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Gary Clark Jr. played the inaugural show for the Moody Amphitheater, which has in progress since 2017. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
The Moody Amphitheatre's grand opening kicked off with a big capital-of-Texas bang: a concert by two home-grown musical performances, Gary Clark Jr. and Blackillac.
The 5,000-seat venue debuted its long-awaited Clark concert on Friday evening complete with big, sold-out crowds. The music went on as scheduled after it was announced in June 2020, with seats packed all the way over the lawn.
Although Moody Amphitheater said it would require masks at all times except when eating or drinking, almost none were worn in the open-air venue. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
Many attendees enjoyed a live music ambience for the first time in over a year. Austinites Lauren Clary, Doug Nguyen and Trent Castleberry said it was their first concert since COVID-19 began other than Blues on the Green.
Clary, Nguyen and Castleberry they are looking forward to seeing more live music, like ACL, this year. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
"I love (Clark) because he's a local," Clary said, noting that she appreciates that Clark is involved in putting community events together like Blues on the Green.
Opening rap duo Blackillac is comprised of 36-year-old Valin Zamarron, whose stage name is Zeale, and 35-year-old J.J. Shaw, whose stage name is Phranchyze. The pair started making music in 2018 with guidance from Clark, who lovingly shouted them out in his opening remarks.
Blackillac has been climbing the ranks in Austin's music scene for a while—the two have performed at ACL Festival in 2019 and were named "Best Hip Hop/Rap" group at the 2020 Austin Music Awards. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
Blackillac had the crowd standing by the second song.
Blackillac played a 30-minute set before passing the stage on to Clark. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
Concert-goers Brad and Rhonda Davidson said they used to frequent concerts at Waterloo Park before it was revitalized. The couple said they were enjoying the new park just the same and were excited to see Clark again after seeing him at Blues on the Green in July.
Brad and Laura Davidson were happy to be back at Waterloo Park for a concert once more. (Laura Figi)
"(This concert is) the inaugural thing in this park and it's part of Austin," Brad said. "I used to see (Clark) walking downtown carrying his guitar into a venue. He's been part of Austin for the last 30 years; Gary is Austin."
Clark took the stage in his signature brimmed hat and opened with a guitar solo.
Just seconds before Clark starts the first song... (Laura Figi/Austonia)
During his set, Clark played "Bright Lights" and "Cold Blooded" to open up the show in front of a thrilled crowd.
A lifelong Austinite, Clark is also a Grammy award-winner and a seasoned musician who started playing when he was just 12 years old. (Laura Figi/Austonia)
Clark is playing the Moody Amphitheater again Saturday at 6 p.m. with opener Kydd Jones. The next show will play on Sept. 9, bringing reggae-rock band Rebelution to the stage
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So in celebration of the Red Headed Stranger's 88th year around the sun, here are just a select few of the reasons Austin loves Nelson.
We get to celebrate his birthday twice
Nelson was born just before midnight on April 29, 1933, in Austin, Texas, the county courthouse didn't record his birth until the next morning, officially giving him two birthdays, as he explained on Sirius XM in 2018. Nelson celebrated on April 29 exclusively until he turned 18, joined the Air Force and obtained a copy of his birth certificate. Instead of fretting about the clerical error, Nelson saves people the confusion by celebrating on both days. If anyone deserves two birthdays it's him, right?
He has done some outlandish things for weed
It's not a secret that Nelson has a certain affinity for the devil's lettuce but he didn't start smoking it until he was 21, even refusing the first time it was offered to him. He has since been serious about destigmatizing the use of cannabis. He recently started his own line, called Willie's Reserve, and held a cannabis convention this year. In the in-between, though, Nelson says he's been busted more than a few times for possession.
Upon coming home to see his Tennessee house on fire in 1969, Nelson ran inside in search of two things: his beloved guitar and a pound of Colombian bud. However, Nelson says he didn't go after the weed to save it but to keep himself out of jail for possession.
Equally crazy, Nelson once smoked a joint on the roof of the White House with Jimmy Carter's son, Chip. Ticking off the bucket list, Nelson tried to do the same on the roof of the Governor's Mansion but was caught before the goal was achieved.
One of his albums was released to pay off IRS debt
Owing an estimated $32 million in taxes to the IRS, which Nelson attributes to mismanaged money and bad accountants, federal agents raided Nelson's home in 1990 and seized some of his assets. After the seizure, the IRS charged him $16.7 million. Nelson released a two-disc acoustic album titled "The IRS Tapes: Who'll Buy My Memories?" and gave the IRS a portion of the profits. The ordeal was settled in 1993 and Nelson is proud to say he lived to tell the tale.
He's been a performer since he was a child
(Thomas Hawk/Flickr)
The first time he ever performed in public, Nelson was 5 years old and recited a poem. He had such a bad bout of stagefright that he started picking his nose until it bled onstage. Though his first performance didn't go well, he was gifted a guitar one year later, when he was 6, wrote his first song when he was 7 and joined his first band when he was 10. By 13, he had played with Bob Wills, the "King Western Swing" music and got a job in a Bohemian Polka band as the lead singer and guitarist. The rest is history!
He's been playing the same guitar for 50 years
Named "Trigger" after Roy Rogers' horse, Nelson has been playing the same guitar for 50 years, which explains the scratches, nicks and beat-up look the instrument has, but he loves it the same. After his trusty Baldwin was damaged beyond repair by a drunk man at a show, Nelson got into the market for a new one. A Martin N-20 classical guitar, Trigger has been with him through his house fire and when the IRS came to raid Nelson's home, he sent Trigger to his daughter, Lana, in Maui, Hawaii, for safekeeping. The guitar has been through hell and back, it even has a hole in the body from use, and sees a guitar technician frequently but still plays as good as it should.
We hope you have two "Willie" nice birthdays, Mr. Nelson!
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