Editors’ Picks for the Best Sets at ACL 2025
With a range of genres and decades of music represented at ACL 2025, here are Afterglow editors’ picks for the best sets from both weekends of the festival.
Written by Afterglow Editors
Photo courtesy of Charles Reagan
WEEKEND ONE
Cage the elephant
Photo by Olivia Cagle
On the Friday of ACL’s first weekend, Cage the Elephant strutted onto the American Express stage with a striking confidence. Launching straight into the punky “Broken Boy,” the indie-rock group ignited the crowd’s energy as fire spewed from the front of the stage, complete with lead singer Matt Shultz’s erratic flailing and guitarist Brad Shultz’s intricate chord delivery. The energetic “Spiderhead” had the crowd clapping along as Matt Shultz screamed the lyrics into the microphone and jumped over the mic stand, with his sunglasses magically remaining in place. The band’s vigor only heightened with the 2015 track “Cold Cold Cold,” the crowd faithfully chanting the chorus as Matt Schultz’s dancing grew even more impulsive. After passionately executing hits like “Social Cues,” “Trouble,” and “Ain’t No Rest for the Wicked,” the setlist took a vulnerable turn with “Telescope” and “Shake Me Down,” making festivalgoers sway even as they screamed the lyrics. Matt Shultz asked the crowd to help him sing along as Brad Shultz plucked his guitar to the iconic intro of Lynyrd Skynyrd's “Sweet Home Alabama.” As the crowd hollered in recognition, Brad Shultz abruptly stopped and Matt Shultz gave a cheeky grin. “Wouldn’t it be cool if we actually did that?” he asked, making the crowd laugh before Brad Shultz started strumming his guitar for the band’s most popular track, “Cigarette Daydreams.” The song provided a special moment of unity for fans as every person in the crowd earnestly sang along to the collective’s soul-stirring hit. Immediately afterwards, Cage the Elephant turned up the energy one last time to perform the explosive “Come a Little Closer,” complete with Matt Shultz’s vehement arm throws and one-legged jumps. The set concluded to enthusiastic cheers from the audience, but not without Brad Shultz casually gifting his guitar to an elated fan at the barricade. With minimal production but loads of exuberance, Cage the Elephant reminded new and old fans alike of their wide versatility and spontaneity with an unforgettable set. — Valeria Mota
Rainbow Kitten Surprise
Photo by Olivia Cagle
At 4:15 p.m, during the blazingly hot Sunday of ACL Weekend One, Rainbow Kitten Surprise casually graced the T-Mobile stage. As the band moved straight into the first song, “When It Lands,” an eruption of cheers echoed from the crowd, and lone fans with their seemingly dragged-along friends hushed their conversations and intensely focused on the stage. The first classic on the setlist, “Devil Like Me,” showcased the dynamic vocals of lead singer Ela Melo. The stage’s screens showed glimpses of passionate fans in the front row, embracing their friends and shedding tears over the vulnerable lyrics, “What do you want from a devil like me? / Am I like you?” Amidst this vulnerability, clouds provided comedic relief when a particularly large one inched closer and closer to the sun, as scattered words of encouragement for the natural shade were shouted from the audience like, “Come on!” and “Almost there!” When the cloud finally settled in front of the sun, cheers and whoops filled the air and, coincidentally, Rainbow Kitten Surprise began “Painkillers,” a song about hope and finding a reason. The happily-shaded crowd was able to enjoy the track even more without squinting their eyes and wasting their portable fan batteries. Ending the set with “It’s Called: Freefall,” Melo and the band utilized the entire stage as fans on the barricade simply screamed their hearts out, taking the chorus “you can let it all go” to heart. Rainbow Kitten Surprise showcased folk-rock excellence throughout their hour-long set, making it a memorable show for ACL Sunday concertgoers. – Claire Hookstra
WEEKEND TWO
Role Model
Perhaps the funniest set from ACL Weekend Two was Role Model, who graced the T-Mobile stage with his indie-country sound on Friday afternoon. After starting off his set with “Writing’s On the Wall,” Tucker Pillsbury, also known as Role Model, welcomed the crowd to “Austin Butler Limits,” cheekily introducing his band as “Maroon 5.” Taking accountability in “Scumbag,” Pillsbury ushered the camera to zoom into his jean pocket, from which he pulled out a mini bright-red Birkin, an inside joke with his fans about the expectations versus reality of fame. After changing a lyric of “The Longest Goodbye” to “I’ll take my ass to Austin” instead of “Houston” and finishing the song with a 1950s-sounding serenade, Pillsbury joked about the variety of Austin legends, listing “Glen Powell … Glen Powell … and Joe Rogan.” Role Model then refocused on the music with an impressive high note in the rock-filled “Slut Era Interlude” and gave his guitarist space to shine on a cover of The 1975’s “Somebody Else.” Role Model expressed his gratitude by quipping, “We are Twenty One Pilots and we’re so happy to be here.” He challenged the Weekend Two crowd to be louder during the electric bridge of “Some Protector,” but the crowd got the loudest when he brought out singer-songwriter Lizzy McAlpine as the featured “Sally” for his viral hit “Sally, When the Wine Runs Out.” Role Model ushered the cameraman one last time to focus on his signature hip shakes during “Deeply Still in Love,” ending his set by yelling, “I love you divas!” The crowd was all smiles during Role Model’s set filled with uplifting beats and unbeatable comedic timing. — Janie Bickerton
Pierce The Veil
Photo by Mckenna Sefcik
As the sun began to descend on Saturday of ACL Weekend Two, pop-punk emo band Pierce The Veil abruptly emerged at 6:15 p.m. engulfed in smoke while the fittingly piercing percussion of “Death Of An Executioner” rang through the air. Soon enough, guitarist Tony Perry and bassist Jaime Preciado paraded across the stage, jumping along rusted yellow risers. Following “Death Of An Executioner,” Pierce The Veil went straight into “Bulls In The Bronx,” a fan-favorite that they rarely play live. When the red silhouette from their 2012 album, Collide with the Sky, became plastered across the stage, the tone in the crowd shifted. Pierce The Veil transported the crowd to the early 2010s while performing vigorous songs from the record such as “Hell Above” and “Hold On Till May.” In the middle of “Hold On Till May,” lead vocalist Vic Fuentes spoke into the mic and said “I just want to know, how many people out there in this crowd can say that music saved their life? Alright, this song's for you,” as he slipped into the rest of the song. The golden rays from the sun subsided as Pierce The Veil concluded their set with a remarkable performance of “King For A Day,” a nostalgic track beloved by fans new and old. With a thrilling set and vulnerable moments, Pierce The Veil’s pop-punk anthems rekindled the fire inside many emo-loving fans’ hearts. — Mckenna Sefcik