Day three of ACL closed out with a tremendous bang with some of the best performances of the weekend. Spirits were still high as festival goers went through a third day of musical acts, even the weather cooperated, staying cloudy and relatively cool the whole day.
From start to finish, every act put on an amazing show. The beer hall ran out of beer before 8 p.m. but that didn’t discourage festival-goers from having a great time.
DRAM kept the crowd jumping and even walked through the crowd while singing his most popular song, “Broccoli.” Louis the Child was definitely a crowd favorite, playing to a dancing crowd. It seemed like the party didn’t stop all day.
The Growlers brought the energy. Although they weren’t dressed up in mariachi costumes as they usually are when performing in Austin, the band still kept the theatricality through their set.
Just as the sun was setting Vance Joy had everyone crooning and following along. It was refreshing to see such a big act entertain so many people with nothing but his voice and an acoustic guitar. He gave heartfelt performances of “Fire and the Flood” and “Georgia” which were a great contrast to some of the more amped-up performances of the weekend.
Portugal. The Man was one of the surprisingly enjoyable acts of the night. The indie rock group played right before Gorillaz at the Barton stage and kept spirits high.
Gorillaz were by far the best performers of the weekend. They put on the most entertaining and visual show by far. Bringing guests like Mos Def, De La Soul and Del the Funky Homosapien along with a five-part choir. You could tell that this was a special show, never to be replicated ever again. Damon Albarn was all smiles through the whole set, enjoying it just as much as the crowd. Making their way through some of their biggest songs like “Feel Good Inc.,” “Superfast Jellyfish,” “Andromeda” and “Stylo.”
On the other side of the park, The Killers sure went out with a bang. The closing band for ACL performed 19 songs in total. Some of the songs included covers, not all were the bands’. They definitely proved themselves worthy of closing out ACL 2017. The loud and amped up performance of “Mr. Brightside” was the perfect way to close out the festivities.
With weekend two wrapped up, it’s time for everyone to go home and back to their regular lives. ACL will return next year Oct. 5-7 and Oct. 12-14.
