After a big first day with Jay-Z closing it out, Austin City Limits Music Festival kicked off its second day in Zilker Park with a much more relaxed pace.
While Chance the Rapper and Red Hot Chili Peppers promised massive headlining performances, the day was full of an eclectic mix starting with Mobley and Xavier Omär in the earliest time slots as well Ásgeir, Mondo Cozmo and Allan Rayman.
Traveller—comprised of Cory Chisel, Jonny Fritz and Robert Ellis, the latter of whom was including among Variance's Best Songs of 2016—stormed the BMI stage with a mid-afternoon set proving they're an undeniable match after years working on solo careers. They've only released a couple of songs thus far, but expect to hear more from them in coming months.
Over at the Tito's stage, Oklahoma singer Parker Millsap tore through an incredible set bursting with twang, strings, soul and good, sweet rock and roll. While the sun was brutally hot over the festival grounds, an overflowing crowd seemed to really be taken by Millsap as he delivered a near flawless performance.
Later in the afternoon, A$AP Ferg took the American Express stage, which would later be home to the Chili Peppers. And he made use of his main stage placement, insisting that the audience form mosh pits. "I want to see a lot of women on guys' shoulders," he said, asking fans to "turn up."
Also on deck throughout the afternoon were the likes of Dreamcar, Benjamin Booker and Thundercat, while Angel Olsen soared with a sweaty performance at the Miller Lite stage. "Is there a swimming pool somewhere at this festival," the singer wondered out loud as she suggested clothes were an inconvenience in such extreme heat.
Meanwhile, Russ revved up the crowd at the Homeaway stage, which was swarming with thousands of roaring fans singing along with him as he ran through a slew of favorites and hits. While sound quality didn't seem to be all that great at times, it didn't seem to throw him off his game.
As evening approached, Cut Copy took the Honda stage with a shimmering performance of fan favorites and new material from their recent album Haiku from Zero. The raging sun couldn't keep the band and the crowd in front of them from having a big dance party right in the middle of Zilker Park.
Across the way, Ice Cube brought out the hits for a blistering performance, while Spoon gave local fans a truly special set, highlighted by tender moments, thrashing instrumental solos and plenty of spectacle.
Just seconds after Spoon wrapped their set, Chance the Rapper took the nearby Honda stage to massive cheers. And somehow, with all the madness in the world right now, his performance filled with spiritual influence and optimism seemed to be timely. As he asked the crowd to stretch both hands up to the sky, the good energy was thick.
"Let's all try to be a little better," Chance pleaded with fans as he paused between songs. And while he arguably could have delivered a monologue or some other form of encouragement, those few words felt appropriate following a number of tragedies which have left so many of us speechless.
See photos from select performances below, by Dan DeSlover, unless otherwise noted.
