Vida Cotidiana, his 10th studio album and a career highpoint. The new Season 50 episode premieres Saturday, November 16 @8pm ET/7pm CT as part of Austin City Limits anniversary Season 50. 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 kicked off the yearlong 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.

Juanes on Austin City Limits. Photo by Scott Newton.

An electrifying guitarist and gifted songwriter, with a staggering 30 million albums sold worldwide, Juanes is one of the most innovative and popular figures in contemporary Latin music. In 2023 alone, he received his fourth GRAMMY and 25th LATIN GRAMMY award, extending his remarkable run as the Latin Recording Academy’s most decorated solo artist of all time. He made his ACL debut in 2005 and returned in 2013 to launch the season premiere; now Juanes returns for ACL’s landmark Season 50. He performs songs from Vida Cotidiana (Everyday Life), his first album of original material in four years—arguably his most personal, with the global icon reflecting on topics ranging from love, marriage, family and societal concerns. Bearded, tattooed, and ready to rock in a sleeveless black denim jacket, the charismatic entertainer performs hits and favorites from across his two-decade career. Backed by his stellar five-piece band, he thrills with highlights from Vida Cotidiana including set-opener “Gris,” “Amores Prohibidos” and the call and response powered “A Dios Le Pido.” Juanes unearths gems from his catalog, showcasing the blues rock cumbia of “Mala Gente” and crowd-pleasers including “La Camisa Negra,” “Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor,” “Fotografia” and  “Me Anamora,” proving his bona fides as one of today’s most soulful practitioners of sterling Latin pop-rock.

“Austin City Limits has showcased Spanish-language music since Flaco Jiménez performed in our very first season, but Juanes helped to pave the way for a new generation of Latin music superstars,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “As Latin music truly became a global phenomenon, singers, songwriters and musicians from the Latin diaspora worldwide have found their way to the ACL stage, but Juanes still represents the best of the best!”

Episode setlist: 

Gris

Mala Gente 

Amores Prohibidos

Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor 

Fotografia 

Es Por Ti 

Es Tarde 

Mas

Ojalá

La Paga 

La Camisa Negra 

A Dios Le Pido

Me Enamora 

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Coming Soon New Broadcast News

Austin City Limits Season 50 Returns with Celebrated Singer-Songwriters: Norah Jones & Hurray for the Riff Raff 

The trailblazing music program Austin City Limits returns as the second half of its milestone 50th Anniversary broadcast season kicks off in 2025 with a fresh hour spotlighting two acclaimed singer-songwriters. Nine-time Grammy winner Norah Jones returns for ACL’s golden anniversary in her fifth series appearance, dazzling with numbers from her LP Visions, nominated for a 2025 Grammy Award. Singer and songwriter Hurray for the Riff Raff shares the hour, making their ACL debut with highlights from The Past Is Still Alive, an album that topped many critics’ year-end best lists and was nominated for 2024 Album of the Year by the Americana Music Association. The new Season 50 episode premieres Saturday, January 11 @8pm ET/7pm CT as part of Austin City Limits anniversary Season 50.

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. 2025 continues the yearlong 50th Anniversary of the revered music institution, which 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 an incredible half-century.

Norah Jones playing piano
Norah Jones on ACL, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.

Norah Jones made her first appearance on Austin City Limits in 2002, just prior to the release of her landmark debut Come Away With Me, her self-described “moody little record” which became a global phenomenon and propelled her to the world stage. She returns for the series’ milestone Season 50 with songs from Visions, her Grammy-nominated ninth studio album. The Texas native captivates with signature dreamy melodies and lush vocals in her latest ACL outing, moving from piano to guitar to keyboard throughout the radiant six-song set. 

Hurray For the Riff Raff performs onstage
Hurray for the Riff Raff on ACL, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.

Hurray for the Riff Raff, the performance name of New Orleans-based, Bronx-raised Alynda Segarra (they/them), make their ACL debut with highlights from The Past Is Still Alive. The autobiographical album received widespread acclaim and Best of 2024 raves from Rolling Stone, Paste, NPR, Pitchfork, The New York Times and more. One of roots music’s finest new storytellers, Segarra shares real-life stories from their time as an itinerant hitchhiker and train hopper, revealing profound truths about freedom and survival in America today. Clad in black leather, the artist and guitarist cuts a riveting figure as they perform soaring earworms about relevant topics in a must-see ACL showcase.

“Norah Jones is an ACL favorite who never disappoints, and it’s fascinating to showcase her growth as an artist,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Alynda is like a modern day Huck Finn who is taking us along for the ride.”

Norah Jones setlist:

Running

Paradise

Alone With My Thoughts

I’m Awake

Visions

All This Time

Hurray for the Riff Raff

Buffalo

Dynamo

Colossus of Roads

Snake Plant (The Past Is Still Alive)

Ogallala

Season 50 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):

January 11 Norah Jones | Hurray for the Riff Raff

January 18 The Avett Brothers

January 25 Mickey Guyton | Carín León

February 1 Chris Stapleton

February 8 Sturgill Simpson Presents Johnny Blue Skies

February 15 ACL Presents: Willie Nelson & Family

Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding the Season 50 second half broadcast line-up and episode schedules or follow 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.

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Coming Soon Featured New Broadcast News

Austin City Limits Spotlights Trailblazers Mickey Guyton and Carín León

Mickey Guyton and Carin Leon

A pair of trailblazers make dynamic Austin City Limits debuts in an exciting new hour: Country maverick and Texas native Mickey Guyton and chart-topping global Latin music superstar Carín León. Guyton performs hits and highlights from her acclaimed sophomore LP House on Fire, while León thrills with an eighteen-piece band and songs from his 2025 Grammy-nominated album Boca Chueca, Vol. 1. The new episode premieres Saturday, January 25 @8pm ET/7pm CT as part of Austin City Limits anniversary Season 50.

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. 2025 continues the yearlong 50th Anniversary of the revered music institution, which 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 an incredible half-century.

Mickey Guyton on Austin City Limits, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.

Texas-raised country queen Mickey Guyton lights up ACL with an irresistible performance showcasing her magnetic stage presence and powerhouse vocals. She opens the career-spanning set with the empowering title track of 2021’s breakthrough Remember Her Name, which made history as Guyton became the first Black artist to earn a Grammy nomination for Best Country Album. Guyton blazed this trail years before fellow Texan Beyoncé garnered the same honor with her landmark Cowboy Carter; when the R&B icon took the genre by storm this year she sent Guyton flowers and thanked her for opening the doors. Guyton performs a gorgeous version of Beyoncé’s “If I Were A Boy,” a song she presciently covered on her 2021 debut. “Y’all I’m just so blessed to be here right now,” shares a buoyant Guyton before launching into a pair of highlights from her latest release House on Fire, including the title track and the feelgood “Make It Me.” Guyton closes out the radiant set with her hit anthem “All American” as the crowd joins in on the soaring refrain “We got the same stars, the same stripes Just wanna live that good life Ain’t we all, ain’t we all American? 

Carín León on Austin City Limits, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.

Sharing the hour is another history-making artist: Global Mexican star Carín León had a banner 2024, earning a standing ovation at the Grand Ole Opry with a set sung entirely in Spanish; he made history as the first Latin artist to perform at both Coachella and Stagecoach. In a 2024 profile, The New York Times called him a “a supremely gifted singer who blows through musical and cultural divides with fearlessness and determination.” León won the first-ever Latin Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Mexican Music Album at the 2024 Latin Grammys for his Boca Chueca, Vol. 1, and was nominated for Best Música Mexicana Album at the 2025 Grammy Awards.  León has lifted the genre to new heights of popularity in the United States as one of the most popular artists of the streaming era, with billions of streams on Spotify. A native of Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, León is dressed in a cowboy hat and accompanied by an incredible 18-piece band including a full brass section, accordion, piano, acoustic, electric, requinto and steel guitar for his ACL debut. León performs a thrilling set featuring highlights from his latest album and his 2023 breakout Colmillo De Leche, seamlessly joining elements of banda, norteño, ranchera and country and sparking multiple crowd sing-alongs. “Dreams come true, y’all,” he says in Spanish. “I’m here tonight filming ‘ACL.’ To more nights like this…”

“Today’s Country music comes in many different shapes, styles, and colors, and that diversity has long been a hallmark of Austin City Limits for five decades,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Mickey Guyton would be a superstar in any genre, and Carín León’s voice transcends musical boundaries in a way that’s never been done before.”

Mickey Guyton setlist:

Remember Her Name

Higher

Better Than You Left Me

If I Were A Boy

House On Fire

Make It Me

All American

Carín León setlist:

Me la Avente

Como Lo Hice Yo

Casi oficial

No Es Por Acá

Te Lo Agradezco

Despídase bien

Primera Cita

Season 50 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):

January 11 Norah Jones | Hurray for the Riff Raff

January 18 The Avett Brothers

January 25 Mickey Guyton | Carín León

February 1 Chris Stapleton

February 8 Sturgill Simpson Presents Johnny Blue Skies

February 15 ACL Presents: Willie Nelson & Family


Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding the Season 50 second half broadcast line-up and episode schedules or follow 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.

Categories
Episode Recap Featured New Broadcast News

Austin City Limits Spotlights Chris Stapleton in New Season 50 Episode

Austin City Limits brings out the big guns for Season 50 with a highly-anticipated hour spotlighting one of music’s finest: Chris Stapleton. The ten-time Grammy-winning powerhouse delivers a scorching set of country-rock classics and gems from his  2025 Grammy-nominated LP Higher. The new episode premieres Saturday, February 1 @8pm ET/7pm CT as part of Austin City Limits anniversary Season 50. 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. 2025 continues the yearlong 50th Anniversary of the revered music institution, which 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 an incredible half-century.

Kentucky-born Chris Stapleton is a 10x GRAMMY, 19x CMA and 19x ACM Award-winner; he is the CMA Awards reigning Male Vocalist of the Year for a record-extending eighth consecutive year. In this long-awaited return to ACL since his debut in Season 43, the country hitmaker has become a bonafide superstar and one of the genre’s most celebrated artists. He delivers a career-wide set in an electric performance featuring hits and highlights including numbers from his latest album, Higher, which earned the 2024 Album of the Year honor at the ACM Awards and is nominated for Best Country Album at the upcoming 2025 Grammy Awards. In an intimate performance joined by wife Morgane Stapleton on harmony vocals and backed by an ace six-piece band, Stapleton flexes his outlaw soul and blazing guitar licks, powering through songs of desperation and desire including “South Dakota,” “Think I’m In Love With You,” “You Should Probably Leave,” and the current Grammy-nominated song for Best Country Solo Performance, “It Takes a Woman.” Stapleton thrills with knockout vocals on the slowburn gut punch “Cold” from 2020’s chart-topping Starting Over and the can’t-get-enough crowd is on its feet. He pays tribute to a pair of  his influences: “We are in Texas so we should probably play a shuffle,” says Stapleton, “this one’s from one of my dear friends that I miss very much…” before launching into the late Texas music legend Guy Clark’s weed boogie “Worry B Gone;” Stapleton then tips his hat to another hero, Tom Petty, with a rousing rendition of the late rock icon’s “I Should Have Known It.” The hour closes with the fan-favorite “Millionaire,” as Stapleton is joined in close harmony with his partner and collaborator Morgane for a stellar close.

Chris Stapleton on Austin City Limits, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.

“Everybody loves Chris Stapleton!” says ACL executive producer. “He brings attitude, heart and grit to Country music but in a way that appeals to fans of authentic music everywhere.”

Chris Stapleton setlist:

South Dakota

Arkansas

Cold

Worry B Gone

Think I’m In Love With You

It Takes A Woman

Joy Of My Life

I Should Have Known It

Starting Over

You Should Probably Leave

Mountains Of My Mind

Millionaire

Season 50 Broadcast Schedule (Second Half):

January 11 Norah Jones | Hurray for the Riff Raff

January 18 The Avett Brothers

January 25 Mickey Guyton | Carín León

February 1 Chris Stapleton

February 8 Sturgill Simpson Presents Johnny Blue Skies

February 15 ACL Presents: Willie Nelson & Family

Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding the Season 50 second half broadcast line-up and episode schedules or follow 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.