📍ACL Live Moody Theater — Oct. 5, 2025
Written by Clinton Camper
Walking into ACL Live on Sunday night felt like stepping into another realm — not just a concert, but a coronation. MARINA’s Princess of Power Tour turned the Moody Theater into a glittering dreamscape, a full-on narrative that played out in “levels,” each one more cinematic than the last.
When the lights dimmed and the first chords of “Princess of Power” echoed through the room, the crowd erupted like it was the start of a video game quest we’d all been waiting to join. MARINA appeared in a sculptural pastel bodysuit that shimmered under the stage lights — equal parts goddess and glitchcore heroine. It was camp, it was commanding, and it was everything.
The set unfolded in chapters, each with its own aesthetic — “Familiar Hells” pulsed in neon pink and blue, a sugar rush of heartbreak and rebellion. She danced like she was both the main character and the final boss, punctuating verses with winks and power poses that made the audience scream. When she launched into “How to Be a Heartbreaker,” it felt like time travel — the entire venue shouting every lyric like we were back in 2012 with our eyeliner smudged and feelings too big for the room.
The emotional centerpiece came midway through with “I Am Not a Robot,” where MARINA stood almost completely still under a single spotlight. It was one of those moments where you could feel the collective heartbeat in the room — her voice crystalline, her expression soft but resolute. She’s always been an artist who knows how to turn vulnerability into armor, and that moment proved it.
By the time she reached the final stretch — the high-energy chaos of “Bubblegum Bitch” bleeding into the glittery defiance of “Primadonna” — the theater had fully transformed into a technicolor kingdom. Confetti rained down like stardust, and the LED screens behind her pulsed in sync with every beat.
She ended the night with “I <3 You,” her voice glowing through the haze as fans waved their phones like fireflies. It felt tender and human — the kind of closing moment that reminds you why you fell for her in the first place. MARINA didn’t just perform; she reconnected. Every lyric, every look, every wink carried the weight of someone who’s been through it and came out radiant. Austin got the full transformation arc — and we left a little more powerful, too.