Iconic Austin blues club Antone's launches livestreaming platform

If you've ever dreamt of a concert in your backyard, the day is here. Antone's Nightclub is premiering a new livestreaming platform to teleport fans far and wide to the iconic blues venue.

Antone's will begin offering fans the "intimacy of live club shows in a virtual format through HD streaming," according to a news release. The Dumpstaphunk’s Phunksgiving shows on Friday and Saturday will be the first to premiere on the service, with both in-person and virtual tickets available through the venue's website.

As virtual concerts became popular at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Antone's owner and operator Will Bridges saw an opportunity to draw in a broader audience of fans.

“Our ultimate goal is to make these amazing musical experiences accessible to everyone," Bridges said in a statement. "Life is busy, but we want to give everyone the opportunity to participate no matter where they are or what they have going on. We want to make livestreams from Antone’s totally commonplace."

To create an intimate and scalable virtual viewing experience, Austin-based media agency 3rd + Lamar installed 4K cinema cameras and other high-end tech throughout the downtown venue. According to Antone's, the cameras will be able to see the entirety of the space and capture nearly every element of a musician's performance.

"The amazing talent that performs at Antone's – and their fans worldwide – deserve best-in-class live production quality, and we're thrilled to play a part in this operation," said Nick Schenck, co-founder and CEO of 3rd + Lamar, in a statement.

Fans interested in attending a show virtually can purchase tickets and access the livestream directly through the Antone’s website. To see which shows are available via livestream, go to antones.com.

– Austin 360