Texas Music Magazine

After a successful Weekend 1 wrapped up last Sunday, Austin gears up to do it all over again! Weekend 2 of Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) kicks off at noon today (Friday, Oct. 10) and runs through Sunday. Music fans around the world will gather at Zilker Park to enjoy the cool vibes and diverse music lineup. Photo by Pooneh Ghana (courtesy ACL Fest).

We’re celebrating ACL Fest’s 100th performance day (Oct. 5) by looking back at some of the event’s iconic moments. Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) is Oct. 3-5 and Oct. 10-12.

When they headlined ACL Fest — in 2009 — Pearl Jam blasted a greatest hits set guaranteed to enthrall its audience. Rather than repeat that performance during both weekends of 2014, the Seattle alt-rock staple dug deep into its catalog for sets that proved the band was more than just a classic rock throwback.

From vintage (“Why Go,” “Even Flow,” “Corduroy”) to contemporary (“Lightning Bolt,” “My Father’s Son”), the band ripped into its catalog with gusto, animating frontman Eddie Vetter and letting up only for the acoustic “Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” and — during its first-weekend performance — a solo encore cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine” by Vedder.

Dabbling in folk rock, roots rock, garage rock and punk, the band appeared intent on stretching its boundaries. But Pearl Jam is Pearl. The element of surprise may have been long gone, but the band clearly still felt the fire.

Photo by Chad Wadsworth for ACL Fest