Brittany Howard made her Austin City Limits debut on Saturday, with the long-running PBS music program sharing live clips of “History Repeats” and “Goat Head” from the episode. The song comes from the former Alabama Shakes frontwoman’s acclaimed 2019 solo debut, Jaime, and received two Grammy nominations at the 2020 awards.
The song is infectiously funky from the very beginning, centered around a vintage guitar riff. Howard goes full James Brown as she ad-libs with her band and all-around commands the stage as a dynamic performer. Howard broke through as a solo artist just prior to the global pandemic, and in its wake, her music takes on a duality of meaning as she belts, “Don’t push me/ I don’t wanna do it again.”
Howard was just one of many artists to make their debuts on the 47th season of Austin City Limits. Other first-timers include Khruangbin, Jon Batiste, Leon Bridges, Billy Strings, Charley Crockett, and Brandy Clark. The season—which began on October 2nd with a special presentation of Miranda Lambert, Jack Ingram, and Jon Randall performing selections from their new album, The Marfa Tapes—also saw the triumphant return of Jackson Browne, who last performed at ACL Live At The Moody Theater nearly 20 years ago.
Watch Brittany Howard perform “History Repeats” and “Goat Head” from her Austin City Limits debut on Saturday. Howard’s performance signaled the end of the first half of season 47 of ACL. Stay tuned for a lineup and schedule announcement for the remainder of the season. Austin City Limits is available to watch on-demand via the PBS website.
Brittany Howard – “History Repeats”
Brittany Howard – “Goat Head”