208 Nueces, 263-4146. Owned by Direct Events, the Backyard consistently gets first-class talent such as the Gypsy Kings, Allman Brothers, and hopefully later this spring, Neil Young. A palatial 3,000-seat UT performance facility with perfect acoustics that hosts those shows that play the best concert halls in the world. Already this year, the Performing Arts Center has presented stellar shows by the KODO drummers and Tito Puente, with upcoming must-sees like Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra paying tribute to the centennial of Duke Ellington's birthday.
Shows are black-tie optional.
Jazz in particularly is well-suited to the intimate hall's hallowed aura, heightened immeasurably by the immense pipe organ that is the Bates' back wall. Like all good buildings, though, it's slated for destruction. We bet what's built in its place won't have half the soul or free parking. The Dougherty Arts Theater is a 150-person auditorium that's made available for music when there are no theatre productions going on. The DAC also books the Sheffield Hillside Theatre in Zilker Park, across from the main entrance of the Barton Springs pool, an outdoor stage fit for everything from Shakespeare to bluegrass.