Austin, Texas is the proud home of the American public
television music program Austin City Limits, or ACL, which airs on PBS around
the country. It first began in the mid-1970s and was recorded in one of the
communications buildings at the University of Texas until 2011. The show was
then moved to its new location, The Moody Theater, located properly on Willie
Nelson Boulevard in downtown Austin. ACL assisted Austin in gaining the title
“Live Music Capital of the World” and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010.
Some of the amazing performers to have hit the stage in the
past include Joe Cocker, The Allman Brothers Band, The Flaming Lips, Joan Baez,
Mos Def, Beck, Johnny Cash, Alabama Shakes, B.B. King, Foo Fighters, Brooks
& Dunn, Neko Case, Fats Domino, Coldplay, Loretta Lynn, Mumford & Sons,
and Van Morrison just to name a few. See a full list of past performers here.
To attend a taping the public is asked to enter a drawing
online. If you are one of the lucky winners then you are notified via email as
to what time to show up to the venue to get settled for the taping. I have
previously only entered my name once before for the chance to see Jack White,
unfortunately to no avail. I have seen shows at The Moody Theater before,
however, and it is quite the live music venue. With nearly a 3,000-person
capacity, the sleek space boasts a large standing room floor and two levels of
balcony seating. The sound is simply amazing.
Recently my friend won passes to see the taping of Brooklyn
based indie rockers, Grizzly Bear, and I was lucky enough to get the invite to
be her +1. They performed this past Wednesday evening and I was absolutely
thrilled to get the chance to see them since I was unable to snag tickets to
their concert at Stubb’s before it sold out.
The venue looked gorgeous; removable seating was placed
around the stage but a small standing area was left between the two jibs
located on either side of the stage. Behind the stage was a mock Austin skyline
lit up with twinkling lights. The special taping stage is low to the ground to
create a very intimate and personal feel to the show. We sat three rows up on
the right hand side, so close we could see every strum of the guitar, every tap
of the snare.
Grizzly Bear put on an astonishing performance. The caliber
of sound in the space really gave their music that extra something. Watching
the two vocalists, Edward Droste and Daniel Rossen, perform together was almost
like watching a modern day Simon and Garfunkel.
They played songs from their 2004 studio album debut, Horn of Plenty, all the way up to their
most recent record, 2012’s Shields.
The show wrapped up a little after an hour. As we began to
proceed to the exit I turned to my friend and asked her if they ever do encores
at tapings. She has seen three tapings prior and explained to me that encores
are very few and far between. As soon as the words left her mouth the band
surprised everyone with a four-song encore. Since we were already out of our
seats we were able to sneak onto the first row footboard, even closer than we’d
already been! It was truly a breathtaking show. I was able to snap a front row
photo that can be seen below. I can only hope that my next taping will be just
as memorable!
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