The 2012 lineup for the Austin City Limits Music Festival will be announced tomorrow. But, thanks to festival promoters and some silver-fingered Austinites, we’ve gotten a few previews of the lineup.
Over the weekend, festival fans started buying lotto-style scratch tickets for a chance to win passes and more. The tickets also revealed the names of attending bands. Each of the following bands were featured on the tickets, confirming their appearances at ACL this October (barring any cancelations, of course):
- Quiet Company, Punch Brothers, Steve Earle, Bon Iver, Alabama Shakes, Freelance Whales, Kimbra, Barrington Levy, Jack White, Black Keys, Andrew Bird, Esperanza Spalding, A-Trak, Zola Jesus (via diffuser.fm)
- Black Lips, Bombay Bicycle Club, Two Door Cinema Club, Gary Clark, Jr. (via twitter)
- LP, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Childish Gambino (via Brooklyn Vegan, although the Chili Peppers ticket is the source of some controversy)
Invariably reaching a fever pitch before the final reveal is speculation about which artists will occupy the fest’s three heading spots. KUT News took a look at a few of the biggest rumors, assessing them on a scale from “completely possible” to “about as likely as a Tupac performance (the real artist, not the hologram).”
- Pearl Jam: The group ends their current tour in Copenhagen on July 10th, so unless they extend the tour a few months and add some U.S. dates, Pearl Jam’s a no show. Also, frontman Eddie Vedder will be playing two solo shows at the Bass Concert Hall in November, so unless Vedder and Co. really, really, really like Austin, we’re not so sure.
- Jay-Z: Neither Jay-Z nor wife Beyonce have scheduled any tour dates in Texas during October. Last year, the buzz was that Jay-Z would appear during Kanye West’s Saturday night set, but Hova was a no-show-va. (Wow, there’s a rhyme to make a rapper cringe.) Don’t be surprised if this rumor falls through as well.
- Guns N’ Roses: GNR’s European tour ends in late July, along with all scheduled touring. Don’t expect them to be in Texas anytime soon after that.
- Florence and the Machine: Here’s one rumor that could actually have some truth to it. Not only is ethereal wailer Florence playing Lollapalooza in August, the group also plays Albuquerque, New Mexico on October 10, and has no other tour dates until her European tour kicks off in Milan on November 20.
- Neil Young: This possible headliner has a gap in his schedule from September 30 to October 26, when he’ll be playing a festival in New Orleans.
- At the Drive-In: The El Paso post-hardcore heroes recently reunited in Marfa, Texas, and have already been booked at Lollapalooza (coincidentally put together by ACL organizers C3 Presents). You do the math (rock).
