Live music review: Lil Yachty was an ardent completionist at his debut ACL TV taping

Not all music genre crossovers are desirable, especially not when concerning Hip-Hop. For Atlanta’s Lil Yachty, the emcee transcended the influences of trap rap and scrapped everything related to it. The result was the early 2023 record, Let’s Start Here—an album rooted in soul, psychedelia, and indie rock. This record’s laundry list of guest musicians proved effective, enlisting the likes of Mac Demarco, MGMT, and Unknown Mortal Orchestra. “I did what I wanted to do, which was create a body of work that reflected me,” Yachty explained in a Billboard cover feature. “My idea was for this album to be a journey: Press play and fall into the void.” This was his position before recording his debut Austin City Limits (ACL TV) taping last week.

When Yachty presented this body of work, the critical acclaim was virtually universal, and the Atlanta artist’s departure from the sound that put him on the map in the first place proved to be a massive success. People are talking about this record, making performances of these new tracks highly anticipated. For Lil Yachty’s taping for Austin City Limits Season 49, the stage was set for the seminal performance of his genre-bending new record… in its entirety for the first time. 

Austin City Limits live tapings feel like a ceremony. The filmed performances occur inside Austin’s beautiful Moody Theater, which has hosted the likes of Alice Cooper, Widespread Panic, The Smile (Radiohead members), and countless others.  Cameras on rolling dollies, Austin skyline backdrops, and a more formal atmosphere pervaded the venue. For Yachty and his band, the night was exactly that. 

When Yachty appeared, the Atlanta native planned to introduce a new song, a new tune that no public audience had ever heard. As the music began, Yachty relented with his accompanying band. “Keys off, bro,” Yachty said. The backing musicians then started the song again – to no avail. Yachty then left the stage for a 40-minute delay, leaving the audience to speculate if he would even perform at all. After his South By Southwest (SXSW) set was canceled due to thunderstorms, Austin fans were anxious to see the Georgia artist perform. This crowd stayed put and didn’t waiver in the face of the delay. 

After Yachty returned to the stage 45 minutes past the original 8 p.m. start time, he opted to skip the new track entirely, sliding into the opening song from his new record, “The BLACK Seminole.” The first tune on Yachty’s latest release is polarizing, missing the trap beats and emceed bars his diehard fans have become accustomed to. The seven-minute opening number introduced the audience to sounds most Yachty fans would have never expected. The songs arrived with reverb, strummed guitars, and an outro vocal solo reminiscent of Pink Floyd’s classic, “Great Gig in the Sky.” He had the audience’s full attention.

Yachty continued,  allowing his performance and his band to musically shine. The crowd energy felt ambiguous at first, due to the rapper’s lack of familiar songs in the set list. The set list was also missing “Poland,” a track released shortly before Let’s Start Here to promote Yachty’s latest change in musical direction. A highlight was “IVE OFFICIALLY LOST ViSion!!!!” A heavier rock tune, during which Yachty allowed his stage presence to come alive, head-banging and syncing up with his all-star cast of musicians. “These black women are so talented and so fuckin’ amazing…100% more talented than me,” Yachty said. He wasn’t kidding; the backing vocalists were on fire. 

“The Alchemist” and “REACH THE SUNSHINE” finished out the evening, allowing for the backing vocalists to harmonize as the performance came to a close. An encore was printed on the setlist, but when Yachty returned backstage, the vibe in the room told us things were wrapping up for the night. The feelings were mixed from overhearing the chatter as the audience exited the Moody Theater for the evening. Some wanted the more trap-beat, rap-oriented tunes, and some still needed to understand the new sonic concept Lil Yachty had introduced. It felt like a level of gratification to replace the SXSW performance we never got. It’s a new era for Yachty, and those not onboard can either get with it or get off the Yachty train. 

The new Lil Yachty episode will air on PBS this fall as part of Austin City Limits’ upcoming Season 49. Check local listings for details and show announcements. Yachty will also return to Austin for his slot in 2023’s Austin City Limits Festival at Zilker Park this October. 

All photos by Scott Newton for ACL TV

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