I don't usually copy and paste press releases, but this seems like something most of you'd like to see!
Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years
Two-Hour Primetime 40th Anniversary Special Premieres October 3rd on PBS
Star-Studded Broadcast Features Jeff Bridges, Sheryl
Crow, Matthew McConaughey, Willie Nelson, Foo Fighters, Bonnie Raitt,
Alabama Shakes, Kris Kristofferson, Emmylou Harris, Buddy Guy, Lyle
Lovett, Gary Clark Jr. & many more
Austin, TX—September 4, 2014—The landmark PBS series
Austin City Limits (ACL) highlights four decades as a music institution with
Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years, a primetime special honoring the program's milestone 40th anniversary, airing
Friday, October 3rd, 9-11pm ET on
PBS Arts Fall Festival. With guest hosts
Jeff Bridges, Sheryl Crow and
Matthew McConaughey,
the two-hour broadcast features memorable moments from the trailblazing
show's remarkable run, while the brightest stars in the series' history
return to the ACL stage for dream duets and choice collaborations.
Ready to write the next chapter in its storied history, ACL’s Season 40
premieres on
October 4th with an epic hour from an American original, musician/songwriter
Beck.
An all-star lineup of ACL royalty pays tribute to the show's enduring legacy with unforgettable music performances in
Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years. Highlights of the special include the show opener as
Bonnie Raitt,
Alabama Shakes' Brittany Howard,
Jimmie Vaughan and
Gary Clark Jr. team up for the Sam & Dave classic “Wrap It Up”. Incredible pairings include ACL Hall of Fame legend
Willie Nelson and
Emmylou Harris on the Nelson-penned classic “Crazy” and
Kris Kristofferson and
Sheryl Crow's moving take on his signature “Me and Bobby McGee”. The
Foo Fighters
honor ACL with a wild rendition of Texas cult hero Roky Erickson's "Two
Headed Dog," recorded at the show's original television studio
especially for the occasion. Host
Jeff Bridges performs
the late singer-songwriter Stephen Bruton's song “What A Little Bit of
Love Can Do” as a tribute to the influential Austin musician who
inspired Bridges’ Oscar-winning portrayal in
Crazy Heart. Local legends
Joe Ely and
Robert Earl Keen showcase their troubadour roots and significance to the Austin music scene. Breakout artists and ACL alumni
Alabama Shakes and
Gary Clark Jr. give blistering performances that forecast the future of the series. Blues titan
Buddy Guy
brings it all home with an electrifying take on his “Mary Had A Little
Lamb”. The special comes to a close with an all-star reading of two Lone
Star classics—a stellar lineup of guitar slingers blaze through the
Stevie Ray Vaughan standard “Texas Flood” and the biggest names in music
trade verses on the Buddy Holly classic “Not Fade Away", as ACL
embraces its past and hints at what is to come.
"This is a huge milestone for us,” says ACL executive producer Terry Lickona, “and this show captures the essence of what
Austin City Limits
is all about. We set the bar high for this celebration, and we exceeded
it! The lineup of talent speaks volumes about the respect that artists
have for ACL.”
Artists performing on the special are:
Alabama Shakes, Doyle
Bramhall II, Jeff Bridges, Gary Clark Jr., Sheryl Crow, Double Trouble,
Joe Ely, Mike Farris, Foo Fighters, Grupo Fantasma, Buddy Guy, Emmylou
Harris, Robert Earl Keen, Kris Kristofferson, Lyle Lovett, Willie
Nelson, Bonnie Raitt, Robert Randolph, Kenny Wayne Shepherd and
Jimmie Vaughan.
Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years was taped at ACL Live at the Moody Theater, and the program's original television studio, Austin PBS station KLRU's Studio 6A.
Austin City Limits (ACL) is the longest-running music series in
American television history and remains the only TV series to be awarded
the National Medal of Arts. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the
pilot episode taped in 1974 with Willie Nelson. Since its inception,
the pioneering music series has become an institution that's helped
secure Austin's reputation as the Live Music Capital of the World. The
historic KLRU Studio 6A, home to 36 years of ACL concerts, has been
designated an official Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Landmark. In 2011,
ACL moved to the new venue ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown
Austin. ACL received a rare institutional Peabody Award for excellence
and outstanding achievement in 2012.
Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years setlist:
Bonnie Raitt, Brittany Howard, Jimmie Vaughan & Gary Clark Jr. | “Wrap It Up”
Bonnie Raitt | “Your Good Thing (Is About to End)”
Kris Kristofferson & Sheryl Crow | “Me and Bobby McGee”
Alabama Shakes | “Gimme All Your Love”
Jeff Bridges | “What A Little Bit of Love Can Do”
Willie Nelson | “Whiskey River”
Willie Nelson & Lyle Lovett | “Funny How Time Slips Away”
Willie Nelson & Emmylou Harris | “Crazy”
Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris & Lyle Lovett | “On the Road Again”
Robert Earl Keen & Joe Ely | “The Road Goes On Forever”
Gary Clark Jr. | “Bright Lights”
Foo Fighters | “Two Headed Dog (Red Temple Prayer)”
Sheryl Crow |“Can't Cry Anymore”
Doyle Bramhall & Sheryl Crow | “I'm Leaving”
Grupo Fantasma | “Mulato”
Jimmie Vaughan & Bonnie Raitt | “The Pleasure's All Mine”
Kenny Wayne Shepherd & Mike Farris | “House Is Rockin'”
Robert Randolph | “Pride and Joy”
Buddy Guy | “Mary Had A Little Lamb”
All-Star Finale | “Texas Flood”
All-Star Finale | “Not Fade Away”