The gloomy sky darkened into nightfall with smoke of different varieties emitting from the crowd and stage. Totems of many colors and symbols bobbed in the crush of fans around the Snapchat stage. An unusual quiet hung over the crowd before a stripped back mix of “Roses,” “All We Know” and “Paris” sent fans into a frenzy.
“Austin, Texas, make some fucking noise,” Drew Taggart, one half of the duo, said.
During their first Austin City Limits Music Festival performance since 2016, The Chainsmokers, made up of Alex Pall and Taggart, remained determined to bring back that same 2010s energy. The pair, both dressed in white, danced and sang with just as much energy as the crowd, mixing Justin Bieber’s “Beauty and the Beat” with their song “White Wine & Adderall” and Basement Jaxx’s “Where’s Your Head At.”
After a lull, the stage exploded into neon red lights, bathing the audience in a hellish glow. The strobes came accompanied with the Bag Raiders’ 2017 memefied intro in “Shooting Stars” before amping up to an intense remix of “Don’t Let Me Down.”
The electronic duo maintained an energetic performance throughout, with Taggart bounding across the stage-long DJ booth and Pall taking off his sweat-soaked shirt.
“You know what I hate,” Taggart said. “You know when the DJ’s like ‘Oh y’all wanna hear some new shit.’ Fuck that, play the old shit.”
After Taggart’s declaration, the duo jumped straight into their 2017 hit, “Paris,” which had fans chanting the lyric “Let’s show them we are better” while fireworks illuminated their smiles. The pair continued the streak of throwbacks with house track “We Are Your Friends,” where drummer Matt McGuire’s drumsticks were lit on fire while he played with raucous vigor.
After a dark remix of Kesha’s “We R Who We R,” Taggart spoke to the crowd.
“You see this is the part of the show where I usually ask if you’re having a good time,” Taggart said. “But it seems like everyone is … Holy shit this is going way better than I expected.”
The performance returned to 2016 with “Closer,” which originally featured singer-songwriter. Halsey. Fans sang Halsey’s verse and chorus in place of the music with precision. The duo then dedicated a remix of Miley Cyrus’s “The Climb” to the women in the crowd, which was met by a sea of phone flashlights.
More remixes of crowd favorites followed, including Kanye West’s “Runaway,” OMI’s “Cheerleader” and the duo’s own “Roses.”
“Austin, I need all the 2015 energy you still got left.” Taggart said, backed by the angelic synths from “Roses.”
Taggart thanked the crowd for their “Texas energy” and played Ella Langley’s “Choosin’ Texas” before ending their set with a performance of their collaboration with Coldplay, “Something Just Like This.” Bursts of flames, lasers and fireworks lit up Zilker Park as The Chainsmokers said goodbye, with Pall giving the hook ‘em sign.
