Some of music’s biggest acts are gathering for Texas’ premier music festival. Austin City Limits festival released its full 2018 lineup today, featuring top names like Paul McCartney, Childish Gambino and Metallica.
The two-weekend affair recruited six showstopping headliners. McCartney, Metallica, and Childish Gambino all earned headlining gigs, as did Arctic Monkeys, Travis Scott and Odesza. Also set to perform are rising stars Khalid, Shawn Mendes and Camila Cabello. Father John Misty, Elle King, Janelle Monae, X Ambassadors, Hozier and Chvrches are also confirmed to appear.
Now in it’s 17th year, Austin City Limits has always kept its lineup diverse. However, the addition of McCartney signifies the festival’s musical shift. In recent years, rap and hard rock were the prominent genres featured given headliners like Jay-Z, Eminem, Radiohead and Pearl Jam. The two appear once more in the form of Scott and Metallica, but McCartney’s participation shakes up the norm by getting an artist so universally known and beloved. A performance from the legendary rocker is particularly special nowadays. Now 75, McCartney remains on the circuit despite a recent string of aging music megastars – including Elton John, Paul Simon, and Ozzy Osbourne among others – deciding to give up their strenuous touring schedules altogether.
Austin City Limits marks the lone North American festival appearance for both McCartney and Metallica this year, whereas other participating artists are no strangers to this year’s circuit. Khalid, The National and Brockhampton will all appear at Boston Calling this spring, while The National, David Byrne and St. Vincent were featured in this year’s Coachella lineup. Other artists like Childish Gambino, Janelle Monae and Arctic Monkeys are seen more extensively, appearing at various festivals as well as embarking on headlining tours throughout the year.
Austin City Limits will take place October 5-7 and 12-14 at Zilker Park. See the festival’s full lineup in the promotional poster below. 