acl live at the moody theater Archives

AUSTIN, TX (Sept. 16, 2024) – ACL Live at the Moody Theater and Austin PBS announced an expanded and reimagined daytime tour celebrating 50 years of the legendary Austin City Limits, the longest-running music series in television history. The enhanced guided tours will run six times daily, seven days a week, starting Tuesday, Oct. 1, allowing fans of all generations to walk in the footsteps of music legends and hear insider stories about Austin City Limits’ most memorable moments.

“Austin PBS has always been dedicated to celebrating the arts, music and community, and this collaboration with our friends and partners at ACL Live and Opry Entertainment takes that commitment to new heights,” said Luis Patiño, CEO of PBS Austin. “With the launch of the new and improved tour of ACL Live, where our legendary Austin City Limits television series is recorded, we’re offering fans an even more immersive experience. Together, we’re not only honoring the rich history of American music but also creating new opportunities to connect with younger audiences, ensuring this legacy continues to inspire for generations to come.”

Tours start at 3TEN with a video that gives guests background on Austin City Limits history. Throughout the tour, guests can experience an interactive timeline, view artifacts showcasing 50 seasons of PBS’s ACL and browse the unparalleled music photography of Scott Newton, the official photographer of ACL since 1979. Tours will also visit the ACL control room so guests can watch how the ACL stage comes to life. Towards the end of the tour, guests can step in the spotlight for a fun photo opportunity featuring the notable ACL skyline and wood from the original stage of the first studio where the show was filmed.

“We are honored to celebrate Austin City Limits’ 50th anniversary with this fan-forward experience,” said Patrick Moore, CEO of Opry Entertainment. “This partnership combines our expert knowledge of creating dynamic tour offerings in iconic venues with their vast collection of memorabilia and imagery to bring another dimension to the Austin City Limits story.”

Tickets are available now for $20 at acllive.com/tours. ACL Live offers free tour admission for children 12 and under. This tour expansion is part of a broader $60 million investment by Opry Entertainment in Block 21, further establishing the district as a must-visit entertainment hub in downtown Austin. Stay tuned for more updates on Block 21’s ongoing renovations and upgrades. For additional details about ACL Live and daytime tours, visit acllive.com.

BOOK A TOUR

About ACL Live:

Austin City Limits Live at The Moody Theater (ACL Live) is a state-of-the-art, 2,750-person capacity live music venue that hosts approximately 100 concerts a year. It serves as the permanent home for the taping of the acclaimed KLRU-TV-produced PBS series Austin City Limits, the longest-running music series in American television history. ACL Live is owned and operated by Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. as part of its Opry Entertainment division. For more information on ACL Live, please visit www.acllive.com.

About Opry Entertainment:

Rooted in the unparalleled country music history of the Grand Ole Opry, Opry Entertainment Group produces multi-platform entertainment experiences through its growing portfolio of entertainment venues. This includes the world-famous Grand Ole Opry, the iconic Ryman Auditorium, ACL Live at the Moody Theater, Blake Shelton-inspired Ole Red brand and the Wildhorse Saloon, which will be reimagined as Category 10, the Luke Combs-inspired entertainment experience coming 2024. Through concerts, tours, music-inspired restaurants, digital content, and its WSM Radio and Circle Country platforms, Opry Entertainment Group connects millions of music fans to the artists they love through experiences they’ll never forget. Opry Entertainment Group is a subsidiary of Ryman Hospitality Properties, Inc. (NYSE: RHP). 

About Austin PBS:

Since 1962, Austin PBS has been a part of Central Texas, delivering programs that educate, entertain and inspire. As the only locally owned and operated nonprofit public television station in Central Texas, Austin PBS uses its unique position to serve as a bridge to the community and provide essential services to 3 million potential viewers in more than 20 counties across the region.

About Austin City Limits:

A monument to music, Austin City Limits has showcased iconic performances from legends and innovators in every genre of popular song for a remarkable five decades. The series is the flagship of the popular Austin City Limits Music Festival and has earned countless accolades for its quality presentation of live music performances, including a Peabody Award, a Rock & Roll Hall of Fame designation and it remains the only TV series awarded the National Medal of Arts.

This month Austin City Limits celebrates one year of production at ACL Live at The Moody Theater. Last year on February 26, we taped the Steve Miller Band, the first taping of Season 37 and the first in our new home.

It wasn’t an easy decision to move from the comfy confines of KLRU’s Studio 6A, but it was a necessary one: the growth of the show over the years meant the outgrowth of that 320-seat space. But we worked closely with Stratus Properties on the design of our new digs, and The Moody Theater is all we ever dreamed of as a venue – the space, the sound, the lights, the multiple bathrooms on the same floors as the seats.

Of course, The Moody isn’t just a television studio. It’s also a concert hall, with a huge variety of artists coming through and a growing reputation as a first-class room. It says a lot that folks like Santana and Diana Ross who could’ve played in much bigger halls, but instead chose to come to The Moody Theater instead. Indeed, Pollstar awarded The Moody Theater Best New Major Concert Venue at the 23rd annual Pollstar Concert Industry Awards. Plus the entire Block 21 complex has received LEED Silver Certification from Austin Energy’s Green Building program for commitment to sustainability.

Thanks for sticking with us through some major changes — we hope you love the new digs as much as we do. We look forward to bringing you more excellent music for many years to come!