Backstage at Moody Center
Austin's Moody Center offers $25 tickets to Beck, Phoenix, Logic, and more, plus nonprofit-supporting tours
Austin is a big city now, with a big entertainment venue to match. Moody Center is one year old as of April 20, 2023, and already one of the most successful venues of its size in the world. But many Austinites still haven't had a chance to check out the new arena that replaced the Frank C. Erwin Jr. Center after its four-decade run.
Besides buying an expensive ticket — no shade to Moody Center, but arena shows always cost a little more — local music lovers have two new chances to stop by and see what the fuss is about. The venue is celebrating its growth with new venue tours benefiting local nonprofits, and a limited run of $25 all-in concert tickets to select high-profile shows, as part of Live Nation Concert Week.
For just over the price of a Saturday cover at some small venues downtown, fans can see Beck and Phoenix, Logic with Juicy J, Illenium with All Time Low, Hippo Campus with Gus Dapperton, and more. Although the Austin Gamblers Professional Bull Riding team is not booked through Live Nation, it is also part of Moody Center's deals. A few shows have already sold out of the $25 tier, but still have reasonable prices left, including Duran Duran and Sam Smith. (These also may be worth checking for on resale pages as people who jumped on them start realizing they can't make it.)
There does not seem to be one page that lists all the active participating events, so concertgoers' best bet is to scroll through and check shows that pique their interest, just in case. You'll have to sit relatively far back, but for $25, just getting in the door is a win. The promotion goes on until May 16, or until tickets run out, and is active at other venues including popular Austin venues Emo's and Germania Insurance Amphitheater. An FAQ can be found at livenation.com.
For a more leisurely look at the arena with behind-the-scenes access, the series of venue tours will be offered on various dates in June, July, and August. These tickets are also $25, and proceeds benefit Red River Rising (RRR), Moody Center's "community platform initiative" for local outreach.
With help from the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians (HAAM), the Community First! Village, and Red River Cultural District as partners, RRR hopes to generate opportunity for local musicians and reduce homelessness in the area. The platform works by distributing the funds it raises to these organizations, for the nonprofits to use as they see fit.
Venue tours will trace the process of building and opening the venue "from a paper napkin blueprint drawn by Matthew McConaughey in 2018 to the award-winning $375-million-dollar development," according to a release. For 75 minutes, visitors will learn about how the venue runs, while getting a look at the spaces usually reserved for artists and VIPs, like dressing rooms and the Moët & Chandon Imperial Lounge. They will also have a chance to put a message on the marquee on a first-come-first-served basis.
More information about venue tours, including booking links, is available via Ticketmaster.
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