ACL DAY 2
MUSIC FESTIVAL
Austin City Limits Second Day Was a Blast!
Sabrina Carpenter. Photo by Alfredo Flores for ACL Festival 2025.
Austin City Limits’ second day was a blast (literally). For some reason people seemed even more excited than the previous day. The heat was equally intense, but the crowd certainly didn’t care. Astonishing performances, with the big surprise of Sabrina Carpenter bringing Shania Twain to the stage, and The Strokes leaving people cheering like teenagers.
AUSTIN, TX. By Pablo Herrera
For Teens Media Network, this second day was (once again) an incredible adventure. Covering a major music festival is not an easy task: you have to run from stage to stage, make good picks, and make sure you can deliver. Interview artists, take some snaps of the performances, so you can make your audience feel they were actually there with you. TMN creator Aja Haywood was doing an incredible job for her age — running all day and always willing for more. It isn’t easy. Welcome to the music journalism business: a beautiful and inspiring, but also hard and demanding task!
The day started at the press lounge interviewing Midnight Generation, the funk-driven eclectic Mexican band who will be playing on the 3rd day at ACL. It was an inspiring conversation and we are looking forward to their set. It was also the first opportunity for our creator Aja to interview a music band and to keep learning deeply in the task of music journalism. Stay tuned — the interview is coming soon.
Mexican band Midnight Generation at ACL Music Festival 2025. Photo: Pablo Herrera for TMN.
After the interview, we rushed to the T-Mobile stage to see Modest Mouse. My second time seeing the Washington band (they also played ACL in 2021). They started with all the energy and good vibe of Float On. It was a magic moment for me personally, since this song means so much — growing up in the ’90s.
Watch a snippet of Modest Mouse’ performance. Cover photo: Chad Wadsworth for ACL Festival 2025.
We left Modest Mouse early to catch MARINA at the American Express stage. I was excited to see her for the first time and she didn’t disappoint. She delivered a magnetic set at ACL, blending soaring vocals with her signature synth-pop energy.
Watch a snippet of MARINA’ performance. Cover photo: Pooneh Ghana for ACL Festival 2025.
With the beautiful sunset coming down, it was the time of The Backseat Lovers. Also my second time seeing them, the indie rock band from Utah created one of those magical ACL moments: the perfect sunset, people enjoying, heartfelt lyrics blending with dynamic guitar-driven melodies.
Watch a snippet of The Backseat Lovers performance. Cover photo: Dusana Risovic for ACL Festival 2025.
Then we rushed again to experience one of the fastest rising stars in the U.S. — Doechii, the genre-bending rapper and singer from Tampa, Florida. She electrified ACL with her bold style and high-energy performance. It was my first time experiencing her and I can say: you really want to see her. It’s an experience you won’t forget.
Watch a snippet of Doechii’ performance. Cover photo: Greg Noire for ACL Festival 2025.
We still made time to go to the Beatbox stage to see Japanese Breakfast, the indie pop project of Korean-American musician Michelle Zauner. As usual, she did not disappoint: sweet, talented, always innovating, enchanting ACL with dreamy soundscapes and heartfelt storytelling.
Watch a snippet of Japanese Breakfast’ performance. Cover photo: Charles Reagan for ACL Festival 2025.
With daylight gone, the biggest name of the day came to play. At T-Mobile, The Strokes delivered what they know best: a teenage fever. The iconic rock band from New York City shook ACL with their signature garage-rock anthems and raw energy. Julian Casablancas thanked people for the view they were giving the band: “It is like when you go to a fancy restaurant and the waitress asks you: do you want the table with the nice view?” From the stage, the sight of the crowd must have been astonishing. A note I loved to highlight: Albert Hammond Jr. was wearing a Lou Reed T-shirt — as a New Yorker and a Lou Reed fan, that detail connected me with the band even more.
Watch a snippet of The Strokes’ performance. Cover photo: Chad Wadsworth for ACL Festival 2025.
We still had time (how could we not?) to go all the way across to catch Sabrina Carpenter. The crowd was insane, but we managed to get there and as usual she was fantastic. A big contrast from The Strokes, but worth it. The big surprise was the pop singer-songwriter from Pennsylvania bringing Shania Twain on stage. It was the perfect moment to end the day, heading home full of energy despite the physical exhaustion.
Watch a snippet of Sabrina Carpenter’ performance. Cover photo: Alfredo Flores for ACL Festival 2025.
Hit play and join us
Visit our ACL YouTube playlist with 50+ videos — interviews and crowd moments — and follow along for exclusive ACL 2025 coverage and more. Every view helps us create real opportunities for the next generation of young creators.
Phoenix performing at ACL 2023. Photo: Nell Carroll/American-Statesman.
Thanks to Colectivo Piloto , our main sponsor, and to ACL Music Festival for supporting our educational mission and making this coverage possible.
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