Credit ACL Fest for a lineup that has Dwight Yoakam setting up the Weeknd. The honky-tonk superstar had an Austin Ventures stage, predictably beyond capacity, two-stepping and feeling more like ACL of a decade ago than its contemporary incarnation. As the singer noted, “It’s been a long time. It’s all grown-up now.”
Sparkling sport coats adorning the backing quartet in contrast to the frontman’s trademark denim jacket and white cowboy hat, Yoakam gave the crowd as many hits as he could fit in. “Dim Lights, Thick Smoke” and “Please, Please Baby” kicked off, transforming the field into a dance hall, prior to a rocking “Little Sister,” accordion-pumped “Streets of Bakersfield,” and “Turn It On, Turn It Up, Turn Me Loose.”
Dipping briefly into songs from this year’s Second Hand Heart, “Dreams of Clay” slowed down the set and showed Yoakam extending convincingly beyond his barroom rockers, as did the melodic title track from the LP. His take on Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire,” meanwhile, highlighted his brilliant abilities as a unique arranger, rendering the song almost unrecognizable until its chorus.
He closed out with a slide of hits, quickly working through “Honky Tonk Man,” “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere,” “Little Ways,” “Guitars, Cadillacs,” and a shimmying “Fast as You,” letting lead guitarist Eugene Edwards rip throughout. A quick encore cover of the Beatles’ “I Feel Fine” provided a perfect capstone for many on the first weekend of ACL Fest 2015, returning it to its roots.
This article appears in October 2 • 2015.
