MUSIC

Sounds of change

First peek at the new ACL venue: more seats, more concerts, bigger acts

By Michael Corcoran
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Sunday, June 21, 2009

It was quite an emotional moment, Terry Lickona said, when he stood for the first time where the stage will go for the new "Austin City Limits" studio in the $300 million W Hotel complex being built on West Second Street across from Austin City Hall. Lickona, who has produced the KLRU-owned concert show for 31 of its 35 seasons, looked out at the open floor space and glared up where the five private suites and party room will ring the studio. He took his eyes to the third-level balcony, swiveling his head 180 degrees and seeing beyond the bare steel beams and stacks of cinder blocks.

The shouts of construction workers and whirring of heavy machinery were music to his ears.

"It was heart-stopping," Lickona said late last week on a walk-through tour of the second-story shell of a studio. "I've been looking at drawings for two years, so to finally see the space in person was like watching this next chapter of 'Austin City Limits' beginning to unfold. I could see the possibilities."

The show's current capacity of 320 will expand to 2,750 after completion of the Austin City Limits Theater (that's the working title, and could change), which is expected to cost about $40 million. An October 2010 finish date is on schedule, said Beau Armstrong of Stratus Properties, which is also building 158 condos, 252 hotel rooms and thousands of square feet of office and retail space on the former "Block 21." Uchi chef-owner Tyson Cole said in May that he plans to open a Spanish-themed restaurant in the development.

When completed, the venue will be a centerpiece in efforts to help revitalize downtown's cultural scene. Concert giant LiveNation is expected to book more than 100 concerts at the studio/nightclub when it's not being used for "ACL" tapings.

A statue of Willie Nelson, who played the "Austin City Limits" pilot in 1974 and is a co-owner of the new venue, will greet visitors at the West Second Street entrance.

The current ACL stage, where such legends as Johnny Cash, Ray Charles, Loretta Lynn and Bob Dylan have performed, will be transported from the studio at the University of Texas campus to the new location when tapings move there. "The DNA of 'ACL' is in that stage," Lickona said. The famous backdrop of the Austin skyline, which has fooled many a viewer into thinking the show takes place outdoors, is too fragile to move and will have to be redone.

"There won't be another venue like this anywhere," Lickona said. "We're going to marry a state-of-the-art concert hall with a high definition production studio."

LiveNation is looking at the new nightclub as a chance to get stronger footing in an Austin market dominated by concert promoters C3 Presents and Direct Events.

"The brand recognition of 'Austin City Limits' is going to give us a lot more assistance in attracting major acts," said Bob Roux of LiveNation, which owns and operates House of Blues locations across the country. "Plus, everyone wants to play Austin. It's a unique music market."

Lickona will book acts for "ACL" tapings independent of LiveNation.

The annual Austin City Limits Music Festival, which is credited with rejuvenating a stale "ACL" brand when it launched in 2002, is owned and booked by LiveNation competitor C3 Presents.

"It will be like a House of Blues with one big difference," Armstrong of the upcoming venue. "This venue will look like a TV studio year round. The cameras will be visible, the cables will be exposed, which I think makes for a more interesting experience. House of Blues venues are very ornate; ours will be like a big black box."

The building owners have hired Nashville acoustic designer Steven Durr, who specializes in recording studio acoustics, to replicate the pristine sound of the current ACL studio.

It's not yet been determined, Lickona said, if the show tapings will continue to be free. In its deal with building owners Stratus, Canyon-Johnson (a private equity fund headed by former NBA star Earvin "Magic" Johnson) and Nelson and his nephew Freddy Fletcher, "Austin City Limits" will use the venue as a studio for 45 nights a year, rent-free. The owners will also pay KLRU a licensing fee for use of the "Austin City Limits" name, but the amount has not yet been set.

The W Hotel will align itself with "Austin City Limits" by hanging photos of past ACL performances in the guest rooms and in the hallways. And that elegant piano playing you'll hear one day in the lobby? Don't be surprised if you see "Sister Bobbie," Wilie Nelson's older sister, tinkling the ivories. Her son Fletcher said a Steinway will be installed for Bobbie Nelson, who will live in one of condos on the property.

"The look of the hotel will be bohemian chic," said Stratus design director Heather Plimmer. "We're taking our cues from our partnership with ACL."

Last week, Comerica Bank arranged a new $100 million construction loan for the project, replacing current lender Corus Bank, which is having financial problems. This year, the developer said it had nonrefundable deposits on about half of the condominiums.

"The ironic thing is that this new studio will be almost exactly the same size as the current studio — they're both about 10,000 square feet," Lickona said. "It's just that we're building up on this one."

Lickona said that with the use of curtains to cover the balcony, the new studio has the flexibility to also do more intimate, 300-capacity shows.

"We love the look and feel of the current studio," said Armstrong. "We definitely want to preserve that."

"Austin City Limits" currently tapes 13 episodes a year, most with two acts per program. Lickona said it's not yet known whether the season will be extended when the new studio is ready, but "ACL" will also have the capability to do live video streaming and other productions besides the TV show.

mcorcoran@statesman.com