Look On the Brightside
ACL Fest headliner Doja Cat drops out, and The Killers step in
Doja Cat was scheduled to perform on both Sunday nights, but now The Killers will take her place.
There's a major shake-up happening with Austin City Limits Music Festival's 2025 lineup. Headliner Doja Cat has dropped out, and organizers have replaced her Sunday night performances with shows by nostalgic rock band The Killers instead.
The "Paint the Town Red" singer revealed she would no longer be performing at ACL this October in an Instagram Story post, citing conflicts due to the forthcoming release of her fifth studio album, Vie, in late September.
"Unfortunately, I will not be performing at Austin City Limits this year," she wrote. "When I made the commitment I didn't know exactly when Vie would be released. I've been working on finalizing the album, making videos, taking the time to put together an album campaign that I am really excited about, and it's become clear to me that I cannot give you guys the show you deserve within this time frame. Thank you to the ACL team for their support and I hope to see you all again soon when the time is right. I'm forever grateful for the opportunity."
Vie (French for "life") is scheduled to be released September 26, 2025; Doja Cat's first ACL Fest performance would have been October 5. "Jealous Type" is the album's lead single, and it's been particularly buzzy this week as news broke that Doja Cat would give the first televised performance of the song at the 2025 MTV VMAs. The music video premiered August 21 and has garnered nearly a million views per day in its first week.
The Killers, taking Doja Cat's place, have previously performed at ACL in 2004, 2007, and headlined in 2017. Known for hits like "Mr. Brightside" and "Somebody Told Me," The Killers became famous in the early 2000s for their danceable rock music and quirky, glam-rock-adjacent aesthetics.
Although some commenters lamented that The Killers aren't an adequate replacement for Doja Cat — two acts with almost entirely different artistic visions and fan bases — others were thrilled. Fans of The Strokes, who are headlining the T-Mobile Stage on Saturday opposite Sabrina Carpenter, especially reached a point of delirium at the aughts indie rock match made in heaven.
Austinites may have seen The Killers in 2023 when they played at the Circuit of the Americas during the Formula One U.S. Grand Prix — or a few days before when they warmed up at a surprise show at Emo's, a venue with a capacity of only 1,250 people. Tickets sold out at a blistering speed, so this could be an opportunity for redemption for many fans.
The Killers will perform on the American Express stage at 8:30 pm on October 5 and October 12.
