Who's performing Friday at ACL Fest 2025? See schedule, lineup and set times

Weekend one of the Austin City Limits Music Festival is here. It's a great opportunity to see your favorite artists perform. 

Curious about who's performing on Friday? Here's the lineup and schedule for day one, starting with our music team's picks for who you should see during each time slot. If you want to watch from home, here's how you can stream the festival on Hulu .

ACL Fest 2025 schedule: See Friday lineup, set start time

This is who's performing day one at ACL Fest in Central Time:

12 P.M.

Asleep at the Wheel, T-Mobile – 12:45-1:30 p.m.

It isn't ACL until the local legend walks out and christens it. And Ray Benson is always a treat for hybrid workers who actually bother to put in PTO, enjoy a big pregame bowl of queso from Chuy's, hit the Chevron on Barton Springs for supplies and lock in. — Ramon Ramirez

The multigenerational Western swing band that traditionally kicks off ACL Fest turned 55 this year. The group celebrated with the release of their new album "Riding High in Texas" in August. This has been a big year for the band, which was recently inducted into the Texas Country Music Hall of Fame. — Mars Salazar

1 P.M.

Spill Tab, Miller Lite – 1:30-2:15 p.m.

Introverted bedroom pop by an extremely online creator usually gets worked midday in the Zilker heat. And then two songs in, some label-plant singer will be like, "Wow guys, Texas is hot." But I believe in Spill Tab, who, yes, makes whispery songs with a ukulele but also torpedo-rap bangers with smooth bass lines like "Grade A." — R.R.

2 P.M.

Good Neighbors. T-Mobile – 2:15-3 p.m.

The U.K. pop duo sounds like one of those twee Chili's commercials from 2013: Cheeky, single-note piano plops; acoustic guitar; stargazing lyricism about the oneness of humanity. Singles like "Ripple" are more uptempo, with rhymes and recall The Neighborhood's "Sweater Weather." Rock bands started sounding like this 15 years ago, and nobody can offer an explanation as to why. — R.R.

3 P.M.

Jensen McRae, Miller Lite -- 3-4 p.m.

The Los Angeles songwriter composes whole journal entries with uncomfortable specificity, like "When someone asks me who's my favorite Batman, I'll think of you and say Christian Bale." She's prolific, prodigious and sad — get in the pit. — R.R.

Panda Bear, Beatbox – 3:30-4:30 p.m.

In 2007, this reclusive composer won album of the year from Pitchfork, the hipster music publisher that commanded outsized influence on the turn-of-the-century internet. He still layers his vocals like Brian Wilson but with tighter and more accessible rock songs — like the gorgeously obvious "Praise." — R.R.

4 P.M.

Dylan Gossett, American Express – 4:30-5:30 p.m.

Young white men are expressing themselves through country affectations at alarming rates. They like bars with wood paneling and vintage Schlitz beer signs, and stylish ball caps that seem old-fashioned because they have a thin rope across the brim. I believe that the great country music takeover in American pop is a subconscious backlash to multiculturalism and diversity-, equity- and inclusion-focused Target campaigns. But while some writers wield the aesthetic as awkwardly as a 12-year-old who's been gifted Grandpa's shotgun, Gossett's composure will outlast his fashion. — R.R.

5 P.M.

Finneas & Ashe Present The Favors, Miller Lite – 5-6 p.m.

Finneas + Ashe = heart-on-sleeve magic. Their songs hit like indie movie moments you wish you'd starred in — melodic, yearning and impossible not to feel. "Home Sweet Home" flexes their range, and their debut album "The Dream" proves they're just getting started. —  A.G.

MJ Lenderman, Beatbox – 5:30-6:30 p.m.

A lot of irreverent dudes with guitars can hit the distortion pedal and sound deep. This North Carolina songwriter won me over with songs about getting the grill out of the rain and going tinfoil-hat about Michael Jordan's "flu" game against the Utah Jazz, wherein he claimed a pizza from a rival fan made him sick. Lenderman's convinced MJ was actually hungover. — R.R.

Briscoe, Lady Bird – 5:30-6:30 p.m.

This Austin-based Spotify Discover Weekly find blends Americana with new country. These Texas-bred boys, Phillip Lupton and Truett Heintzelman, just put out "Heat of July," a follow-up to their debut "West Of It All" (2023), on Sept. 19, and they were featured in Rolling Stone's "Men in Motion" series in early September. — M.S.

6 P.M.

Role Model, T-Mobile – 6-7 p.m.

ACL's ultimate wild card, Tucker Pillsbury — aka Role Model — is here to spin the "Sally, When the Wine Runs Out" roulette. Each performance includes a cameo, and guest stars have ranged from Reneé Rapp to Natalie Portman, and honestly … anything could happen. Sabrina Carpenter? Austin's own Glen Powell? Two weekends, two Sallies, zero spoilers. — A.G.

Cage the Elephant, American Express – 6:30-7:30 p.m.

In 2011, I remember thinking, "Hey, 'Aberdeen' is a wonderful rock song written in a blissful flow state of introspection. These brash Kentucky guys are A-OK." Now they're the last of the conventional rock bands. — R.R.

I'll be sprinting to catch Cage the Elephant. This is one of those bands I like so much — literally every single album — that I have few words to articulate how good they are. Their range and versatility, both in songwriting and style, have given them longevity when other groups from the 2010s fell to the wayside. I don't care if those are bold words for Cage the Elephant. I think they deserve it. — M.S.

7 P.M.

Empire of the Sun, Miller Lite – 7-8:15 p.m.

"Walking on a Dream" is the biggest song by the electronic duo who, despite their name, hail from Australia, not Japan. Their first album was released in 2008, right off the heels of MGMT's indie-synth reign. The band and their hit debut single are reminiscent of a time when Tumblr dominated, Instagram was in utero, and TikTok was just a twinkle in China's eye. — M.S.

Dr. Dog, Lady Bird – 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Fitting that "Where'd All the Time Go," effectively a wannabe "Revolver" throwaway, is the veteran Pennsylvania band's most enduring Spotify missive. Since 1999, they've been college-rock staples, appearing at basement shows nationwide. And recent set lists indicate a career-spanning retrospective that holds space for 2012's "Be the Void." — R.R.

Dr. Dog may be from Pennsylvania, but they sound and feel so Austin. Maybe it's the authenticity and wholesome messages in their songwriting? Maybe it's the curveball they throw our way every so often, like with "Midi Swamp" (2013)? Listen to "Shadow People" and tell me that doesn't just sound so Austin. — M.S.

8 P.M.

Luke Combs, American Express – 8:30 p.m.

Ramon Ramirez never goes home early, even when he knows little about either headliner. I once watched a whole Skrillex show without drugs. So why Combs? He's slightly more newsworthy given his viral Tracy Chapman cover. I also just listened to "Where the Wild Things Are," his most popular song on Spotify, and was moved to add it to a personal playlist that's getting me through the Micah Parsons trade. Then I listened to the second-most popular song, "When It Rains It Pours," and was blown away by its working-class malaise. — R.R.

Full Friday Schedule

• 12:45 p.m. Asleep at the Wheel, T-Mobile

• 1:15 p.m. The Animeros, Tito's Handmake Vodka

• 1:15 p.m. Tiera Kennedy, American Express

• 1:30 p.m. Spill Tab, Miller Lite

• 1:30 p.m. LVVRS, BMI

• 2 p.m. Honestav, Beatbox

• 2 p.m. Chance Emerson, Lady Bird

• 2:15 p.m. Good Neighbours, T-Mobile

• 2:45 p.m. Amble, Tito's Handmake Vodka

• 2:45 p.m., Tanner Usrey, American Express

• 3 p.m. Jensen McRae, Miller Lite

• 3 p.m. Nicky Youre, BMI

• 3:30 p.m. Panda Bear, Beatbox

• 3:30 p.m. Willow Avalon, Lady Bird

• 4 p.m. King Princess, T-Mobile

• 4:30 p.m. Vincent Lima, Tito's Handmake Vodka

• 4:30 p.m. Dylan Gossett, American Express

• 5 p.m. Finneas and Ashe present The Favors, Miller Lite

• 5 p.m. Moody Joody, BMI

• 5:30 p.m. MJ Lenderman, Beatbox

• 5:30 p.m. Briscoe, Lady Bird

• 6 p.m. Role Model, T-Mobile

• 6:30 p.m. Confidence Man, Tito's Handmade Vodka

• 6:30 p.m. Cage The Elephant, American Express

• 7 p.m. Empire of the Sun, Miller Lite

• 7:30 p.m. Maren Morris, Beatbox

• 7:30 p.m. Dr. Dog, Lady Bird

• 8 p.m. Silent Disco, Tito's Homemade Vodka

• 8:15 p.m. Hozier, T-Mobile

• 8:30 p.m. Luke Combs, American Express

ACL 2025

🔎  Ultimate guide: Everything you need to know

🎤 Who to see: From Luke Combs to Doechii

🍔 What to eat: 10 must-try foods

🧓 An old Millennial's guide to ACL