American Football headlines Levitation 2026’s opening night at Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater on Thursday, September 10 — and the room choice is worth reading. Stubb’s outdoor holds around 2,500. For a band whose entire mythology rests on a record that barely registered on release, then spent fifteen years becoming a foundational emo text through forum circulation alone, headlining that capacity on the first night of Austin’s premier underground festival signals something real about where the demand actually is.
About American Football
Formed in 1997 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, American Football released their self-titled debut in 1999 and broke up soon after. A 2014 Polyvinyl reissue hit #68 on the Billboard 200 and pulled them back together for a reunion that has now outlasted the original run by years. They’re on their fourth record.
LP4 — self-titled, like all of them — came out May 1, 2026, their first new material in nearly seven years. Produced by Sonny DiPerri, it expands the palette considerably: piano, vibraphone, synths, harp samples, violin alongside the signature interlocking guitar lines. Guitarist Steve Holmes: “This record could only have been made by adults.” Lead single “Bad Moons” runs over eight minutes, built from two fused demos, Kinsella writing from the perspective of someone accumulating missteps long enough to start counting them.
The LP4 world tour has moved with real momentum — sold-out dates, a second London show added, venue upgrades in Philadelphia and Toronto. Whether audiences are there for LP1 nostalgia or new material, Kinsella hasn’t settled it himself: “I don’t know if we’re like a nostalgia band…I’m not sure if people are coming to the shows because they used to love this band, or if we’re a contemporary band that people still enjoy.” That unresolved question lives in the show.
Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater
Stubb’s Waller Creek Amphitheater sits at 801 Red River St., a natural-slope outdoor bowl that holds roughly 2,500. C3 Presents / Live Nation operates it now — it’s become the reliable outdoor mid-tier in Austin, the room between the club circuit and the arena. September evenings at Waller Creek are still warm.
The September 10 date opens Levitation 2026, the multi-venue underground festival running through September 13. Founded in 2008 as Austin Psych Fest, renamed Levitation in 2015 honoring The 13th Floor Elevators. This year’s other headliners: Bikini Kill (Friday), Molchat Doma (Saturday), a surprise Sunday act TBA. American Football’s math-rock and emo credentials fit the festival’s expanded scope cleanly.
Tanukichan opens. All ages. 6:00 PM.
Tickets
Four-day passes and single-show tickets are available now. Get tickets for American Football at Levitation 2026. No pricing information was available at press time.