Music, Why Not!

Austin City Limits 2023 – Day 2

ACL Day 1 left us excited to see what the rest of the weekend, and Day 2 was one to remember. One of the main things attendees were looking forward to on Day 2 was the solar eclipse. Attendees were wearing their protective glasses and watched as the event unfolded, it was a moment that will always be remembered. The first act we caught for the day was Declan McKenna – the singer came out on stage wearing the solar eclipse glasses with holes punched out in the lenses, the set was a great way to start the day. Guests were able to catch many different acts early in the day such as Jessie Ware, Gus Dapperton, Ben Kweller and more!

Rina Sawayama took the Honda stage at 4 and all I can say was wow. The set started with incredible visuals, synchronized choreography from her and her dancers and outfit changes. She performed songs such as “Dynasty”, “Comme des garçons (Like the Boys)” and “XS”. During “This Hell” she wore her iconic red outfit and cowgirl hat, everyone cheered for her and left fans wanting more, she thanked everyone for coming out to her set and wished for everyone to have fun. The festival always has much to do! We visited some of the famous food vendors at ACL Eats, checked out the artist and festival merchandise and explored some of the guest attractions and experiences.

We then caught Thirty Seconds to Mars’ set and they opened the set in the most shocking way. Jared Leto was high up on a pedestal by the stage banner and opened the set, he jumped off the pedestal down to the stage where you could hear the entire audience gasping, leaving everyone shocked but excited. He ran around the stage, interacted with the fans and even invited photographers up on stage to take pictures of him and his brother Shannon performing together. During “The Kill” he invited fans on stage as well! The set was full of amazing pyro, balloons and fan interactions, Thirty Seconds to Mars was probably one of my favorite festival sets ever. 

Attendees had a hard time figuring out which set to go to for the next 3 artists who performed at the same time, they had to choose between Tove Lo, Noah Kahan and Bob Moses, all amazing acts. We went and caught Tove Lo at the IHG Stage – and as soon as you arrived, that whole stage area was packed and even overflowed onto surrounding areas, showing how much everyone wanted to see her. She opened the set with “Pineapple Slice” followed by “Attention Wh*re” and fan favorite “Cool Girl”. Tove played songs from her entire discography such as “Talking Body”, “Glad He’s Gone” and even “Borderline”. The set ended with “Habits (Stay High), where everyone sang in unison and “No One Dies From Love”. 

The last two headlines of the night were The 1975 and Foo Fighters, both who drew in some of the biggest crowds I’ve ever seen at ACL. We ended the day watching The 1975 performing at the Honda stage. The band opened their set with “Looking for Somebody (to Love)” which was a great way to get the set started. The band performed a lot of their newer songs such as “Oh Caroline”, “I’m in Love With You” and “About You”. The set was also full of nostalgic songs from the “Tumblr Days” like “Chocolate”, “Robbers” and even “Sex” – everyone sang their hearts out during these particular songs. The set was finished with “Give Yourself a Try” and thus concluded the second day of the festival.

THE 1975

TOVE LO

THIRTY SECONDS TO MARS

RINA SAWAYAMA

GUS DAPPERTON

DECLAN MCKENNA

Photos + Review by Michael Perea | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!