📍 ACL Live — September 5, 2025
Written by: Clinton Camper
SG Lewis has long been one of electronic music’s most versatile forces — a producer, songwriter, DJ, and multi-instrumentalist who’s as comfortable behind the decks as he is fronting a live band. On Friday night at ACL Live, he showed Austin just how far his artistry has stretched. His latest album, Anemoia, is a shimmering blend of disco, house, and soul, and hearing it come alive onstage was proof that these tracks were built for moments like this.
From the opening notes of “Back of My Mind,” the room was moving as one. The band gave Lewis’ sound a full-bodied edge — live drums driving the rhythm, bass adding warmth, synths shimmering under his vocals. Early favorites like “Costa” and “Aura” set the tone, a reminder of how naturally he merges lush grooves with dancefloor energy.
As the set unfolded, the connection between artist and audience only deepened. Lewis has an ease about him on stage, often smiling or leaning into the crowd as if he was just as grateful to be there as the fans who packed the Moody Theater. He let the music breathe, building long, hypnotic stretches that felt more like an experience than a performance. When “Memory” swelled, voices echoed back at him in unison, filling the hall with a chorus that seemed to blur the line between stage and audience.
The new Anemoia songs landed with impact. “Something About Your Love” was pure euphoria, its disco pulse turning the theater into a late-night club, while “Fever Dreamer” felt like a communal release — the kind of track where you look around and see every stranger next to you caught in the same wave. The production shimmered, but the live instrumentation gave it grit and weight, proving that Lewis’ music doesn’t just work in headphones or clubs — it thrives in big rooms with bodies in motion.
He didn’t shy away from older fan favorites either, sprinkling them throughout the set to keep longtime listeners locked in. Tracks like “Chemicals” hit with the same rush they always have, reminding everyone just how many corners of the electronic world Lewis has explored over the years. Each song bled seamlessly into the next, the transitions carrying a DJ’s precision but always keeping the warmth of a band playing live.
By the encore, Lewis had the crowd locked in. “Baby Blue” slowed things down into a dreamy haze before “Lifetime” closed the night with soaring catharsis, sending everyone back onto Willie Nelson Blvd still humming the chorus. People lingered outside, reluctant to let go of the energy that had just filled the theater, a sure sign that they’d witnessed something special.
What makes SG Lewis stand out is the balance he strikes — his roots in club culture are obvious, but his live shows prove he’s building something bigger. It’s music for dancing, yes, but also for feeling. On September 5 in Austin, he reminded us why electronic music on a stage, with a band, and with a crowd this locked in, can feel absolutely electric.