Memorable Moments From ACL Fest Weekend Two
Standout sets from round two at Zilker Park
By Kevin Curtin, Raoul Hernandez, Laiken Neumann, Nayeli Portillo, and Derek Udensi, Fri., Oct. 21, 2022
We’re Sold on Blondshell
The 200 folks who skipped school or work to catch Blondshell’s first-ever big stage performance, occurring at an especially sunny 2pm on Friday, probably came in knowing the artist’s entire discography … meaning three singles released over the last four months. The ensuing 30 minutes proved her best material is still forthcoming. Sabrina Teitelbaum, who previously released alt-pop sounds as BAUM, held one arm aloft, gripping the microphone in her other hand. The L.A.-based artist detonated engaging songs to a stripped-down rock backing: Fender Mustang, P-Bass, and drums. While the intense breakup aftermath of “Olympus” hit hard, a yet to be released revenge song about being driven to violence by a failed justice system (“I can’t stop having visions of following him/ Gonna make it hurt”) played out doubly visceral. With savvy for penning memorable lyrics to captivate in just two lines or play out over the life of a song, this special songwriter showed shades of Patti Smith and mid-Nineties alt-poets to early attendees. – Kevin Curtin
Teezo Touchdown's Frat House Initiation
Allotted only 30 minutes, Teezo Touchdown hit the T-Mobile stage Friday at 3:30pm sharp, in lieu of wasting time with an introductory DJ mini-set. With onstage production featuring a plain green screen as background and a microphone wrapped in a bouquet, the Beaumont, Texas, native wore his trademark veil of nails striking through a black hat, also matrimonially clad in a black jacket and white wedding dress. He humorously transitioned between three songs by playing at failed attempts to contact featured artists – before ultimately phoning the audience after performing 2021 Tyler, the Creator collaboration “Run It Up.” For his 27 immersive minutes, Touchdown captivated with charismatic creativity, call-and-response, and loosely sprayed vocal inflections. An unreleased track from his upcoming debut project, where the vocalist swayed and repeated “frat house” incessantly, won over what he calls his favorite city. Touchdown’s set alone managed to “get the mid off the streets” adjacent to Zilker for the weekend. – Derek Udensi
Reinvigorated, SZA Teases Post-Ctrl Material
Surrounded by a wrecking ball and sunflowers, SZA emerged atop a decidedly imperfect, rusted-out lighthouse Friday night. The improbable port scene provided a rather apocalyptic backdrop for the singer’s striking R&B confessionals. With the unlikely achievement of festival headliner status with just debut album Ctrl (and a June deluxe edition), SZA built her 20-track set around staples from the 2017 record and a swath of singles since. When a wardrobe malfunction left her slightly exposed following “Broken Clocks,” SZA slyly segued the moment into her next move: “It’s just normal girl shit anyway.” After a teaser of the long-anticipated Doja Cat collab “Shirt,” she addressed rumors that the single was intended to drop that same day. “I looked at the video, and I was stressed at one small thing,” she admitted. “But I fixed that, and it’s turned in and about to come out.” Her hesitancy called back to the delays that plagued the release of Ctrl five years prior. Clearly eager to breathe new life into her catalog, she explained: “If I wouldn’t be in so much trouble, I wanna sing all new songs, ’cause y’all deserve it.” SZA’s invigorated intentions – at least as evidenced in her second ACL performance – seemed slightly less concerned with perfection.
– Laiken Neumann
Como Las Movies Crackle in Folkloric Lockstep
At 12:45pm on an ACL Fest Saturday, everyone’s still at home putting on their shoulder pads and cleats. And yet, there on the humongous Honda headliner stage, a half-dozen men of color dressed in authentic Americas garb fired up the fiesta. Guayaberas, embroidered shirts, ponytails, straw hats, and more matched Nelson Aguilar’s sunny afternoon Spanish. Leading a homegrown sextet in folkloric lockstep, the Texan touched off slinky rhythms, aria melodies, cowbell percussion, and electro bounce. Bulking up into an “I Want Candy”-esque bump and slither, Como Las Movies’ instrumental “sazzle dazzle,” as Jackie Wilson would have put it, crackled the spot consciousness. As keyboard washes cut through with guitar, the ACL debutees thumped & throbbed live-wire instrumentals, riding riffs into neon nirvana. Cumbia grounded the 45-minute show, with current single “Café” capping the set behind guest vocalist Shiela Gonzalez and dancers – the whole production moving from popping and locking to banging and slamming. – Raoul Hernandez
Urban Heat Dances Through Darkness
Though the future may seem bleak, Austin’s Urban Heat is here to ensure we dance our way through the present. The post-punk revivalist trio charged through a 50-minute ACL Fest debut, decked out head to toe in all-black everything. Past plenty of nods to goth-rock favorites like Bauhaus (namely, Peter Murphy’s haunting baritone) and the Sisters of Mercy throughout the band’s growing catalog, Urban Heat still managed to make it all sound fresh in a live format. “Have You Ever?” stacked spiky synths over icy industrial grooves, while “City Lights” and “A Simple Love Song” treaded darker dance-pop territory, much to the delight of the audience, which remained indefatigable despite well-above-average October temps on Sunday. The band capped their set with a cover of “Bizarre Love Triangle” by New Order, where vocalist Jonathan Horstmann jumped the BMI stage barricade to dance alongside the amped-up crowd. – Nayeli Portillo
J Soulja Invites Friends for ACL Achievement
“Austin, y’all got a legend in y’all city right here,” Dallas rapper Ericthechosen said as he pointed at J Soulja after the two performed new single “Look Down Below.” The local 4Life4Ever Entertainment founder continued this year’s trend of quality hip-hop simmering on the festival’s undercard – supported by recent singles revealing he’s entering his best form yet. He rhymed as if a thousand people showed up to the tough Saturday Tito’s stage noon opener spot, and sang a cappella unexpectedly well. Austin R&B singer Nubia Emmon boosted proceedings on 2020 From the Soul opener “What It Is.” With his family in attendance and his longtime right-hand DJ Napalm behind him, the ACL Fest debutant only expressed a blip of discontent when he revealed that plans to perform with a backing band fell by the wayside at the eleventh hour. Bars-heavy closer “Top Down” still serves as a proper mantra for all things J Soulja: “Way too stubborn with my goals/ Take me where the journey goes.” – Derek Udensi
