The Most Memorable Moments of Friday’s ACL Fest Weekend Two

Friday kicked off what some argue is the better weekend of ACL Fest 2022, with buzzy second-week exclusives like Blondshell, Teezo Touchdown, and Wet Leg. Here are the Chronicle music writers’ highlights from round two at Zilker Park.

We’re Sold on Blondshell

photo by John Anderson

The 200 folks who skipped school or work to catch Blondshell’s first-ever big stage performance, occurring at an especially sunny 2pm, probably came in knowing the artist’s entire discography… meaning three singles released over the last four months. The ensuing 30 minutes proved her best material is still forthcoming. Sabrina Teitelbaum, who previously released alt-pop sounds as BAUM, held one arm aloft, gripping the microphone in her other hand. The L.A.-based artist detonated engaging songs to a stripped-down rock backing: Fender Mustang, P-Bass, and drums. While the intense breakup aftermath of “Olympus” hit hard, a yet-to-be released revenge song about being driven to violence by a failed justice system (“I can’t stop having visions of following him/ Gonna make it hurt”) played out doubly visceral. With savvy for penning memorable lyrics to captivate in just two lines or play out over the life of a song, this special songwriter showed shades of Patti Smith and mid-Nineties alt-poets to early attendees. – Kevin Curtin

Teezo Touchdown’s Frat House Initiation

photo by David Brendan Hall

Allotted only 30 minutes, Teezo Touchdown hit the T-Mobile stage at 3:30pm sharp, in lieu of wasting time with an introductory DJ mini-set. With onstage production featuring a plain green screen as background and a microphone wrapped in a bouquet, the Beaumont, Tex., native wore his trademark veil of nails striking through a black hat, also matrimonially clad in a black jacket and white wedding dress. He humorously transitioned between three songs by playing at failed attempts to contact feature artists – before ultimately phoning the audience after performing 2021 Tyler, the Creator collaboration “Run It Up.” For his 27 immersive minutes, Touchdown captivated with charismatic creativity, immersive call-and-response, and loosely-sprayed vocal inflections. An unreleased track from his upcoming debut project, where the vocalist swayed and repeated “frat house” incessantly, won over what he calls his favorite city. Touchdown’s set alone managed to “get the mid off the streets” adjacent to Zilker for the weekend. – Derek Udensi

A Feverish Afternoon With Wet Leg

photo by John Anderson

The afternoon sun burned just shy of the Honda stage top as a sea of festivalgoers gathered for a hot and heavy 43 minutes with quirky British indie rockers Wet Leg. Respectively donning crocheted cat ears and deer antlers, vocalist Rhian Teasdale and guitarist Hester Chambers opened with the talk-sing/synth sucker punch of “Being In Love” before initiating the wailing “Wet Dream” fans surely envisioned for the setlist. In true Brit fashion, Teasdale commented on the brutal Texas sun: “This is really bizarre!” The endearingly odd nature of the afternoon continued with unexpected semi-yodels in “Supermarket,” a pair of giant lobster claws appearing at the barricade (which the stage cameras loved), and a surprise raucous wall of sound in the tender “Obvious.” Everyone around me shook their hips and banged their heads, and then some, as Wet Leg closed with the nonsensical riot of “Chaise Longue.” All day long, on the chaise longue? In this heat, yes please. – Kriss Conklin

Genesis Owusu’s Intergalactic End-Times Abandon

photo by John Anderson

Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy, Michael Jackson: all icons who spontaneously combusted in head-to-toe fire-red stage attire. Notch Genesis Owusu onto that list. For a second Friday in the Tito’s tent, the slender Ghanaian-Aussie remixed the last half century of urban genres live and in real time. Backed by a new four piece, the snapback, kickout, bob-and-weave singer took ACL’s sacred soul spot intergalactic. Double decades of the fest’s (global) root bookings – Henry Butler, Andy Palacio & the Garifuna Collective, Rodriguez – turned on the torso of Owusu and crew as they motored through funk, punk, rock, R&B, rap, and more in an electric fusion of star time moves and groove. Presence, throat, and hooks all locked in particularly when the group went hardcore on “Black Dogs,” a desperate call-to-arms of end-times abandon. – Raoul Hernandez

L’Impératrice Leaves Their Hearts Onstage

photo by David Brendan Hall

After enduring eight months of international touring, L'Impératrice went out with a bang and their hearts on their chests – literally, in LED – at the Barton Springs stage. Not enough were dancing in the sizable 5pm crowd, but that didn't stop the French pop/Nu-disco sextet from turning the festival performance into their own Parisian nightclub. Lead singer Flore Benguigui roused the crowd with fluid movements and a soprano serenade against the sparkling sonic backdrop of opener “Off to the Side.” Arpeggiated synth notes and starry melodies followed in “La Lune,” where my line of sight caught a cinematic festival scene: butterfly kites flying, bubbles blowing, and beach balls bouncing. The empress – English translation of the band’s name – continued her reign over the crowd with hits from past collections Tako Tsubo and Odyssée before an energetic resignation with an unreleased track. Decidedly, L'Impératrice has enough stamina to put on a damn good show after 240 days on the road. – Kriss Conklin

Omar Apollo’s Big Headliner Energy

photo by Jana Birchum

It’s hard to believe there was ever a time when Omar Velasco, aka Omar Apollo, wasn’t selling out high-capacity venues or commanding thousands of fans waving their flashlight-activated phones along to the bittersweet “Bad Life.” Far from his $50 acoustic guitar and homegrown demo days, the singer-songwriter leaned into his bonafide R&B/pop star status Friday evening. He kicked off his Ivory-heavy set with the steamy “Killing Me,” occasionally stepping away from the mic to energize the crowd with meticulously-timed spins and leg kicks. “I’m not gonna lie, I feel like a bad bitch right now… this [is] skintight,” he joked, alluding to his raver-like ensemble of oversized jeans and a black spandex-snug top before 2017 breakthrough single “Ugotme.” Though the singer was slotted to close the secondary Miller Lite stage before SZA and the Chicks, he powered through his performance with big headliner energy – reaching Prince-level falsettos and gliding through funked-up jazz chords and psychedelic riffs on an ivory Strat with complete ease. – Nayeli Portillo

Looking for our SZA review? Find full review here. (photo by Jana Birchum)

Check out the Chronicle's coverage of ACL Weekend One.