The 11 Best Acts at This Year’s Austin City Limits Festival

(photo: Jack Plunkett/Invision/AP)

Living up to its moniker as the “live music capital of the world,” Austin, Texas, specifically Zilker Park, was home to some of the biggest names in pop, rock, hip-hop, and EDM for Austin City Limits this past weekend. Hundreds of thousands streamed into the park for all-day barrages of chart-toppers, and the weekend brought plenty of highlights in what was one of the best festivals of the year. Here are the 11 appearances that stood out the most.

Nero

The U.K. dance sensations made a concentrated effort this year to move from being a DJ group into a live phenomenon, starting at Coachella. Five months later, with their much-anticipated second album Between II Worlds having recently come out, they proved with arguably the best set of ACL weekend that they’re well on their way to becoming a superior live act. Mixing invigorating production with songs like “Satisfy” and the massive closer “Two Minds,” Nero delivered a stirring performance that had everyone dancing and pumping their fists.

Twenty One Pilots

Fans at ACL Sunday were still talking about Twenty One Pilots’ Saturday appearance as their favorite set of the weekend. The Ohio duo continued their run as the breakout rock act of 2015 with a standout hour starting right from the outset with “HeavyDutySoul.” What makes Twenty One Pilots so unique is their musicality, which they showed again and again, offering some great reggae vibes right alongside the rocking “Tear in My Heart,” which they dedicated to friend A$AP Rocky for his birthday. From their skeleton costumes and masks to their banter, Twenty One Pilots provided great entertainment and showed they will continue to be festival standouts.

Foo Fighters

Talk about a failsafe festival set! The most likable man in rock, Dave Grohl, lead the Foos in a rocking onslaught of hits Friday from his throne (after recently breaking his leg), starting with “Everlong,” “Monkey Wrench,” and “Learning to Fly.” Throw in a few surprises, like Austin guitar hero and Foos opener Gary Clark Jr. jumping in on “What Did I Do/God as My Witness” and a cover of Pink Floyd’s “In the Flesh,” and you had the perfect rock set for a festival.

Drake

Drake told the Austin crowd he wanted to bring something special for his prime slot of headlining Saturday night. The something special was guest Future to show off some of the tracks from their recent No. 1 collaboration, What a Time to Be Alive. Playing to maybe the biggest crowd of the weekend, the two did the live debut of “Jumpman” and “Big Rings.” Just like Foos found the perfect formula, Drake did as well, bringing that event feel with Future and of course the greatest0hits portion, including the opening “Legend” and the crowd favorites “Hotline Bling” and “Hold On, We’re Going Home.”

Gary Clark Jr.

If Austin is the live music capital of the world, Gark Clark Jr. is the city’s current ambassador. And a city built on such a rich musical tradition couldn’t have found a better ambassador than this authentic bluesman. A genuine guitar hero, Clark showed off that prowess again and again Saturday on songs such as “Bright Lights,” “When My Train Pulled In,” and the closing “Healing,” on which Clark stretched out for one of his signature solos, filling the Austin skyline.

Brand New

A rock band playing under the sun is always a challenge, but after Lollapalooza in Chicago and Berlin, Bumbershoot, and more, Brand New had their festival set down pat, leading their hardcore fanbase, who packed in front of the Homeaway stage, in a rousing hour highlighted by “Okay I Believe You, But My Tommy Gun Don’t,” “Millstone,” and of course “Jesus Christ.” That last one became a robust singalong that punctuated the deep relationship the band has with its fans.

Ben Howard

Every festival needs a breakout act, and English singer-songwriter Ben Howard was the clear discovery of the weekend. Playing on the Samsung stage Sunday, he showed off his considerable skills on both guitar and vocals throughout a memorable hour. The opening “End of the Affair” was a gorgeous tale of melancholy highlighting his deep vocals, while the more upbeat stuff, such as “Rivers in Your Mouth” and “Small Things,” prompted fan Monica Molinaro to accurately point out the similarities Howard shared with Fleetwood Mac icon Lindsey Buckingham.

Billy Idol

There’s a lot to be said for familiarity at festivals, where fans can sing along with hit after hit. Billy Idol was one of those artists at ACL that could deliver a string of songs everyone in the audience knew, from the energetic “Dancing With Myself” to “White Wedding” and his cover of Tommy James & The Shondells’ “Mony Mony.” And Idol offered one of the great singalong tracks of all time in “Rebel Yell,” which was as much of a crowd favorite as you’d expect.

Flosstradamus

If you wanted the biggest party of the weekend, it could be found Friday at the Miller Lite stage, where Chicago’s Flosstradamus, aka DJ duo J2K and Autobot, brought out a blistering set of old-school tunes that kept the energy up for a solid hour of nonstop revelry.

Chance the Rapper

Also representing Chicago well was this hip-hop artist, who brought a lot of melody and style in the form of jazz horns and plenty of personality. With “Favorite Song,” “Juice,” and “Cocoa Butter Kisses” leading the crowd in a barrage of jumping and shouting, the rapper had one of the most entertaining sets of the weekend.

The Weeknd

Closing out one side of the festival, with a considerably larger audience than the Strokes on the other side of Zilker Park, the Weeknd brought all of the R&B smoothness and pop flair that has made him the current chart king of pop. Songs like “High for This,” “Can’t Feel My Face,” and his cover of Beyoncé’s “Drunk in Love” provided the soundtrack for the literal fireworks that were shot off into the Austin night to end a memorable weekend.