A sneak peek at the taping of Austin City Limits' special 50th-anniversary episode

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Historic, award-winning, trailblazing, legendary. Those are some of the ways you could describe Austin City Limits.

You could use the same words to describe the lineup of artists who joined ACL for a special episode taping Thursday night, commemorating the show’s 50th anniversary.

The longest-running music program in television history has spent the year celebrating its golden anniversary, from undertaking a digitization project preserving all 50 of its seasons to a free concert by Willie Nelson and Asleep at the Wheel.

The show rounded out the celebrations Thursday night by taping its two-hour special anniversary episode, “Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years,” which is set to air in April 2025.

The episode’s performances featured over a dozen artists, many making their return to the famed ACL stage. The event was hosted by Austin-based actors Jared and Genevieve Padalecki.

Featured artists on the lineup were Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr. joined by Eve Monsees, Billy Strings featuring Sierra Hull, Indigo Girls, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Brandy Clark, Rufus Wainwright, The Mavericks, Ángela Aguilar, and Cam with Lloyd Maines & the ACL All-Stars, plus appearances by Trio Los Panchos and Austin’s Tosca String Quartet.

The taping itself lasted for about four hours, which will be condensed into a two-hour, ready-for-TV episode. It’ll air on April 4, 2025. ACL also typically makes full episodes available online for a limited time immediately following their broadcast.

Austin PBS President and CEO Luis Patiño and Austin City Limits Executive Producer Terry Lickona kicked things off by giving remarks and introducing hosts Jared and Genevieve Padalecki.

The Padaleckis talked about their personal connection to Austin City Limits and ran through a brief history of the show before introducing the first performer, Ángela Aguilar.

Aguilar, a 21-year-old Mexican-American singer, made her ACL debut alongside her music producer, music director and pianist Cheche Alara. She performed two songs: “Piensa en Mí” with Cheche and Tosca Strings, and “Toda Una Vida” with Trio Los Panchos.

Next up was longtime Austinite and three-time Grammy Award winner Shawn Colvin. She performed the title track from her debut album “Steady On” first, then she was joined by Lyle Lovett for “The Facts About Jimmy.”

Continuing the songwriter momentum, the “songwriters circle” consisting of Brandy Clark, Cam, and the Indigo Girls took the stage for what was arguably the most poignant portion of the night.

Clark performed Grammy Award-winning hit song “Dear Insecurity,” followed by Camaron “Cam” Marvel Ochs with her 2015 breakthrough “Burning House.” Trailblazers in LGBTQ+ representation in mainstream music, the Indigo Girls — who made their ACL debut in 1998 — sang “Share the Moon” from their 13th studio album “Beauty Queen Sister.”

Clark and Cam each performed another song, Clark with “Buried” from her self-titled album and Cam with her song “God.” All four women together sang Indigo Girls’ hit “Closer to Fine,” which resurfaced in popularity last year after being featured in the “Barbie” movie.

Billy Strings switched the gears, bringing Sierra Hull on stage with him for a quick set of boot-stomping bluegrass. Strings has changed the game for the bluegrass genre; his album “Highway Prayers,” released earlier this fall, debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s all-genre Top Album chart, marking the first time that bluegrass has been the top album among all genres in 22 years.

Strings, who made his ACL debut in 2021, performed “Midnight on the Stormy Deep” and “Soldier’s Joy” with Hull.

The Mavericks, who have graced the ACL stage several times in their 35 years as a band, performed “Recuerdos” from their first all-Spanish-language album “En Español,” as well as “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down,” from their third album “Music For All Occasions.” The Grammy, CMA, and ACM award-winning band blends several genres to create their unique rock-country sound, pulling from Cuban rhythms, Jamaican ska, and Latin influences.

Lyle Lovett, an ACL Hall of Famer, is the second artist with the most appearances on Austin City Limits, just behind Willie Nelson. The four-time Grammy-winning 67-year-old singer performed 1988 song “If I Had A Boat” and the title track of his most recent album “12th of June.”

Texas’ own Leon Bridges made his third-ever appearance on the ACL stage for the 50th anniversary, performing with the ACL All-Stars band. They performed Bridges’ song “Ain’t Got Nothing on You” from his most recent album “Leon,” and “Beyond,” from his 2018 album “Good Thing.”

Rufus Wainwright performed his song “Going to a Town” with ACL All Stars and Tosca Strings. But he began his time on the stage by saying that he loves how music brings people together, implying that can be true even among political discourse. Before starting the song, he said, “I would just like to say one thing: trans lives matter.” Wainwright and Tosca Strings, along with BGVS, also performed “Hallelujah,” Wainwright joking beforehand it was “a song no one knows,” and saying he usually holds space for a “time of healing,” when he performs it.

The taping wrapped up with a performance by an Austin hometown hero. Gary Clark, Jr. made his fourth ACL headlining appearance earlier in the show’s 50th season, with the Black Pumas. He performed alongside Eve Monsees — a guitar aficionado and co-owner of Antone’s Record Shop — and the ACL All Stars for the special episode taping Thursday. They performed covers of Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Dirty Pool” and “Pride and Joy.”

Got FOMO after reading through this story? Catch Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years when it airs on April 4.