Sunday, March 23, 2008

Austin City Limits: It's Not Real?


Austin City Limits, the televised live concert music program that spawned a major festival is moving studios? So you're telling me that they're not performing on a quaint hilltop with an ideal view of the downtown Austin skyline over their shoulders. And the studio audience isn't sitting outside exposed to the elements? Talk about shattered dreams...

As it turns out Austin City Limits is filmed on a soundstage on the campus of the University of Texas. And the show is moving to a new downtown Austin theater with a capacity of 2,000, compared to the current seating for only 300. Sadly, the famous Austin city backdrop won't be making the trip to the new venue, as it is believed that it would not survive the trip in one piece. A new 3D replacement is being considered in its place.

Much like the artists quoted in this CMT article, I grew up watching this show and can distinctly remember my excitement in watching Phish perform on it. The band's performance first aired on Saturday, October 14, 2000 (season 26, episode 1), exactly one week after their last concert before the hiatus. It was taped earlier in the summer of the same year and featured "Possum" and "Limb by Limb," as well as "The Inlaw Josie Wales" and "Back On the Train" from their then latest album Farmhouse.

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