6 days, too many highlights: A few of our favorite moments at ACL Fest 2023

We are hydrating and Neti-potting and dreaming about all the great moments we experienced during two weekends at the Austin City Limits Music Festival.

We're also trying to accept that we won't be able to spend a third Sunday golden hour with Hozier.

Here are some highlights from our team, with some of our favorite images captured by our photographers throughout.

DEBORAH SENGUPTA STITH

Little Simz

The British rap breakout came with “an agenda to take you higher,” and she delivered on that promise. She invoked the Holy Ghost in front of a gospel choir of shadow figures, used a backdrop of vibrantly colored African dancers to frame Afrofunk breakdowns and delivered some of the most believable hip-hop braggadocio of the weekend. She’s “goin’ higher, higher” and we can’t wait to see her rise.

Full gallery and review

Rina Sawayama

Look, I knew the Japanese/British pop sensation would move us with emotional dance floor burners like set opener “Hold the Girl.” I was not prepared for her fully realized theatrical concept. In a celebration of queer joy, she exorcized demons with rock god fury on songs like “STFU!” before leading us into the collective release of “This Hell.” Burning up together never felt better.

Full review

Jessie Ware

That. Felt. Good. Jessie Ware shook up ACL Fest both Saturdays with an ebullient dance bash. She took us deep in our feelings with a cover of Cher’s “Believe,” got “freaky deaky,” wielding a snake tail whip and coached the “Beautiful People” through simple choreography. “There’s nothing quite like a group dance, is there?” she said, before we freed ourselves in the afternoon sun.

Full review

Labrinth

The mysterious British crooner makes music that leads you down dark pathways where danger lurks, promise beckons and the light at the end of the tunnel may or may not lead you home. Cloaked in heavy smoke, he ripped his heart out onstage, with a drummer behind him and barely visible backup vocalists who occasionally emerged, singing with the fervor of a gospel choir and the gravity of a Greek chorus. He invited us to chase our dreams and thanked us for making his come true.

Full review

Raye

Jared Leto’s bungee jump from the top of the Honda stage was a big talker of ACL Fest 2023, but nothing that happened on that stage took more courage than the 25-year-old British singer-songwriter’s decision to speak frankly about sexual abuse she says she experienced as a young woman coming up in the music industry. She played the aching ballad “Ice Cream Man” for the 25% of women who experience sexual abuse in their lives in the hopes that facing the hurt will help us heal.

ERIC WEBB

Noah Kahan

I came into ACL Fest neutral (edging into cynical) about New England's hottest new artist — he seemed like just another folk dude. But after watching his triumphant ACL Fest set Weekend 1, I am officially Kahn-pilled. His raw-nerve lyricism pops when paired with his electric performance style and wit. I'm already planning to catch him next time.

Full gallery and review

Hozier

Ireland's tallest and hunkiest poet made me cry. Watching Hozier perform in person is like walking through a forest. His voice seems to conjure something ancient from within, and songs like "Francesca" reward close listening (not always easy to do in a park, I admit). Hozier's triumphant closing rendition of "Take Me To Church," which saw him unfurl a fan's pride flag onstage, is what got the waterworks going.

Full gallery and review

Ethel Cain

You ever realize you're witnessing an important moment halfway through? Hayden Silas Anhedönia, aka Ethel Cain, received a star's welcome for Weekend 2. Devoted fans showed up ready to shout and cheer as the artist filled Zilker with atmospheric sounds, divine vocals and songs about religious trauma. Anhedönia's moment singing with a fan at the barricade was the most touching thing I saw all fest. It was an instant-classic set.

Full gallery and review

Jessie Ware

Free yourself! Yes, you! The U.K.'s disco queen was so ebullient, so joyful and so inspirational that I saw her both weekends. Watching Ware, her fabulous backup singers and her spectacular dancers lead an early afternoon set in a pleasure-packed dance party was just that irresistible. I think Ware changed my life.

Rina Sawayama

Sawayama's Saturday set during the first weekend reminded me of Lil Nas X's triumphant 2022 ACL Fest sets. The U.K. indie-pop star created a full production: costume changes, choreography, props, distinct chapters. That last part helped the multifaceted artist flex her command of sweeping pop, righteous rock and even super-queer country styles. I've been a fan of Sawayama for years, but I think this was the best I'd seen her.

Full review

RAMON RAMIREZ

Alanis Morissette

The Canadian songwriter’s pre-game video was a montage of her mid-‘90s hype train. And sure, Alanis Morissette’s performance was a nostalgic one — centering on breakthrough album “Jagged Little Pill” and its inescapable singles. But from set opener “All I Really Want,” it was clear these songs are profound, enduring, and Zilker-grade powerful.

Full gallery and review

The Walkmen

ACL 2023 was a curtain call for early-2000s indie rock — I saw moms with strollers singing along to “Gold Lion” during Yeah Yeah Yeahs. But with that you-had-to-be-there cool factor in our rearview, the songs needed to stand alone for a new generation. Harlem’s the Walkmen did it, performing nothing but pre-2012 rock that packs big cathartic loud parts like the breakdown on “Angela Surf City” or the romantic hook from “Heaven.”

Mumford and Sons

I joked about having to review them in 2016, 2019 and now 2023. But eventually you give in to the very good songs — there are precisely four that I vibe with — and appreciate the workmanlike hustle this Austin-musician-celebrating outfit packs.

Full review

CALEB YUM

Kendrick Lamar

I couldn't stick around too long for Kendrick Lamar, but I did hear exactly what I was expecting. One of the all-time greats showing out for Austin, and that brought the crowd to life as soon as he stepped on stage. His flows and rhymes were full of the confidence and bravado needed to live up to the legend that he's created for himself.

Full gallery and review

More: ACL Fest founder says Kendrick Lamar raced from airport, changed in car to get to Zilker

Maggie Rogers

I hadn't heard much of Maggie Rogers before ACL Fest, but as I was walking back to the media area, her set on the nearby Honda Stage captivated me unlike any of the other performers. Her voice was divine and she looked like she was having so much fun that she couldn't contain herself. I'm a big proponent of performing a song rather than just singing it, and Rogers encapsulated that feeling more than anyone else. Consider me a new fan.

Full gallery and review

Little Simz

Despite Rogers' stunning performance, my favorite of the weekend was undoubtedly Little Simz. I've long enjoyed the work of Simz, a young rapper from the United Kingdom. Even so, I wasn't expecting how well she could get the crowd moving. It didn't matter that not many in the audience knew all of her songs — her fast raps, hooks and swagger infected them with the groove. Simz talked about finally earning the confidence to call herself one of the greats, and I believe that she has more than earned that title.

Full gallery and review

KELSEY BRADSHAW

The weather

Saturday’s weather was perfect and I had to include it in our highlights. High temperatures were in the lower 80s during the afternoon, but the rest of the day and night had cool temperatures and a nice breeze. We got to wear pants without sweating for the first time in months.

The eclipse

The annular solar eclipse was another favorite moment during the second weekend of ACL Fest. Members of our team and friends laid on the grass beneath the ACL Fest flags and looked up at the moon as it passed in front of the sun. It was such a wholesome, cute moment. Everyone was pausing to watch some science together.

More: 'Ring of fire' solar eclipse brought ACL Fest to a standstill on Saturday and we loved it.

A sweet spot

Mister Softee was a welcome addition to the ACL Fest food offerings this year. A vanilla-chocolate-swirl cone hit the spot on Friday night after a long day of humidity and hot temperatures.

HANNAH ORTEGA

United by music

One of the biggest highlights wasn’t the music or the outfits or the special experiences: It was the people. From big smiles to kind hearts, music truly brings out the best in everyone, and that was on full display at ACL Fest.

The fashion

ACL Fest is a prime place for people watching — if you’re not watching a set, that is. Everyone wonderfully expressed themselves in outfits that ranged from country glam to boho chic to Spirit Halloween banana costumes. If you need fashion inspo, look no further than ACL Fest.

A masterclass in showmanship

Rina Sawayama took the stage at weekend two of ACL Fest, and her set wasn’t just a concert — it was a thoughtful, electric performance. Sawayama had incredible stage presence and combined theatrics with music, and her backup dancers brought just as much energy and showmanship.

Full review

JESUS VIDALES

The drone shows

The drone shows were a fantastic addition that should be used more in the future. Granted, the first time the drones came out was during Weekend One's delayed Kendrick Lamar set, and many people in the crowd mistakenly thought that it meant his show was starting. It was still a neat distraction that I hope will get better with time.

'We Gon' Be Al --': Kendrick Lamar starts ACL Fest set late, breaks curfew, is cut off

The festival staff

The festival staff continues to do a fantastic job at looking out for people to help during and in between shows. They had people covered, whether passing out water with a smile or swiftly attending to the few people who passed out. Yes, crowds got rowdy and moshed, but at no point did it feel like the staff did not have things in control.

Major.

Major. was a joy to listen to live and everyone in the audience swayed to the beautifully high vocals in his soul-pop music. His passion for music shone through during his performance, and he had loving interactions with fans. He was genuinely happy to be performing, and his happiness was nothing but contagious when he said, "I need you to scream this is a dream I'm at ACL"

BIANCA MORENO-PAZ

Maggie Rogers

A years-long dream to see Maggie Rogers in the flesh left me stunned and nearly in tears. I didn’t expect her vocals to be so powerful, or her performance to captivate me. She has secured a lifelong fan.

Full gallery and review

Another vote for the weather

A clear winner in my eyes was the weather. After months of wondering whether the temperatures would level out and the sun wouldn’t assault every outside activity, I was reminded of why Austin is such an outdoorsy city. The sweet breeze and the warm caress of the sun was enough to remind me to be grateful to live here.

Hozier

Over the past few months, I’ve been listening to Hozier on repeat. I liked his song “Take Me to Church” when it was initially released way back in 2013, but it is by no means his only masterpiece. The intimacy of his performance and the sumptuousness of his voice was enough to make me forget I was standing in a crowd of thousands of people; his stature had me Googling “how tall is Hozier?” shortly after (6-feet-6-inches). The hour-long set felt painfully short for an artist with so many striking songs and left me wanting more.

Full gallery and review

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: ACL Fest 2023: The best music, moments and photos from Zilker Park