Tim pulled off what I consider to be one of the world's greatest public relations miracles. They now own 130 venues nationwide, including 44 amphitheaters. But it's time to clear the air and say the driving force I have at this point is merely wanting to grow old gracefully. It didn't, and at 22, he moved to Colorado while his family left for Atlanta. He's been zealously drug- and alcohol-free ever since. And despite the fact that Direct Events had grown nearly 300% in 1994-95 and was on the verge of bankruptcy, O'Connor agreed to buy La Zona Rosa in 1996. Timothy O'Connor, II, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store. "But I'm at a point in my career and life that whatever I have and haven't done, it feels right to get it out there. Charles Attal has spent the past five years receiving a crash course in concert economics at Stubb's. On the road, O'Connor got his hands dirty re-wiring sound systems and handling payouts, but his stint with Nelson was short-lived. 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. Their profiles are up on APA! Meanwhile, O'Connor has directly helped shape Charlie Jones' destiny. "We had to keep taking things up a notch -- sound, promotion, overall presentation. Eric Goodman's Austin FC column, other soccer news. Tim was an aircraft mechanic and was employed by UPS for over 35 years. There was something about that room- maybe Sarah Elizabeth Campbells Bummer Night on Tuesdays set the mood- but youd get sadness at its most comfortable. He loved staying busy. At the time, musicians such as Jimmie Vaughan and Rusty Wier began stopping at the restaurant on their way to Winter Park. Likewise, his exit strategy remains characteristically ambiguous. Employees fear him and competitors loathe him. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. (The plan had been to throw it in the high school swimming pool.) Can't keep up with happenings around town? Perhaps it's all of the above, although he denies there's any real motive at all. Skeptics, on the other hand, said concertgoers wouldn't drive that far for a show, particularly from North Austin. Born Sept. 23, 1943, in San Bernadino, Calif., he had been a . OBITUARY Gail Elizabeth O'Connor November 10, 1952 - October 20, 2018. . While both sides had worked through 98% of the differences, SFX's plan to expand the Backyard clashed with O'Connor's vision of how he wanted to leave the facility. ', "I think somewhere along the way, people that know me labeled me as a guy that if I said I'd do it, I did it -- at all costs. "Instead of coming to work with machetes, we tried a pencil and pad. What do you want me to be?". here. TIMOTHY O'CONNOR OBITUARY. "It wasn't by design, but it worked out that way.". Email admin@steelguitarforum.com for technical support. Called an Ice House for the Arts, La Zona Rosa was a special place, opened by Marcia Ball and husband Gordon Fowler in late 89. Aesthetically, [the Opera House] and Liberty Lunch were the only ones to carry over the Seventies vibe into the Eighties decline.". ", "People that had been to the first round of shows there because perhaps they knew I was the same guy behind the Backyard, would come to me on the streets afterwards and cuss me out," he says. O'Connor may have entered the Nineties knee-deep in debt to the IRS, but at least the Eighties were behind him. "I think a fair amount of folks will come," he says. "I wanted a fight.". "Every other time we'd get behind in taxes or I'd miscalculate someway, I'd call Willie and he'd come in and play five dates. 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. After graduation in 1963, he decided to tempt fate and stay in-state, attending Monterey Peninsula Junior College. Private Messages Timothy leaves. Chris was born on July 27, 1959 in Houston, Texas to Joseph L. OConnor and Elizabeth (Penny) Powell OConnor. "My first thought would be that they'd say, 'That's that old guy that's been around forever. Jim Ramsey booked both the Back Room and a healthy slate of Opera House shows. Ann Richards in shorts, reading the New York Times most every Sunday morning. I'm Willie Nelson. Although O'Connor admits there's still "conversations at different levels" about how the deal might be salvaged, he says a group of well-financed smaller promoters could perhaps team up to purchase the Backyard. Please join us in Loving, Sharing and Memorializing Christopher Joseph O"Connor on this permanent online memorial. Support the Chronicle, O'Connor (l) with Willie Nelson and Darrell Royal backstage at the Austin Opera House, 1979, O'Connor (l) with Willie Nelson at the opening of the Backyard, April 15, 1993, O'Connor with MiddleMan Music's Charlie Jones (l) and Stubb's' Charles Attal, Antones, 1979: Hurricane Margaret blows in, Everything back then felt like us versus them and she was one of us, One click gets you all the newsletters listed below, Breaking news, arts coverage, and daily events. Let others know about your loved one's death. Willie is the Muhammad Ali of white people, yet running in tandem with his crowd is a something a lot of people can't do.". Three words that changed O'Connor's life. SFX. January 1993, they bought 13 acres in Bee Caves and began work on the Backyard and its Live Oak Amphitheater, a nearly 3,000-seat outdoor venue. 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. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. Almost immediately it became the place to not only see roadshows such as John Prine, Jackson Browne, and Bonnie Raitt, but the cream of Austin's burgeoning singer-songwriter scene: Townes Van Zandt, Guy Clark, Stephen Fromholz, and Delbert McClinton. "He was apt to go off, which was a sign of the times, but we were always a little more laid back.". Both are now available for adoption. 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. 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. "It wasn't what they wanted to hear," remembers O'Connor, "but I told them they had a very awkward room that I'd close and start completely over with. And suffice it to say that in those days, there were plenty of outside influences that dictated someone's personality, to be as polite as I can without casting stones from a glass house.". California Consumer Limit the Use of My Sensitive Personal Information, California Consumer Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He left behind his pack of dogs. Jones started answering phones for Direct Events in 1993, and just three years later was La Zona Rosa's general manager. He let me spill everything out for him and then I asked, 'What do you think?' The Dignity Memorial brand name is used to identify a network of licensed funeral, cremation and cemetery providers that include affiliates of Service Corporation International, 1929 Allen Parkway, Houston, Texas. ", "It was the holdout," says Henry Gonzalez, who first worked at the Armadillo and later stage-managed the Opera House. Nelson and O'Connor were in business, 50-50, for a mere $10,000 up front. He was born in Clinton County, Missouri, Nov. 10, 1931 to B. T. and Agnes OConnor. O'Connor controlled the Opera House, routinely dealing with Houston-based powerhouse Pace Productions and their Austin liaison, Steve Hauser. "The screaming, the reputation, a lot of that was a front," asserts Gonzalez. 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. 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. Program Support Representative in Kansas City and San Jose, then worked in Software Test and Development at Santa Teresa Lab in San Jose. "What do I want you to be?" Notifications can be turned off anytime in the browser settings. He's maybe a little crusty,'" laughs O'Connor. Get hyperlocal forecasts, radar and weather alerts. In 1977, he led a group of almost 200 musicians on a cultural exchange trip to Japan. It was the first O'Connor production to require a 747. Like our page to stay informed about passing of a loved one in Austin, Texas on facebook. Tim O'Connor, longtime club owner, music entrepreneur and erstwhile promoter of Austin music, partner of Willie Nelson as a director of the famed Fourth of July picnics, has died. Even today, promoters often walk away at the end of the year making as little as 5% of the door's receipts. Find an obituary, get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a loved one. 's website. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. Moreover, O'Connor has also long been Austin's king of the private party, hosting as many 200 private events a year at his three venues. Strength in numbers now meant they weren't bidding against each other, so the only venue Pace could book without working with the newly formed collective was the Erwin Center. Midway through producing the second Farm Aid, at Manor Downs in 1985, O'Connor got the news his daughter had passed away. Timothy was a member of the Masonic Lodge. I dont think he knew how much he was loved. Separated from his wife, the couple later returned to Kansas to try and make the marriage work. "His Willie thing was a phenomenon," exclaims Wilson. During the same period, he rented Laguna Beach High's gym for $50 and threw a concert featuring a semi-popular local band. He brought a level of professionalism to local concert promotion previously unseen, not to mention a wealth of shows unlike anything Austin had ever experienced. AUSTIN, TexasAn integral part of Texas history, Tim OConnor, the creator of Austin Music Hall, Austin Opry House and more, passed away this summer of Hodgkins lymphoma. "Anytime someone was more than 90 days behind on rent, I'd go down and take their front door off the hinges and hold it in the office until they'd settle up," O'Connor says. Tim OConnor showed Austin how to put on a show, while content to stay in the background. The arrangement lasted less than two years, with Ramsey bailing first, followed shortly after by Smith. exceeds goal to save at-risk pups. A special thanks to Dr. Michael Watkins, Dr. Robert Canby and staff at Texas Cardiac-Arrhythmia and Dr. Stuart McKennon for their excellent care in the past 20 yrs. "I cleared a few hundred bucks easy," O'Connor says. 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. In the Seventies, he reigned over Castle Creek. While they appear to be getting along famously, neither side denies their relationship is still a house of cards. That facsimile of the original Backyard was not what Tim Whats Next? OConnor had in mind for his legacy venue. While this cost Direct Events some independence, the contract reserved O'Connor's right to promote 140 acts on his own that he had longstanding relationships with (artists such as Willie Nelson or Little Feat.) One of OConnors rules was that you cant trust someone who doesnt love dogs. Like Willie Nelson, Tim OConnor is a huge part of Austin music history. First there was the Two River Canyon Amphitheater in 2003, a gorgeous 800-acre setting near OConnors Spicewood ranch with the potential to thrill festgoers for decades. It wasnt a bad wound and OConnor wasnt charged, but he had to tell his boss what went down. "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.". When OConnor returned in 77, he started the Southern Commotion partnership with Willie to run the Austin Opry House as a classier Armadillo. Cook-Walden Chapel of the Hills Funeral Home, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Guestbook Condolences Memorial Donation. Join After enrolling in a local high school, he immersed himself in student theatre (he was Conrad in Bye Bye Birdie). I'm not sure if I said it or not, but I knew right then that I was willing to carry this guy's guitar to hell.". Today, he owns three of the city's most popular venues: La Zona Rosa, the Austin Music Hall, and the Backyard. Then there are those that "respect" him too much to dredge up the past, those content with allowing O'Connor to spin his own story, particularly considering he's on the cusp of retirement and still recuperating from triple-bypass surgery. Overestimating access and parking capabilities also marred the second Backyard in Bee Cave, about a mile west of the original. There was a time when Tim O'Connor didn't have to worry keeping the Opera House's doors open. And great product will make it so that you can eventually make money.". Timothy O'Connor Stanton Timothy O'Connor Stanton, born in Ottawa, Illinois on March 3, 1951, passed away June 2, 2008 after a lengthy and courageous fight. He wound up in Houston, diagnosed with cancer. "Something clicked," says the 56-year-old promoter today. Character actor Tim O'Connor, best known for his role as Elliot Carson in 1960s prime time soap Peyton Place, has died. "I knew I'd screwed up big and made my mea culpas. O'Connor claims it's a mystery to him why the deal came off the table, but he maintains the negotiation process hinged on design. Even if you control a market and wind up making money, as the Ivory Tower collective did, it's often not the kind of money true empires are built on. He left behind his two dogs,. I know what I'm going to pay and that's it. 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. We're talking about a concert promoter 30 years later. But he had a special connection with the pit mix Bruiser, the oldest and scrappiest of the bunch. "I thought that was the way it was done, but Ms. Martinez at the IRS totally disagreed with my position," says O'Connor of the six-figure penalties he accrued. Keever Mortuary, Inc.. All Rights Reserved.Funeral Home Website by Batesville | Funeral Planning and Grief Resources. So much so, in fact, that Attal has pried a sizable amount of shows away from Direct Events. "I made it through," nods O'Connor, "but I came out weak.". Comfort the family with flowers or a sympathy gift. right now i got tears in my eyesi sat with tim's ashes with connie.i really dont know what to say but thank you michael. When Attal was paying for his own meet-and-greet trips to the coasts, Jones was meeting agents on O'Connor's dime. Leave a memory or share a photo or video below to show your support. Although O'Connor believed he could build a venue that reflected "Old Austin," his venue was at least 15 minutes away from downtown. Obituary. said it is asking for donations to reimburse TRAPRS for the $2,800 spent. "Do I want to try and change my image? 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