Sunday at ACL the grass at Zilker was already dead. Water bottles everywhere. That specific sheen you get after eight hours of Texas sun. Nobody wanted to leave, which is the whole festival in one sentence. Two weekends. Heat as a personality trait. Eight dollars for water.
I was not expecting T-Pain to be a highlight. Buy U a Drank at T-Mobile on Saturday and the park time-traveled. He joked about auto-tune and meant the songs. A guy next to me cried at Bartender. No notes.
Doechii stole the weekend. If you missed that set you missed the moment. R&B into bars without blinking. No filler. People walked off pulling up Spotify like they had been hit.
Sabrina Carpenter was going fine and then Shania Twain walked out. The park lost it. Cowboy boots, 75,000 people, very Austin. Sabrina danced like it was not 95 at 4 p.m. I was in a misting tent contemplating my choices.
King Princess was the cool-down. Stories, heartbreak, no surprise guest. Hozier made a field forget it was a field.
I keep coming back because of nights like Doechii and stupid moments like Shania. Not because the water is priced fairly.
Doechii Stole the Whole Damn Festival
If you weren’t at Doechii’s set, you missed the moment. Everyone leaving that stage had the same look: wide-eyed, slightly stunned, already pulling up her Spotify.
She came out with the kind of energy that makes you stand up straighter just watching. Her voice flipped from smooth R&B to rapid-fire bars without breaking a sweat—well, everyone was sweating, but you know what I mean.
What separated Doechii from every other artist that weekend was the complete control. No awkward stage banter, no filler, no missed cues. Just pure, focused talent. By the end of her set, the question wasn’t “who is this?” but “when is her tour coming through?”
Sabrina Carpenter Brought Shania Twain. That’s It. That’s the Section.
Honestly, what else do you need to know?
Sabrina’s set was already going great—bubbly pop hits, cute outfits, crowd eating it up—but then Shania Twain walked out and the entire park lost its collective mind.
The duet was sweet, the moment was perfect, and it felt like a very intentional passing of the torch. New pop star meets legendary pop star in front of 75,000 people in cowboy boots. Very on-brand for Austin.
Also, Sabrina handled the heat better than most of us. While I was contemplating my life choices under a misting tent, she was out there dancing like it wasn’t 95 degrees at 4 PM.
King Princess Gave Us All the Feelings
If Doechii was fire and energy, King Princess was the cool-down we didn’t know we needed.
Her set felt intimate despite the massive crowd. She’d play a song, tell a story about heartbreak or love or both, then play another song. It was the kind of performance where you actually listened instead of just vibing.
There were no big production moments or surprise guests. Just her, her band, and a voice that made you want to call your ex. (Don’t do it.) Some people were dancing, but most were just standing there, taking it in. Sometimes that’s what you need at a festival—a minute to feel something real before diving back into the chaos.
Hozier Made Everyone Forget Where They Were
When Hozier took the stage, something shifted. The energy didn’t disappear—it just changed. People stopped talking over each other, stopped checking their phones, and actually paid attention.
His voice is one of those things that doesn’t fully translate through speakers. In person, it’s almost unsettling how good it is. “Take Me to Church” live feels less like a pop song and more like actual church—if church was held in a dusty field and everyone was slightly dehydrated.
The sunset timing didn’t hurt either. As he played “Too Sweet,” the sky went full golden hour, and for a second, everyone forgot about their sunburns and the fact that they’d been standing for six hours. That’s the Hozier effect.
When John Summit Turned ACL Into a Rave
By the time John Summit took the stage for his late-night set, the crowd was ready to lose it. And they did.
The lasers cut through the darkness, the bass hit so hard you could feel it in your chest, and suddenly the whole field turned into one massive, sweaty dance party. People were jumping, screaming, moving—and it was exactly the release everyone needed after a long day in the sun.
The Non-Music Stuff Was Actually Worth Your Time
Credit where it’s due: ACL’s brand activations didn’t suck this year.
Hacienda PATRÓN was the move, two stories of actual air conditioning, vinyl DJ sets, and handcrafted cocktails that made standing in line worth it. Tito’s Chillmaster5000 was exactly what it sounds like: a giant walk-in fridge. Revolutionary? No. Necessary? Absolutely.
The Google Play Rewards Tour had shaded lounges and giveaways, while T-Mobile Club Magenta offered charging stations and free drinks. Miller Lite Bar 75 had free wifi and DJ sets. And if you needed to beat the heat between sets, BeatBox So Far Out House turned a porta-potty concept into an actual party (somehow).
But the real MVP? ACL Eats. Over 70 vendors set up shop, and these weren’t generic festival food stands—these were actual Austin staples. Veracruz All Natural for breakfast tacos. Brotherton’s and KG BBQ for brisket. East Side King for Thai chicken karaage. Gus’s World Famous Chicken. T-Loc’s Sonora Hot Dogs. Chi’Lantro’s Korean BBQ tacos.
Yeah, festival food is pricier than usual, but when you’re eating at places that have actual brick-and-mortar locations around Austin, it’s hard to complain too much. Plus, they had options: vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, whatever you needed.
The Aperol Spritz Piazza brought a little Italian oasis to Texas, complete with photo ops and their signature cocktails. The Coca-Cola Refresh Lounge did what it promised: shade and ice-cold drinks for you and your whole crew.
There was something for everyone. The Custom Trucker Stop let you design your own festival hat with patches and pins. The Defender Experience showcased Land Rovers with seats that somehow made you feel the music (don’t ask me how). And DashPass members got premium restrooms and food vouchers, which honestly might be the most valuable perk at any festival.
Why ACL Still Matters
After 20+ years, Austin City Limits could easily phone it in. The brand sells itself. But something about this festival still feels authentic.
With over 100 artists spanning multiple genres across two weekends, ACL isn’t just about the headliners. Sure, everyone shows up for the big names, but some of the best moments happen at the smaller stages in the middle of the afternoon when you stumble onto an artist you’ve never heard of and suddenly you’re a fan.
That’s the beauty of ACL’s lineup, it’s deep enough that discovery is part of the experience. You go for the artists you know, but you leave talking about the ones you didn’t.
Maybe it’s the fact that half the crowd is locals who genuinely care about the music scene. Maybe it’s because it happens in Zilker instead of some soulless parking lot. Maybe it’s just that Austin refuses to let its biggest festival become too corporate, despite the obvious corporate sponsors everywhere.
Whatever it is, ACL 2025 proved the festival still has it. Yes, it’s hot. Yes, it’s crowded. Yes, your legs will hurt for three days after. But when you’re standing in that field, surrounded by strangers who are all singing the same song, covered in dust and sweat and probably some spilled beer, you remember why live music matters.
Same time next year?
