ACL Day 2: Judah and the Lion

Nashville swells with pride as Judah and the Lion spark a new kind of life into the crowd at Austin City Limits!

Set to play the T-Mobile stage at 5 on Saturday, the trio wasted no time in bringing the energy from their Pep Talks tour to Austin. 

The band opened with the titular single from their 2019 release to much applause from the audience. In terms of genre, I’d have to place the band into the vague void that is alternative rock, but with just enough bluegrass in it to get people dancing. 

And dance they did! The set was filled with fan favorites as well as a Blink-182 cover thrown in for good measure. The people didn’t pack together too closely, making it ideal for anyone trying to make their way to the front. As if it hadn’t been clear from the earlier songs, the reason why became very apparent as the first lines of  “Over My Head” began to play. You’d be hard-pressed to find a single person not dancing. Beers were carefully placed on the grass next to bags while their owners jumped and spun around. 

Gasps erupted from the crowd as the first notes of “Suit and Jacket” played, accompanied by streams of smoke shooting from the stage as the song picked up. The energy stayed high during “Dance With Ya,” where the band flung off their outfits halfway to reveal matching red exercise gear underneath. They danced in unison for a bit as their fans went wild before rushing back to their instruments. 

The band closed with radio hit “Take It All Back.” By now, frontman Judah Akers had thrown and Texas Longhorns jersey on, much to the approval of students and alumni present. 

Judah and the Lion are a stellar band currently on tour in support of their latest album. If you can’t catch them in a city near you, I suggest buying a ticket and making the pilgrimage to ACL’s Weekend 2.