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Austin City Limits Announces 50th Birthday Bash featuring Willie Nelson & Family on October 17, 2024

Austin, TX—September 20, 2024—Iconic live music television series Austin City Limits (ACL) 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. Now Willie returns on the 50th anniversary of that taping to commemorate Austin City Limits’ remarkable half-century milestone with a Texas-sized outdoor concert on October 17, 2024, at Austin’s Long Center for the Performing Arts.

Willie Nelson performs on the pilot episode of ACL, October 17, 1974
Ray Benson, founder of Asleep at the Wheel. Image courtesy of Lyza Renee

Austin originals Asleep at the Wheel get the party started Lone Star style with an opening set for the occasion. The western swing legends appeared in the very first official episode of Austin City Limits Season 1. Austin City Limits 50th Birthday Bash presented by Tito’s Handmade Vodka is open to the public and free; fans must register with Fair AXS for a chance to attend. Registration opens at 8AM CT Friday, September 20th through 10PM CT Monday, September 23. Those selected to attend will be notified between September 26 and September 27 and will be required to opt in. Full details are available here. The performance will be taped; musical highlights will air as a special hourlong broadcast of Austin City Limits to air in early 2025 as a season highlight of the program’s golden anniversary Season 50.

On October 17, 1974, Willie and his Family band entered Studio 6A to record the pilot for Austin City Limits. Broadcast as part of the national pledge drive in March 1975, the show was one of the top programs on PBS that year, securing a future for ACL as a series.

There’s a good reason why a bronze statue of Willie Nelson stands at the entrance to ACL’s studio home on the Austin street that bears his name: in the 50-year history of Austin City Limits, no artist has personified the music series’ eclectic, freewheeling spirit more fully than the man with the braids, the beard and the guitar named Trigger. His pivotal 1974 full-set performance served as a dispatch to the world declaring Austin’s place as a pioneering music city; the trailblazing live music program was then 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. 

“There would be no Austin City Limits without Willie Nelson – simple as that,” says longtime ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “He launched ACL into the television universe in 1974, and has helped keep us going for 50 years.”

Willie Nelson has longstanding ties to Austin City Limits with eighteen appearances on the series, more than any other performer; he last appeared in 2018 for Season 44. He was the inaugural inductee into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame in 2014. Asleep at the Wheel, led by founder Ray Benson, and celebrating a 50-plus year run, also have a shared history with Austin City Limits, appearing eleven times over five decades, including a pair of appearances joined by Willie. Asleep at the Wheel was inducted into the ACL Hall of Fame in 2015, and honored in a 50-year career retrospective broadcast in 2020 as a special episode of Austin City Limits.

The anniversary concert also celebrates the city and community that plays a starring role in the series. The Austin skyline is the famous backdrop for the weekly show and Austin music fans comprise the audiences featured in each episode’s trademark crowd shots.

Austin’s Long Center concert lawn, situated on the banks of Lady Bird Lake and offering stunning views of the Austin skyline, will be the setting for this one-of-a-kind concert event. Austin City Limits 50th Birthday Bash featuring Willie Nelson & Family is produced by Austin PBS, the producing station of Austin City Limits and made possible by the generous support of Tejemos Foundation, Central Texas Chevy Dealers, Tito’s Handmade Vodka and Visit Austin.

As ACL turns 50, the series extends its legacy providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in live performance. Austin City Limits continues its extraordinary five-decade broadcast run with its landmark Season 50 premiering September 28, 2024 on PBS featuring an hour with Kacey Musgraves. The upcoming season features an all-star slate of returning favorites and highly-anticipated debuts. ACL has earned its place in history.

About 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. In May 2024, the show’s longtime executive producer Terry Lickona was awarded public television’s highest honor, The Beacon Award, presented by Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl. The esteemed award pays tribute to individuals whose work inspires Americans and enriches our nation, in keeping with the mission of PBS. 

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.

Willie Nelson:

With a seven-decade career, Willie Nelson has earned every conceivable award as a musician and amassed reputable credentials as an author, actor, and activist. He continues to thrive as a relevant and progressive musical and cultural force. In recent years, he has delivered more than a dozen new albums, released a Top 10 New York Times’ bestsellers book, again headlined Farm Aid (an event he co-founded in 1985), his annual Willie Nelson’s 4th of July Picnic, been honored by the Library of Congress with their Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, received his 5th degree black belt in Gong Kwon Yu Sul, headlined the annual Luck Reunion food and music festival during SXSW as well as the annual Outlaw Music Festival Tour, launched his cannabis companies Willie’s Reserve and Willie’s Remedy, and graced the covers of Rolling Stone and AARP The Magazine. Nelson started this decade by releasing four albums of newly recorded music—First Rose of Spring (2020), That’s Life (2021), The Willie Nelson Family (2021), and A Beautiful Time (2022, GRAMMY Award winner for Best Country Album)—and three books—Me and Sister Bobbie: True Tales of The Family Band (2020), Willie Nelson’s Letters to America (2021), and Me and Paul: Untold Tale of a Fabled Friendship (2022). Throughout 2023, Willie celebrates his 90th birthday with multiple projects and events including a two-night star-studded concert at the famed Hollywood Bowl, Long Story Short: Willie Nelson 90, that was released as a feature film and a televised broadcast special. The year began with the debut of “Wille Nelson & Family,” a new five-part film documentary series directed by Thom Zimny and Oren Moverman that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival as well as the release of a new album, I Don’t Know a Thing About Love, which features 10 performances that pay tribute to American songwriter Harlan Howard. Last year also welcomed two new releases: the GRAMMY nominated album, Bluegrass (with newly recorded studio performances of 12 Willie Nelson-penned classics showcasing Willie with a bluegrass ensemble), and a new book, Energy Follows Thought (with stories behind the lyrics of 160 of his favorite songs, along with never-before-seen photos and ephemera). To cap the momentous year, Nelson was inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In 2024, Nelson expands his depth of work with the release of two new albums and a new book. May saw the arrival of the studio album The Border (which includes Willie’s versions of 10 contemporary country songs, and four new compositions with Buddy Cannon). And this November a cookbook co-authored with his wife, Willie and Annie Nelson’s Cannabis Cookbook: Mouthwatering Recipes and the High-Flying Stories Behind Them, will debut (on 11/12), as well as another studio album (releasing on 11/1), Last Leaf on the Tree, which features close collaborations with Nelson’s son Micah. These creative endeavors as well as new songs and performances that add to his classic catalog, find Willie Nelson rolling at an artistic peak, writing and singing and playing with the seasoned wit and wisdom that comes from the road.

Asleep at the Wheel:

For over fifty years, Asleep at the Wheel’s Ray Benson has been traversing the globe as an ambassador of Western swing music and introducing its irresistible sound to generation after generation. More than 100 musicians have passed through the Wheel, but Benson remains the front man and the keeper of the vision, in the process racking up more than 30 albums, ten Grammy awards and literally millions of miles on the road. 

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News Ticket Giveaway Tickets Distributed

Giveaway: Wynonna

Wynonna 2024
Photo Credit: Jim Wright

UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed. Austin City Limits will tape a performance by Wynonna on Tuesday, September 3rd 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.

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.

One of the most widely recognized and awarded female country musicians in history, Wynonna is celebrating a remarkable 40-year career. Her 1992 self-titled solo debut sold over five million units, becoming the highest-selling debut album by a female artist at the time. Wynonna earned three consecutive #1 hits and the singer followed the wildly successful debut with the multi-platinum album Tell Me Why. Building on the groundbreaking music she and her mother created as The Judds, Wynonna grew into her once-in-a-generation vocal prowess with an ease that resonated with legions of fans. Chart-topping hits “No One Else On Earth,” “Tell Me Why,” “She Is His Only Need,” “Girls With Guitars,” and “I Saw The Light” set the next chapter in motion for the girl from Ashland, Kentucky who became a global superstar. Having practically grown up as America’s favorite musical daughter, Wynonna matured into a woman who embraced life’s peaks and valleys, great thrills, and heavy disappointment. Beyond the Grammy Awards, multi-platinum albums and sold-out tours, the country/soul vocalist expanded on the Appalachian traditionalism that defined The Judds to create a world where Top 5 dance/club hits were as possible as being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Wynonna has sold-out concerts scheduled throughout the summer before she hits the road for her “Back to Wy” tour in September. She’ll be playing her debut and sophomore albums back-to-back for 17 special shows across the country. Wynonna first appeared on Austin City Limits with The Judds during ACL’s 10th Anniversary Season in 1985 and opened our Season 22 in 1997 with a full-hour season premiere. We’re proud to welcome her back during our 50th Anniversary Season for the first time in nearly three decades. 

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.

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Featured News Taping Announcement

New tapings: Chris Stapleton, Carín León, Mickey Guyton, Norah Jones, the Avett Brothers, and Sturgill Simpson

Austin City Limits is proud to announce a stellar slate of acts for October tapings to complete our milestone Season 50, including a number of ACL Fest headliners featured on our namesake festival this fall. On October 3 we welcome back country giant Chris Stapleton for his second appearance on the ACL stage; on October 5 we present chart-topping Global Latin music superstar Carín León in his ACL debut; country music trailblazer Mickey Guyton comes to ACL for her first appearance on October 9; nine-time GRAMMY-winning Norah Jones returns to the ACL stage for her fifth appearance on October 10; October 13 brings The Avett Brothers to the ACL stage for their third headlining appearance; and Sturgill Simpson returns for the first time in nearly a decade with a new taping on October 28. We’re thrilled to welcome these exceptional artists to the ACL stage for our Anniversary season.

Kentucky-born Chris Stapleton is a 10x GRAMMY, 16x CMA and 19x ACM Award-winner and one of the country’s most respected and beloved musicians. In the midst of yet another triumphant year, Stapleton recently won four awards at the 59th ACM Awards as well as two more trophies at 2024’s 66th Annual GRAMMY Awards. These accomplishments celebrate Stapleton’s album, Higher, which includes break-out songs “White Horse” and “Think I’m In Love With You.” Produced by Dave Cobb, Morgane Stapleton and Chris Stapleton, the record landed on multiple “Best of” lists including Billboard, Esquire, Los Angeles Times, Vulture and Rolling Stone, who praises, “dazzling…the best evidence yet for the way one man’s voice has become synonymous with the very idea of a musical genre.” Additionally, The New Yorker declares, “Stapleton is the rare country star with both traditional bona fides and broad commercial appeal. He has an outlaw soul and a pop star’s capacity for inescapable hooks,” while GQ proclaims, “In an age rife with division, he’s maybe the only thing Americans all agree on.” Known for his electric live performances, Stapleton continues his extensive “All-American Road Show” through 2024. Additionally, Stapleton has new collaborations with Post Malone (“California Sober”), Slash (“Oh Well”), George Strait (“Honky Tonk Hall of Fame”) and Dua Lipa (“Think I’m In Love With You (Live from the 59th ACM Awards)”) in addition to recording a version of “I Should Have Known It” for the new Tom Petty tribute album.

Carín León continues his rapid ascent after a monumental 2023, including winning a Latin Grammy for Best Norteño Album for Colmillo de Leche and releasing two massive hit singles, with “Primera Cita” and “Según Quién” each charting Top 25 on Spotify and Top 30 on the Billboard Global 200. Earlier this year, the global Mexican star earned a standing ovation at the Grand Ole Opry with a set entirely in Spanish and made history as the first Latin artist to perform at both Coachella and Stagecoach. His single “ALCH SI” with Grupo Frontera reached the #1 spot on Billboard‘s Regional Mexican Airplay chart. León’s latest album Boca Chueca Vol. 1 is out now to great fanfare, and his Boca Chueca Tour 2024 sees stops across major cities in North America and Europe, including a performance at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. Originally from Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, León embarked on his musical journey at the age of 15, taking his first steps by learning to play the guitar and developing skills in singing and songwriting. In 2018, León released his debut album Desvelada con Banda y Mariachi which propelled him to quickly dominate the Regional Mexican music scene as a performer, singer and songwriter. In 2021 his album INÉDITO debuted atop the Apple Music charts, reaching #1 on the Mexican Music chart and #3 on the Latin Music chart and was named one of Billboard’s 25 Best Latin Albums of the year. León has received countless nominations and multiple awards, including a 2024 People’s Choice Country Award nomination for “The One (Pero No Como Yo),” his bilingual collaboration with country star Kane Brown, an ASCAP Award for the song “Me La Aventé,” numerous Premios Lo Nuestro (“Regional Mexican Breakthrough Artist,” “Best Male Artist” and “Banda Song of the Year”) and a 2022 Latin Grammy win for “Best Regional Mexican Song” for “Como lo Hice Yo,” a collaboration with Mexican pop group Matisse.

Mickey Guyton is a four-time GRAMMY-nominated artist and country music trailblazer. Over the course of her career, the Arlington, Texas native has been recognized for her musical achievements, including being named TIME Magazine’s Breakthrough Artist of the Year in 2022 and CMT’s Breakout Artist of the Year in 2021. With her 2021 debut studio album, Remember Her Name,  Mickey made history as  the first Black artist to earn a  GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album.  Additionally, she became the first-ever Black female solo artist to earn a nod  in a country category with additional nominations for “Best Country Song” and “Best Country Solo Performance.” Beyond the GRAMMYs, Mickey has shined on the grandest of global stages, delivering powerful renditions of the national anthem at Super Bowl LVI and the 2023 World Series. She has also performed on a wide array of star-studded award shows and platforms, including the ACM Awards, CMA Awards, CMT Music Awards, ESPYs, CBS Mornings, Good Morning America, The Today Show, The Jennifer Hudson Show, The Kelly Clarkson Show, SHERRI, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Sesame Street, and many more. The multihyphenate has also evolved into a media personality, having co-hosted the Macy’s 4th of July Fireworks special on NBC, the 2023 National Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony on CBS and co-hosted the 56th Academy of Country Music Awards on CBS along with Keith Urban. Mickey recently released a series of new songs, including “Scary Love,” “Make It Me,” and “My Side of the Country” leading to her highly-anticipated sophomore album House On Fire out Sept. 27, 2024 on Capitol Records Nashville.

Norah Jones’ ninth solo studio album Visions is a vibrant and joyous 12-song set of original songs that finds the singer-songwriter-pianist singing about feeling free, wanting to dance, making it right, and acceptance of what life brings. The album is a collaboration with producer and multi-instrumentalist Leon Michels (Sharon Jones, Dan Auerbach). “The reason I called the album Visions is because a lot of the ideas came in the middle of the night or in that moment right before sleep,” says Jones. “We did most of the songs in the same way where I was at the piano or on guitar and Leon was playing drums and we were just jamming on stuff. I like the rawness between me and Leon, the way it sounds kind of garage-y but also kind of soulful, because that’s where he’s coming from, but also not overly perfected.” Jones first emerged on the world stage with the 2002 release of Come Away With Me, her self-described “moody little record” that introduced a singular new voice and grew into a global phenomenon, sweeping the 2003 GRAMMY Awards including Album of the Year, Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best New Artist. Since then, Jones has become a nine-time GRAMMY-winner, sold 53 million albums, and her songs have been streamed 11 billion times worldwide. She has released a series of critically acclaimed and commercially successful solo albums—Feels Like Home (2004), Not Too Late (2007), The Fall (2009), Little Broken Hearts (2012), Day Breaks (2016), Pick Me Up Off The Floor (2020), the live album ‘Til We Meet Again (2021), and her holiday album I Dream Of Christmas (2021). The 2010 compilation …Featuring Norah Jones showcased her incredible versatility by collecting her collaborations with artists as diverse as Willie Nelson, Foo Fighters, Outkast, and Herbie Hancock. In 2022, Jones launched her podcast Norah Jones Is Playing Along which features candid conversations and impromptu musical collaborations with some of her favorite musicians.

The Avett Brothers return with their first album in five years, produced by longtime collaborator Rick Rubin. The Avett Brothers, their eleventh studio album, is a record interested in the divine unknowable, as much untitled as it is self-titled. Songs like “Love Of A Girl,” “Country Kid” and “Forever Now” seek the sacred in the commonplace: a cheap cup of coffee, broken hearts and school bus lessons, a baby’s first steps, growing older and holding on to one’s roots, losing someone and accepting fate, rediscovering hope and finding sanctity in tragedy…ultimately reveling in the fun and surrender of what we cannot understand. Recorded in Malibu, Nashville, Mar Vista, and the band’s hometown of Concord, NC, the album is also one that revealed itself naturally over time. As their first LP on Ramseur Records/Thirty Tigers since 2007’s Emotionalism, The Avett Brothers is at once a cumulative opus and fresh start for the band’s future. Since the start of their expansive US tour of nearly 50 dates that extends throughout 2024,  The Avett Brothers have remained tireless and gleefully unpredictable in their music, live set and beyond.

Respected, beloved and fiercely independent, Sturgill Simpson makes his highly anticipated return to music with the release of his acclaimed new album, Passage Du Desir, under a new name, Johnny Blue Skies. Of the new chapter, Johnny Blue Skies shares, “You can turn the page or you can light the book on fire and dance around the flames. You can try to live above hell or you can just go raise some. Here’s to clean livin’ and dirty thinking.” The eight-song Passage Du Desir was produced by Johnny Blue Skies and David Ferguson and recorded at Clement House Recording Studio in Nashville, TN and Abbey Road Studios in London, England. Simpson and his band—Kevin Black (bass), Robbie Crowell (keys), Laur Joamets (guitar) and Miles Miller (drums)—will also make their long-awaited return to the road this fall with the “Why Not? Tour.” Simpson’s first full tour in over four years, the extensive headline run includes stops at L.A.’s The Greek Theatre, Washington State’s The Gorge Amphitheater, Lexington’s Rupp Arena, Chicago’s Salt Shed (two nights), Queens’ Forest Hills Stadium and Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena among many more. Simpson also headlined Outside Lands and will close out both weekends of this year’s Austin City Limits Music Festival. Since his debut, Simpson has released five full-length studio albums—2013’s High Top Mountain, 2014’s Metamodern Sounds in Country Music, 2016’s A Sailor’s Guide to Earth, 2019’s Sound & Fury and 2021’s The Ballad of Dood and Juanita—along with the 2020 projects, Cuttin’ Grass Vol. 1 and Vol. 2. Throughout his singular career, Simpson has relentlessly pushed against expectations, earning widespread acclaim and countless accolades including a Grammy Award in 2017 for Best Country Album and six GRAMMY nominations across four genres: country, rock, bluegrass and americana.

We’re thrilled to welcome these remarkable artists to the ACL stage for our milestone season. Want to be part of our audience? We will post information on how to get free passes a week in advance of each taping. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for notice of postings. The broadcast episodes will air on PBS as part of our upcoming anniversary Season 50.

Categories
Coming Soon Featured New Broadcast News

ACL Announces First Half of Season 50 Broadcast Schedule

Kacey Musgraves on Austin City Limits, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.

Five decades ago on October 17, 1974, Willie Nelson taped the pilot for the show that holds the title “the longest-running music program in television history.” The trailblazing live music series Austin City Limits (ACL) is proud to announce its landmark 50th Anniversary broadcast season, featuring an all-star slate of returning favorites for the half-century milestone including Chris Stapleton, Juanes, Gary Clark Jr., Brittany Howard, Nickel Creek, Black Pumas, Maggie Rogers and The War And Treaty, alongside highly-anticipated debuts from Gracie Abrams, Jelly Roll and Jacob Collier. Providing viewers a front-row seat to the best in music performance for 50 years, ACL returns on Saturday, September 28th at 7pm CT/8pm ET with a luminous hour from an American original, seven-time Grammy-winning singer-songwriter Kacey Musgraves.

50 Years of Music Austin City Limits featured artists

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. 
Produced by Austin PBS, and recorded live at ACL’s studio home ACL Live in Austin, Texas, the program has earned its place in history. In May 2024, the show’s longtime executive producer Terry Lickona was awarded public television’s highest honor, The Beacon Award, presented by Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl. The esteemed award pays tribute to individuals whose work inspires Americans and enriches our nation, in keeping with the mission of PBS. 

Golden, Texas native Kacey Musgraves returns for Austin City Limits golden anniversary season in her third series appearance. Musgraves shines in a radiant season premiere, with a collection of songs from her latest Deeper Well, alongside career highlights and songwriting tales. Two great Austin acts, Gary Clark Jr. and Black Pumas, get the ACL treatment in a thrilling hour of next-generation rock and soul. Grammy-winner Gary Clark Jr. makes his fourth appearance on the program with highlights from his powerful latest offering JPEG RAW and eight-time Grammy nominees Black Pumas sparkle with selections from their sophomore release Chronicles of a Diamond. Breakthrough singer-songwriters Maggie Rogers and Gracie Abrams share a buoyant hour: the Grammy-nominated Rogers illuminates with bountiful gems from Don’t Forget Me in her second appearance while 2024 Grammy Best New Artist nominee Abrams makes her ACL debut with standouts from her chart-topping The Secret of Us.

Black Pumas on Austin City Limits, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.
Black Pumas on Austin City Limits, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.
Gracie Abrams holds a guitar and smiles
Gracie Abrams on Austin City Limits, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.

A pair of virtuoso acts wow in an innovative hour: In his ACL debut, six-time Grammy-winning UK phenom, multi-instrumentalist and singer Jacob Collier performs highlights from his Djesse suite of albums and formative bluegrass trio Nickel Creek returns for the first time in a decade to showcase songs from their acclaimed Celebrants.

Brittany Howard performs on Austin City Limits, 2024.
Brittany Howard performs on Austin City Limits, 2024. Photo by Scott Newton.

Powerhouse singer-songwriter Brittany Howard makes her second solo performance, dazzling with highlights from her recent What Now along with career gems in an epic hour. Grammy-nominated Nashville sensations Jelly Roll and The War And Treaty thrill in an electrifying installment. Jelly Roll makes a must-see ACL debut with highlights from his breakthrough smash Whitsitt Chapel and celebrated husband-and-wife duo The War And Treaty raise the roof with powerful vocals in their second appearance on the ACL stage. 


Country superstar Chris Stapleton returns with a scorching, hourlong set of country-rock classics and new gems in a performance for the ages. Colombian icon Juanes returns for the first time in over a decade for an arena-worthy, hourlong performance, delivering an irresistible career-spanning set featuring selections from his acclaimed smash Vida Cotidiana, his 10th studio album and a career highpoint.

Join ACL as it kicks off its yearlong 50th anniversary celebration with a trio of Austin-based events: the 10th Anniversary Austin City Limits Hall of Fame honoring Garth Brooks taping on September 5, 2024; Austin City Limits 50th Birthday Bash on October 17, 2024, a Texas-sized outdoor concert event featuring a music legend; and on November 21, the program will tape a primetime special, ACL Celebrates 50 Years, an all-star celebration featuring some of the brightest stars in the show’s 50-year history as they return to the ACL stage for the occasion, set to air on PBS in 2025. The anniversary events are open to the public and celebrate the city and community that plays a starring role in the series. The Austin skyline is the famous backdrop for the weekly show and Austin music fans comprise the audiences featured in each episode’s trademark crowd shots.

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. The complete line-up for the full 14-week season, including seven new episodes to air beginning January 2024, 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.


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.

Categories
Featured News Taping Announcement

New taping: Wynonna

Austin City Limits is thrilled to announce a new taping with one of country music’s most legendary voices and iconic performers: Wynonna. A musical force like none other, we welcome her to the ACL stage on September 3 for our milestone Anniversary Season 50.

One of the most widely recognized and awarded female country musicians in history, Wynonna is celebrating a remarkable 40-year career. Her 1992 self-titled solo debut sold over five million units, becoming the highest-selling debut album by a female artist at the time. Wynonna earned three consecutive #1 hits and the singer followed the wildly successful debut with the multi-platinum album Tell Me Why. Building on the groundbreaking music she and her mother created as The Judds, Wynonna grew into her once-in-a-generation vocal prowess with an ease that resonated with legions of fans. Chart-topping hits “No One Else On Earth,” “Tell Me Why,” “She Is His Only Need,” “Girls With Guitars,” and “I Saw The Light” set the next chapter in motion for the girl from Ashland, Kentucky who became a global superstar. Having practically grown up as America’s favorite musical daughter, Wynonna matured into a woman who embraced life’s peaks and valleys, great thrills, and heavy disappointment. Beyond the Grammy Awards, multi-platinum albums and sold-out tours, the country/soul vocalist expanded on the Appalachian traditionalism that defined The Judds to create a world where Top 5 dance/club hits were as possible as being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Wynonna has sold-out concerts scheduled throughout the summer before she hits the road for her “Back to Wy” tour in September. She’ll be playing her debut and sophomore albums back-to-back for 17 special shows across the country. Wynonna first appeared on Austin City Limits with The Judds during ACL’s 10th Anniversary Season in 1985 and opened our Season 22 in 1997 with a full-hour season premiere. We’re proud to welcome her back during our 50th Anniversary Season for the first time in nearly three decades. 

Want to be part of our audience? We will post information on how to get free passes a week in advance of the taping. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for notice of postings. The broadcast episode will air on PBS as part of our milestone Season 50, which premieres on September 28, 2024.

Categories
News Ticket Giveaway Tickets Distributed

Giveaway: Gracie Abrams

Gracie Abrams 2024
Photo Credit: Abby Weisler 2024

UPDATE: The giveaway is now closed. Austin City Limits will tape a performance by Gracie Abrams on Tuesday, July 30th 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.

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.

Since making her debut in 2019, Gracie Abrams has emerged as one of the most compelling singer-songwriters of her generation, earning the admiration of artists such as Taylor Swift, Lorde, Billie Eilish and Olivia Rodrigo. Abrams penned her first song at age eight, then went on to amass a devoted following on the strength of her emotionally intimate lyrics and DIY sensibilities. With the arrival of her breakout debut project minor in summer 2020, she received glowing reviews from NME, who praised her “painfully honest tales of heartbreak draped in delicate melodies that carry much more intrigue than the usual run-of-the-mill singer-songwriter.” The seven-song effort features her beloved singles “21,” “I miss you, I’m sorry” and “Long Sleeves.” In 2021, Abrams returned with This Is What It Feels Like, a 12-track project exploring complex emotional experiences such as self-betrayal, insecurity and failed attempts at connection. Soon after completing her sold-out North American headline tour for This Is What It Feels Like, she set to work on her debut album. Abrams kicked off 2022 with a headline tour of North America followed by a support slot on Olivia Rodrigo’s tour and connected with her friend and frequent collaborator, The National’s Aaron Dessner to release two songs “Block me out” and “Difficult.” Gracie toured with Taylor Swift as the opening on select dates of her blockbuster Eras Tour and will continue as direct support when the Eras Tour returns to North America later this year.

Gracie Abrams’ sophomore album, The Secret of Us, is out now via Interscope Records. The critically acclaimed album has been met with an overwhelming amount of support and excitement from fans and publications alike, including Rolling Stone (4 stars), Billboard, Associated Press, Vogue and more. Gracie debuted in the top five in nine countries making it her best-performing album. The 24-year-old songwriter co-wrote the album with longtime friend Audrey Hobert and produced the new album alongside Dessner.  The Secret of Us comes nearly a year after her debut album, Good Riddance, which Gracie released in February 2023 and Rolling Stone hailed “one of 2023’s Best Debuts.” Good Riddance earned Gracie her first ever Grammy nod at the 66th Annual Grammy Awards with a nomination for Best New Artist. In September, Gracie will embark on her sold out headlining tour, kicking off September 5th in Portland, Oregon.

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.