Festival Review: Iconic artists mix with future stars at Austin City Limits Festival
Last weekend’s Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL Fest) featured legacy acts Paul McCartney, David Byrne and Metallica along with upcoming stars, Janelle Monae, St. Vincent and Austin’s own Shakey Graves. We’re partial to female-fronted acts and we’ll take this opportunity to point out it was the many talented female fronted acts along with legends Sir Paul and Byrne who garnered the most attention over the three-day event held at Austin’s Zilker Park.
The buzz surrounding Janelle Monae’s explosive performance at the American Express main stage was hard to get away from. Yes, Paul McCartney delivered a Beatle-esque performance to close night one (more on that later) and yes, David Byrne’s set was magical (despite the high humidity and temperatures) but Grammy-nominated Monae’s set along with St. Vincent’s blistering performance at the Miller Lite Stage Saturday were among the most talked about sets among media members congregating at the BMI hospitality area during the festival. And for good reason… both performers delivered well thought-out productions that were insightful and deeply entertaining.
Friday’s lineup actually featured a number of acts on our list. We heard Lovely on the BMI stage to kick off the festival. Their sound was classically funky and alternative at the same time. The bass lines got our toes tapping while we caught up with colleagues congregating behind the stage.
Following that performance, we caught Gang of Youths on the Honda Stage. After witnessing their stellar set Thursday at Antone’s, we had to see more of the Australian group at the festival. Their youthful energy was the perfect antidote to the oppressive heat music fans battled all weekend. Later we scuttled over to the Miller Lite stage for a fantastic power-pop set by Toronto’s Alvvays. Their show was as enjoyable as any we saw over the weekend. The group is also led by a woman, the diminutive, tow-headed Molly Rankin.
Why David Byrne had such an early slot (he played early afternoon) we’ll never know but the former Talking Heads founder and his band was phenomenal. Byrne followed the lead of the ladies we mentioned in presenting a carefully planned and choreographed performance with the band wearing matching suits and carrying their instruments with wireless set-ups. The spare stage plot surrounded by curtains of shiny metallic chains gave the whole show the art-rock feel you’d expect from Byrne.
Besides playing a song from his new record, the distinctively-voiced singer included Talking Heads hits “Once in a Lifetime,” “Road to Nowhere” and “Burning Down the House” before covering Janelle Monae’s “Hell You Talmbout.” The former put a grin on fans faces the moment the first chords were played. It was as if a happy button had been pushed. In case you thought those song titles coincidentally described our current political situation stateside, put those doubts aside. Byrne made a point of asking folks to register and vote during the set.
After catching a bit of the amazing Zeppelin sound-alikes, Greta Van Fleet we regrouped for the night’s finale, Paul McCartney. What is significant about Sir Paul’s performance on a large-format festival stage is how well the production translates to such a massive venue. Simply put, McCartney is one of the few performers able to extend his reach at large-scale events beyond the first few rows of the venue. In front of one of the largest crowds we’ve seen for a single performer at Zilker Park, Sir Paul laid ‘em dead. Fans wept, leapt for joy, screamed, cried, clapped and hooted for the man who is the single greatest living influence on rock n roll.
Sir Paul led off the night with Beatles’ classic, “A Hard Day’s Night,” the perfect opener to an exhausting day one at the park. He downshifted to Wings tune, “Hi, Hi, Hi” before returning to Beatles’ hit “Can’t Buy Me Love” which left fans beatific, smiling broadly at their idol. The left-handed player continued in this vein, oscillating between Wings and Beatles tunes until about a third the way through the performance before changing gears once again with a Skiffle tune by Beatles precursor, The Quarrymen.
Early Beatles hit, “Love Me Do” soon followed then an explanation that the ensuing song, “Blackbird” is about the civil rights struggle in the U.S. during the tumultuous 1960s. More than a few fans shed tears during the tune. Ironically, esoteric Beatles track, “For the Benefit of Mr. Kite” signaled a string of hits including “Back in the U.S.S.R,” “Let It Be” and show-stopper, “Live and Let Die” with a healthy amount of pyrotechnics as seen in the video clip below.
More tears ensued with McCartney’s set closing rendition of “Hey Jude” that turned into a full-on sing-a-long with the ACL Fest crowd lustily singing the “Na.. na, na, na, na” chorus together. The affable Beatle returned to the stage with a four-song encore that included a reprise version of “Sgt. Peppers” followed by a frenetic “Helter Skelter” then the traditional trifecta of “Golden Slumbers,” “Carry That Weight” and “The End.”Hardly a soul left the park early, soaking in every bit of of Sir Paul’s royalty.
Photo by Roger Ho courtesy of Austin City Limits Music Festival.
