Metallica by Jerri Starbuck

This years festival is shaping up to be a fun one. With major headliners Metallica and Paul McCartney (probably the biggest in history), over two weekends fans will get a mix of music genres and a healthy dose of the Austin food scene.

David Byrne by Jason Bollenbacher

Staff Picks:  Some of our photographer and writer picks include amazing bands that we’ve covered in Austin before during their tour stops- Hozier, Deftones, St. Vincent, Wild Child, Parquet Courts, X Ambassadors, Gang of Youths, Houndmouth, Tinashe, Brandi Carlile, The Wombats, Father John Misty, Charley Crockett, Greta van Fleet (our biggest hugest pick), Borns, David Byrne, and locals Shakey Graves, Asleep at the Wheel and Kydd Jones.

But we are most excited to catch a few bands we have missed including: Arizona, Khalid, Camila Cabello, Lily Allen, Brockhampton, Bishop Briggs, Janelle Monae, Childish Gambino, Arctic Monkeys, The National, Natalie Prass, Nelly, Vince Staples.  We’re listening to some of the newer artists to see what sparks our interest. We like Mikky Ekko, Arizona, Japanese Breakfast, Bishop Briggs, and  Naked Giants.

Late Night Shows – This is one of the best parts of the fest, especially for fans who couldn’t make it to Zilker park for the main festival. These shows are held all around Austin, with a heavy amount at iconic Stubbs Amphitheater on Red River street. St. Vincent, Brockhampton, The National, and tons more!

You can still get tickets, but hurry! See the full fest schedule

Watch this killer music video from Arizona. We love these guys!

There’s a lot of cool new stuff at the festival this year too- check it out- new stuff

Check out the ACL Fest playlist on Spotify too!

More staff picks:

Kevin’s picks:

Friday Oct 5th :
-Paul McCartney (classic, no explanation necessary),
-Odesza (Very popular EDM artist that has produced multiple hits),
-Brockhampton (this group is very trendy right now among college campuses)-Gryffin (successful EDM DJ, his music appeals to women more than men),
-Noname (this artist is growing in popularity very fast. She has a similar sound as SZA)

Saturday Oct 6th:
-St. Vincent (great multi-instrumentalist, so pictures should be dynamic)
-San Holo, (This DJ is very popular right now in the Texas EDM festivals)

Sunday Oct 7th:
-Arctic Monkeys (Wildly successful band that is nearing the end of a worldwide tour, so their performance should be fine-tuned and awesome to watch)
-canceled-Childish Gambino (comedian, writer, director, producer, actor, and musician, this man wears a lot of hats and never disappoints. He is a famous rapper that is sure to draw a large crowd)
-Rezz (A DJ with a very unique sound and a cult following. Recipe for a great set)
-Tinashe (up and coming artist with groovy, melodic beats)

Denise’s picks:

Nelly, Asleep at the Wheel, The Texas Gentlemen, Paul McCartney, Deftones, St. Vincent, Metallica, Elle King, Shakey Graves, Charlie Crockett, Khalid, Lo Moon, Rustin Kelly, Shawn Mendes

Jerri’s picks:

Greta Van Fleet, David Byrne, Lily Allen, Gang of Youths, Nelly, San Halo, Mikky Ekko, Bishop Briggs, Tinashe, The Wombats, Charley Crockett, Phoenix, Camila Cabello, Janelle Monae, Houndmouth, The Revolution, Wilderado

Stay safe and we will see you soon!

Austin 101 Staff