As dusk settled over Zilker Park Friday evening, Leon Thomas bounded onto the Miller Lite stage, his heavy chains glinting in the last moments of sunlight. Another Leon — Leon Bridges — played tranquil soul tunes at ACL in 2024, but Thomas rang in the evening with a more high-octane approach.
Thomas’ crowd seemed slim considering his popularity. Due to his 7:15 p.m. start time, thousands of festivalgoers had already made their way to the American Express and T-Mobile stages for Charli xcx and Kings of Leon. Earlier in the day, the similarly established star Sienna Spiro pushed the Miller Lite stage to capacity, while Thomas’ crowd barely reached the soundstage. Still, Thomas drew in those who stuck around with easy charisma and unrestrained showmanship.
“We’re gonna party,” Thomas said at the top of the set. “Is that alright?”
Dressed in a chic, minimalist all-black outfit with a backward beret, Thomas embodied nonchalance while gradually revealing his musical virtuosity and versatility. During “DANCING WITH DEMONS,” the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter and producer fell to his knees shredding a Fender Stratocaster. Twice, he kicked his drummer off the kit, grabbed the sticks himself and ripped into thunderous solos.
While the steamy sensuality of his guitar playing conjured his late great hero D’Angelo, his vocal ability to fly through runs while weaving in hip-hop sensibilities felt reminiscent of Musiq Soulchild, who Thomas has said he grew up idolizing.
Thomas’ stylistic range impressed nearly as much as his talent. Dub-like grooves backed much of the early set’s slow jams until the 2025 single “Just How You Are” added hard-grooving funk flavor and jazzy chord phrasing near the midway point. The set’s gritty second act started with a string of full-on rock bangers like “Blue Hundreds” that, despite showing impressive musicianship and range, took some of Thomas’ momentum. A sense of groove returned with a series of intimate trap-soul heavy-hitters punctuated by “Sneak”, whose dark sexual energy turned the overall mood sultry.
The final act of Thomas’ hour brought the focus back to warm, soulful hits. At the end of “YES IT IS,” which samples Floetry’s neo-soul classic of the same name, Thomas asked festivalgoers to participate in an extended call-and-response of the song’s chorus. Sweet textures and a swaying rhythm made “Treasure In The Hills” the show’s most laid-back moment before Thomas brought out his biggest hit to close out the night.
“Austin, this song changed my life,” Thomas said as his band transitioned into the smooth funk of “MUTT,” which peaked at No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Despite the studio version’s brevity, Thomas turned “MUTT” into a show-stopping closer, leaving fans with a dramatic image as he dropped to his knees and held his guitar skyward.
