Charles Reagan Hackleman/ACL Festival

Despite some scattered storms causing a delayed start for the second day of Austin City Limits Music Festival, Saturday was mostly a blissful affair. 

Unfortunately, lightning in the area forced festival organizers to keep the gates closed off to the public nearly an hour after the scheduled opening. But once the festivities started, there was no slowing down.

There was an early positive vibe filling Zilker Park, partly because the Texas Longhorns proved victorious over longtime rival, the Oklahoma Sooners, defeating them for the first time since 2015.

But the mood wasn't all sunshine and celebration, as some scattered showers threatened to cause some afternoon havoc and news of Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court confirmation began trickling in later in the day. 

The moment wasn't lost on the crowd, with many attendees wearing protest shirts or sporting paper fans reminding fellow music-lovers to "just fucking vote." In fact, CHVRCHES singer Lauren Mayberry, long known as a political activist unafraid of voicing her opinions, paused during the band's set to remark on the "pretty bad day for humanity."

Mayberry didn't address Kavanaugh by name, but she acknowledged the controversial swearing-in with a bit of—swearing out, telling the crowd it's OK to feel rage about what is happening in the country, then leading them as a group to yell "Fuck." It's "cathartic," she joked, as many fans cheered.

As the evening wore on, St. Vincent followed the Scottish trio with a rousing, absolutely electric performance. After delivering a riveting rendition of "Los Ageless," she took a break and urged the audience at the Miller Lite Stage to "fight the power." The crowd roared back with applause and raised fists.

It's definitely an interesting time in America, but if you're going to endure it, being surrounded by a bunch of fellow music fans certainly helps.

See photos from Day 2 of ACL below.

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