Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) – Weekend Two – October 10-12, 2025 – Austin, Texas

Austin Texas Skyline at Zilker Park

Except where noted All Photos © Steve Galli for Full Access Detroit

Story by Chloe Catajan for Full Access Detroit

Another Austin City Limits (ACL) is in the books after two back-to-back weekends at Zilker Park.

Weekend One made headlines for surprise appearances from Shania Twain and Hilary Duff, festival firsts with RIIZE making ACL history, and fun covers like Japanese Breakfast’s and Magdalena Bay’s take on an MGMT classic.

First-weekend highs aside, the second round packed in a fair share of excitement. A handful of acts joined the lineup exclusively for Weekend Two, such as Pierce the Veil, Rilo Kiley, and Gregory Alan Isakov. And returning acts spiced up their setlists, like The Strokes surprising fans with “Ode to The Mets” and Luke Combs covering Alex Warren’s “Ordinary.” It’s a feat organizers at C3 Presents and artists do well each year, making sure both weekends have special experiences in store.

This marks Full Access Detroit photographer Steve Galli’s 16th year at ACL. He photographed over a hundred acts this time around, covering 54 during Weekend Two alone. Check out those moments from this weekend below.

Viral-worthy verve

Of the ACL performances that made waves online this weekend, The Killers come top of mind. The Las Veganite rockers, who graciously filled Doja Cat’s headlining slot both ACL weekends, surprised the American Express Stage audience by starting their set with “Mr. Brightside.” It was a complete 180° after the band had closed with the megahit the first weekend. Fans commented “as they should” and “CRAZY work,” showing overall enthusiasm for the curveball set opener. The Killers were in fine form in both sound and showmanship, with lead singer Brandon Flowers a cordial host in between cuts.

Brandon Flowers of The Killers – Photo by Chris Phelps for ACL

CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso merged street style and country flair as they showed up to the Beatbox Stage in Western-inspired attire, including buckled hardware, a ten-gallon hat, and embroidered accents. But the star of the show was of course the Argentine duo’s signature chaos, layering trap and EDM beats with upfront lyrics. Their song, “#TETAS,” was especially engaging with its commentary on social media standards. Pink lyrics on the stage screens emphasized the song’s most chronically online references, including “Let me be your Chad” and “bring[ing] the dab back.”

CA7RIEL & Paco Amoroso

Djo, fronted by Stranger Things star Joe Keery, played one of the most anticipated sets both ACL weekends. But Keery’s acting background is merely a sidenote here, as he launched his music career keeping his identity pretty covert until things took off on their own. Alt-rock met synthy psychedelia and coming-of-age themes for Djo’s set at the Lady Bird Stage. He and his camp played songs mostly off 2025’s The Crux, including “Basic Being Basic,” another critique on social media-driven materialism. And he of course closed with viral hit “End of Beginning,” which featured a dreamy extended intro that took the song to new levels of nostalgia.

Joe Keery of Djo

Skrilla packed in one of the biggest crowds at the BMI Stage this weekend. He showed up in all black, save for his signature red tie and skull-like mask. Seasoned listeners knew the drill and went wild in the pit, matching the Philly rapper’s energy. His song, “Doot Doot (6 7),” understandably brought the most hype, referencing the popular “six seven” meme that probably made some heads turn for the uninitiated. Skrilla added fuel to the fire by hopping into the pit and moshing with fans.

Skrilla

With an American tour underway, the UK’s South Arcade brought pop-punk fierceness to the BMI Stage. The Oxford four-piece built upbeat melodies with propulsive riffs and vibrant vocals. They closed their set with “stone cold summer,” which included a viral moment when lead singer Harmony Cavelle had bassist Ollie Green sing a verse—fun autotune effects and all.

Harry Winks, Harmony Cavelle and Cody Jones of South Arcade

No ACL playback is complete without videos from Aidan Bissett’s first ACL mainstage set. The singer-songwriter and his band brought headliner momentum to the T-Mobile Stage first thing on Friday. He focused on songs off his 2025 debut album, shut up and love me, and had fans head over heels despite a running joke among his fandom of hating the singer-songwriter. Some fans even had “i hate aidan bissett” shirts, while the words were also projected on the stage screen.

Aidan Bissett

Best of the barricade

You don’t always need to be front and center to enjoy live music, but as we saw with the likes of Cage The Elephant and other fun artist-fan interactions, being at the barricade definitely has its moments.

Matt Shultz of Cage the Elephant

Matt Shultz of Cage the Elephant

Hozier’s set at the T-Mobile Stage was a good example of that too, after some funny banter with fans at the front. They had signs that read, “We made friendship,” on one, and “bracelets 4 you + the band!” on another. But the Irish singer-songwriter mistook the first sign as the end of the sentence.

“‘We made friendship!’ Absolutely we did,” He said, caught up in the wholesome sentiment. “Thank you so much. The simplicity of that—I love it.” Moments later, he bashfully put together the whole message.

Hozier announced that this ACL set marked his last US stop, presumably until his next album cycle. He also spoke out on human rights before playing “Nina Cried Power,” which made a lasting impact as most acts throughout the weekend kept banter to a minimum.

Hozier – Photo by Charles Reagan for ACL

Pop-punk had its time to shine at ACL Weekend Two, between the aforementioned South Arcade and Pierce the Veil. Pierce the Veil’s first-ever ACL appearance had fans rushing to the T-Mobile Stage from the moment doors opened, pumped for the moment “Death of an Executioner” would finally kick off the set. Every note from the San Diego four-piece hit hard, embodying an adrenaline rush. Bassist Jaime Preciado even hopped onto the barricade and met fans face-to-face.

Vic Fuentes of Pierce The Veil

DJ John Summit also took a moment to walk the barricade as he headlined the T-Mobile Stage. He not only shook fans’ hands, but also headbanged and danced with them during “Crystallized.” His Sunday-night set was the definition of “last but not least,” unrelenting with massive drops, pyro, and crazy strobes.

Artists also brought out special guests for their set. Sabrina Carpenter sang “Wide Open Spaces” with The Chicks; Role Model’s “Sally” for Weekend Two was Lizzy McAlpine; and Judy Blank was joined by Flight By Nothing’s Conner Redden and Sam Morales.

ROLE MODEL

Futuristic vibes

We saw the future and it was electronic. From Empire of the Sun at the Miller Lite Stage to Fujii Kaze at Beatbox, multiple ACL sets involved some intergalactic immersion.

Empire of the Sun landed at the Miller Lite Stage, with visions of lightning, stardust, and a portal marking the Australian outfit’s grand entrance. Opening song, “Changes,” was a perfect invitation to their fantasy world, with its synthy, space-age sonic textures. Vocalist-guitarist Luke Steele wore his iconic red kimono and crown, and met fans at the barricade during “The Feeling You Get.” Every song embodied otherworldly bliss—a much-needed catharsis that understandably drew a large audience to the twilight set.

Luke Steel of Empire Of the Sun

Zeds Dead’s Miller Lite Stage setup paid homage to the Austin city skyline, and even included old ACL Live clips in their introduction. The electronic duo went on to play their remix of classic songs like Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” and Basement Jaxx’s “Where’s Your Head At.” Nostalgia aside, Zeds Dead totally reimagined these iconic references into their own utopia, complete with lots of pyro and lasers.

Dylan Mamid (DC) and Zachary Rapp-Rovan (Hooks) of Zed’s Dead

Fujii Kaze, known for his role in modern J-Pop, took the Beatbox Stage to a mirage of otherworldly visuals. Clips of some sort of futuristic vault flashed onscreen as the musician walked onstage to his KORG keyboard. He donned a pair (trio?) of third-eye sunglasses and opened with the jazz-pop licks of “Matsuri.” On songs like “I Need You Back,” Kaze would move across the stage, feeling the beat.

Fujii Kaze

Colombian singer Feid had one of the coolest setups of both ACL weekends. He turned the T-Mobile Stage into what looked like a giant computer, with Windows popups glitching across the screen. A giant head, reminiscent of a vaporwave bust, hovered above the stage as the singer and his crew turned in R&B heavy-hitters like “PERRO NEGRO” and “LUNA.”

Feid

Polo & Pan emerged from a blanket of haze and took the Miller Lite Stage with a remix of Pilot’s 1974 hit “Magic.” The electronic duo dressed in all white and even played from a deck that resembled a Greek column. They followed with “Paréidolies,” where glowing orbs appeared to float around them. The scene was indeed magic.

Paul Armand-Delille (Polo) of Polo & Pan

Midnight Generation channeled retrofuturism at the Tito’s Handmade Vodka Stage. Technicolor visuals saturated the stage as the quintet layered vocoder effects and synthy, syncopated beats. On top of pure, unadulterated disco, the group’s performance even included some aerobic-esque choreography, fully embracing their nostalgic aesthetic.

Midnight Generation

Indie rock is so back

Acts like The Dare are known for channeling the glitz and glamour of the mid-aughts party scene. ACL saw this indie sleaze revival and raised it one step further by bringing on board some OGs from the broader genre.

The Dare

Rilo Kiley made an exclusive Weekend Two appearance with their headlining set at the Beatbox Stage. Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett, Jason Boesel, and Pierre “Duke” de Reeder—currently on the road for their extended reunion tour—played a selection of fan favorites from The Execution of All Things, More Adventurous, and Under the Blacklight, marking their first Austin performance in about a decade. On top of millennial joy, the band brought big coming-of-age feelings that now feel like a grand reflection on how far we’ve come.

Rilo Kiley – Photo by Roger Ho for ACL

Panda Bear, also known as Noah Lennox or one-fourth of Animal Collective, took the Beatbox Stage earlier on Friday and rolled out his signature dreamy melodies. Lennox and his band focused largely on 2025 album Sinister Grift, with songs like “Ferry Lady” and “Defense” sounding especially textured with reverb, knotty guitars, and layered vocals.

Panda Bear

Despite retiring from touring in 2021, Dr. Dog blessed ACL with sets at the Lady Bird Stage on both weekends. The group switched up their Weekend Two setlist, revisiting many songs from 2013’s B-Room. The Pennsylvania rockers were pitch perfect, their live arrangements sounding even more whimsical in person, especially on fan favorite “Where’d All The Time Go?”

Scott McMicken of Dr. Dog

The Beatbox Stage was home base for a lot of ACL’s indie acts during Weekend Two, with Gregory Alan Isakov closing out the final night. The singer-songwriter was flanked by five musicians, who altogether delivered heartfelt harmonies that harnessed the heaviest emotions. Isakov’s earthy vocals were made for storytelling, as songs like “San Luis” and “The Stable Song” painted vivid pictures of past lives.

Gregory Alan Isakov

TOPS might be next-gen compared to the aforementioned acts, but they’re quintessential to the Montreal indie rock scene. Spritely vocals, synthy layers, and even flute solos gave the Canadian rockers an undeniably 80s-inspired beat.

Guitar-driven music and adjacent styles definitely thrived at ACL this year, with performances from King Princess, Car Seat Headrest, and Royal & The Serpent showing expert musicianship. Up-and-coming acts from the scene were also represented by artists like Shallowater, julie, and The Bends.

Jane Penny of TOPS

Will Toledo of Car Seat Headrest

Stage dressing

From T-Pain’s custom threads to Doechii’s swampy stage setup, these ACL performances stunned down to the last detail.

T-Pain

Doechii

The Lone Star State has some competition and her name is Marina Diamandis, AKA MARINA. The pop singer was a star, herself, on the American Express Stage, belting bangers from “CUNTISSIMO” to “Primadonna.” Her onstage style was equally a highlight, with her micstand resembling a curled pink ribbon and her black corset, chapskirt, and parasol giving Princess of Power.

MARINA – Photo by Nathan Zucker for ACL

Country singer-songwriter Maggie Antone paid homage to the state with her Weekend Two outfit. She took the BMI Stage wearing a cropped “Mess with Texas” tank top (a play on the popular slogan), a straw cowboy hat, and blue jeans with eyeshadow to match. She played songs off debut album Rhinestoned, her Dolly-like vocals and twangy strums a fitting soundtrack for the Southern scene.

Maggie Antone

Johnny Stimson and his band brought their casual-cool style and sound to the American Express Stage. Stimson, keyboardist Kwinton Gray, bassist KJ Gray, and drummer Emery Varrie III rocked camp shirts, jerseys, jorts—aka the perfect summer uniform. KJ Gray even had sunglasses shaped like Texas. Hearing the band’s sultry, soulful songs like “So.Good.” and “Gimme Gimme” felt just right under the Texan sun.

Johnny Stimson

Dizzy Fae flaunted her own designs as she made her festival debut at the BMI Stage. She wore denim on denim with silver swirls and her name emblazoned underneath the peter pan collar of her jacket. Her makeup sparkled with rhinestone details too. It was a dreamy look to match her pixielike vocals and ethereal style of R&B, performing songs like “360 Baby” and “Fairytale Love.”

Dizzy Fae

Other quick takes from the 50+ acts we caught at Weekend Two.

Only at ACL can you say you were caught in a funk, but mean it in the best way possible. In the name of disco and dance, acts like LEISURE, Ted Hammig & The Campaign, Supertaste, and The Point. brought the funk all weekend long.

Beautiful harmonies were in the air at Zilker Park thanks to artists like Crowe Boys, Vincent Lima, Sam Barber, Eric Slick, and Hans Wiliams.

And of course, a country soundtrack is a must at ACL. Luckily, Tanner Usrey, Southall, Alex Amen, and Case Oats were there to deliver.

Odeal and Ally Salort also wowed the Tito’s Handmade Vodka and BMI Stages, artists to definitely keep on your radar.

Weekend Two also saw great performances from Spill Tab, Jensen McRae, The Favors with Finneas and Ashe, Yoke Lore, Latin Mafia, and Chezile once more.