The ACL Festival

By Ashley Paredez

The scorching sun is bearing down directly at you. You're packed in the middle of a crowd that won't budge, so sweaty that sunscreen is dripping off. You're dying of thirst but don't want to get out of the crowd and lose your spot. Those are the things you'll forget tomorrow.

But what you will remember is the music, ranging from gospel, to country western, to rock, to reggae, to blues, to tejano – three days from before noon until 10 p.m.

The festival has been around for only five years and already it's as well known as the show. Within these five years, it has brought new fans as well as musicians to Austin.

The festival started as an extension to the television show, but did more than just that: it created a new place for music lovers to come together and listen to music. The first festival, in 2002, was a collaborated effort between KLRU and Capital Sports Entertainment (CSE) officials. The idea of having a festival was mutual. ACL producer Terry Lickona along with other ACL staff saw the possibilities immediately.

"We have a lot of testimonials from artists and managers who've said that when they got the phone call to invite them to play the very first Austin City Limit's music festival there was an immediate identification with the TV show and many people felt like if they could, they wanted to make it work," says VP of Brand Management Ed Bailey.

After the first festival, CSE and ACL staff met to formalize a relationship between each other. It was then that CSE was invited to a co-executive producer relationship with the television show.

"People are very aware of the Austin City Limits name and a lot of performers will come and play for reduced prices or are excited about taking time out of their schedule to come and play because it's a great experience for the performers as well as the fans," says Kelly Cochran, Junior Publicist of Capital Sports and Entertainment.

Officially CSE is a licensee and they have been allowed to use the ACL logo and name.

"As long as that festival is connected to the Austin City Limits brand, which it is… I now have to say that Austin City Limits has another meaning to the city of Austin because of the way the festival has reached out and brought fans here," Bailey says.

Along with the festival, there are archived DVD's and the future Block 21 venue that will have adopted the ACL name. An ACL theatre is in development and will open in three years.

Each year more tourists come to the festival causing more tickets to be sold -- $145 for a 3-day pass, as long as they last, more than double that after the supply is exhausted -- hotels to be packed, and crowded restaurants.

"Its really focused on being a travel based festival so there are a lot of people that come into town and it brings a lot of visitors to Austin and a lot of revenue as well," says Cochran.

Ticket, food, and merchandise sales all go directly to CSE to fund the festival. But a portion of the money goes to support the ACL show. The City of Austin parks department also gets money from CSE.

"Last year they donated an additional $300, 000 for Zilker park. We also get a dollar for every ticket sold," says Victor Ovalle, Parks and Recreation Department Program Manager.

Since the festival takes place at Zilker park, the heat is a big concern. During the festival in 2004 the highs were 96, 96, and 93. In 2005 the highs were 98, 99, and 107. In 2006, ACL, working with the City of Austin, set up tents and other stations equipped with fan misters.

Although the heat is a concern, people come to the festival because they are drawn to the music.

"Basically the ideal is to really give the people in Austin a chance to experience bands that maybe they didn't know, mixed in with well-known bands as well. It's really more about the fan experience and really trying to produce a really great experience for people in the city," says Cochran.

There are eight stages for the performers. Headliners have included Van Morrison, John Mayer, Tom Petty, Sheryl Crow, and the legendary Willie Nelson. The ACL festival does not spotlight a specific style of music; it gets artists from every musical genre.

"In the five years of the festival, we've had some of our bigger acts that have graduated. And in some cases, we've had acts that have grown up off the festival," says Bailey.

Bands such as Los Lonely Boys started performing at the festival on a side stage, then main stage, and twice on the television show. It has given artists a chance to get their music heard and become more well known.

ACL benefits as well, from the availability of performers who come for the music festival and then turn around and tape a show while they're in town.

In some ways, the ACL Festival has attracted a broader and younger crowd.

"Today … if they ask you, 'What's on ACL?' or 'What's coming to ACL?' they now more often mean the festival because it's no longer just about the show," says Bailey.

It's not that the show is no longer watched, it's just that the festival has brought a new meaning to music in Austin.

Ed Bailey on the ACL Festival