The Great Folk Takeover Circa ACL 2023

The Great Folk Takeover Circa ACL 2023

October 12, 2023 in Concert Reviews

by Mary Dougherty- DJ Dad Shoes


ACL 2023 was a big weekend for annoying people, also known as folk music enjoyers.

The lineup consisted of some of the best folk stars all in one weekend. From headliners like The Lumineers and Mumford & Sons to others such as Noah Kahan, Hozier, and so much more.

Fortunately, I got to see every single one of them and I am going to tell you all about them. Save your thank yous for the end!

I am a simple girl. I see a person and a guitar on stage, my endorphins go through the roof. Yet all acts brought MUCH more than simply a guitar. Mt. Joy captivated their crowd with killer songs, beautiful graphics, and AMAZING stage presence. However, they also included covers of all genres for festival goers who maybe didn’t know them that well. From an ‘Old Town Road’ cover to an instrumental cover of ‘What Was I Made For’ by their extremely extremely so extremely talented pianist, Jackie Miclau.

This felt very sweet considering she is the only woman in the group, I'm glad her talent got to be celebrated while being emotionally connected to her.

Collaborations in the folk world were off the charts during Weekend One. With Noah Kahan bringing out Mt. Joy and Mumford & Sons bringing out Kahan, legendary once-in-a-lifetime performances were coming from left and right.

I have nothing bad to say about any of these ACL performances. Hozier was captivating, The Lumineers was mesmerizing, and so much more. I genuinely could not have asked for anything else and my expectations have been EXCEEDED.

Go see some folk shows at Weekend Two and fall in love with these performances like I did. Trust me, this FOMO won’t be fun.

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