The Austin360 Amphitheater feels a little bit like a nice bottle of wine. High quality, but very expensive – the kind of thing you save for a special occasion. There is a place for it in Austin to be sure, but probably not a regular stop for most concert goers. First off, the folks that think Emo’s and Antone’s on Riverside are now “far away” certainly aren’t going to be excited about going to Elroy. And even in an increasingly expensive Austin, the prices are through the roof. $25 to park? Gulp. You may feel like you need a drink after paying that, but then you’ll find out it’s $9 for a domestic beer. Ouch. Apart from the price and distance – here’s why we’ll go:
Sound is pretty darn good. I’d put it on par with the ACL Moody, which is clearly the best live music sound system in town. Walking around, the sound is consistently good from the different seating areas and vantage points.
Good Bands. Face it – this is where the rubber meets the road. If a venue books your favorite act – you’ll drive a bit and shell out a few bucks. If not, The Backyard would have gone out of business years ago. The A360 will fill the gap of bands too big for Stubb’s, but still looking for an Austin tour date.
There are a ton of places in town that have great audio and affordable prices and will continue to be the bread and butter of the Austin music scene. They will book original bands and hold down our place as the “Live Music Capital of the World”. When that special band comes through that you’ve been waiting to see for months – you’ll hit the ATM Machine, turn on the GPS, and find your way to Elroy.