ACL Fest: Genesis Owusu gives classic rockstar energy between air guitar strokes
Genesis Owusu came to the Austin City Limits Music Festival on a mission: to check Austin's pulse – "Austin, are you alive?" – and to set the Tito's Homemade Vodka stage ablaze with musical adrenaline and air guitar strokes.
Here's what we took away from his 4 p.m. Friday performance.
Owusu's energy couldn't be denied
From the moment he took the stage, the Ghanaian-Australian singer made his presence felt, drawing the crowd to drop their guard and match Owusu's energy with "The Other Black Dog" before switching to the groove-inducing "Waitin' on Ya."
Just as the pace slowed, he turned it back to hyper speed. Halfway through his set, he began controlling the crowd's roars like the volume dial on a vintage TV set and spontaneously walked in the middle of the crowd to sing among the people.
"I didn't quite plan how to get back up (on) stage," he said with a laugh.
Genesis Owusu owns all the genres
Decked in a red suit that only a young Eddie Murphy could rival (see 1983's "Eddie Murphy: Delirious"), Owusu shifted from chaotic rockstar to funk maestro to rap poet, with songs "Gold Chains," "A Song About Fishing" and "Black Dogs!" showcasing his genre-hopping prowess.
It was worth the plane ride
Nearing the end of his lively set, Owusu shared his thoughts with the ACL Fest crowd. Despite the distance between the Live Music Capital of the World and the land of the Aussies, it was a trip the Canberra-bred artist was glad he made.
"I flew from Australia just for this, and it was worth every (expletive) minute."
The crowd agreed. Thanks, Owusu.