5 Things You Missed at Austin City Limits
Drake, Hozier, and Florence + the Machine are just a few of the big-name acts that will be packing their bags tonight after a second consecutive weekend of Austin City Limits, the annual music festival held in the city's sprawling Zilker Park. And even though the two three-day affairs boasted near-identical lineups, there were, as always, certain highlights from each. Below, a comprehensive roundup of what you may have missed down south.
1. A$AP Rocky had a birthday party with 60,000 people.
The debonair rapper rang in his 27th birthday on stage at the fest along with the rest of his A$AP Mob crew. The next night, he kept the celebration going at a sold-out late-night show at Austin Music Hall.
2. The Strokes played their last confirmed concert of 2015.
The on-again, off-again bandmates closed out the first weekend of the fest by performing a slew of their early hits, including Is This It, Last Nite, and Hard To Explain, and it was nothing short of epic.
3. Drake and Future performed What a Time to Be Alive for the first time ever.
After spontaneously dropping an 11-track mixtape days earlier, Drake bought out his most recent collaborator, Atlanta-based hip-hop artist Future, as his special guest.
4. People live-streamed certain acts via virtual reality headsets.
Thanks to Samsung, there were various stations on-site offering hands-on ways to engage with the tech brand's latest devices, including the recently unveiled Samsung Gear VR headset. With it, viewers could live-stream acts that performed on the Samsung Galaxy stage, including Of Monsters and Men, A$AP Rocky, and Florence + the Machine.
5. Kids got in on the fun, too.
While most of the festivities were better suited for adults, the fest also offered Austin Kiddie Limits, a curated kids' area with games, child-friendly bands, and free snacks.