Coldplay - Music of the Spheres. What is going on here? Where is the band that wrote "Yellow" and "Clocks" and "A Rush of Blood to the Head"? One of the tracks on here literally sounds like the soccer chant that was stuck in my head for days after going to an Austin FC game. "Alright! Alright alright alriiiight, Austin, Verde!" And the name of that song is an infinity sign emoji? Five of the songs on this album are named as just an emoji of some sort. One song features BTS. One song features Selena Gomez. One song is over ten minutes long and sounds like they are trying to turn the Beatles into a space rock opera? That last one could probably be a good song, but it's just silly to play along with ten minutes of goofy ideas popping back and forth in the ether. I guess I actually like it, but it just feels like they could have honed it into a great song instead of what it is.
Just as a by the way, Wikipedia says that "Music of the Spheres is set in a fictional planetary system called The Spheres, which contains nine planets, three natural satellites, a star and a nebula, each of which corresponds to a certain track on the record. According to lead singer Chris Martin, its concept and themes were inspired by the Star Wars film franchise, which made him wonder what other artists could be like across the universe. ... Each track on the album represents a celestial body from The Spheres. Following the album's track listing, they are: Neon Moon I ("Music of the Spheres"), Kaotica ("Higher Power"), Echo ("Humankind"), Kubik ("Alien Choir"), Calypso ("Let Somebody Go"), Supersolis ("Human Heart"), Ultra ("People of the Pride"), Floris ("Biutyful"), Neon Moon II ("Music of the Spheres II"), Epiphane ("My Universe"), Infinity Station ("Infinity Sign"), and Coloratura ("Coloratura"). Supersolis is the star at the centre of the system, and Coloratura is the Nebula. Each celestial body in The Spheres has its own language: EL 1 for Neon Moon I, Kaotican for Kaotica, Mirror Text for Echo, Qblok for Kubik, Aquamarine for Calypso, Supersolar for Supersolis, Voltik for Ultra, Bloom for Floris, EL 2 for Neon Moon II, Spheric for Epiphane, Infinitum for Infinity Station, and Coloraturan for Coloratura." THAT IS SO DEEPLY STUPID. Why can't y'all just make a normal album with 12 kick ass songs on it?
Here is the top track - "Higher Power," which has somehow belched out 122.9 million streams on Spotify and 28 million views on YouTube.
If Blade Runner had more robot bugs and rainbow lights and dancing aliens... I get bummed out when I realize how vapid some band lyrics are. I've stubbornly stuck by the side of the Foo Fighters despite evidence of their bad lyrics, but these are tough to stomach. "I'm so happy that I'm alive, happy I'm alive at the same time as you, cause you've got a higher power, got me singing every second, dancing every hour, ... and you're really someone I wanna know." Ugh. Again, I wish they had just released another album of classic bangers, included BTS to get their streaming numbers up, and left out the alien space crapola. [of course, ten minutes later I find myself singing the chorus from that damn song despite myself...]
Kacey Musgraves - star-crossed. On the one hand, I wanted to jump to her defense when the idiot Grammy people excluded this new album from the Country Album of the Year category because they deemed it to be outside of that genre, and instead put it in the Best Pop Vocal Album category. But then I actually listened to the album, and its pretty much a pop breakup album. I mean, it's not like a Britney pop album or something, but more like some confessional and gentle stuff from Stevie Nicks or J. Lo or Lana Del Rey or Olivia Newton John or something. Actually, I just heard a little of the Harry Styles thing when I just listened again, his pop-roc-70's groove thing that he did so well on his last album. It isn't bad by any means, but it's also just nothing like what I expected to hear (or wanted to hear, I suppose, especially when she uses autotune despite a great voice). Those other three albums were vital, even as they pushed the country genre outside of its boundaries through the years, but this one just feels like a bummer to be sad to. "there is a light" features some jazzy ass flute solos and a quick bongo beat, along with an almost rap near the end, which is entertaining for being weird. "justified" is the hit with 21.9 million streams (with "breadwinner" right behind at 16 million - which is even more pop-forward).
I like the driving video. That is clever. It isn't a bad song, and although the chorus is killer with the back-and-forth confusion of a breakup, the song overall is just not that interesting to me. That is what most of this album does for me, leave me with disinterest. It would be like if someone told me that I should watch a documentary about Kanye and Kim splitting up or something. I'm sure there would be bits that would be interesting, but I don't need to go through someone else's heartbreak for an entire album. I don't see any song on here gaining pantheon status among her other great tunes. It feels a lot longer than the 47 minute run-time. Although the Spanish-language song at the end is kinda cool. Would have been better at the end of a country-pop masterpiece. Hopefully she forgets old Ruston and marries Bruno Mars and we get country-pop-smart-lyrics-dance-party perfection again.
Drake - Certified Lover Boy. Nope. I don't even know if it is worth writing a full-on review of this garbage, but I swear this album seems like it is nine hours long. It's just bad and boring from start to finish. "Way 2 Sexy" is the only song I remember after hearing the album a few times, and that is because it steals from "I'm Too Sexy" and Right Said Fred should be pleased. But each song is just, like, him talking over a mediocre beat with a bit of singing here and there. I was hoping "7am on Bridle Path" was going to be about the road on Austin, I had friends who grew up on that street. Instead it's just him yapping in a boring way for four minutes. He has no flow, no timing, no sense of how to fit into the beat. I hate it.
Lukas Nelson and Promise of the Real - A Few Stars Apart. So weird to hear him sing. I'd have to expect that he sings like his dad on purpose, because my singing voice is definitely different from my father's singing voice. And yet when "We'll Be Alright" kicks off, it 100% sounds like Willie is picking the guitar and gently singing towards a kind resolution. I'm sure that is for a reason - trade on his dad's fame to hook people in, and then make them realize that he is damn good on his own. That is where I am on this right now. These songs are good in their own right for sure. "Perennial Bloom (Back to You)" is the hit so far, with a jangly rock sound like he's been playing with the Jayhawks.
"summer seed become my perennial bloom" is a great line. Good tune. "Leave 'em Behind" is another great one on here, makes me think of the Indigo Girls with a banjo. This album cooks.
St. Vincent - Daddy's Home. I was kind of excited about this disc, as my interest in her has built over the years, but I don't love anything about it. It's almost a lounge act album. The stream count agrees with my dismissal, as multiple tunes on here just barely crack a million streams. Pitchfork gave it 6.7 stars, which is just barely better than they gave the Peppa Pig album, which will always be the measuring stick for me now that I know about it. I especially do not like "My Baby Wants a Baby," which rips off that Sheena Eaton song about her baby taking the morning train. Pitchfork calls that track the standout, which tells you why they are dumb. The only interesting thing about the album is that it delves into the fact that her dad was arrested for a stock manipulation scheme and he got freaking 12 years. That's a legit sentence. Like, the asshole rapist swimmer kid in California got like 20 minutes in jail but this dude got a short lifetime. Top streamer is the first song - hallmark of a less than great album by a top artist - so I'll give you #2 - "The Melting of the Sun." 4.8 million.
Definitely has the funky organ from the 70's whipping it up, and then her goofy wig powering through the video. You get the scene she's going for. Don't love it. And that opening track isn't terrible, just kind of melty, weird classic rock. I wanted to try to see her show at ACL this year, despite not loving this album, but didn't get to make that happen. Oh well. I definitely won't be retaining this album for more future listens.
J. Cole - The Off-Season. I've never really given Cole a good chance. I blame Shea Serrano for that, although its likely not really his fault. But every time Shea talks about J. Cole he disses him. He writes wholearticles about it. And because I think Shea Serrano is an amazing dude and funny writer, I bought into that propaganda. But this album is genuinely really good. I don't know if this is different rap than what he did in the past, so that I can accommodate both a "Shea is right that Cole was bad in 2015" and "Cole got better and now is good" viewpoint, but either way, I think the flow on this album is really good, along with positive messaging and good beats. And in the intro he drops a line about "look how everybody clapping when you 30 song album does a measly 30-thou." That shade is delicious - I hope that Drake was sad when he heard that. But he also drops a line shouting out Eric Clapton and then says his pockets will ever fatten. Here and there, he drops a clunker (the one where he raps about people being so "Kane" they started singing like "Danity" makes me cringe each time). Regardless, I think this thing is very good overall. His 21 Savage track is legit enjoyable, with a great sample-based beat and a laid back vibe, and that one just barely beats out the Lil Baby track for streaming dominance (128 million versus 125 million), but I think you should peep one that doesn't have a top collaborator. "the . climb . back" is third place at 99 million streams. (and yes, they are all given annoying names like that).
That video is obviously home made, as none of the lyrics match his mouth... But the song is solid rapping and a good beat. An introspective sounding track, that still blasts out some brags and disses to other rappers. Its a very full song - he goes through all sorts of topics. I like it. The Lil Baby one has a good beat and flow as well, and I like the story-telling about the time Cole had a gun pulled on him (although Baby's verse is uninteresting and kind of hard to parse). I also really like the second verse of "let . go . my . hand" where he talks about his son growing up and how he struggled to do the same back in the day, and then admits to loving Puffy when he was a kid. Good immersive flow right there. I'll hold this album.
Olivia Rodrigo - Sour. I know that I am very late to this review, but her star was rising in the pop circles before I was paying attention and then the ACL lineup got released. When the lineup gets released I get sucked into listening to that stuff and can't make time to hear regular releases for a while. But, I will admit to this album having a special place in my heart for a few reasons. First, my middle kid came to me and proactively asked if I would like to hear it after she realized that I didn't know about it. Which was deeply cool - to have her come to me with something that she liked and actively seek a connection on music. And I dug her comments about it too, as she was like, "oh yeah, she gets rocking here, like she's mad, but I don't think she's really mad." Anyway, now I'm forced to forever remember this album because of that one thirty minute moment in time. Second, in a highly entertaining moment for me, the DJ warming up the crowd for AG Club at ACL Weekend One used a track from this album to hype the crowd before that show started. Which, at first, seemed entirely out-of-place, until I noticed that all of the girls around me where yelling the lyrics in each other faces and the crowd was jumping up and down and jamming out to it the same way that they were doing to Kendrick and Future and the other hype tracks being used. I came home from that day and just started yelling "GOOD FOR YOUUUUUU" in my daughters' faces to further connect with them. Dad of the year stuff right there. Here, you need this song right now to feel the pleasures of it too. "good 4 u," with 977.5 million streams (holy hell! That is a LOT!):
Great kiss off song. Pure pop rock nugget of teenage angst and power chords. Feels like something Avril Lavigne would have tried to put out 20 years ago. But like with all of her songs, the lyrics are on point. I also deeply dig the little pause right before the "aaahhhhhhhh" part around 1:50. "traitor" is a freaking great song. Like, if I was 15 and all up in my feelings about a girl, I would tattoo that thing on my heart. "deja vu" is likewise great. "drivers license" is the biggest hit of all of them, with more than 1.1 billion streams. That is kind of amazing. That song is when I'm feeling the Taylor Swift vibes from her - again, lyrically, its a great one. She also puts off some Billie Eilish vibes on some of these tunes. Superficially, I feel like I am not supposed to like this stuff, and yet it strikes a real chord in me each time I work through it again. The album closer is a sad one with her hoping that some kids are okay despite their shit parents. It's a really good album that I'll keep up with.
Lord Huron - Long Lost. I'm a sucker for the Lord Huron experience. When they last came to ACL I made a point to go back to the second weekend's show because the first weekend was so striking. It's beautiful music that straddles a line between indie and Americana and country. This one is beautiful again. I thought "Mine Forever" was going to be the top performer (because I think it is so damn pretty), but it ends up being third, behind second-place "I Lied," which stars ACL performer Allison Ponthier, and first place "Not Dead Yet." 13.7 million streams.
The driving beat in that one is great. "You look like hell and you smell like death" is a money shot diss. I also like the little asides in this one, like the dude who comes in and asks if the lady who had just been speaking was talking in "French or sumpin?" In addition to Americana-ey stuff, its got a dreamy 50's kitsch to it that is kind of fun. Some Dude tripping to "Tumblin' Tumbleweeds" vibes. And then the final song is a 14 minute trip into oblivion (that I could actually do without). But still, the album is another good one that I'll keep.
If I see more shows like this, Chvrches may become an actual favorite band. Really great, high energy show.
The funny thing that my wife observed during the show is how weird this band looks as a group. You've got the pretty, tiny Lauren Mayberry out front, belting out the lyrics, dancing around, changing her outfit every handful of songs. And then behind her there are these two heavy-set dudes in all black who look like they are roadies who got picked to come out and play with the girl. They barely interact, although the two dudes come out from behind their synths sometimes to wail on their guitar or bass. But otherwise they're back there in the shadows, while the spotlight stays focused on Mayberry. And there was a drummer for the live show, which was a good addition to give some more ooomph to the tracks.
They did a great job of including the best songs from the new album and a lot of the best tunes from the prior albums. The show flowed very well. And, at least from my perspective, their tunes sounded amazing. I bet I leaned over to my wife four times during the show to show her the goosebumps rolling up my forearms.
The best part was definitely the three song encore, when they played "Asking for a Friend" (a new favorite from the new album), "The Mother We Share," and "Clearest Blue." Hell yeah. Sent me out of the show floating on a cloud. My only quibble is that I wish I had been closer to the show for those last three songs so that it wouldn't have looked so weird to jump around and pump my fists in the air as I sang "YOU STILL MATTER!" to the world.
Before I release the bile, let me just say that seeing Willie again was wonderful, and Chris Stapleton is still one of my favorite dudes to see live.
BUT, can I whine for a sec? Well, yes, I can, because this is my blog dammit. When the tickets went on sale for this music festival, here is what the poster looked like:
Which is, holy hell! Willie, Stapleton, Sturgill, Avetts, Lucinda, Margo, Yola - I'd pay to go see any of those folks just about any day of the week! And so I did! I can't recall what I paid for the tickets, but I think it was a lot. But in my mind, this was like buying ACL tickets where I was about to get to see a full day of outrageously great shows! Sweet! Any reasonable person looking at that poster would expect that the Festival involved all of those artists, right?
But then I start hearing radio ads where they are pimping tickets to go see Willie and Family, Chris Stapleton, Ryan Bingham, and Yola. And I thought to myself, pretty nice of them to be saying Yola instead of some of those bigger bands on the lineup. Didn't think that meant that the whole poster was a LIE! Until like two days before when they released the set times, and only then did I realize that the poster was a damn dirty trick! Nothing on there says that only some of these bands will be there. It 100% made me believe that I was buying a ticket for those artists. Wish I knew a lawyer.
Anyway, here are my thoughts about the actual music. Yola was good, but I felt terrible for her. The sun was directly on the stage, and being that this was late August, it was a billion degrees in there. She carried on, and her voice is so damn lovely, but her show at the Scoot Inn a few years back was much more enjoyable. The Ryan Bingham show was honestly just boring. I know he's a great songwriter and all, but it was literally just him and his guitar on stage in the blaring heat. After the fun energy of Yola, he was just flat. We wandered off to find a drink.
Stapleton freaking crushed it. If you haven't seen him before, then you are doing yourself a disfavor. Dude can belt it, he writes killer songs, and his skill on the guitar is full-on rockstar worthy. He jammed out. And while it doesn't really change anything musically, it makes me happy that his wife is on stage with him and singing harmonies. Dig that. Then Willie bopped out with son Lukas in tow, and they played a solid set. I didn't especially want to hear Lukas play his originals (although I really like his new album and would dig a full set from him now) but that was just because I really wanted to see Willie doing his thing. Willie looks ancient, and performed sitting down, but he still sounds pretty solid. I hope that won't be the last time I get to see him, but if is was, I'm glad he did a good show with a bunch of the classics. We didn't stay to the bitter end to see everyone else take the stage and do a big singalong, but it was a fun day anyway.
Young M.A. - Off the Yak. I really like this album. Not sure entirely why, but I think it has to do with the fact that when I hear this lady rapping, talking shit about everyone and laying waste to any sort of gender norms, she reminds me of Snoop from The Wire. And I thought Snoop from the Wire was a freaking badass. I remember tiny bits and pieces from that show, but one scene that will never leave my mind is the scene when she is shopping for a nail gun to murder people with, and the Home Depot guy is just explaining the options as though Snoop is a construction contractor. Hilarious moment. Especially when she hands the guy a wad of cash instead of going to the register. Perfect scene.
You can't even understand what the hell she is saying for half of it, but it's a great scene. "you earned that bump like a muffugga just keep that shit." Amazing.
Anyway, Young MA is not actually Snoop from the Wire. She's Katorah Kasanova Marrero, a neck-tatted New Yorker who will call herself the Queen of New York in the same song as telling you to suck her dick. It's tough and street-smart stuff, which is somewhat rare from a female rapper. Instead of rapping about sex and her body, like a Megan or Cardi or Kim, she's spitting about thugging the same way that the dudes do. And I dig that. "Hello Baby," with its stop/start woozy beat, is the hit at 13 million streams.
I don't know Fivio Foreign, but I like his verse on there. Nothing special to that track, kind of a regular brag rap track, but I still enjoy the delivery. I really like "Don Diva," even though its another brag track, but just because the rhymes make me grin and the beat is great. "Klub Stories" is also an entertaining set of lyrics. The track that I thought was going to be the hit of the album is one of the lowest stream count-havers, which shows you what I know, but "Maaan (Got Me F'ed Up)" has the best beat on here and a slick flow. Love when she derides the listener as a clown. Nothing on here smells like a huge hit or anything, but the whole album is a good unit.
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit - Georgia Blue. I love many things about this album. If you missed the impetus for its creation, Jason Isbell tweeted that if the Georgia electorate would "go blue," and elect the two Democrats running for Senator in 2020, then he would make an album of exclusively Georgia cover songs as a thank you. So, for one, I love that this is like the payout from a bet made to no one in particular. Second, I love the fact that it includes not one, but two R.E.M. songs. Being that they are my favorite band (despite no longer existing), I am a big fan of the fact that they get the bigger/better treatment on this album of classic Georgia songs. I also really like the education I've received here. If you would have asked me beforehand to name Georgia bands/artists, I would have named R.E.M., Black Crowes, B 52s, and the Indigo Girls, before having to resort to rap artists for the next 58 that I know. But now I know that James Brown, Otis Redding, and Gladys Knight & the Pips are also from Georgia. Those are some big time artists to claim for that state! I also should have remembered the Allman Brothers when thinking through who was from Georgia. I'm bummed that the B-52s didn't make the list of cover tracks on here! Finally, I love the collaborators they get involved here. Brandi Carlile singing the Indigo Girls, Chris Thile doing his mandolin thing on "Nightswimming," and several of the others who I don't know sound great. I think next time he needs to do one where they do these rock and roll renditions of the rappers though. Americana T.I., Outkast, Future, Ludacris, etc. etc. would be amazing. The top track is the other R.E.M. tune - "Driver 8" with 490k streams. Love it.
Great cover. I love how the change in vocals bring out the actual lyrics in a way that they are not so obvious in the original, so that I can feel foolish for all of the incorrect lyrics I memorized when I was eight. Also, the Allman Brothers tune is a hot damn jam. Inject it into my veins. If I'm going to gripe at any of this, I'd say that increasing the speed of "Nightswimming" is a mistake to me. And again, no B-52's is lame. Gimme "Rock Lobster" and make weird dolphin noises immediately. Fun disc, will keep it.
Wolf Alice - Blue Weekend. Kinda disappointing to me. I really like these guys, and they put on a sweet live show as well, but this album takes a step back from some of their harder, crunchier elements and goes with a softer, tender sound that leaves me looking for the next tune. Like, "The Beach II" is a shoegaze song. What are we doing here? And yes, I know they get loud and insistent with "Play the Greatest Hits" but that doesn't make for the cohesive album that I was to hear right here. More just like they are doing that one song to make fun of my take on this album and be intentionally brash and annoying. I think "Smile" is the top track on it, the one that sounds most like what I was expecting when I found their new album.
Good groove, nice song. But then you get "Safe From Heartbreak" right afterwards with a triple layer of harmonic vocals and a lovely little guitarwork in the background, and it feels like I lose the thread on the album. "The Last Man on Earth" smells like The Beatles for a bit. I don't get what they were aiming for here. Maybe I'm just too old to get it or something, but I liked it better when they just jammed.
Tyler, The Creator - Call Me If You Get Lost. Right after this came out, I was in the Chick Fil A drivethru with my kids and middle kid asked if we could listen to the new Tyler, the Creator. After mentally debating pulling up an album I'd never heard before that might have some bad stuff going on it, I went for it. The first few songs kinda bang! And then the album shifts into 48 other styles and it loses me entirely. The hit so far is one of the wack ones that's half R&B. "WUSYANAME"
It's kind of funny, telling her she looks malnourished and all, but it very much sounds like some mid-90's Boyz 2 Men track. Don't love it. But, like "CORSO" brings the thunder both in the beat and the rhymes. "LEMONHEAD" too. "JUGGERNAUT" is fun. But the goofy "Sweet/I Thought You Wanted to Dance" throws off the whole thing, especially when followed by the weird diatribe by his mom. Of course, Pitchfork gave this album an 8.4 and Best New Music. One weird thing about the disc is that most of the songs are super short, except for two bloated tracks that are 8:35 and 9:48 long. Blech. Parts of it are enjoyable, but as a total unit, this isn't for me.
I went to a different show at ACL Live last night and it dawned on me that I had not reviewed this show. Lot of good it does you now! But I'll still wholeheartedly recommend going to see these guys if you get the chance. I got to see them play at ACL a few years back, and it was one of those experiences where your jaw drops open and it's hard to comprehend how musicians can be quite that skilled on their instruments. Between Chris Thile and these dudes, you'll lose any aspirations you might have had for playing a stringed instrument when you see how bad ass these guys are. Also, the dude is funny - "Dust in a Baggie" is not only a burner of a bluegrass track, but it's also clever. Go check them out if you get the chance.
Yoooooooo! It's time to get to prognosticatin'! Last year, I didn't really get the time to make my normal posts about who I thought might come along to the Fest, and even if I had, I have no clue how I would have judged any likely candidates. Nobody was touring. Many new albums had been postponed. Coachella was being punted yet again. NO way to have any idea who would be showing up in Austin in October.
And even if I had made guesses, I more than likely would have failed miserably in guessing the folks who ended up showing up. George Strait? Billie Eilish again when she had just been here? DaBaby? Rufus Du Sol again? Duran Duran back from the grave? Nope, nope, nope. Hell, I'm sure the folks at C3 didn't even know how to fill out the lineup in the first place, much less while replacing artists left and right, even up to a few days before the shows kicked off! Brutal.
Trying to predict what will happen in 11 months is almost always a fools errand, but let's have some fun with it anyway. I'm not going to go in to the wish list, because that never seems to work out. Just know that if Springsteen, a Led Zeppelin reunion, an R.E.M. reunion, an Oasis reunion, Madonna, or Rolling Stones could roll through, I'd be all over it.
Look in his eyes when he sings "And now you do what they told ya."
Rage Against the Machine. Their big tour from 2020 was postponed, and I was predicting at the time that they'd be a headliner for ACL. AND I'D FREAKING BE ALL ABOUT THIS. Time to break out the old mosh pit moves and scream along. We'll see though. Their tour starts March 31 in El Paso, ending in NYC, without ever coming anywhere else in Texas. So that sounds to me like a band who will be announcing a handful of Texas shows when they announce a trip to Austin in early October. Lock it in.
Other big tours that I just don't see being here - Backstreet Boys, Billie Eilish, Morgan Wallen, Kenny Chesney, DaBaby.
Olivia Rodrigo. Feels like the biggest new pop star out there, and one who would hop into the Miley Cyrus or Billie Eilish slot from this last year. But she has no tour announced as of now, and this article makes it sound like her TV commitments are going to keep her off the road. Too bad. I'd actually like to see her if she could come through. Fully ready to mosh to "good 4 u." Doubt it.
Red Hot Chili Peppers. I was just telling a friend how these guys have been getting crazy radio play all of a sudden. Feels like every commute ends up with at least one RHCP song in it. And that day that I had that conversation, I literally heard "Fire" and "Otherside" on the drive home on different radio stations. It was "Around the World" this morning. Just weird. I don't actually believe that the ACL bookers somehow coordinated a radio blitz to go with an announcement they may make in 7 months, but it just piqued by interest. Anyway, their tour (WITH Frusciante back in the group!) kicks off June 4 in Spain, comes to the US in late July, and ends on September 18 in Dallas (with no other Texas dates). That sounds like the perfect way to come down to Austin in early October! I'd love it! I'm sure some people would be annoyed with the 90's Bro Rock-ness if both RHCP and RAM were here, but I say SCREW THEM! Feels good.
Taylor Swift. I figured there was no way she was coming to ACL - she just feels way too big to get for the Fest - but since she's going to be on tour, I figured I'd take a look. But, although the Internet says she'll be touring in 2022, her website still says that she's sad to say she can't do the Lover tour. Feels like she's positively bursting with music to be played on tour - Lover, folklore, and evermore have all been released since she last toured - but who knows when it will come about. Doubt it.
Chris Stapleton. Just saw him in August (jammed, yet again) and he's playing here in Austin again tonight. So he'd be fresh and ready to go for a late '22 date in Austin. His tour takes a big break from December 11 to April 20, and then ends in mid-August in Ohio. if he releases some new music, then maybe that would charge him up for more touring, but as it is, that seems like a good time for him to take a touring break and get some new material in the can. Doubtful.
Bad Bunny. The Fest has aimed at the Spanish language audience recently, so this could make some sense. He's playing Astroworld festival in November of 2021, and then his tour rolls through El Paso, Hidalgo (the Valley), Houston, and Dallas at the start of 2022. So no San Antonio or Austin? That seems suss. But the tour ends, as of now, in April. Maybe that is because he wants to leave the entire festival season open to jam at the big four? He played Coachella in 2019, so he can rock a Fest. Feels like a good fit, but I don't have any good evidence here. Medium Level Defcon.
Elton John. Feels like homie has been on this Farewell Yellow Brick Road Final Tour I Promise For Real This Time thing for a decade. He's in Dallas and Houston in January of 2022. I bet he'll be huge at the Fargodome in Fargo, ND. Why in the hell do they get a date and Austin and San Antonio get he shaft. That is BS. Hmm. No dates yet announced for 2022 ACL, but his tour is interesting. Plays Arlington on Sept. 30 and then Nashville on October 2, before a big gap in this schedule before October 21 in Vancouver. That would be the perfect space to play two weekends of Austin City Damn Limits. That would be freaking so damn cool. I'm feeling kind of good about this one as of right now. Warmer than Luke.
Justin Bieber. Nah. Plays Austin at the new Moody Center on April 27. That is too close to the Festival to come back again. Nah.
Lorde. After listening to her new album a few times, I would not be excited about this one. Tour kicks off in late Feb, and ends, as of now, in late June without any dates in Texas. Dammit. That seems suspiciously like she's going to announce new dates that involve both Lolla and ACL. Hope that is wrong, but it also feels right. Ugggghhhhh.
My Chemical Romance. Another tour that was supposed to kick off and reunite a band, but then got COVID-ed. The rescheduled tour rolls from mid-March to mid-October, including late September dates in Houston and Dallas. Hmmm. Strangely there are gaps for the October weekends. They play Friday of the first weekend of October but not the rest of that weekend, same with the second weekend of October. If that is when ACL is, then they could play Sat. or Sun. of either weekend. I've never seen them live and would freaking love to. Absolute guilty pleasure band for me. But having shows in Vegas and California during the weekends of the Fest seems less likely to come right, especially for a band that isn't a MAJOR draw. I'll predict No.
The Weeknd. His website says that the tour dates are moving and will commence in summer of 2022, and that he won't be playing arenas but only stadiums because he wants to do something bigger and special. Hard to know, but it kind of feels like he's got his eye on something other than festivals. Nah.
Adele. Huh. She announced two dates for next summer, both at Hyde Park London, on July 1 and 2. Nothing else. New album drops later this month, and I could totally see her being the hot ticket to get for all of the Fests. But at the same time, I could see her not wanting to stand on a hot ass, dusty Texas stage to save her voice from the ACL crud. I'd love to see her sometime, but I don't think this would happen.
BTS or BLACKPINK. I know these guys are gigantic K-Pop groups, but I just wouldn't see the draw? Well, that isn't true. I could see a massive draw, those bands are huge, but I also don't see those bands agreeing to play in a hot dusty field for the normal ACL crowd. They feel like they need a bigger stage for dancing and all 38 members to have space.
Silk Sonic. This is the Bruno Mars/ Anderson.Paak supergroup thing. Would be an awesome thing to see live, I think, but no tour announced. We'll see.
Coldplay. The tour kicks off in Costa Rica on March 18, and makes it to Houston and Dallas by early May. No dates in Austin or San Antonio. Which is always so damn annoying. San Antonio is the 7th largest city in America by population. Austin is #10. I get that Houston and DFW are larger than both of those, but Tampa isn't! Atlanta isn't! Gimme the big shows, yo! Interestingly, Coldplay have a Lollapalooza-sized gap in the schedule. Lolla is July 28 to 31 next year, and the tour schedule shows a gap between July 20 and August 5. That would give them the time to bop over from Paris, jam Chicago, then head back to Belgium. And then the tour ends at the Rock in Rio Festival on September 10, which would leave plenty of time to come to Austin and get ready to play two weekends at Zilker Park. Hmmm. Huh. I had no clue that they had just released a new album in October. That is weird. I guess it slipped under my radar during the ACL time. But yeah, with a new album to support, a world tour that ends right in time, a gap for Lolla, and a deep desire by yours truly to finally see them, this could work out. I'm feeling pretty good about it.
Ed Sheeran. Like other major pop stars, I had always figured these types of artists would be an easy and quick no, but then we've had major pop stars show up in the past few years. Still neither of the two mega-pop stars (I see Beyonce and Taylor on their own level, personally) but Shawn Mendes and Camilla Cabello and Billie Eilish and Miley seem like on the same level as Sheeran. Anyway, his tour never leaves Europe as its currently scheduled. And it plays right through Lolla. it ends on September 25, so he'd have time to bop on over the pond and gently melt our faces, but I don't see it.
Eminem. I would not be excited about this one, after his last lame lip-synch fest at the Fest a few years back, but some website said to expect a tour in 2022 that jumps off from his planned performance at the Super Bowl. His website says no upcoming events, so I'll go with a no on this one.
Kacey Musgraves. It hurts me to say that I'm less interested about her coming back, as she's had a good and an excellent show at ACL that I've seen over the years, but I don't love the new album. Her tour kicks off in January, hits Dallas in February, and ends on February 20. Her schedule shows a slot at Primavera in June of 2022, but otherwise nothing after Feb. No good date making me lean either way.
Kendrick Lamar. The only thing on his calendar are three dates this weekend in Vegas at something called Day N Vegas 2021. Nothing else. Like Eminem, something I read said to expect new music and a tour from him to jump off after his Super Bowl halftime performance. There were rumors that the new album would release on October 22, but not so much. Dunno. Until more is announced, I don't see anything giving me hope to see him again.
Matchbox 20. I know, strong left turn there, from huge artists to a 90's redux thing, but I read that they were going to do a reunion tour and they'd fit into the box on the ACL poster previously held by bands like Live, Bruce Hornsby, Billy Idol, The Breeders, or Deftones. Anyway, they kick off in May of 2022, and run through Dallas and the Woodlands in June/July. They play right through the Lolla weekend, and end their tour on August 7. Nothing in that schedule gives me any idea that they'd legitimately be here, so for now I'll go with no.
Lady Gaga. Another major pop star who I have no reason to believe would show up for a Fest like ACL. But she's apparently planning on rescheduling her tour that got dropped by COVID, so I guess it could happen? No new dates announced though, so I'm going to stick with my gut and say no.
Shawn Mendes. I saw him a few years ago, and remember being pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed some of the show. His tour kicks off in March, bouncing around Europe until moving stateside by June. BUT, he actually plays a show in Austin, at the new Moody Center, on October 3, 2022, so I think that is a hard no. But hey, Austin gets a real show! Check it out!
Steely Dan. I know, as a middle-aged white man who likes music, I'm supposed to love Steely Dan. I think some of their songs are jams, but the majority of what they have going on missed me. But, they're throwing down a tour (despite half of the band being dead now) that will make it through ACL Live on June 5 and 6. With those two shows already on the calendar, I'm thinking this is a negative. I don't see them coming right back after two nights in town.
Any other ideas for big touring bands? That was all I found after reading a few articles about the expected biggest tours of 2022. I gotta say, I lineup that included Rage, Red Hot Chili Peppers, and Coldplay would make me deeply happy. Maybe then we get Bad Bunny and Lorde and, uh, LilBaby, on the other stages during their sets, and all the kids can go be happy while the olds get to jam out.
