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AUSTIN CITY LIMITS turns up the volume with one of modern rock’s premier bands, “Spoon” – August 3 at 10 pm
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“Spoon”
Saturday, August 3 at 10:00 pm
Ten albums and nearly three decades into a remarkable tenure, Austin’s esteemed rock ambassadors Spoon return to Austin City Limits for their fifth appearance, joining the ranks of Willie, Merle and Lyle with the most appearances on the ACL stage since their series debut in 2003. “First (ACL) taping I ever saw was in 1989 with Stevie Ray Vaughan,” leader and Austin native Britt Daniel tells the crowd as Spoon carve their name in Austin history. The rock stalwarts continue to make music boldly on their own terms, always pushing forward to become one of the best bands of their generation. They perform gems from their lauded tenth studio album, Lucifer on the Sofa, written and recorded in Austin. Rolling Stone hails the work as “Spoon’s best record ever;” it finds the band continuing to explore new sonic territories through elevated guitar rock and switchblade sharp songwriting. With Lucifer as the centerpiece of a stellar 13-song set, the quintet perform new highlights alongside fan favorites from their impeccable catalog.
Opening full-tilt with the jagged guitar stomp of Lucifer’s “The Hardest Cut,” Daniel & company demonstrate their showmanship as they segue into the shimmering, synth-driven “Inside Out” from 2014’s They Want My Soul. The rapt crowd thrills to new numbers, including the irresistible anthem “Wild,” the piano-fueled “My Babe” and the striking title track, a midnight ramble through Austin set to ghostly keyboards and augmented by a trio of saxophones and trombone. With fire guitar, tight drums and catchy choruses, the band perform career highlights, including the early, tension-filled gem “Utilitarian,” from their 1998 debut A Series of Sneaks, and the blazing “Got Nuffin” from 2010’s Transference. “The Underdog,” a horn-driven marvel from their mid-Aughts breakthrough Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga thrills the crowd. “Did we have a good time Austin?” asks frontman Daniel. “We did too,” and they close the hour with the iconic riffs of “Rent I Pay,” from 2014’s They Want My Soul for an epic mic drop.
“Spoon is not only a proud ‘hometown band,’ but the best proof that rock music in the 2020’s is not ‘dead,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona. “They continue to stretch and define what rock music means in today’s world, and this ACL performance proves it.”
Spoon setlist:
THE HARDEST CUT
INSIDE OUT
THE UNDERDOG
MY BABE
WILD
MY MATHEMATICAL MIND
DON’T YOU EVAH
GOT NUFFIN
THE DEVIL AND MISTER JONES
FEELS ALRIGHT
UTILITARIAN
LUCIFER ON THE SOFA
RENT I PAY