ACL Live, the new Austin City Limits TV studio and music venue in downtown Austin, launched its new website and show calendar a week ago. Tickets are on sale today at noon for that initial round of concerts.
Artists on the February lineup include Willie Nelson (two nights), Robyn, Styx, Gipsy Kings, and Diana Ross.
"Then we are doing a series of $5 shows, and they are going to be preview shows, and it's a benefit for HAAM," ACL Live booking director Colleen Fischer told KUT News, saying the preview shows are intended to promote the venue and give them a chance to iron out operational wrinkles.
Those preview show artists are Cody Canada & The Departed, and Los Amigos Invisibles. These are not taped shows.
"The building is a technical wizard. The backdrop will fly. The stage is completely different from filming and [live shows]," Fischer said. "We use different sized stages, and we have a giant freight elevator, and the TV cameras and everything go on the elevator and up to the second floor and we're a concert venue."
Fischer says the audience area is modular as well. Depending on the artist they can clear the floor of chairs for a general admission audience, or set up chairs, something they intend to do for the Diana Ross show.
"No seat is further than 75 feet from the stage, so you will be right there, and we have first class Meyer [sound] system, and an incredible lighting system, 40 moving lights," she said.
The capacity of the venue is 2,700. For comparison, that's about two-thirds the size of Austin Music Hall, which has a 4,000 seat capacity.
