Development forces The Backyard to close
Austin has the most live music venues per capita of any city in the world. Losing one won’t change that, but continued overdevelopment probably will. The Backyard is joining Armadillo World Headquarters, Liberty Lunch and Back Room among the ranks of live music venues forced out by developers. This summer will be the last at the venue’s current location. The Backyard is reportedly seeking a new location in the same area, but management has not announced any confirmed plans.
The Backyard is nestled among the trees in what used to be rural Bee Caves, just outside Austin. In 2006, The Galleria opened and totally surrounded the venue. Gone are the open fields that used to serve as parking for The Backyard and gone are a lot of the famed Live Oak trees for which the amphitheater was named. The airy, relaxed nature of The Backyard has been replaced with the vapid and flavorless essence of strip mall.
Acts like Willie Nelson and ZZ Top play The Backyard regularly. I’ve personally seen 3 Doors Down, Our Lady Peace, The Shins and Shiny Toy Guns there. Combine live music with cold beer and the beauty of the Texas Hill Country and it’s no wonder why The Backyard did so well.
As Austin grows, I suppose we should expect more closures like this in the future. Losing a venue that was so unique and seemingly embodied the spirit of Austin is a tough one to take.
Image: Austin360
7 Comments
Je. Sus. Christ.
I’ll second that.
And now it sits in the center a sea of artificial lighting and vehicle smog. Good riddance.
Oh, and “overdevelopment?” Where exactly is the line between adequate and excessive development? Only when it threatens one of our vaunted (but often empty) live music venues, apparently.
Call me crazy, but I think the greater Austin area was fine without an additional Barnes & Noble / Abercrombie / Aeropostale / Circuit City.
Change happens – those stores are just this century’s version of K-mart and Woolworth. Who am I to deny convenieince to ten thousand suburb dwellers? Hell, I’d rather the suburbanites stay close to home to shop than overrun our central core with the Lexii.
Scream all you want at all the new development, but it’s merely concrete evidence that you’re probably way better off economically (jobs, tax revenues, etc.) if here in Austin than in most of the country right now – and it’s been a long time since anyone could honestly say that ’round these parts.
You raise a good point about the Lexii. Definitely something to consider.
Something uniquely Austin is closing…..for a galleria mall development that nobody needs?
That’s so sad!