Tag: Season 50

Categories
Coming Soon Important Feature News

Landmark 50th Anniversary Season Returns January 11 on PBS with All-New Episodes

Music artists such as Norah Jones, Sturgill Simpson, and The Avett Brothers, surrounds the ACL "50 Years of Music" logo

The trailblazing live music series Austin City Limits proudly announces the second half of its landmark 50th Anniversary broadcast season, with new episodes that begin airing in January 2025 as part of the esteemed program’s fourteen-episode season. Austin City Limits returns with six all-new broadcast episodes for this half-century celebration, showcasing an all-star slate of returning favorites, alongside highly-anticipated series debuts and multiple 2025 Grammy nominees: Willie Nelson & Family, Chris Stapleton, Norah Jones, The Avett Brothers and Sturgill Simpson presents Johnny Blue Skies; first-timers include Carín León, Mickey Guyton and Hurray for the Riff Raff. Providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in music performance for a remarkable 50 years, ACL returns on Saturday, January 11th 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. 

Season 50 returns in January with a diverse slate that spotlights multiple 2025 Grammy nominees. Celebrated singer-songwriter Norah Jones returns for the golden anniversary season in her fifth series appearance. The nine-time Grammy-winning Texas native dazzles with selections from her LP Visions, newly-nominated for a 2025 Grammy Award. Singer and songwriter Hurray for the Riff Raff shares the hour, performing highlights from their The Past Is Still Alive, which topped many critics’ year-end best lists and was nominated for 2024 Album of the Year by the Americana Music Association. 

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

A pair of trailblazers make must-see ACL debuts in a standout hour: Chart-topping global Latin music superstar Carín León thrills with an eighteen-piece band and songs from his 2025 Grammy-nominated album Boca Chueca Vol. 1., while country maverick and Texas native Mickey Guyton performs hits and highlights from her acclaimed sophomore LP House on Fire in a radiant debut. 

ACL spotlights multiple fan-favorite acts with epic hours: The reigning CMA Awards Male Vocalist of the Year (for a record-breaking eighth time), ten-time Grammy-winning superstar Chris Stapleton returns with a scorching display of country-rock classics and gems from his LP Higher, just nominated for a pair of 2025 Grammy Awards including Best Country Album. One of the biggest live acts in music, Stapleton brings a stadium-size show to ACL in a performance for the ages.

The Avett Brothers on ACL
The Avett Brothers on ACL, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.

The Avett Brothers, who last appeared in milestone Season 40, thrill in a high-energy, career-spanning hour packed with highlights and new songs from their namesake first album in five years, The Avett Brothers. The North Carolina roots and alt-country trailblazers dazzle with gorgeous harmonies in their latest outing. Shapeshifter Sturgill Simpson makes his highly-anticipated return to the ACL stage for the first time in nearly a decade with songs from his latest album, Passage Du Desir; under a new name, “Johnny Blue Skies,” the Grammy-winning iconoclast and his ace four-piece band thrill with a new chapter alongside fan-favorite classics in a magnetic hour.

Willie Nelson returns to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of his 1974 taping with a special hour that closes out Season 50. For this special ACL Presents, a Texas-sized performance with Willie & Family was recorded outdoors at Austin’s Long Center, with the actual Austin skyline as the backdrop. Highlights from the performance will premiere on February 15, 2025, as a high point of ACL’s Season 50. Willie & Family share the magic in a shining hour filled with beloved classics from his catalog, marking only the fourth time in the show’s five-decade history that a performance has been taped outdoors. Nelson, an American original and ACL Hall of Fame icon, has appeared on the series more than any other performer; he carves his name in ACL history once again to celebrate the milestone of his performance from October 1974. That now legendary show, taped as the pilot for Austin City Limits, became the cornerstone for 50 years of groundbreaking, award-winning music television and served as a dispatch to the world declaring Austin’s place as a pioneering music city. The trailblazing live music program was given the green light, premiering on PBS in 1975. “The house that Willie built” is now an institution that has become the longest-running music series in television history. 

Rounding out the series golden jubilee celebrations is a two-hour primetime PBS special, Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years, saluting the program’s historic milestone set to premiere on April 4, 2025. This all-star celebration features some of the brightest stars in the show’s 50-year history as they return to the fabled ACL stage; the special will feature one-of-a-kind music performances with a stellar line-up including Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr. joined by Eve Monsees, Billy Strings featuring Sierra Hull, Indigo Girls, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Brandy Clark, Rufus Wainwright, The Mavericks, Ángela Aguilar and many more, co-hosted by Austin-based actors Jared and Genevieve Padalecki.

“Austin City Limits has stood the test of time, and our 50th season says it all,” according to executive producer Terry Lickona. “It’s a full circle moment, with Willie returning to the stage 50 years to the day since he recorded the original pilot. For me, that was the most emotional moment of the entire past 50 years!”

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
  • April 4 Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years

ACL’s landmark Season 50 launched in September 2024 with a sterling season premiere featuring Kacey Musgraves, newly-nominated for a trio of 2025 Grammy Awards. The first half of the season showcased many returning favorites in revelatory hours: rock and R&B dynamo Brittany Howard, country superstar Wynonna Judd and Colombian rock icon Juanes. ACL shone a spotlight on many ACL favorites: Austin’s own rock and soul guitar great Gary Clark Jr. and psychedelic soul act Black Pumas; standout singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers, formative bluegrass trio Nickel Creek and powerhouse husband-and-wife duo The War & Treaty. ACL showcased breakout acts in must-see ACL debuts: Chart-topping Nashville sensation Jelly Roll, next-generation singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams and newly-minted triple 2025 Grammy nominee Jacob Collier.

Produced by Austin PBS, Austin City Limits is recorded live at the series studio home ACL Live in Austin, Texas. Watch new episodes live, stream online, or download the PBS App. Viewers can visit acltv.com for news regarding Season 51 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.

Categories
Featured Important Feature News

ACL Artists Nominated for 2025 GRAMMY Awards

Billie Eilish

The 2025 GRAMMY OFFICIAL nominations have been announced, and Austin City Limits congratulates all the amazing nominees populating 94 categories.

We’d like to give special recognition to the nominees who have appeared on ACL. Big congratulations to Billie Eilish (ACL Alum, Season 45) a top contender with seven nominations. The global pop sensation earned nods for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Best Pop Vocal Album, Best Pop Solo Performance, Best Pop Duo/ Group Performance, and Best Dance Pop Recording.

Also awarded with seven nominations, Kendrick Lamar (ACL Alum, Season 41) is up for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.

Kendrick Lamar performs on ACL Season 41. Photo by Scott Newton.

We’re thrilled to be showcasing many of this year’s nominees during our current Season 50. Stay tuned for new episodes premiering weekly on PBS. Congratulations to Chris Stapleton (Best Country Solo Performance & Best Country Album), Jelly Roll (Best Country Solo Performance & Best Country Song), Gracie Abrams (Best Pop Duo/Group Performance), Kacey Musgraves (Best Country Solo Performance, Best Country Song, Best Country Album, Best Americana Performance, Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical), Jacob Collier (Best Global Music Performance, Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella, Album Of The Year), Norah Jones (Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album), Carín León (Best Música Mexicana Album), and Brittany Howard (Best Alternative Music Album). All these amazing artists are featured on ACL’s golden anniversary Season 50. Visit pbs.org/austincitylimits or the PBS app to watch new episodes.

Jelly Roll on Austin City Limits, Season 50. Photo by Scott Newton.

A special shoutout to other ACL alumni who earned nominations: The Black Keys (Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song), Cimafunk (Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album), Khruangbin (Best New Artist), Billy Strings (Best Bluegrass Album), St. Vincent (Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Song, Best Alternative Music Performance, Best Alternative Music Album), Charley Crockett (Best Americana Album), Jack White (Best Rock Album), and Pearl Jam (Best Rock Performance, Best Rock Album, Best Rock Song).

A full list of all GRAMMY nominees can be found here – good luck to all. Co-produced by ACL executive producer, Terry Lickona, the 2025 Annual Grammy Awards will telecast on Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025.

ACL ALUMNI NOMINEES:

Record Of The Year:

  • “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”– Billie Eilish
  • “Not Like Us” – Kendrick Lamar

Album Of The year:

  • Djesse Vol. 4 – Jacob Collier
  • HIT ME HARD AND SOFT – Billie Eilish

Song Of The Year:

  • “BIRDS OF A FEATHER”– Billie Eilish
  • “Not Like Us” – Kendrick Lamar

Best New Artist:

  • Khruangbin

Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical:

  • Ian Fitchuk
    • Deeper Well (Kacey Musgraves) (Album)
    • Don’t Forget Me (Maggie Rogers) (Album)
    • “Peaceful Place” (Leon Bridges) (Single)
    • “Redemption Song (Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired By The Film)” (Leon Bridges) (Single)
    • “Three Little Birds (Bob Marley: One Love – Music Inspired By The Film)” (Kacey Musgraves) (Single)
  • Mustard
    • “Not Like Us” (Kendrick Lamar) (Single)
  • Daniel Nigro
    • “Can’t Catch Me Now (From The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds & Snakes)” (Olivia Rodrigo) (Single)
    • “girl i’ve always been” (Olivia Rodrigo) (Track)
    • “so american” (Olivia Rodrigo) (Track)
    • “stranger” (Olivia Rodrigo) (Track)

Songwriter Of The Year, Non-Classical:

  • Amy Allen
    • “Chrome Cowgirl” (Leon Bridges) (Single)
    • “scared of my guitar” (Olivia Rodrigo) (Track)
  • Edgar Barrera
    • “It Was Always You (Siempre Fuiste Tú)” (Carin León & Leon Bridges) (Single)
    • “The One (Pero No Como Yo)” (Carin León & Kane Brown) (Single)
    • “Sincere” (Khalid) (Track)
  • Jessie Jo Dillon
    • “MESSED UP AS ME” (Keith Urban) (Single)

Best Pop Solo Performance: 

  • “BIRDS OF A FEATHER” — Billie Eilish 

Best Pop Duo/Group Performance:

  • “us.” — Gracie Abrams Featuring Taylor Swift

Best Pop Vocal Album:

  • HIT ME HARD AND SOFT — Billie Eilish

Best Dance Pop Recording:

  • “L’AMOUR DE MA VIE [OVER NOW EXTENDED EDIT]” — Billie Eilish

Best Rock Performance:

  • “Beautiful People (Stay High)” — The Black Keys
  • “Dark Matter” — Pearl Jam
  • “Broken Man” — St. Vincent

Best Rock Song:

  • “Beautiful People (Stay High)” — Dan Auerbach, Patrick Carney, Beck Hansen & Daniel Nakamura, songwriters (The Black Keys)
  • “Broken Man” — Annie Clark, songwriter (St. Vincent)
  • “Dark Matter” — Jeff Ament, Matt Cameron, Stone Gossard, Mike McCready, Eddie Vedder & Andrew Watt, songwriters (Pearl Jam)

Best Rock Album:

  • Dark Matter — Pearl Jam
  • No Name — Jack White

Best Alternative Music Performance:

  • “Neon Pill” — Cage The Elephant
  • “Song Of The Lake” — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
  • “Flea” — St. Vincent

Best Alternative Music Album:

  • Wild God — Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
  • What Now — Brittany Howard
  • All Born Screaming — St. Vincent

Best Rap Performance:

  • “Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar

Best Rap Song:

  • “Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar, songwriter (Kendrick Lamar)

Best Spoke Word Poetry Album:

  • The Heart, The Mind, The Soul — Tank and The Bangas

Best Jazz Vocal Album:

  • Milton + esperanza — Milton Nascimento & esperanza spalding
    • (she’s been on the show, not Milton)

Best Alternative Jazz Album:

  • Code Derivation — Robert Glasper

Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album:

  • Visions — Norah Jones

Best Country Solo Performance:

  • “I Am Not Okay” — Jelly Roll
  • “The Architect” — Kacey Musgraves
  • “It Takes A Woman” — Chris Stapleton

Best Country Duo/Group Performance:

  • “Cowboys Cry Too” — Kelsea Ballerini With Noah Kahan
    • (Noah was on)

Best Country Song:

  • “The Architect” — Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves & Josh Osborne, songwriters (Kacey Musgraves)
  • “I Am Not Okay” — Casey Brown, Jason DeFord, Ashley Gorley & Taylor Phillips, songwriters (Jelly Roll)

Best Country Album:

  • Deeper Well — Kacey Musgraves
  • Higher — Chris Stapleton

Best American Roots Performance:

  • Nothing In Rambling” — The Fabulous Thunderbirds Featuring Bonnie Raitt, Keb’ Mo’, Taj Mahal & Mick Fleetwood
    • (Bonnie Raitt)

Best Americana Performance:

  • “Don’t Do Me Good” — Madi Diaz Featuring Kacey Musgraves
    • (Kacey)
  • “Runaway Train” — Sarah Jarosz
  • “Empty Trainload Of Sky” — Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
    • (Gillian)

Best Americana Album:

  • $10 Cowboy — Charley 
  • Polaroid Lovers — Sarah Jarosz

Best Bluegrass Album:

  • Live Vol. 1 — Billy Strings

Best Contemporary Blues:

  • Mileage — Ruthie Foster

Best Folk Album:

  • Woodland — Gillian Welch & David Rawlings
    • (Gillian)

Best Música Urbana Album:

  • LAS LETRAS YA NO IMPORTAN — Residente

Best Latin Rock or Alternative Album:

  • Pa’ Tu Cuerpa — Cimafunk

Best Música Mexicana Album:

  • Boca Chueca, Vol. 1 — Carín León

Best Global Music Performance:

  • “A Rock Somewhere” — Jacob Collier Featuring Anoushka Shankar & Varijashree Venugopal

Best Children’s Music Album:

  • My Favorite Dream — John Legend

Best Audio Book, Narration, and Storytelling Recording:

  • Behind the Seams: My Life in Rhinestones — Dolly Parton

Best Song Written for Media Visuals:

  • Can’t Catch Me Now [From “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes”] — Daniel Nigro & Olivia Rodrigo, songwriters (Olivia Rodrigo)
  • It Never Went Away [From “American Symphony”] — Jon Batiste & Dan Wilson, songwriters (Jon Batiste)

Best music Video:

  • “Not Like Us” — Kendrick Lamar

Best Music Film:

  • “American Symphony” — Jon Batiste
    • Matthew Heineman, video director; Lauren Domino, Matthew Heineman & Joedan Okun, video producers
  • “June” — (June Carter Cash)
    • Kristen Vaurio, video director; Josh Matas, Sarah Olson, Jason Owen, Mary Robertson & Kristen Vaurio, video producer

Best Recording Package:

  • The Avett Brothers — Jonny Black & Giorgia Sage, art directors (The Avett Brothers)

Best Engineered Album, Non-Classical:

  • Deeper Well — Craig Alvin, Shawn Everett, Mai Leisz, Todd Lombardo, John Rooney, Konrad Snyder & Daniel Tashian, engineers; Greg Calbi, mastering engineer (Kacey Musgraves)

Best Immersive Audio Album:

  • Genius Loves Company — Michael Romanowski, Eric Schilling & Herbert Waltl, immersive mix engineers; Michael Romanowski, immersive mastering engineer; John Burk, immersive producer (Ray Charles With Various Artists)
    • (Ray Charles)

Best Arrangement, Instrumental or A Cappella:

  • Bridge Over Troubled Water” — Jacob Collier, Tori Kelly & John Legend, arrangers (Jacob Collier Featuring John Legend & Tori Kelly)
    • (Jacob & John)

Best Arrangement, Instrumental and Vocals:”Always Come Back” — Matt Jones, arranger (John Legend)

Categories
Coming Soon Featured New Broadcast News

Austin City Limits Spotlights Country Music Hall of Fame Icon Wynonna in Powerful Hour

This Saturday, November 9, Austin City Limits (ACL) spotlights country superstar Wynonna in an uplifting, revelatory hour. The Country Music Hall of Fame icon delivers an epic, career-spanning performance filled with solo hits, Judds classics and new gems. The celebrated singer/musician shares heartbreak, joy and stories behind the songs in this truly “must-see” installment. The new episode premieres Saturday, November 9 @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.

Wynonna performs on Austin City Limits. Photo by Scott Newton.

With fringe on her mic stand, sparkling in a bejeweled black velvet suit with her distinctive mane of perfectly coiffed red hair, the one and only Wynonna lights up the Austin City Limits stage in an unforgettable hour. A musical force like no other, the charismatic singer with a giant voice takes the audience on a journey through her celebrated 40-year career. “I’ve sung a lot of songs about love,” winks Wynonna ahead of the early-career hit “Cry Myself To Sleep.“ “And this ain’t one of ‘em…I’d like to dedicate this to my first ex-husband.”

“So this is where it gets real y’all,” shares an emotional Wynonna about the 2022 death of mother Naomi, her longtime partner in the Judds. “I am a woman of faith, and that has been tested these past two years. I lost my momma to suicide and when she died I thought I would die of a broken heart. So instead I went on tour—a lot of people didn’t understand why—I now understand it’s because the music healed me and the fans supported me through a very difficult time in my life.” Despite the personal heartache, she fondly adds, “I shared a bus with her for 10 freakin’ years, try it sometime…We were something weren’t we,” Wynonna beams with pride to cheers. “So different, and yet those Kentucky harmonies is what drove us and that’s what this next song is about.” She then performs the deeply personal new number, “All Downhill From Ashland,” about the Kentucky town they came from and the crowd rises to its feet. 

“It’s about to get country up in here,” announces the singer, and with vivacious, dazzling showmanship, she takes fans on a hit-filled joyride through classics from the Judds catalog and her own solo career, including “Why Not Me,” “Tell Me Why,” and “What It Takes.” Her ace eight-piece band is joined by Austin’s own Grooveline Horns for an ecstatic close as she thrills the crowd with a pair of fan-favorites, “Rock Bottom” and “No One Else on Earth,” proving there’s no one else like Wynonna.

“Wynonna is the perfect example of the healing power of music – whether it’s personal or political,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Life is an emotional roller coaster ride, and Wynonna’s songs and her very persona make that ride just a little bit smoother.”

Wynonna setlist:

What It Takes 

Tell Me Why 

Ain’t No Thing

Cry Myself To Sleep

Broken and Blessed

Give A Little Love

Grandpa (Tell Me ‘Bout The Good Old Days) 

Why Not Me 

All Downhill From Ashland

Rock Bottom 

No One Else On Earth 

Season 50 Broadcast Line-Up (second half of season to be announced shortly)

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 Wynonna

November 16 Juanes

Categories
New Broadcast News

Austin City Limits Spotlights Jelly Roll and The War And Treaty in a Powerhouse Hour

Austin City Limits (ACL) spotlights a pair of sensational live acts, both 2024 Grammy Best New Artist nominees: Jelly Roll and The War And Treaty. First, in a much anticipated ACL debut, Grammy and  CMA Awards-nominated Jelly Roll performs highlights from his chart-topping new album Beautifully Broken and his 2023 breakthrough Whitsitt Chapel. Then, celebrated husband-and-wife duo The War And Treaty, nominated for Vocal Duo of the Year at the upcoming CMA Awards, thrill with new songs and electrifying vocals in their return to the ACL stage. The new episode premieres Saturday, November 2 @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 kicks 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.

Jelly Roll on Austin City Limits. Photo by Scott Newton.

No other artist has dominated 2024 like Jelly Roll, and country music’s newest superstar keeps gathering accolades and milestones: his new LP Beautifully Broken has earned the Nashville-based phenomenon his first No. 1 Album. The reigning CMA New Artist of the Year, a 2024 nominee for the upcoming CMA Awards’ highest honor Entertainer of the Year, and a 2024 Grammy Best New Artist nominee, Jelly Roll has scored hit singles on the country, rock and pop charts. A singular artist, he creates chart-topping anthems about adversity, faith and redemption that resonate with fans across genres. Currently headlining a U.S. arena tour, Jelly Roll’s unique connection with audiences is evident in his magnetic ACL debut. Jelly delivers a six-song set featuring gems from his record-breaking debut country album Whitsitt Chapel including the megahit “Need A Favor” and the Grammy-nominated “Save Me”—a confessional, vulnerable expression of self-doubt that became a No. 1 smash. Backed by a seven-piece band, he showcases his powerful brand of southern-rock and hip-hop-inflected country performing highlights from the just-released Beautifully Broken. He shares his own struggle with mental health and addiction before launching into “I Am Not Okay,” inspiring the rapt audience to sing along.

The War And Treaty on Austin City Limits. Photo by Scott Newton.

Known for a live show that’s almost revival-like in its intensity, The War And Treaty has emerged as one of the most electrifying acts in American music. The Nashville-based partners/ collaborators Michael and Tanya Trotter garnered their first-ever Grammy nods in 2024, including the coveted Best New Artist, along with 2024 Duo of the Year nominations from the CMA Awards and the Academy of Country Music. The pair made their Austin City Limits debut in Season 46 in 2020 during the series’ limited-audience pandemic tapings, and they now return at the peak of their powers to light up the ACL stage, this time for a full audience. “Can we take you to church tonight?” asks Michael, and the two deliver a high-energy, exhilarating showcase of new songs, opening with the seductive country soul scorcher “Stealing A Kiss.” Tanya introduces the “country gospel” song “Blank Page” from their 2023 major label debut Lover’s Game, which earned them a 2024 Grammy nomination for Best American Roots Song. The dynamic partners bring the fireworks, thrilling the crowd with their staggering vocal power and onstage chemistry. The captivated ACL crowd hangs on to every lyric, offering multiple standing ovations throughout a stellar set.

“Country Music is enjoying a renaissance today like nothing that has come before, and Jelly Roll and The War And Treaty epitomize that better than anyone else,” said ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Their stories, their songs, their voices represent a culture shift that is undeniable, and the ACL stage is the perfect place to showcase that to the world.”

Jelly Roll episode setlist:

The Lost

Son of a Sinner

Liar

Need A Favor

I Am Not Okay

Save Me

Save Me Reprise

The War And Treaty episode setlist:

Stealing A Kiss

Called You By Your Name

Blank Page 

Leads Me Home

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 Wynonna

November 16 Juanes

2024 kicks off the 50th Anniversary of Austin City Limits, which taped its debut pilot episode with Willie Nelson on October 17, 1974; the pioneering series then premiered on PBS in 1975. That now legendary debut became the cornerstone for 50 years of groundbreaking, award-winning music television. ACL is proud to have Willie Nelson return on the 50th anniversary of the pilot taping to commemorate Austin City Limits’ remarkable half-century milestone with a Texas-sized outdoor concert that took place on October 17, 2024, at Austin’s Long Center. Musical highlights from the performance will air as a special hourlong broadcast of Austin City Limits on February 15, 2025 as a season highlight of the program’s golden anniversary Season 50.

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.

Categories
News Special event

Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years: A Special Anniversary Taping

The trailblazing live music series Austin City Limits (ACL) announces Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years, a night that’s a half-century in the making.  Music luminaries and some of the brightest stars in the show’s five-decade history will return to the fabled ACL stage on Thursday, November 21st for this milestone anniversary. The celebration will feature one-of-a-kind music performances with a stellar line-up featuring Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr. joined by Eve Monsees, Billy Strings featuring Sierra Hull and Zach Top, Indigo Girls, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Brandy Clark, Rufus Wainwright, The Mavericks, Ángela Aguilar, Cam and Lloyd Maines & the ACL All-Stars, with appearances by Trio Los Panchos and Austin’s Tosca String Quartet. Longtime Austin City Limits supporters and Austin-based actors Jared and Genevieve Padalecki (Walker, Supernatural, Gilmore Girls) will co-host the celebratory evening. The music-filled night commemorates the series’ legacy as an American music institution for a remarkable half-century.

Join Austin City Limits in downtown Austin on November 21, 2024; the all-star event will take place at ACL’s studio home, ACL Live at The Moody Theater. Performances will be taped as part of a two-hour PBS primetime special saluting the program’s historic milestone, Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years, set to air on April 4, 2025. A fundraiser for Austin PBS, the program’s producing station, tickets for the concert event will be onsale to the public on Friday, November 1 @10am at ACL Turns 50. Support for Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years is made possible in part by PBS, Tejemos Foundation, Central Texas Chevy Dealers, Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Visit Austin, AXS Events, Brane Audio and Dell Technologies. 

“Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years represents what the program stands for, has always, and will continue to—a broad, diverse, inclusive spectrum of music from all genres, showcasing legends and emerging artists alike,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona.

The music-filled night will feature choice collaborations: Four-time Grammy-winning Gary Clark Jr. will salute fellow Texan six-string great Stevie Ray Vaughan’s 1983 and 1989 pair of iconic Austin City Limits performances in a tribute joined by Austin blues guitar standout Eve Monsees; Grammy Award-winning bluegrass superstar Billy Strings, one of music’s most popular live acts, will perform joined by celebrated bluegrass mandolin player Sierra Hull and country breakout Zach Top. 

A hallmark of the celebration will be a throwback to the renowned songwriter circles that became an ACL signature in the ‘80s and ‘90s and contributed to the pioneering show’s influential legacy. A trio of storyteller songwriting greats, folk-rock duo Indigo Girls, celebrated singer-songwriter Brandy Clark and Grammy-nominated artist and songwriter Cam, will take the ACL stage together in the round to trade songs and stories in the setting that showcased unforgettable moments with many ACL forebears, including Willie Nelson, John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Waylon Jennings and Rosanne Cash. 

ACL Hall of Fame legends with longtime ties to Austin City Limits will return for the occasion: Acclaimed singer-songwriters Lyle Lovett and Shawn Colvin, both inducted into the ACL Hall of Fame in 2019, will perform. Lovett has appeared on Austin City Limits more times than any performer second to Willie Nelson. American original and longtime Austinite Shawn Colvin will reach into her catalog for a classic gem. Texas country music institution and pedal steel ace Lloyd Maines, inducted into the original ACL Hall of Fame class in 2014, will lead the ACL All-Stars house band.

Contemporary artists who have carved their name in ACL history will return for the occasion: A Lone Star original, Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Leon Bridges, who has a pair of fan-favorite ACL appearances under his belt, returns for this celebratory night; Rufus Wainwright, an artist who made history on the ACL stage in Season 46 in 2020 with the show’s first taping minus a live audience due to the pandemic, returns this time for the communal ACL experience that is the series’ trademark. Rock and country trailblazers The Mavericks, who brought their first-ever all-Spanish language album to the ACL stage in Season 46, return for this special occasion.

Música Mexicana star Ángela Aguilar, a 2024 Latin Grammy nominee for the top honor of Album of the Year (alongside heavy-hitters including Karol G and Shakira), will make her ACL debut accompanied by her music producer, music director and pianist Cheche Alara, and Tosca String Quartet, Austin’s award-winning all-female string group, and Trio Los Panchos, the traditional bolero guitar-based legends.

Ready to write the next chapter in its storied history, ACL continues its mission of producing great television with landmark Season 50 currently airing on PBS. The anniversary broadcast season premiered on September 28, 2024 with a golden hour featuring Kacey Musgraves, and upcoming episodes feature an all-star slate of returning favorites and highly-anticipated debuts including Jelly Roll, Wynonna, Brittany Howard, Juanes, Chris Stapleton, Norah Jones, The Avett Brothers, Carin León, Johnny Blue Skies and more. The iconic live music television series was born on October 17, 1974, when Willie Nelson taped the pilot episode. That now legendary debut became the cornerstone for 50 years of groundbreaking, award-winning music television. Willie Nelson returned on the 50th anniversary of the pilot taping to commemorate Austin City Limits’ remarkable half-century milestone with a historic Texas-sized outdoor concert on October 17, 2024, on Austin’s Long Center lawn with the authentic Austin city skyline as the backdrop. Highlights from the performance will air February 15, 2025, on PBS, as a season highlight of ACL’s anniversary Season 50.

Categories
Episode Recap New Broadcast News

Episode Premiere: Austin City Limits Showcases Brittany Howard in Electric Hour

Brittany Howard on Austin City Limits

Austin City Limits (ACL) presents an electric hour with one of music’s finest live acts, five-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Brittany Howard. The powerhouse vocalist and ACL favorite returns for Austin City Limits’ anniversary Season 50 to showcase new numbers from her latest album What Now alongside career highlights. The hourlong episode premieres Saturday, October 26 @8pm ET/7pm CT. 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 kicks 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.

“Let’s have us a good time,” smiles Howard, taking the stage in a celestial, sparkling caftan. The Nashville-based musician (and frontwoman for four-time Grammy Award-winning Alabama Shakes) brings her singular musicality to a shapeshifting sound encompassing everything from psychedelia and dance music to dream-pop and avant-jazz in a 13-song set, with songs from her powerful second solo LP What Now as the centerpiece. Opening with a trio from the album, the songs are anchored in Howard’s inimitable and infinitely commanding voice—a supreme vessel for channeling raw emotional truth. Howard is backed by her stellar eight-piece band,  amplified by longtime backing vocalists Shanay Johnson and Karita Law. Howard throws it back to her 2019 solo debut Jaime for the radiant Grammy-winning radio hit “Stay High,” as the ecstatic crowd joins in on the soaring chorus. 

Brittany Howard on ACL, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.
Brittany Howard on ACL, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.

“Live music is such an important thing, you know,” shares Howard from the stage. “I saw my first live band play when I was eleven years old, and it was from that moment that I decided that this was what I wanted to do. And I studied hard and I worked real hard, taught myself how to play, and I taught myself how to write songs, and now I get to be here with all of ya’ll.”  With that, she dons an acoustic guitar and renders a mesmerizing, stripped-down “Short and Sweet,” before being rejoined by her full band with Howard on explosive guitar for the hard-funk title track “What Now” in a cathartic close.

“When Brittany Howard sets foot on a stage, she doesn’t really need a microphone,” said longtime ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “She owns that stage, and she owns the room. Her voice is the voice of power, and truth. We gave her the full hour, because she deserves it! See and hear for yourself.”

Brittany Howard setlist:

Earth Sign

I Don’t

Patience

Stay High

Red Flags

Samson

Prove It to You

To Be Still

Every Color in Blue

Power to Undo

Short and Sweet

Another Day

What Now

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 Wynonna

November 16 Juanes

2024 kicks off the 50th Anniversary of Austin City Limits, which taped its debut pilot episode with Willie Nelson on October 17, 1974; the pioneering series then premiered on PBS in 1975. That now legendary debut became the cornerstone for 50 years of groundbreaking, award-winning music television. ACL is proud to have Willie Nelson return on the 50th anniversary of the pilot taping to commemorate Austin City Limits’ remarkable half-century milestone with a Texas-sized outdoor concert that took place on October 17, 2024, at Austin’s Long Center. Musical highlights from the performance will air as a special hourlong broadcast of Austin City Limits scheduled for early 2025 as a season highlight of the program’s golden anniversary Season 50.

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.