Tag: TV broadcast

Austin City Limits presents a dazzling hour featuring one of today’s most popular artists: Ed Sheeran. The worldwide superstar returns to the ACL stage in a stunning solo performance showcasing fan favorites and hit songs from his blockbuster album ÷ (Divide), the biggest-selling album of 2017.

Next generation singer-songwriter Sheeran shines in a ten-song tour de force, opening with the soaring anthem “Castle on the Hill,” one of the latest classics from his double-platinum Divide, Sheeran’s third studio album. “I feel this is going to be quite fun tonight,” enthuses the 26-year-old British phenom who first appeared on ACL in 2014. The one-man marvel performs solo with only his guitar and a loop pedal to layer his vocals, in a striking, intimate hour. Sheeran thrills with career highlights including his breakthrough hit “The A Team,” “Thinking Out Loud,” (which won him his first two Grammy Awards in 2016), and “Perfect,” a stunner from Divide Sheeran calls “my favorite song I’ve ever written.” The Austin audience is happy to follow his lead for the show-stopping set-closer “Shape of You,” the record-breaking chart-topper which recently became Spotify’s most-streamed song ever with over 1 billion plays. The musical dynamo is transcendent as he jumps from amp to amp, while working his loop pedal, drumming on his guitar and directing the willing crowd in a euphoric sing-along.

“There aren’t enough superlatives to describe Ed Sheeran’s many successes, but underlying everything is a genuine talent that makes him stand out,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “What’s remarkable is that at 26 his songs have connected with so many fans literally all over the globe. This is the first time that his unique one-man show has been captured for a full hour on broadcast television.”

Tune in this weekend for this episode, and, as always, check your local PBS listings for the broadcast time in your area. Go to the episode page for more info, and don’t forget to click over to our Facebook, Twitter and newsletter pages for more ACL info. This episode will also feature on American Airlines’ in-flight entertainment channel in June. Join us next week for an encore featuring two of today’s most exciting rock and soul artists: Florence + the Machine and Andra Day.

Austin City Limits showcases modern roots rock with two American originals: indie favorites Band of Horses and acclaimed singer-songwriter Parker Millsap.

South Carolina indie-folk rockers Band of Horses made their ACL debut in 2010 and return to perform time-honed classics alongside new gems from their fifth studio album Why Are You Ok? The Charleston-based quintet, led by dynamic frontman Ben Bridwell, kick off the upbeat seven-song set with the classic, “Is There A Ghost” from their 2007 album Cease To Begin. The band strips down to an acoustic trio for the early career hit “Part One,” circling a single microphone to capture their lush three-part harmonies. New songs “Throw My Mess,” “Hag” and “In A Drawer,” showcase the band’s melodic range, and lead into the raucous set-closing anthem, fan favorite “The General Specific.”

Oklahoman singer-songwriter Parker Millsap has set the Americana world on fire with his songs, his voice and his impassioned live show. Raised in the Pentecostal church, Millsap is filled with a fire-and-brimstone fervor that fuels his gospel-tinged lyrics and gives way to Buddy Holly-esque rockabilly ravers. The 23-year-old rising star opens his ACL debut with the apocalyptic title track from his sophomore album The Very Last Day. Millsap’s “talent for bringing convincing, complex characters to life” (NPR) is evident in the set’s centerpiece, “Heaven Sent,” which has the singer taking on the role of a gay son searching for his preacher father’s acceptance. Millsap closes out the standout performance with a soaring, fiddle-accompanied take on the blues classic “You Gotta Move,” then concludes with a howling, impassioned performance of his own hard-hitting “Hades Pleads,” which gets the appreciative ACL audience on their feet for a well-deserved ovation.

“Their songs are at the heart of what makes both Band of Horses and Parker Millsap so special,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “Band of Horses are at the top of their game, lyrically and melodically, and Parker Millsap’s songwriting is story-telling at its very best. This is a show you where you should turn off the lights and turn up the volume.”

Tune in this weekend for this episode, and, as always, check your local PBS listings for the broadcast time in your area. Go to the episode page for more info, and don’t forget to click over to our Facebook, Twitter and newsletter pages for more ACL info. Tune in next week for an encore episode from the one and only Cyndi Lauper.