ACL 2025: Guessing via Big Tours for 2025

Howdy friends!  It's about that time again, right?  The 2025 lineup should be announced in about 4 months, so it is time to make foolish guesses about what could happen based on the limited information available to me.  I am going to try to use AI again, just to see if it has gotten any better.  I should probably do a few others, but the first one I will do is tied to a Pitchfork article that came out yesterday talking about the 65 Most Anticipated Tours of 2025.  I'm sure 40 of these tours are going to be for some indie garbage I have never heard of, who will absolutely not be gracing the stage at ACL, but I need some way to figure out who is on the road, and this will kickstart that process.  And adding some others in here as well, even if not on that Pitchfork list.

Seeing NIN at Red Rocks is freaking wild, man.  That would have been deeply rad.

The blaring siren in my heart right now is for the possibility of Oasis.  I had a shocking moment not that long ago while hanging with two of my friends before a show, when I mentioned how much I hoped that Oasis would be at ACL and both of them acted like I just said I wanted to hump their grandmother.  A visceral, absolutely disgusted reaction.  Fascinating.  I'm still really surprised.  I did not know there were true Oasis haters out there.  I'd travel to a show, if I could have scored tickets when they went on sale.  So, we'll look at them first.

I'm also generally looking at bigger things.  Like, I know Iron & Wine or Soccer Mommy may be a possibility (please!?!), but I want bigger font artists in this investigation.  But I'm also leaving stuff out where I feel like the answer has to be no - Metallica, Kendrick Lamar, Dua Lipa, Tyler, the Creator, Shakira, Katy Perry, Usher.

• Oasis.  So, interestingly, when their tour was originally released, it was going to hit like 8 places for a very limited tour.  Now, their website shows a buttload of dates.  They start July 4 in Cardiff, Wales, play 5 in Manchester, 5 in London, etc. and then five shows in the US.  Chicago, Jersey, and L.A., between 8/28 and 9/7.  After those American shows they head to Mexico and London, with a delicious-looking three week gap between September 28 and October 21.  The ACL dates are October 3-5 and 10-12.  Would be an amazing get, no matter what my dumb friends might believe because their dumb!  I choose to believe - YES!
• Father John Misty.  I still haven't jumped into his new album.  Too much stuff to slog through these days!  But I generally enjoy the guy.  His tour starts up in TN on 2/12, hits some US dates all in the eastern half of the country, and then wanders over to Europe.  As of now, the last date on his calendar is 8/30 for a festival in Birmingham, England.  Makes sense to me that he would head back to the States to hit the western side of the country for the remainder of the year, so I feel like this is a good possibility.  Yep.
• AC/DC.  Would be RAD!  Never seen them live, and while I know that by now I'd be getting a bastardized version of what is left of the band and some replacement players, who cares.  The Prime show Rogue Heroes uses a ton of classic AC/DC as the soundtrack and it got me all geeked up.  Anyway, their current tour hits Dallas in April and peters out by the end of May, so my instinct is that this is a no.
• Olivia Rodrigo.  She is playing Lolla Chile, Argentina, and Brazil, all in March, and then Lolla Paris in July, which seems like a good indicator.  13 festival dates on her calendar for 2025.  That definitely makes this feel more like a possibility than I thought when I added her on here.  Why couldn't she be the Dua Lipa/Pink type add for this year?  Feeling it.
• Billie Eilish.  God, I really hope not.  Tour starts in Australia in February, and as of now, ends on July 27 in Ireland without ever coming to America.  That is certain to change, so sadly for my personal tastes this is a real possibility.  But unclear for now.  I'm just going to ignore it and hope that Rodrigo takes the pop star space on the poster.
• Pearl Jam.  IT'S FUCKING TIME, MAN!!!  They kick off in April in Florida, roll up the east coast, and then are apparently done by May 18 in Pittsburg.  I don't buy it.  Also, I really really want them to come back.  I will sell you my children for these shows.  They just got announced as the top artist at Jazz Fest in New Orleans, so they're going to add some festival dates!  Until they announce more dates, unclear at this time.
• As an aside, Jazz Fest also has My Morning Jacket, Dave Matthews, Lenny Kravitz, Kacey Musgraves, The Revivalists, and Goose.  I really like what they have going on.  April 24 - May 4 (and that is the issue there, you go one weekend and may miss a ton of the top tier stuff - if you want Pearl Jam, you get MMJ, but you do not get DMB or Goose.  That part kinda sucks.).
• Denzel Curry.  Man, his new album is fun as hell.  Strangely, my work has blocked the ability to look at his tour schedule.  That is weird.  But, per Ticketmaster, he is playing Stubbs in April.  I've seen acts turn around a show that close to still show at ACL, but it doesn't feel like this would be one.  Also, he plays Red Rocks with Freddie Gibbs and Earl Sweatshirt on Halloween and that sounds CRAZY.
• Bright Eyes.  Never really cared much for the Bright Eyes thing.  Assuming he doesn't cancel his tour again, they play Austin at the end of February.  Meh, I guess he could swing back around as the rest of the tour ends in July at a Spain festival.  I don't feel great about it though.
• Fontaines D.C.  I still have not reviewed that new album, but I can tell you here that it is greatness.  Their tour gets to the States by mid-April, and they play Stubbs on April 26.  The tour ends on August 21 in Austria.  Doesn't feel like this will happen with those two data points.
• Bruce Springsteen.  I guess ol' Bruce last year, based upon a nice gap in his touring schedule that perfectly lined up with the ACL calendar.  WRONG.  This time, his tour stops (as of now) on July 3 in Milan, Italy.  I doubt we'll ever get him anyway, but that schedule leaves me no reason to believe he's coming.
• Post Malone.  I heard that Posty was supposed to be at ACL last year but pulled out.  His current tour includes San Antonio on May 7 and Arlington on May 9, and ends on July 1 in San Francisco.  If I hadn't heard the rumor that he was supposed to come last year, I'd say no way he was coming this time.  But I think we need to keep an eye on that touring schedule and see if he adds dates.  Lukewarm on that one.
• Charlie XCX.  Going with a no.  She is playing the Moody Center on April 22 and 23.  I know it makes me old to complain about her popularity, but I just don't get the excitement about brat at all.  She'd have the time, as her tour ends on August 10, but I doubt it with two shows in Austin already scheduled for this year.
• (definitely skipping some weird crap in this list, like something called Circuit des Yeux with their "frenetic new song 'God Dick'."  Nope)
• Franz Ferdinand.  They start the tour in Europe in February, and hit the states by March 24.  They don't come anywhere south at all, the closest is a Missouri show, and then they end up back in Europe again.  Rome at the end of August is their final published show.  I think that makes them ripe to add some more dates and show up here for the Fest.  yes.
• Nine Inch Nails.  So, they just teased a tour, saying that some information had leaked but that they wanted to hold off on the announcement until L.A. wasn't getting destroyed.  Nothing concrete yet, so we had better come back to this one.  That being said, I would freaking LOVE to see them play live and get all back up in my feelings from 1994 or so.  So, since I wrote that original text, they have released the touring schedule.  And it seems like good news.  They hit Houston and Fort Worth in mid September, and the tour ends on September 18 in L.A.  That means they skip Austin and San Antonio with the tour, and then have time after the tour to roll back to Texas and make it happen.  I like it!  Will go with a yes on this one too!
• Sabrina Carpenter.  This is going to sound like a lie, but I still have not heard her song.  I know that by now it is a huge tune and an SNL skit and the whole thing, I've just never gotten around to it.  All that her website lists is Europe from March through July 5, so no good feel that she would be here in October.  She played Austin last fall at the Moody, so she could definitely come back through.  Not feeling likely as of today.
• Dead and Company.  I don't think they are leaving Vegas.  I would love this, and in fact have purchased tickets to one of the Sphere shows in April, but I don't see them coming out of the bubble.
• Jack White.  Another that felt really perfect until I looked at his tour.  he plays ACL Live at the Moody Theater on May 4 and 5, and so I don't see him turning right back around for another trip to Austin for the Fest.
• ScHoolboy Q.  As of now, the website only shows dates in Jan and Feb.  Doesn't feel like the kind of tour where they are hiding the ball a month out, so it seems like that will be all he wants to do for the Blue Lips tour.  Oh well.
• Deftones.  They play the Moody Center on March 12, and the show isn't sold out, so I don't see a reason to have them swing back through.
• Tyler Childers.  Man, the last time I saw him it was a real let down.  Hopefully by now he has stepped up his entertainment level.  But, for the first time on this list, he actually has all of his tour listed so that I can see that he will be in Ohio during weekend one and Tennessee during weekend two, so that is a NO.
• Jason Isbell. He plays Austin for three nights in a row from April 3 to April 5 (and I need to get a ticket!) so I don't see how he would come back around for the Festival a few months later.
• Ed Sheeran.  This bro fiddin' to play Bhutan next week.  I don't even know where Bhutan is, y'all.  Dude is just out there stealing "Let's Get It On" and making bank.  No American dates on the tour at all, and it goes through September 7.  They could be waiting to announce the US leg of the tour, but I don't really feel this one.
• My Chemical Romance.  They are coming through Arlington, and I seriously considered running up there to see the show.  I know, a man of my age and stage should not be jonesing to hear the little emo nerds blaring the Black Parade, but I love it.  Short tour, only ten shows, and ending on September 13.  I know it is possible, just doesn't sound realistic.
• Coldplay.  I think these bros have been on tour for eleven straight years, just circling Asia over and over and selling out every stage.  Right now, their website shows Mumbai, Ahmedebad, Hong Kong, Seoul, and then the US - and every single show is sold out.  They play two shows at El Paso, for reasons, and both are sold out.  El Paso?  FR?  But the run ends on September 8 in London.  So they'd have room to announce us.  Also of note, they do not go to Chicago on their US tour that otherwise dances around that area, and there is a three week gap surrounding Lollapalooza's 7/31 to 8/3 dates.  Hmmmmmmmmm.  They could definitely announce that they'll be at both Lolla and ACL?  My issue now is that I'd be down with the classic tunes, but wouldn't really want to hear the new Chainsmokers-ass stuff.  Interesting though, definitely smoke here.
• MJ Lenderman (I know I said only big artists, but I wanted to run this one down, dammit.)  he plays Austin (Emo's) in February, but I can't get there.  Which blows.  His tour ends in August, so I see no hard reason that he would end up here.
• Wilco.  They play a few Texas shows in May, but skip Austin.  The tour halts at June 29, so I see no reason that they'll come back through for us.  Who knows.

So, for those keeping score at home, I am seeing hope with the following artists: Oasis, Pearl Jam, Father John Misty, Nine Inch Nails, Franz Ferdinand, and Olivia Rodrigo.  That would be a pretty sick top three for me.  If they tacked on Coldplay?  90's guy paradise, baby.