One year ago today, the 15,000-seat Moody Center officially opened its doors as Austin’s newest concert venue. On its first birthday, the arena has emerged as one of the nation’s busiest concert destinations and has been named “Best New Concert Venue” worldwide by Pollstar.
During the inaugural year, nearly 1.5 million fans packed the venue for blockbuster artists representing every major genre of music. Highlights included a historic six-night residency with Harry Styles and concerts featuring George Strait, Eagles, Swedish House Mafia, Justin Bieber, Andrea Bocelli, Karol G, Florence + The Machine, Kendrick Lamar, Iron Maiden, Roger Waters, SZA, Michael Bublé, Lizzo, Grupo Firme, Dave Matthews Band, Carrie Underwood, Daddy Yankee, and Bruce Springsteen.
Moody Center also hosted Austin’s first-ever televised awards show, the CMT Music Awards, which reached a record-breaking worldwide audience, as well as two sold-out regular season basketball games for the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs.
“The community support for this new arena has been unprecedented,” says Jeff Nickler, senior vice president of Oak View Group and general manager of Moody Center. “From the fans who have purchased tickets in record numbers to the corporate partners and premium seat holders who have made an investment in this venue, we couldn’t have done it without the full support of Austin behind us. We look forward to building upon this incredible first season and many more huge concert announcements.”
Charles Attal, founder of arena partner C3 Presents, added, “Before opening last year, Moody Center set out to be one of the top ten busiest venues in the country and it has fulfilled that promise. A venue like this has only amplified the live music scene that has preceded Austin’s reputation for many years.”
In partnership with Oak View Group, Live Nation Concerts/ C3 Presents, The University of Texas, and Matthew McConaughey, Moody Center has been recognized as a world-class venue. As a testament to music fans in Central Texas, the venue has been nominated for several local and national awards including Austin American-Statesman’s Best of the Best Concert Venue and Sports Business Journal’s Best Sports Facility of the Year.
Despite being open for only seven months, Moody Center was named Billboard Magazine’s Highest Grossing Venue of its size in the world and in 2022 was ranked No. 10 in ticket sales worldwide by Pollstar.
In addition to hosting top music artists, Moody Center is also home to The University of Texas basketball. With a combined 31-3 Texas women’s and men’s basketball record at Moody Center, basketball players and fans alike credit Moody Center for providing a home court advantage.
During its first year, Moody Center also launched Red River Rising, a community platform initiative that focuses on two key areas: providing economic opportunity and support for local musicians and working to combat homelessness in Austin. Since its formation, Moody Center has donated nearly a quarter million dollars to local charities including: HAAM (Health Alliance for Austin Musicians), Community First! Village, Red River Cultural District, Everytown in partnership with Harry Styles’ “Love on Tour,” and Spurs Give.
The venue thanks its founding partners Dell Technologies, Indeed, Germania Insurance, Brown Distributing Company, Moët Hennessy, H-E-B, and Frontier Bank of Texas for helping support Moody Center to become one of the most successful launches of a venue to date.
As Moody Center enters its second year, fans can look forward to a multitude of events and shows from world-renowned artists including Madonna, Janet Jackson, The Cure, Depeche Mode, RBD, Chris Stapleton, and more.
For more information on Moody Center, visit moodycenteratx.com or follow @moodycenteratx on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and Tik Tok.
Photo by Chase Daniel
Moody Center is one year old.
