Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years airs tonight on PBS

(Image credit: Austin City Limits)

On October 17, 1974, country-music legend Willie Nelson kicked off the pilot episode of PBS's Austin City Limits with a rendition of his classic "Whiskey River." Five decades later Austin City Limits is now the longest-running music series in American television history, showcasing popular music legends and innovators from every genre and inspiring Texas's fan-favorite, annual Austin City Limits Music Festival.

And to celebrate the golden jubilee of the trailblazing live music series, PBS is airing one heck of a concert tonight: Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years premieres tonight, April 4 at 9pm Eastern Time on PBS.

Hosted by Austin-based actors Jared and Genevieve Padalecki (Walker, Supernatural, Gilmore Girls), the two-hour concert special — which was filmed on Thursday, November 21, 2024, at ACL’s studio home, ACL Live at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin — will see some of the brightest stars in the show’s five-decade history return to the fabled ACL stage.

Among the illustrious lineup is Chris Stapleton, Leon Bridges, Gary Clark Jr. joined by Eve Monsees, Billy Strings featuring Sierra Hull and Zach Top, Indigo Girls, Lyle Lovett, Shawn Colvin, Brandy Clark, Rufus Wainwright, The Mavericks, Ángela Aguilar, Cam and Lloyd Maines & the ACL All-Stars, with appearances by Trio Los Panchos and Austin’s Tosca String Quartet. Ten-time Grammy winner Stapleton will tribute Willie Nelson with a rendition of Nelson's 1980 track "Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground," while four-time Grammy-winning Gary Clark Jr. will salute fellow Texan six-string great Stevie Ray Vaughan alongside Austin blue guitarist Eve Monsees with performances of “Dirty Pool” and “Pride and Joy.”

Commemorating Austin City Limits as one of America's most acclaimed music institutions for a half-century, the special will also feature backstage artist interviews and highlight rare footage pulled from the ACL archive.

“Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years represents what the program stands for, has always, and will continue to—a broad, diverse, inclusive spectrum of music from all genres, showcasing legends and emerging artists alike,” ACL executive producer Terry Lickona shared in a statement.

To tune into tonight's special presentation of Austin City Limits Celebrates 50 Years, you're going to need access to PBS. You can tune into your local PBS station through a traditional pay-TV provider or, if you've cut the cord, via a live TV streaming service (i.e. Hulu with Live TV and YouTube TV) and specific channels on streaming services, like the PBS channel on Prime Video. PBS.org website and the PBS app are also options for tuning into PBS programming and are handily free for all.