ACL Live at Moody named best new venue

AUSTIN (KXAN) - It's awards season -- SAG, Grammys, Oscars are the big ones. Pollstar Concert Industry Awards have established a solid history, as well, having been around for 23 years.

The annual awards ceremony were held on Friday in Los Angeles at Club Nokia -- and Austin was recognized for one of its jewels, as ACL Live at the Moody Theater was named Best New Major Concert Venue.

"This award means a lot to us because it's voted on by our peers," said Colleen Fischer, ACL Live director of booking. "It's a very high recognition indeed."

The 2,700-seat facility, located on the second floor of the W Hotel in Downtown Austin, opened last year, with Austin's favorite son, Willie Nelson, kicking off the first show on Feb. 13, 2011.

• View Moody Theater construction photos
• View KLRU Opening Night Gala photos

The venue is only the second home for the popular PBS television show, produced by KLRU-TV, "Austin City Limits." The syndicated show had for 35 years been housed and taped in a studio at The University of Texas Communications Building until the Moody Theater was constructed. With its three levels and increased number of seats, many more fans are able to be part of the classic television series.

With the 2010 hiring of a separate programming staff for ACL Live at the Moody Theater, the venue has added in a positive way to the rich history of music in Austin, with artists who boast outside of Texas about the state-of-the-art facility.

• View ACL Live at the Moody Theater performance calendar
• View KLRU's information for "Austin City Limits" taping