ACL celebrates 25 years with one last singalong!
Three days, countless songs, and one final afternoon under the Austin sun. ACL 2026 Weekend Two reached its closing day at Zilker Park with another stretch of beautiful weather. It was warm throughout much of the day, with a cool breeze rolling through at times. After the rain and mud of the previous weekend, the sunshine felt like a pretty good way to close out the festival’s 25th anniversary.
By Day Three, the field had its own rhythm. Friends gathered between sets, fans sang along with artists they already loved, and others took chances on names they might not have known before arriving. That’s one of the best things about a festival with so many stages: a quick change of plans can lead to a completely different musical experience.
Our final day of coverage moved between intimate indie pop, playful performance art, sharp electronic beats, restless New York rock, and the expansive sound of The War on Drugs. Then The xx brought our festival coverage to a close with a set built around space, mood, and songs that have stayed with listeners for years.
After three days of photographing artists and watching the crowd respond in its own way, we left with a reminder that ACL’s appeal isn’t tied to one genre or one headliner. It’s the mix of people, sounds, and unexpected discoveries that makes the whole thing work.
CHARLOTTE LAWRENCE
There was a quieter side to the final day waiting at the T-Mobile Stage, where Charlotte Lawrence brought her indie pop into a more personal space. Rather than leaning on huge production or elaborate stage tricks, she let her voice and songwriting carry the performance. The result felt confessional, with songs that gave the audience a glimpse into the emotions behind the music.
Her set included “Morning,” “Better Than This,” “Dog,” “Fear Of Falling,” and “Somewhere.” Each added another piece to a performance that felt more interested in honesty than spectacle. Lawrence’s raw vocals gave the songs their weight, while the stripped-back approach left room for their lyrics to land. But one of the highlights of her performance was his interpretation of “Zombie” by The Cranberries. It was incredible.
That kind of set can offer a welcome change at a festival where stages compete for attention and the next big moment is always somewhere nearby. Here, the focus stayed on the artist and the stories she wanted to tell. The crowd had space to listen instead of being pushed toward one reaction, and that made the performance feel intimate even within the larger festival setting. Lawrence opened our final day with something thoughtful and understated, setting a different tone before the music shifted toward brighter pop and stranger theatrical turns.
CLAIRE ROSINKRANZ
Claire Rosinkranz brought a burst of color and movement to the day with a pop set that felt made for singing along with friends. The young Southern California singer-songwriter has been making music with her father since she was young, and her songs carry a playful personality that translates naturally to a live audience.
Tracks like “Kiss,” “Jayden,” “I Wanna Be In Love So Bad,” “Lucy,” and “My Lover” kept the mood upbeat. When “Backyard Boy” and “City” came around, the set had plenty of reasons for fans to join in, dance, and enjoy the moment rather than simply stand and watch. Rosinkranz brought a lively presence to the stage, matching the bright feel of the music without making the performance feel forced.
What worked best was the connection between the songs and the crowd. Her music has a casual, youthful charm, and the audience responded in kind. People were there to have fun, and the performance gave them plenty of chances to do exactly that. After Charlotte Lawrence’s more intimate opening, Rosinkranz offered a welcome shift into lighter territory. It was a reminder that pop doesn’t need to be complicated to connect. Sometimes a catchy melody, a little personality, and a crowd willing to sing along are all the ingredients a good festival set needs.
AUDREY HOBERT
It wasn’t every day at ACL that we saw a performer begin a set standing on a large step stool, wearing a long raincoat and glasses fitted with an oversized nose and eyebrows. But Audrey Hobert clearly wasn’t interested in doing things the usual way. Her performance at the T-Mobile Stage blended indie pop with cabaret, offbeat humor, and the feel of a comedy routine that happened to come with a setlist.
The unusual entrance set the tone for what followed. Hobert played with the audience’s expectations, mixing quirky stage moments with songs like “I Like To Touch People,” “Drive,” “Wet Hair,” “Sex And The City,” and “Phoebe.” Later, “Silver Jubilee” and “Sue Me” added more music to a performance that never felt limited to a standard singer-songwriter format.
The audience seemed to enjoy the whole package, especially the way Hobert treated the stage like a place to play around rather than simply perform a list of songs. Her humor gave the set its own identity, while the music kept everything connected. At a festival full of artists trying to grab attention through volume or production, Hobert took a different route. She leaned into odd details, theatrical choices, and a personality that didn’t seem worried about looking cool every second. It was weird in a fun way, and that’s exactly why it worked.
NOGA EREZ
At the Beatbox Stage, Noga Erez brought a harder, more restless sound to the afternoon. The Israeli singer, songwriter, and producer works across electronic pop, hip-hop, and alternative music, and her live performance brought those elements together with sharp beats and a rougher edge.
Songs like “Duck Season,” “End Of The Road,” “Vandalist,” and “Dumb” gave the set plenty of bite. “Bubbling,” “AYAYAY,” and “Shabbat” continued the mix of tight electronic production and hip-hop grit, keeping the music direct and punchy. Rather than smoothing everything into polished dance pop, Erez’s sound has a sharper character. The beats hit hard, and the shifts between styles kept the performance from settling into one predictable pattern.
That contrast suited the festival setting. There was enough rhythm to pull people into the music, but also enough tension in the sound to make the set feel a little unpredictable. Erez has a strong sense of how to use electronic production without letting it become background noise. The music demanded attention, and the performance held onto that edge throughout. For fans looking for something outside conventional pop, her set offered a welcome dose of attitude and experimentation. It was one of the day’s more intense stops, with a sound that felt distinctly her own.
GEESE
Some bands make their best impression by sounding perfectly controlled. Geese make a different kind of statement, finding the exciting space between tight musicianship and the feeling that anything could happen next. The New York City band, featuring Cameron Winter, Emily Green, Dominic DiGesu, and Max Bassin, delivered one of the best performances we photographed on the closing day.
Their set pulled from art rock and post-punk, with songs including “Islands Of Men,” “Husbands,” “Getting Killed,” “Crusades,” “Cowboy Nudes,” “Au Pays du Cocaine,” “Taxes,” and “Trinidad.” The band brought the technical skill of classic rock but kept the sound raw, restless, and unpredictable. The guitars could feel jagged one moment and tightly locked into the rhythm the next, while the drums gave the songs a physical punch.
The crowd was clearly into it. You could feel the response as the music moved between controlled passages and rougher bursts of sound. Geese didn’t need to smooth out their stranger ideas to make the set work for a festival audience. If anything, the unexpected turns were part of the appeal. Their performance felt alive because it wasn’t too neat, and the band played with the kind of confidence that comes from knowing exactly how far to push a song. For us, this was a major highlight of Day Three.
THE WAR ON DRUGS
The War on Drugs offered a different kind of intensity, one that built slowly and gave the audience time to settle into the sound. The Philadelphia band, led by Adam Granduciel alongside David Hartley, Robbie Bennett, Charlie Hall, Jon Natchez, Anthony LaMarca, and Eliza Hardy Jones, brought layers of heartland rock, ambient textures, shoegaze, and driving rhythms that recalled the open-road feel of classic 1980s rock.
The set included “Who’s That,” “Red Eyes,” which was received with loud cheers from the crowd, “I Don’t Wanna Wait,’ “Thinking Of A Place,” “Under The Pressure,” “Pain,” and “Harmonia’s Dream.” The last of those was especially beautiful, with the band’s layered sound creating room for the music to expand rather than rushing toward an obvious peak. Guitars, keys, and rhythm worked together, building a steady pull that made it easy to lose track of everything happening beyond the stage.
The crowd seemed happy to let the music take its time. Instead of constant jumping or shouting, people followed the flow, listening as the arrangements grew fuller and the rhythms kept pushing forward. The War on Drugs understand that a big sound doesn’t have to feel crowded. Their performance gave every layer space, creating a set that was immersive without being overwhelming. In the middle of a busy festival day, it felt good to stand still for a while and let the songs unfold at their own pace.
THE XX
We closed our ACL 2026 Weekend Two coverage with The xx, and their minimalist sound made for a fitting final chapter. The English trio of Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, and Jamie xx has always been good at making small details matter. At the T-Mobile Stage, their mix of indie pop, spare guitar lines, electronic beats, and close-up vocals created an atmosphere that felt intimate even in a large festival space.
The set included “Crystalised,” “Say Something Loving,” “Islands,” “Angels,” “I’ll Take Care Of U,” “Loud Places,” “On Hold,” and “I Dare You.” Each song had room to breathe. The spaces between the beats were just as important as the sounds themselves, giving the audience time to absorb the music rather than simply react to it.
And then there was “Intro,” one of the band’s most recognizable tracks. Hearing it as part of the final performance we photographed gave the moment a special weight. After a day that moved from comedy and sharp electronic production to loud guitars and expansive rock, The xx brought everything down to its essential parts: rhythm, voice, atmosphere, and feeling. The crowd seemed drawn into that quieter world, and it was a strong way to end our festival coverage without needing a huge finale.
The final day of ACL’s 25th anniversary gave us a fitting mix of personalities and sounds. Charlotte Lawrence brought the focus back to songwriting, Claire Rosinkranz filled the afternoon with bright pop, and Audrey Hobert reminded everyone that a little weirdness can go a long way. Noga Erez pushed the sound into sharper territory, while Geese delivered the kind of unpredictable rock set that makes discovering a band in person so rewarding. Then The War on Drugs let the music stretch out before The xx brought our coverage to a close with a performance built on restraint.
The sunshine held up for another day, and the cool breeze made spending hours out in the field feel even better. Fans moved between stages, met up with friends, sang their favorite lyrics, and made room for artists they might not have known before the weekend began. The atmosphere felt relaxed but full of life, with every part of the park offering a different reason to stay a little longer.
Three days of coverage gave us more than a list of performances. They showed how different people connect with music, whether through a loud guitar riff, a clever lyric, a heavy beat, or a song that asks you to stand still and listen.
As we wrapped up at Zilker Park, it was clear that no single performance defined the weekend. The variety did. And after another sunny ACL, that’s a pretty good way to celebrate 25 years.
