Article Contributed by Nick Gumas
Published on 2026-11-03
As the sun rose over Texas for the second day of this year’s Austin City Limits festival, the word was sent down in the early morning that gates would be delayed for two hours as the grounds crew worked to contain the mud that had thickened during the previous night’s rain. Thankfully, few fans would have to rearrange their viewing schedule in a major way and most artists slated to perform early that day were rescheduled to perform at a later time, and as the afternoon went on, the focus was primarily set on the artists who continued to showcase a wide variety of eclectic tone in their live performances.
Opening the afternoon on the headlining American Express stage, lo-fi indie rock artist Finn Wolfhard gave a gritty and impassioned performance sat somewhere in between nostalgic and modern as the artist solidified his transition from actor to multidisciplinary artist to the Texas crowd. The Stranger Things alumnus started with a bold declaration of his upbeat and punk inspired ambiance as he walked onstage wearing a simple Kermit The Frog shirt and began his set with an assertive rendition of his recent single “I’ll Let You Finish.” Electrifying audiences with a full assortment of work from his first few albums, the artist played a complete representation of the music that has defined his young career’s style including “Trailers after dark” and “Follow,” as well as a cover of Tom Petty’s “You Don’t Know How It Feels.”
Following shortly after, across the park on the Miller Light stage, New York indie outfit Arcy Drive justified their meteoric rise with an involved mid-afternoon set. Showcasing the evolution of their self proclaimed “attic rock” style, the group delivered a performance that blended high intensity instrumentation with a touch of melancholy delivery in a performance that included “Under the Rug,” “Roll My Stone,” and “Creatures Of The Night.”
A highlight in the long list of emerging electronic artists represented on this year’s billing, Nashville-born house producer it’s murph brought his upbeat and optimistically inclined style of production and tonal cohesion to a show that lived up to its golden hour timeslot on the Snapchat stage. Vivid lighting and pyro effects executed in the daylight brought an authentic rave-like atmosphere to the outdoor venue and prioritized fan engagement over all else. Embodying the spirit of jubilation throughout chaos that defined the weekend, midway through the set, members of the crowd took turns belly flopping into a large pit of mud toward the back of the crowd in a moment that showcased many fans’ sentiments toward the entire weekend.
Ending the evening’s bill on the Beatbox Stage, Detroit-native electronic duo Snow Strippers closed out the night for many with abundant enthusiasm and graceful creativity. Under a pulsating strobelight, the pair left no inch of the stage untouched as they engaged with the audience during an electrifying late night hour. At times it almost felt difficult to tell where one song ended and another began in a performance that emphasized curating a continuous flow instead of moving from one hit to another, while still playing many of their most recognizable singles including “Under Your Spell,” “Just Your Doll,” and “It’s A Dream.”
