Top 10 Must See Austin City Limits – ACL 2013 Bands

Yep, that’s me up there during ACL a few years ago. I have been to ACL every year for the past 5 years since I have lived in Austin. ACL is always a pain in the ass but there is nothing like it and I love going. This is the first year that they have done two weekends of ACL, which will make C3 a ton of money but I’m unsure if they spent it on the bands. This year’s line up is good, but not amazing. The mid-level bands are the most exciting but the headliners are weak compared to the former years. Kings of Leon did not make my top 10 list as I have seen them a few times and, well, they have already played ACL. Is there any bands that you think should be added??? Leave some comments below!!

#10 –Fun.

Friday October 4th, 4pm on the AMD stage & Sunday October 13th, 4pm on the Lady Bird Stage
Fun. is an amazing band but is lower on the list because we all know their music and they are playing against bands that are way less known then Fun. therefore it will be CRAZY PACKED. If you want a good spot for this show, you better be posted up at noon. I will still be seeing them though as a big camera typically gets me to the front a little easier and I don’t mind being in a sea of people. Fun. will be the band that officially kicks off ACL 2013!

#9 –Local Natives

Friday October 4th & Sunday October 13th, 4:30-5:30pm on the Samsung Galaxy Stage
If your an Austinite you have already seen this band a handful of times. They are pretty good, not quite there yet for me to be at the top of my list but they are great musicians.

#8 –HAIM

Saturday October 5th, 2-3pm on the AMD stage & Saturday October 12th, 2-3pm on the Lady Bird Stage
HAIM was also on my must see SXSW 2013 list and are awesome live. They have the Wilson Phillips 1980’s sound to them and have proved to not to just be 1 hit wonders with their songs The Wire, Don’t Save Me and Forever.

#7 –The Silversun Pickups

Saturday October 5th & October 12th, 4-5pm on the Samsung Galaxy Stage
Silversun’s song ‘Panic Switch’ was a huge hit and then just released a new album by Dangerbird Records that is one of those records you can just play straight through. This concert will also be packed as 101x loves this bands and will be showcasing them on the radio before their set. The fans should be chill but I would still show up early if you want to watch the band, not the video screens.

#6 –Eric Church

Sunday October 6th & October 13th, 6-7pm on the Samsung Galaxy Stage
Hey, I’m from Kansas and live in Texas so sometimes I just need a little country… even if it’s from someone that is over played on the radio. I don’t care- who wants to two-step with me?
BTW – the girl featured in this video is our friend Kelsey who has been in some of my projects and helped out with the Patton Sparks music video.

#5 –Jake Bugg

Friday October 3rd and 10th, 5-5:45pm on the Austin Ventures stage
I’m probably the most excited to see Jake Bugg and I struggle with putting him at #5. Austin Ventures is a great side stage and I really hope that people don’t know about him yet, although I am sure that this stage will be packed. Bugg as that late 70’s rock sound like The Clash and I love it.

#4 –Phoenix

Sunday October 6th, 7-8:30pm on the Bud Light stage
Phoenix hit the radio waves with their 1901 song and their great ‘Wolfgan Amadeus’ album. I’m not sure that I will stay the full hour and half for Phoenix but you can tell these guys are talented by their acoustic YouTube videos (check out their Take Away Show by la blogotheque)

#3 –The National

Sunday October 6th, 5:30-6:30pm on the AMD stage & Sunday October 13th, 5:30-6:30pm on the Lady Bird Stage
So this is the whole reason for going two different weekends. As stated above, I love me some country, but there is no way to run across the park to see The National and Eric Church… A decision must be made and it’s a simple one. If you want to hang out with a bunch of [hot] young Texas girls in cutoff jeans you head over to the Samsung Stage, if you want some amazing music that probably won’t be in Austin anytime soon then The National is the band to see at ACL.

#2 –Autre Ne Veut

Saturday October 5th, 1-2pm on the Honda stage ONLY!
So this band was introduced to me by Niel Nasset, a local Austin musician and I have been jamming their song ‘Counting’ for some time now. The rest of their music isn’t at the same level but this is one of those bands that could blow up and they are only playing the first weekend. This is that band that you can say that you saw them with only a few hundred people back in 2013 and brag to your hipster friends when they are playing huge shows in a few years.

#1 –Arctic Monkeys

Friday October 3th & October 10th, 6:30-7:30pm on the Samsung Galaxy Stage
Unfortunately this year there isn’t the headliners like Kanye West or Pearl Jam or Foo Fighters… Don’t get me wrong, MUSE and Kings of Leon are great bands but the rest of the headliners are a bit aged for my tastes. This is why my top pick for ACL 2013 is the Arctic Monkeys. They have been around for almost a decade and can rock the house. They also have the hipster sounds that many of the ACL goers will enjoy. I will be posted up at the Samsung stage after the Jake Bugg show and will be staying through the MUSE show to end a wonderful Friday night at Zilker Park.