Austin’s famed barbeque joint, Stubb’s, has always been the place to be, and not just for a bite to eat.
The restaurant also serves as a popular venue for Austin’s live music scene: their most recent large-scale event being ACL’s Fest Nights. For those unfamiliar, ACL’s Fest Nights are late-night shows that run as an extension of the annual Austin City Limits music festival, helping bring a variety of artists to Austin’s local music venues for all to enjoy.
This year’s lineup included indie pop band Japanese Breakfast— whose critically acclaimed album Jubilee helped earn the group their first two Grammy nominations. Led by frontwoman Michelle Zauner, the band swung by Stubb’s on October 15th to deliver a must-watch performance for those in attendance.
Here’s a recap in case you missed it!
Japanese Breakfast ACL Fest Nights Recap
On October 15th, doors opened promptly at 8 p.m. allowing several long lines of eager fans into Stubb’s outdoor amphitheater and the venue’s standing-room-only area to fill up quickly. Though the show wouldn’t start until much later, many gathered around the intimate stage setup to claim their spot hours in advance. And who could blame them? A performance by Japanese Breakfast is not something you want to miss!
A pre-show playlist of songs entertained fans as they waited, some dancing along to Frankie Vallie’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off Of You” while others admired Ariana Grande’s vocals during “Needy.” Around 9 p.m. the playlist began to quiet as the opening act Dehd took to the stage, their distinct indie rock sound captivating the audience and eliciting feelings of nostalgia and pure bliss throughout the venue.
By 10:15 p.m. a change of color in the stage lights signaled to viewers that the wait was finally over. Japanese Breakfast came out shortly afterward, opening the show with their track “Paprika.” Singer Michelle Zauner struck a gong several times throughout the song, something she and the audience both thoroughly enjoyed. As for the rest of the night’s setlist, a majority of the songs came from the band’s third studio album Jubilee, with a few other tracks from their previous works mixed in.
During the performance, Zauner paused a few times to introduce certain tracks and provide commentary that helped the band transition from one song to another, but she allowed her siren-like vocals to do all of the talking when it came to vouching for her talent. Shining in a glittery, black two-piece outfit, Zauner showed off an impressive vocal range, her haunting voice enchanting all of those gathered to listen. Not only that, but Zauner also looked at home up on the stage. Everyone watching could see she was in her element as she effortlessly commanded our attention, and the same is true of those accompanying her on the instrumentals. They were just as relaxed and in control as Zauner was, never missing a beat.
When it came to the crowd, they watched Japanese Breakfast perform in awe, mostly swaying along in time with the music and cheering after each song. (There was even a concertgoer who brought Zauner’s memoir Crying In H mart to the show and consistently waved it back and forth in the air, which I found to be quite funny.) But most notably, the audience came to life during the band’s 80s-inspired track “Be Sweet,” singing the lyrics in unison and being one of the night’s standout moments. The crowd’s participation was also exceptionally high during the group’s performance of their final song “Slide Tackle.” This time Zauner asked the audience to jump along with her, to which everyone happily obliged.
After “Slide Tackle,” Japanese Breakfast proceeded to exit the stage, leaving the audience with the impression that the night came to a close all too soon. But they soon reappeared for two more encore songs before thanking everyone for coming out and then exiting the stage for good this time as the audience erupted in cheers and wished them well.
What a jubilant experience for everyone involved!
Be sure to check out Japanese Breakfast’s latest album Jubilee and catch them on tour at a show near you.