Charles Attal has spent the past five years receiving a crash course in concert economics at Stubb's. It re-opened as Phase I, and everyone agreed that Phase II better address the acoustics, which had been touted as state-of-the-art. Of course, I didn't really go anywhere. cover story that year. Employees fear him and competitors loathe him. CANDLE HAS BEEN LIT CANDLES HAVE BEEN LIT, We are reviewing your submission. He was born on May 19, 1954 to the late Ernest Joseph and Rose Mary (Smith) O'Connor. After recuperating, O'Connor returned to staging benefits and working with Nelson. Soon married with a baby, he returned to California, where he eventually wound up laying drainage pipe in the Mojave Desert. Who Receive obituaries Sandra Lucille Hidrogo February 20, 2023 (81 years old) REX/Shutterstock. Jim Ramsey booked both the Back Room and a healthy slate of Opera House shows. "I wanted a fight.". On those nights it was a listening room. But a couple disastrous decisions- rebuilding the Austin Music Hall in 2007 and the Backyard in 2010- cant put a lien on the memories he created in the years between the 1972 opening of Castle Creek and the 2008 closing of the original Backyard. What do you want me to do? "Winters are fairly cold in Colorado, so it became a strong collection approach.". ", When the Armadillo finally ended its storied, decade-long run in late 1980, the Opera House was seen by many locals as the last gasp of "Old Austin. Now, as his relationship with SFX, the country's largest concert promoter, nears contractual completion, the impact of O'Connor's retirement on the local promotions pool is unknown. Willie had found his man! It started with a love of music.James Timothy OConnor, his adopted name, came to Austin in 1972 to open Castle Creek with his Colorado buddy Doug Moyes. Help tell the story of your loved ones unique life. AUSTIN, Texas An integral part of Texas history, Tim O'Connor, the creator of Austin Music Hall, Austin Opry House and more, passed away this summer of Hodgkin's lymphoma. Or, he hints, he could wind up settling for less money to merely close the venue and sell the property outright if he can't find the right buyers. Some still fear him. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. He loved all of his family and the times they spent together. That OConnor had 13 very good years in that former chili factory was remarkable. RESCHEDULED FROM 2/2: Branzino, Shooks, Otis Wilkins. I don't think he knew how much he was loved. and yea.the gun.timc/s, This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. And while monopolies are generally bad for the consumer, in the concert business, they tend to work to the ticket buyer's advantage: Promoters paying less for shows typically pass it on to the consumer to increase attendance and thus increase alcohol sales and other ancillary revenue. "I'm open to the possibility we can do something collectively that we can't on our own -- to protect the Austin market," reasons O'Connor. With income he'll only say was "not legal," O'Connor took ownership of 13 bungalows and a bar he named the Lift. Timothy David Scott O'Connor On Friday September 30, 2022, Timothy O'Connor passed away at the age of 39. Tim O'Connor, who died in July, had two dogs, Bobbie Nelson and Yoyo Nelson. "He'd sign hundreds of dollar bills and tell the bank president he could come to whatever shows he wanted.". SFX. "When I was there, my goal was to mediate and to make sure everything made money," says Hauser, a booking agent at the William Morris Agency's Nashville office. Austin Owen O'Connor, 66 of Loogootee, was called home at 9:33 a.m. Friday, December 4, 2020 at Loogootee Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center. to the Family. Willie's hippies may have gotten along with the Opera House staff, but promoters running in tandem with O'Connor often found the going difficult, to say the least. Please, Like Lance Armstrong, OConnor just couldnt walk away from the action, and suffered the consequences. There will be a reception following the service. All three venues were wildly successful, with Tim bringing more high-calibre talent to Austin in the 90s than the Armadillo did in the 70s and Liberty Lunch in the 80s and 90s. And to some degree, it's also about admitting what I've done wrong. But lastly they'd say, I hope, 'I've had a lot of dealings with the guy, and while he's a tough negotiator and a lot of time you can't figure out what he's up to, he's honest. "Better yet, I told them I'd put on every poster and ad, 'Plenty of free camping in beautiful Travis Heights.' James Timothy OConnor, his adopted name, came to Austin in 1972 to open Castle Creek with his Colorado buddy Doug Moyes. When OConnor passed away from Hodgkins lymphoma in July 2021 at age 76, the music community went into mourning. "We had to keep taking things up a notch -- sound, promotion, overall presentation. you are the only one i can imagine to put all this into words of love and reality and yesteryear succinctly and soufully. Your entry has exceeded the maximum character limit. Although it's been mostly by his own design, the great irony of Tim O'Connor's career is that it took 30 years for his story to reach his customers -- the people of the city he loves catering to. Because if you're detected and manage to pierce the bottom of that larger national company's canopy, they're going to come after you.". I might be tattered and torn up, and a lot of people may be lying behind me, but my attitude is, if you're not helping, get out of the way. Funeral Home Se. Unfortunately, before he could think on it harder, a night of drinking in Carmel led to another arrest; police picked up O'Connor and his buddies after neighbors reported having seen them prying at a metal cage in front of the local liquor store. Family and friends can send flowers and/or light a candle as a loving gesture for their loved one. He didnt have to say no anymore, just Why dont you run it by Tim?, Read more about Castle Creek, Spellmans, Alamo Lounge, emmajoes. Over the last few years, we've been killing ourselves.". Hospice Austin, or the Breast Cancer Resource Center of Austin, TX. The Austin Music Hall was repossesssed in 2012 by OmniBank, which lent OConnor the money for the razing and rebuilding. He knew that you didn't always have to make money, that you have to give great product. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. Free of drugs and alcohol since 1988, Tim was addicted to the concert game, the work, the risk/reward rush, which eventually led to a slew of lawsuits and a 2013 bankruptcy. "I think he likes the game too much to really be trying to get out," maintains Attal. "I could either walk down to the bar and start drinking again, or be honest and do what I said I'd do -- to produce these shows in a professional manner.". Timothy O'Connor, II, 51, passed away on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 in Ennis, Texas Timothy was born on April 23, 1969 in Fond Du Lac, WI to Timothy Patrick and Rhonda (Floyd) O'Connor, I. Timothy attended school in Fond Du Lac and graduated from Rising Star High School in 1988. Absolutely not. Celebrate the life of Maureen O'Connor, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information. "I've never had a customer tell me I should cut down a 400-year-old oak tree because the sightlines would be better," he says. i fuckin' miss that guy. I'd like to think I was one of the architects of trying to make this town's concerts more professional.". on its website. Arrangements under the direction of Cook-Walden Chapel of the Hills Funeral Home, Austin, TX. I stuck around Willie like bad penny.". After roughly 26 months in an adoption facility, he was adopted and given the surname O'Connor. It wasnt a bad wound and OConnor wasnt charged, but he had to tell his boss what went down. He was born on June 14, 1983, in Santa Rosa, California. Eric Goodman's Austin FC column, other soccer news. If real news is important to you, please consider making a donation of $5, $10 or whatever you can afford, to help keep our journalism on stands. This was one of those nights. Chris was preceded in death by his father Joseph L. OConnor. Timothy Joseph (Tim) O'Connor, 53, of Toms River, NJ, passed away peacefully at home on December 26, 2022, after bravely battling cancer. Memorial services will be held on Monday, October 5, 2020 at 1 p.m. in the Hilco Event Center of Itasca. "Willie had long been my songwriting hero," explains O'Connor, "and out of the blue, he just walked in, asked for me, and said, 'Hi. It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website, Bobbie "Cole" OConnor, age 73, of Austin, lost her courageous battle with cancer and left the struggles of this life on Tuesday, May 30, 2006 Bobbie was born March 9, 1933 in Manor, Texas. Apprehended and returned to Wichita, it wasn't long before O'Connor ran away again. Moving into Michael Martin Murphy's house on 54th across from the DPS and forging fast friendships with musicians like Jerry Jeff Walker and Jimmy Buffet, O'Connor quickly made Castle Creek's bookings competitive. Leave a sympathy message to the family in the guestbook on this . Timothy Joseph O'Connor (July 3, 1927 - April 5, 2018) was an American character actor known for his prolific work in television, although he made only a few appearances after the early 1990s. I've made some mistakes and enemies, but the other side is I hope I've made some friends and made a little bit of difference in the presentation and the quality of music that comes to Austin. His daughters, Amy and Paula Nelson, who are also OConnors goddaughters, partnered with Austin Pets Alive! "I always wanted to sit behind my desk and be able to tell some artist that had me pulling all the red M&M's out of the bag that he'd never play in this town again.". "We all found ourselves together one day," says O'Connor. Tim passed away this summer leaving behind his beloved dogs Bobbie & Yoyo. Download it here. That was unique, and I think a lot of that came from working with Willie. He graduated from Plattsburg High School in 1949, and farmed with his father until he joined the US Air Force in 1952. Separated from his wife, the couple later returned to Kansas to try and make the marriage work. Even so, merely owning La Zona added value to Direct Events. Amy captured the rescue on video. Guestbook Condolences Memorial Donation. Timothy J. O'Connor, who had a long and distinguished career as one of the leading character actors of his generation, passed away peacefully in his sleep on Thursday, April 5th, in his longtime home in Nevada City, California, at the age of 90. Keever Mortuary, Inc.. All Rights Reserved.Funeral Home Website by Batesville | Funeral Planning and Grief Resources. Overestimating access and parking capabilities also marred the second Backyard in Bee Cave, about a mile west of the original. He left behind his pack of dogs. It doesn't take much asking around for folks to recall the first time he screamed at them, or the first time they witnessed him either stand on his desk to make a point, or clear it with the sweep of an arm. A celebration of her life will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, June 3, at Wilke-Clay-Fish Funeral Home. This scene could change as drastically as it did from the Seventies to the Nineties within just a couple of years. He was schooled in electronics and radar at Lowry Field, Denver, Colorado, and then became a Radar Technician at Perrin AFB, Sherman, TX, where he worked on the exact fighter jet that is on display at Camp Mabry, Austin, TX. Young told him it was a bird nest on the ground -- he'd only need to pick up the eggs. "It took until I lived there to understand how unique the city is. He found a warehouse with unisex bathrooms and a huge dividing wall. He's equal parts Tony Soprano and Bill Graham. Like Lance Armstrong, O'Connor just couldn't walk away from the action, and suffered the consequences. So much so, in fact, that Attal has pried a sizable amount of shows away from Direct Events. "When Willie and I needed to deal with banks, we'd be sure to pull up in front with the bus," explains O'Connor. Tim OConnor showed Austin how to put on a show, while content to stay in the background. O'Connor controlled the Opera House, routinely dealing with Houston-based powerhouse Pace Productions and their Austin liaison, Steve Hauser. Kansas State University was the next institution to ask O'Connor not to return. Here's what you need to know. We never called them 'benefits,' but we both knew the deal. here. "Clubs might argue over one act, once a year or so," he says. Timothy F. O'Connor Obituary. I have very little patience for people that fool around in this business or just want to make a buck.". I'm Willie Nelson. O'Connor doesn't deny he made his share of enemies at the Opera House, but he also maintains that the concert business was changing so rapidly in the early Eighties that the need to enforce a level of professionalism by any means necessary was that much more important. You are invited to a reception following the graveside service at the funeral home. There was other drama as well: He'd been caught attempting to steal a WWI cannon from the town post office. "It wasn't by design, but it worked out that way.". He enjoyed brewing wine, bee keeping, hunting, fishing, gardening, and pigeon racing. Then came the mall that swallowed our idyllic music setting. Like Willie Nelson, Tim OConnor is a huge part of Austin music history. With Nelson's own tax problems, O'Connor didn't have time to implement his traditional Plan B and wound up selling the Opera House at a "fire-sale" price. Example video title will go here for this video, AUSTIN, Texas Tim OConnor, owner of The Backyard, Austin Music Hall and other live music venues in Austin, died on July 30 from Hodgkin's lymphoma. The deal Willie made with Terrace Motel owner Dude McCandless included 14 acres on South Congress at Academy for just over a million dollars. Unfortunately, Ramsey says, there were often too many cooks in the kitchen without a head chef. He let me spill everything out for him and then I asked, 'What do you think?' Tom married his high school sweetheart, Beverly Ford, on July 5, 1952, and they enjoyed 58 years devoted to each other. He sees it as a return to the free flow of information that he found in the Castle Creek days. Maureen Margaret O'Connor Obituary. That and inadequate AC: was that shit even on? Charles "Charlie" M. McLemore 81, passed away Tuesday February 21, 2023. "I cleared a few hundred bucks easy," O'Connor says. A year later, Austin came calling again; Jeff Blank from Hudson's on the Bend believed he'd found the land for a restaurant/venue concept he and O'Connor had long discussed. Thomas Morton O'Connor, 78, passed from this life on Oct. 7, 2010 in Austin, TX. He also produces classy and smooth-running shows; as with the Backyard, acts that play Stubb's tell their agents they want to return. Like our page to stay informed about passing of a loved one in Austin, Texas on facebook. More than anything else, the stories told and untold paint the picture of a man who knows how to get what he wants, a notoriously stubborn and tough negotiator who never shied away from staging a charity event or benefit. O'Connor is the first to admit the combination of Pace's deep pockets and his own long-term connections represents a serious hurdle for competing Austin venues. That wouldnt last long. Throughout 1990-91, O'Connor drifted yet again, this time to Minneapolis to work with a group that presented stadium-sized Earth Day concerts featuring acts like Paul McCartney and REM. "A stray bullet was fired and went into somebody's leg. Tim pulled off what I consider to be one of the world's greatest public relations miracles. Individuals can donate to APA! The venue was charmed from the start, with Leonard Cohen, Jimmy Cliff, Crosby, Stills & Nash, Everly Brothers, Little Feat, the Allman Brothers and a Willie Nelson Fourth of July Picnic that first summer. Timothy was born on April 23, 1969 in Fond Du Lac, WI to Timothy Patrick and Rhonda (Floyd) OConnor, I. Timothy attended school in Fond Du Lac and graduated from Rising Star High School in 1988. Tim was born in Queens, NY and moved to Yulee 18 years ago from Clearwater, FL. Not only did it allow Direct Events to lure agents and acts with the promise that they could move through their ranks, it kept the overall business operating 12 months a year, not just the seven months it was safe to stage shows at the Backyard. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www . Nelson repeated. Travis Heights wouldn't be free of O'Connor until 1990. He's maybe a little crusty,'" laughs O'Connor. The singer believed he'd stumbled on the perfect property. It may not have cost him his friendship with Nelson, but O'Connor's stray bullet came with a hefty price tag -- having to leave Castle Creek. Recovering from triple-bypass surgery, OConnor opened up to writer Andy Langer in a rare Send In the Clowns manner. Then again, once a drifter, always a drifter; this time, O'Connor settled in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and hooked up with a friend from his Colorado days, songwriter Tom Campbell. He does it because he loves music and loves the game.". ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Can't keep up with happenings around town? Timothy worked for Kimbrell Farms for ten years as a service tech. We will miss you and love you always, MeMe. If he hadn't been driving the getaway car, Tim O'Connor might have punched Willie Nelson. He was king of the roadshow in town for a quarter century, from 1977 until his protege Charlie Jones and Charles Attal took over in 2002 with the Austin City Limits Music Festival and aggressive bookings all over town. It was there in the former Chequered Flag folk club on Lavaca, that OConnor met new Austin resident Willie Nelson. and formed what later became known as the Ivory Tower collective. O'Connor says the business side of concert promotion back then was fast and loose, but not very competitive. In fact, O'Connor was to retire from day-to-day operations January 1, 2001. What a mistake it was to tear down the Music Hall to build a new one that was worse than the old one. A note to readers: Bold and uncensored, The Austin Chronicle has been Austins independent news source for over 40 years, expressing the communitys political and environmental concerns and supporting its active cultural scene. Bobbie was preceded in death by her husband, Curly O Connor in 1974; her son, Arvel Franklin; and her parents, Frank and Louise . The promoter shouldve retired in 2001, a move he contemplated in an Austin Chronicle cover story that year. "The way to make money is to offer a drive-through viewing. O'Connor's contract with one of the country's largest promoters is due to expire in December. said Bobbie and Yoyo are now available for foster and adoption. He was born October 20, 1941 in Clarksville, Texas. (APA!) View The Obituary For Christopher Joseph O"Connor. Meanwhile, O'Connor has directly helped shape Charlie Jones' destiny. We're not bidding shows up 30-40% anymore.". His parents preceded him in death. 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