There are few cities in America more musically inclined than Austin, Texas. Home to a virtually endless run of annual music festivals from SXSW to Austin City Limits to Fun Fun Fun Fest and beyond, the progressively artistic city also boasts a staggering number of venues that each serve their own niche purpose within the local musical ecosystem. The ‘Live Music Capital of The World’ is a term well-earned through decades of the town’s deeply-rooted passion for putting on concerts from every musical walk of life.
Stubb’s BBQ in Austin is a cornerstone fixture in Austin’s music scene, a legendary concert venue and eatery that dates back to its foundation in the ‘60s in Lubbock, TX. Relocating to Austin in the early ’90s, the venue’s positioning on Red River street downtown as well as its variety of performance spaces made for a multi-faceted central hub of live music in a town rapidly establishing itself as an artistic powerhouse.
Crave’s SXSW 2014 experience at Stubb’s was a perfectly indicative slice of what music lovers can expect on an active musical weekend. After catching a captivating set from former Band of The Month featured artist The Wild Feathers on the side stage, we walked down memory lane with a feature performance by Blondie on the main stage before heading inside to see a rambunctiously awesome set by Green Day alter-egos Foxboro Hot Tubs. The variety of high-caliber musicianship on display across all three stages was enough to make our heads spin with indecision on which performance to focus on.
In years prior, we caught Fiona Apple’s celebrated return to the stage at Stubb’s after a five-year hiatus. It’s where we watched The Kills come into their own, and back in 2009 were witness to one of the first-ever Them Crooked Vultures shows, a more intimate set the night before their Austin City Limits performance. Nobody knew the music, nobody knew what to expect, resulting in an utterly magical musical experience helped in no small part by the welcoming energy and comfortable confines of Stubb’s. And while A-list bands tear the place down on the regular, there’s plenty of room each week for up-and-comers to make their mark on the Stubb’s stages.
Texans expect a little extra bang for their buck when it comes to live entertainment, and Stubb’s delivers with a delectable BBQ hookup as well, offering all-you-can-eat deals, combo plates and more to get your carnivorous fix of their slow-cooked BBQ goodness (they proudly boast a 16-hour smoke time on their meats). Special events like Gospel Brunch Sundays add to the goodness, offering a fresh-flavor experience even for locals who’ve seen it all.
Don’t just take our word for it – head down with us this fall for Austin City Limits (and what a lineup it is!) and find out for yourself. Check out the official Stubb’s site to help get you in the rockin’ mood…
