Sounds of the Lone Star State: Austin’s Must-Visit Concert Venues

Keep Austin weird! The Texas capitol is known as a cultural mecca filled with music, food, art and more, and concerts in Austin are a major draw for music fans around the country. Thanks to South by Southwest, Austin City Limits and other big-name events, the city has even earned a reputation as the “Live Music Capital of the World.”

Below, we’ve covered all the essentials you need to know about concerts in Austin. Here are five of Austin’s best-loved music venues, from official sites for Austin City Limits Live and South by Southwest to a BBQ joint filled with live acts.

Moody Amphitheater at Waterloo Park

Address: 1401 Trinity St., Austin, TX 78701

Box office hours: Open on show days from 5:00 p.m. until the main act hits the stage

Located inside Waterloo Park and just steps away from the Texas State Capitol in the heart of downtown, Moody Amphitheater is one of the newest additions to Austin’s thriving music scene. Since it opened in the fall of 2021 with a show by Glass Animals, the state-of-the-art facility – which holds up to 5,000 fans – has hosted concerts by Charlie Puth, Robert Plant and Allison Krauss, Olivia Rodrigo, HAIM, Louis Tomlinson and more.

Moody Theater

 

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Address: 310 W Willie Nelson Blvd., Austin, TX 78701

Box office hours: Open on event days one hour prior to doors opening for ACL Live shows (not tapings)

The Moody Theater is most famous for being the home of Austin City Limits, the live music program that has aired on PBS for 900 episodes and counting. First opened in 2011 for the purposes of filming ACL in an upgraded studio, the Moody Theater — which has a capacity of 2,750 — also hosts its Austin City Limits Live concert series and has seen everyone from Bob Dylan and Jon Batiste to Peso Pluma and Flo Milli cross its iconic stage in recent years.

Moody Center

Address: 2001 Robert Dedman Dr., Austin, TX 78712

Box office hours: Open on ticketed event days starting at 10:00 a.m., but does not participate in public on-sales

The Moody Center is a 16,223-seat arena on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. When it’s not being used as the home court of the Texas Longhorns basketball teams, the arena hosts everything from UFC and boxing to Monster Jam and the CMT Music Awards, in addition to its concert lineup. John Mayer officially opened the Moody Center with a two-night concert in 2022 and since then, George Strait, Willie Nelson, Harry Styles and more have all played the arena.

Emo’s Austin

Address: 2015 E Riverside Dr., Austin, TX 78741

Box office hours: Open on show days one hour before doors open

The history of Emo’s Austin dates back all the way to 1992, when it opened as the Austin location of a Houston punk club. Formerly known as The Back Room, the venue has a capacity of 1,700. Artists who’ve recently performed at Emo’s include Sky Ferreira, Bombay Bicycle Club, Old 97’s and Local H. The club is also an official South by Southwest venue, and during the annual festival it expands to accommodate four different stages.

Stubb’s BBQ

Address: 801 Red River St., Austin, TX 78701

Box office hours: Monday to Saturday: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.; Sundays: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

Come to Stubb’s BBQ for beer, brisket and music! The downtown restaurant is known for its gospel brunch every Sunday, but has also seen a diverse array of artists from 6lack and Ashnikko to Boys Like Girls, Yellowcard and First Aid Kit perform on its stage. Next time you stop Stubb’s, don’t leave without a bottle of their fan-favorite Stubb’s BBQ sauce.

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