The Chicks and Kacey Musgraves will both be headlining this year's Austin City Limits Music Festival, the first time Musgraves will be headlining after past appearances at the beloved Texas festival. And it's The Chicks' official ACL debut. It's a big year for country performers who historically aren't frequently bestowed with a headliner status. Over the past 20 years, only a handful of country artists have landed that honor, despite numerous well-known names heading down to Texas to perform for thousands of adoring fans. Though there's always a wide array of performers across all genres featured at ACL, country artists seem to be featured more sparingly compared to pop, rap, and R&B stars, who tend to be marketed as the festival's main draw year over year. But if George Strait successfully headlining in 2021 taught us anything, it's that country music definitely has a place at this festival, and that won't change anytime soon.
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ACL as a whole has wildly evolved since its debut year in 2002. Initially thrown together in a matter of months, the first 2-day event was expected to bring in around 25,000 attendees. A whopping 42,000 showed up, paying $25 for a day pass to see popular local artists like The Gourds and Gary Clark Jr. as well as more established names like Ryan Adams and Wilco. After a decade, the festival, inspired by the popular Austin City Limits TV series, decided to add a second weekend to the mix, which has been going strong every year since. And it's allowed more and more performers and attendees to gather together in Austin for the festival each year. It's estimated that 75,000 people attended ACL daily in 2021, a massive jump from 2002. Every year thousands flock to Austin for the festival, which is now one of the most popular in the country and one of the biggest events of the year in the Texas capital.
In honor of this year's country star headliners and 21 years of this iconic festival, let's take a trip down memory lane and look back at the years of ACL past to see notable country performers you may or may not have known took the stage in Austin's Zilker Park.
2002
Pat Green, Emmylou Harris, The Derailers, Kelly Willis, Gillian Welch, Allison Moorer, Caroline Herring, The Gourds, Patty Griffin, Asleep at the Wheel, Cross Canadian Ragweed, Reckless Kelly
2003
Dwight Yoakam, Steve Earle, Rosanne Cash, Asleep at the Wheel, Caitlin Cary, Cross Canadian Ragweed, The Derailers, The Gourds, Pat Green, Miranda Lambert, Patty Griffin, Robert Earl Keen, Jack Ingram, Reckless Kelly, Terri Hendrix
2004
Rosanne Cash, Asleep at the Wheel, Sheryl Crow, Pat Green, Patty Griffin, Butch Hancock, Holly Williams, Mindy Smith, Dale Watson, Kelly Willis, Jack Ingram, Reckless Kelly, Terri Hendrix
2005
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
Lyle Lovett (pictured, headlining act), Steve Earle & Allison Moorer, Dierks Bentley, John Prine, Lucinda Williams, Asleep at the Wheel, Dave Alvin, Bruce Robison, Jack Ingram, Cory Morrow
2006
Willie Nelson (headlining act), Jack Ingram, Kasey Chambers, Asleep at the Wheel, Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Guy Clark, Randy Rogers Band, Eli Young Band, Terri Hendrix
2007
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
Steve Earle (pictured), Cross Canadian Ragweed, Lucinda Williams, Eli Young Band, Asleep at the Wheel, Will Hoge, Billy Joe Shaver, Jeffrey Steele
2008
Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage
Alison Krauss (pictured, headlining act with Led Zeppelin's Robert Plant), Patty Griffin, Gillian Welch, Eli Young Band, Kevin Fowler, Asleep at the Wheel, Shooter Jennings, Rodney Crowell, Ryan Bingham, Bonnie Bishop
2009
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
Zac Brown Band (pictured), Asleep at the Wheel, Reckless Kelly, The Felice Brothers, Terri Hendrix, Keith Gattis, Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band
2010
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
Ryan Bingham (pictured), Asleep at the Wheel, Caitlin Rose, Pat Green, JD & The Straight Shot
2011
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
Brandi Carlile (pictured), Allison Krauss, Jack Ingram, Ryan Bingham, Asleep at the Wheel, Gillian Welch,
2012
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images
Neil Young and Crazy Horse (pictured, headlining act), Steve Earle, Asleep at the Wheel, Randy Rogers Band
2013
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
Eric Church (pictured), Holly Williams, Asleep at the Wheel
2014
Photo by Gary Miller/FilmMagic
Ray Benson (pictured), Jon Pardi, Robert Ellis, Nikki Lane, Parker Millsap
2015
Photo by Gary Miller/WireImage
Dwight Yoakam (pictured), Sturgill Simpson, Rayland Baxter, Whiskey Myers, EmiSunshine
2016
Photo by Erika Goldring/FilmMagic
Chris Stapleton (pictured), Willie Nelson, Margo Price, Maren Morris, Aubrie Sellers, Kacey Musgraves
2017
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
Luke Combs (pictured), Lukas Nelson, Devin Dawson, Paul Cauthen, Parker Millsap, Midland
2018
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
Elle King (pictured), Brandi Carlile, Charley Crockett
2019
Photo by Erika Goldring/FilmMagic
Kacey Musgraves (pictured), Asleep at the Wheel, Tyler Childers, Ingrid Andress
2020
Virtual year, 2016 Willie Nelson footage included in round-up of past performances
2021
Photo by Erika Goldring/WireImage
George Strait (pictured, headlining act), Jon Pardi, LeAnn Rimes, Tenille Arts, Hardy, Maggie Rose, Charley Crockett
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