Austin City Limits is set to cap its 50th-anniversary celebrations with a special episode featuring Garth Brooks.
Austin City Limits Hall of Fame Honors Garth Brooks will have its broadcast premiere on May 3 at 8 p.m. ET. Recorded live at ACL’s studio home ACL Live in Austin, Texas, the hour-long special features Brooks performing many of his hits while sharing the stories behind many of those songs.
Brooks made his ACL series debut in 1990, shortly after the release of his 1989 self-titled debut, which included now-classic country songs such as “The Dance” and “If Tomorrow Never Comes.” A decade later, he returned to ACL to open and close ACL’s milestone season 25 with two hourlong episodes.
The new special will also highlight moments from Brooks’ ACL performances over the years. The special also features Brooks’ wife and fellow country artist Trisha Yearwood, as well as longtime ACL executive producer Terry Lickona, who inducts Brooks into the Austin City Limits Hall of Fame. Yearwood previously joined the ACL Hall of Fame in 2023 alongside John Prine.
“You can bring all the smoke and mirrors you want, and trust me—I’ve used ‘em all,” Brooks said in a statement, “but you come here and it’s the real deal.” He added, “Always try to associate your name with a name greater than your own. Being associated with ACL has been one of the greatest assets of my career. I can’t thank Terry and the gang enough for all the years and all the love.”
“You can’t tell the story of Austin City Limits without Garth Brooks,” Lickona added. “Garth gets it. He gets what makes Austin City Limits special, and why it’s an honor for an artist to step onto that stage and deliver the best performance of their life. And it’s an honor for us to share that stage with artists like Garth, who have so much to offer.”
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the revered music institution, which premiered on PBS in 1975. Since 2014, the ACL Hall of Fame has honored artists who have played an essential role in the series’ half-century as a premier supporter of top-shelf music. The inaugural 2014 awards feted Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
In 2021, Brooks appeared on ACL for two non-broadcast events to close out Studio 6A on the University of Texas campus. Brooks’ performances marked the final shows at that historic studio, which served as ACL’s home until 2010, before it moved to downtown Austin.
