Jenny Lewis, patron saint of single ladies, basks in Austin's love at 'ACL' taping

On Wednesday Jenny Lewis took the stage at ACL Live to tape her third episode of “Austin City Limits.” While much of the set was centered around her new album “Joy’all,” the rocker, crooner and patron saint of single ladies also treated an audience of devotees to favorite songs from throughout her career.

Here are five things that happened at the show:

1. She brought just none of the guys.

There were no cisgender men in Lewis’ band. Her female-born crew took the stage in matching red and black western shirts. Standing on risers adorned with red metallic fringe that evoked a ‘60s telethon and playing through amps that were painted with flames, they looked and sounded like the perfect rockabilly backing band.

Lewis opened with her 2014 hit “Just One of the Guys,” a song about a single woman’s struggle to find a place in the world of rock ‘n’ roll where aging men court a rotating cast of younger women. With her band at her back powering her through, any angst about being “just another lady without a baby” dissipated into pure empowerment. The crowd went wild.

2. She unwound beautiful story songs with fully realized characters.

Lewis is a poetic lyricist with a gift for good storytelling. She led us through awkward teenage years with the poignant coming of age tale “Late Bloomer.” She sat at the keyboard and took us on a tumultuous road trip fueled by a fire of unrequited love on “Heads Will Roll.” And she reminded us that hope has many faces on the new ditty, “Puppy and a Truck.”

3. She provided important clarifications.

Lewis’ work is characterized by raw honesty including painstaking recollections of her own mistakes and misadventures. “I want to clarify something,” she said after playing “She’s Not Me,” a song about watching her betrayed lover move on.

“She’s chill. I’m not. She’s easy. I’m stressed out,” she said with a laugh.

Recognizing her own gift for bawdy whimsy, after “Heads Will Roll,” she noted that the lyric “a little bit of hooking up is good for the soul,” would make a good T-shirt. (If we’re making tees from song lyrics, “I’m not a psycho, I’m just trying to get laid” off “Psychos” would also be stellar, Jenny.)

4. She had jokes.

“I want to introduce the band,” she said before a fruit-related section of the show that included “Apples and Oranges” and “Cherry Baby.” Instead of name-checking her backers, her bandmates walked around behind her and shook each other’s hands.

As an intro to “Puppy and A Truck,” she took a “phone call” from her dog (?) and translated his barks into English. The pup told a joke:

Q: “Why are Grateful Dead shows so hot?”

A: “Because their fans don’t work.”

5. She was radiant in the glow of Austin’s love.

To say the fans who packed into ACL Live for Lewis’ third taping adored her would be an understatement. The crowd cheered wildly between each song and shouts of “We love you Jenny,” rang out regularly.

Lewis excavates her own emotional core to find stories that aren’t often told. She explores the ache of childlessness in a society that prizes the nuclear family, the shame of being your own relationship wrecker, the reckless lust that drives bad decisions even when you’re pushing 50. By singing her truth, she dismantles expectations that bind women. Even as she embodied heartache under blue lights on “Essence of Life,” she was a picture of power — a real-life heroine clad in black leather, wind machine touseling her hair.

"What a joy to be back here at 'ACL.' What a treat," she said near the top of the set.

The crowd who cheered riotously after she closed her set with breathtaking rendition of the Rilo Kiley song, "With Arms Outstretched" wholeheartedly agreed.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Jenny Lewis sings songs from 'Joy'all' at 'Austin City Limits' taping