For the past few years, the Austin City Limits Music Festival lineup has been making people feel old. It doesn't look like that feeling is going away in 2024 — in fact, it may be intensifying, with an even more prominent platforming of new and young artists. The festival is returning October 4-6 and 11-13 with more than 100 acts on nine stages.
The festival released its full 2024 schedule on August 1, presenting festival-goers with some tough choices. Especially in the Texas heat, there's little reason to camp out at any stage unless you're in the first few rows and hell-bent on staying there for a particular headliner; so the schedule isn't overly concerned with sticking to a single genre or tone. Still, there are some useful arcs.
Most concert-goers will build their schedules around their favorites, but here are a few good places to be if you're more into vibes than specific bands.
On Friday, Norah Jones' set is in a bit of a weird place, sandwiched between Catfish and the Bottlemen, Foster the People, and Blink-182; but that sounds like a good day for (lightly committed) rock fans to hang around the Honda stage.
On Saturday of weekend one, Still Woozy and Jungle are right where they should be: back-to-back on the Miller Lite stage. Fans who can justify giving up their spot will also likely enjoy Khruangbin in between those sets on the American Express stage. Both Saturdays get the American Express stage warmed up for the pop girlies starting at Chappell Roan at 4:20, and ending with Dua Lipa. [UPDATE, August 16: Chappell Roan's set has been moved to Sunday, and some single-day ticketholders are angry that ACL won't issue refunds.]
On Sunday, there's a nice country-Americana bloc between the Honda and Miller Lite stages with Orville Peck, Caamp, The Red Clay Strays, and Sturgill Simpson.
The following are more thoughts and recommendations from the lineup announcement in May:
Starting with headliners, who usually include at least one legend from decades past, things are looking fairly youthful. Blink-182, the clear nostalgic pick, will definitely be taking attendees back to their Warped Tour days. That's not to say some of the other headlines haven't had long careers, but most are not catapulting attendees back into their memories the way George Strait did in 2021, or The Cure in 2019.
Also headlining are Dua Lipa, having reached new heights thanks to Barbie (get ready to see lots of pastel 'fits); Tyler, the Creator, the eclectic rapper who will likely have something political to say; Chris Stapleton, the velvet-voiced country crossover singer; Sturgill Simpson, another country singer more firmly in the outlaw camp; Pretty Lights, the EDM producer known for chill grooves and tasteful samples; Khruangbin, the psychedelic funk rock trio from Houston; and finally Leon Bridges, the soulful R&B singer from Fort Worth who brings the genre back to its roots. (Bridges also appears on Khruangbin's "Texas Sun." Who will appear on whose stage this year?)
Much of this won't be a surprise to Austinites, who lined up at Zilker Park on Saturday, May 4, to listen to spoken messages delivering hints via pay phone. Several commenters joked that Marcus Mumford, who has played ACL Fest four times, was on the other line. Austinites have been spared another Mumford and Sons headlining performance in 2024.
Here's where you might start feeling your age — whether because you've fallen out of touch, or you remember when these bands were new. Outside of the headliners, folks on social media were especially excited about:
- Foster the People, an eternally indie pop group that dominated the 2010s with buoyant hits
- Kehlani, an R&B-influenced pop star who brings both smooth vocals and sexy style to the stage
- Chappell Roan, a queer, theatrical performer whose bimbofied and drag looks are frequently sweeping social media
- Orville Peck, a dark country crooner who has subverted the genre with an always-masked face and overt gay sex appeal
- Still Woozy, a very funky solo project with an aptly psychedelic name and lots of laid-back grooves
- Catfish and the Bottlemen, a Welsh indie band from the aughts with slightly heavier instrumentation than many of 2024's indie picks
- Jungle, so far a one-hit-wonder for the spectacularly choreographed "Back On 74" music video, which inspired countless fan attempts
- Something Corporate, a lightly emo pop-punk group featuring Andrew McMahon of Jack's Mannequin
- Grand Funk Railroad, an arena rock group formed in 1969, singlehandedly upholding ACL's annual dabbling in classic rock
Fans were disappointed not to see Sabrina Carpenter, The Killers, or Deftones on the lineup. They aired general grievances about a lack of rock picks and not recognizing most of the lineup — complaints that come up increasingly often as ACL moves away from long-established classics in favor of what's getting streams nowadays. Some also pointed out a proliferation of acts only appearing on one weekend.
As always, a good number of local acts have joined the fray. Among them are longtime Austin performer and reformed punk Bob Schneider; Western swing band Asleep at the Wheel, who are a staple on the annual lineup; eclectic alt-rockers Kalu & The Electric Joint; Ugandan singer-songwriter Jon Muq; noise pop group Daiistar, and more.
If there's a case to be made for lineups you don't recognize (and this writer certainly believes there is), it's that music discovery thrives on charismatic live shows and unskippable songs. There's still five months to get up to speed, and there are already extensive playlists out there. We like non-headlining acts so much, we cover them exclusively after the fest; Check out our recaps from weekends one and two last year for reminders of any new obsessions to carry forward.
The full 2024 lineup is as follows:
If you know a majority of acts here, go brag about it on Reddit.Photo courtesy of Austin City Limits Music Festival
Three-day tickets (starting at $360) are on sale now aclfestival.com. Three-day tickets for weekend one are waitlisted. Among ACL Fest's usual offerings, including VIP passes and hotel discounts, are private "bungalows" near the Honda Stage — interestingly, not the main headliners' stage, but the secondary one that faces away from the city and shuts down slightly earlier.
This article originally published May 7 has been updated August 1 to include information about the full festival schedule.
