Photo of The Weeknd performing at Austin City Limits Music Festival 2015, by Dan DeSlover
Austin City Limits Music Festival wrapped the third and final day of its first weekend on Sunday with a stacked lineup that included The Strokes, The Weeknd, Hozier, Chance the Rapper, The Decemberists, Halsey, Years & Years, Kehlani, Jidenna and Lion Babe, among many others.
Jidenna may have been an early performer, but the "Classic Man" singer did not mess around, opening the Samsung Galaxy stage with an epic show and likely winning many new fans in the process.
Another Sunday winner was Chance the Rapper, who played the second-tier Miller Lite stage but not surprisingly drew a crowd worthy of the main stage. And he gave them a show worthy of the big stage as well, starting five minutes early and wasting few seconds between tracks, captivating his fans from start to finish of the electric show.
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Earlier in the day, Chance's collaborator Kehlani attracted an outsized crowd to the BMI stage, which typically sees fewer attendees stopping by. The 20-year-old singer-songwriter delivered a riveting performance with a level of precision and charisma on par with that of some of the acts performing later in the evening. If there was any question as to why there's so much buzz for Kehlani, she answered it. And a guest appearance from G-Eazy certainly didn't hurt.
After having to cancel on ACL last year due to illness, Hozier returned to Austin—albeit with a slight cold, he noted—and made up for it with an immaculate show and a massive crowd much more familiar with his music now than they might have been a year ago. In addition to covering multiple tracks, including his popular mashup of Ariana Grande's "Problem" and Warren G's "Regulate," the Irish singer offered a rock star performance, having clearly found his groove after the past two years of nearly non-stop touring.
The Weeknd, who headlined Sunday opposite The Strokes, closed out the fest with an explosive set (and it wasn't just the fireworks overhead) complete with early fan favorites and what are now enormous, mainstream hits such as "Earned It," "The Hills" and "Can't Feel My Face." It was a huge victory for the Toronto star, who was scheduled to perform at ACL in 2012 but canceled because of illness. And while he still catered to fans who love him for his indie, underground roots, it was evident from his grand entrance that he was always meant for the big stage.
See photo highlights from the festival below (by Dan DeSlover, unless otherwise noted).
