Gabriels opened for Harry Styles. Then they blew ACL Fest away

Earl Hopkins, Austin American-Statesman
·2 min read
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On the heels of debut album "Angels & Queens," Gabriels' Jacob Lusk. Ari Balouzian and Ryan Hope rolled their momentum into an electric Austin City Limits Music Festival performance that added a little funk to the crowd's steps and a little soul to the pit of their stomachs.

Here are a few things we saw during the group's ACL Fest debut on Friday.

The members of Gabriels are basically Austin residents at this point.

Not really, but the band did just wrap up a six-night gig opening up for Harry Styles on the pop star's Love On Tour run at the Moody Center. The first show was Sept. 25 and the last was Oct. 3.

It's easy to become a Gabriels fan.

The L.A.-based trio, which formed in 2016, brought its distinctive mix of soul, R&B and funk to a crowd of fans bursting with energy. Some of them seemed to be fans familiar with the artists, and others poured over to the booming Barton Springs stage and fell for Gabriels' charms.

Ryan Hope of Gabriels performs at Austin City Limits Music Festival on Oct. 7 in Zilker Park.
Ryan Hope of Gabriels performs at Austin City Limits Music Festival on Oct. 7 in Zilker Park.

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Lusk, Balouzian and Hope commanded the stage with songs like "One and Only" and "Angels & Queens," as the soulful lyrics seeped into the crowd.

Gabriels turns ACL Fest into a Baptist church

No more to the ACL Fest name. For a moment, Gabriels turned the 2-decade-old festival into the Austin City Limits Missionary Baptist Church.

Before heading the trio, lead vocalist Lusk was a pastor, and his velvet-smooth vocals and frontman's sense of command led a loyal congregation of first-day festees.

More:All your ACL Fest 2022 questions, answered

As his booming voice sang "Love and Hate in a Different Time," and the strums of Balouzian's violin turned his silky vocals into milk and honey, Lusk asked the crowd members to turn to their neighbors and give them a small dose of advice.

"Look at them and say, 'Neighbor ... if you love somebody, baby, you should tell them every day,'" Lusk said.

From the song "Performance" and the group's newest cut, "Taboo," Lusk performed just about every number like it was his favorite one — the roar in his voice and the sway in his hips said it all.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Gabriels adds some funk, soul into the step of crowd-goers