Super Win for H-Town

Houston wins Super Bowl on its own merits: Super Bowl LI belonged back in rising city all along

It's a Super Day for Houston. The NFL just awarded the city Super Bowl LI in 2017, adding more punch to the notion that Houston is the city of the future.

It's certainly become the city of mammoth sporting events.

Houston beat out Miami as the host of Super Bowl LI after San Francisco was awarded Super Bowl L in 2016. The decision was made in a vote in a high-end Boston hotel, but as is typical with the NFL these days, it played out as a TV show on the NFL Network. Complete with "pregame analysis" and reporters embedded in each bid city's war room.

It'd be easy to say Miami lost this Super Bowl more than Houston won it. The Dolphins stadium situation —the Florida Legislature refused to even hear the bill that would have put a $350 million referendum for stadium improvements on the ballot — essentially crippled the South Florida bid.

Now, there's talk that Miami could become the next San Diego, a longtime Super Bowl regular that now has no chance to get the game again.

"Houston has been virtually reborn since we hosted Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004."

It's easy to say this is all about Miami's failings, but it's also wrong. Even if Miami had its stadium act together, Houston still would have won. It's simply more deserving of the Super stage.

Houston is a city on the rise, still somehow underrated in most of America even as it skyrockets forward. Don't let the focus on Miami distract from the overall truth: The NFL is coming back to Houston for its big game because it should be in Houston.

Houston's not the consolation choice. It's the right choice.

"I think Houston just had a better package overall," Houston bid chairman Ric Campo said on the NFL Network moments after the Bayou City win was revealed.

Houston getting the game was expected, but that didn't make the celebration any more subdued in the Houston bid room. And now thoughts are already moving forward to the game and Houston's chance to make a major impact.

"We're going to put on a party no one has seen in a long time," Campo said.

Houston is fast becoming a mecca for major sports event. It hosted the Final Four in 2011 and gets college basketball's showcase again in 2016 (the year before Super Bowl LI). The NBA All-Star Game called Houston home for the second time in only eight years last February. Minute Maid Park hosted the MLB All-Star Game in 2004 and figures to get another crack soon. And of course, the Super Bowl was here in 2004.

Mayor Annise Parker likes to say that Houston knows how to throw a party.

This Super Bowl bid — like the successful Final Four pitches before it — used Discovery Green and the ability to stage big-name concerts in the park and host a massive NFL Experience in the George R. Brown Convention Center as a huge selling point. The big game will be played at Reliant Stadium — with its new massive scoreboards. But in many ways, Super Bowl week will center around Discovery Green.

Of course, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair was smart enough to dangle some other special perks in front of his fellow billionaire owners. McNair promoted a private, dedicated runway at Ellington Field for the NFL's owners jets during the week of Super Bowl 51.

Even more importantly, he advanced the idea of turning the Super Bowl from a one-week-only event into a 10-day celebration. If you haven't noticed, the NFL likes things bigger. Push that envelope and you're likely to walk away from the table smiling.

"It's a happy moment for us," McNair said in a live TV interview.

Campo presented Houston's bid to the owners, going third after both Miami and San Francisco presented. Campo's presentation included three different videos — including an introductory pitch from former Secretary of State James Baker III.

Campo touted Houston's diversity as the perfect stage to launch the next 50 years of Super Bowls. He also cited its recent recognition in Forbes magazine and the New York Times for being "the coolest city" in America and one of the Top 10 cities in the world to visit respectively.

"Houston has been virtually reborn since we hosted Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004," Campo said in part of the presentation broadcast by the NFL.

". . . Houston is an international business city. We're pretty hip as well."

And Super deserving.

The Miami Dolphins' stadium

Miami Dolphins Dolphin stadium football stadium

Photo by AdamFirst Wikipedia

The Miami Dolphins' stadium

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Live on Live

Iconic Austin blues club brings the show to fans with new indie livestreaming platform

Photo by Daniel Cavazos

Legendary Austin blues club Antone's is launching an independent livestreaming service.

If legendary Austin blues club Antone’s is your vibe, but the drive to Capital City isn't, you’re in luck. Antone’s Nightclub launched a new service for livestreaming its shows in November.

Kicking off with New Orleans-based funk and jam band Dumpstaphunk, for their special “Phunksgiving” show last month with Michael Hale Trio, the full lineup is delineated on the Antone’s website. Specifics were still loose before the launch, allowing the famous blues club to call the shots. The partner agency that created the streaming service, 3rd + Lamar, created the system to give Antone’s as much freedom as possible.

"Partnering with Antone's to build their livestreaming platform and produce each of their shows is an incredible opportunity for 3rd + Lamar," said the agency’s co-founder Nick Schenck in a press release. "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."

Not that Antone’s needed to stand out more in the music industry (the nearly 50-year-old venue has always been one of the best places to see both local and national talent), but this achievement places it among relatively few venues across the country, especially those that operate their system independently.

The intimate Antone's shows are filmed by four Blackmagic 4K cinema cameras on tracks overhead, which ensure that the whole space is easily visible without having camera operators amid the audience.

“We did over 430 individually ticketed shows in 2019 and we felt like we were bursting at the seams,” said Antone’s owner Will Bridges. “Then when livestreams became more prominent during the pandemic we realized, this is our opportunity to take Antone’s outside of our four walls. … [W]e see people in the comment threads all the time saying ‘If I could only be teleported to Antone’s!’ Well now they can.”

The release emphasizes that the system means Antone’s “fully retain[s] ownership of their content, which can then be utilized at their discretion.” It also calls the service “an add-on option for all artists performing at Antone’s,” positioning the service as not just an audience luxury but a performer’s low-cost marketing tool. Suddenly, artists playing at Antone’s are afforded a choice without needing to be invited to record or pay an independent video team, while reaching even more viewers with no extra time spent advertising.

“Our ultimate goal is to make these amazing musical experiences accessible to everyone. Life is busy, but we want to give everyone the opportunity to participate no matter where they are or what they have going on,” said Bridges. “We want to make livestreams from Antone’s totally commonplace. When we announce our upcoming shows, fans have two options: watch it at the club our watch it at home.”

Livestreams are at antonesnightclub.com, and links also appear with each applicable event across the site. Prices are listed on the website, and livestreams start 10-20 minutes before each show.

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