Tim sold his share in 1990, too soon, and became an independent promoter, doing shows at City Coliseum and the Palmer. "As more acts came to town that had witnessed the growth of the concert industry nationally, the relaxed, laid-back Austin approach wasn't as effective," O'Connor explains. After enrolling in a local high school, he immersed himself in student theatre (he was Conrad in Bye Bye Birdie). As Austin's most successful concert promoter, O'Connor has earned and lost several fortunes, ridden deals to the edge of bankruptcy, and played chicken with the IRS since his arrival in town during the early Seventies. Oh, how OConnor doted on his kids Bobbie, Freda, YoYo and the rest, who inherited his magical energy, as one friend put it. 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. Former baseball star Kelly Gruber and realtor wife Tosca owned La Zona Rosa for awhile, but it continued to lose money until OConnor took over in 1997. ", "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. Timothy David Scott O'Connor On Friday September 30, 2022, Timothy O'Connor passed away at the age of 39. 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. 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. It wasnt a bad wound and OConnor wasnt charged, but he had to tell his boss what went down. Celebrate the life of Maureen O'Connor, leave a kind word or memory and get funeral service information. "I'll tell you the three things I never want you to be: cold, wet, or hungry.". Chris was preceded in death by his father Joseph L. OConnor. He's maybe a little crusty,'" laughs O'Connor. 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. While he's used venues like the Mercury and Antone's to stage larger shows in the off-season, he also runs the risk those clubs will eventually cut him out of the deal. After Travis Heights homeowners blamed him for cigarette butts left nearby, O'Connor found a commercially zoned lot that bordered the neighborhood and briefly put in a petting zoo. Jim Ramsey booked both the Back Room and a healthy slate of Opera House shows. "There was an incident in front of the Alliance Wagon Yard," states O'Connor. Now more than ever, we need your support to continue supplying Austin with independent, free press. Separated from his wife, the couple later returned to Kansas to try and make the marriage work. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Willie had found his man! "That's where I learned to present the best show -- show by show. It was there in the former Chequered Flag folk club on Lavaca, that OConnor met new Austin resident Willie Nelson. "We all found ourselves together one day," says O'Connor. Our Spectrum News app is the most convenient way to get the stories that matter to you. 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. His warning shot ended up going through a mobile recording trailer on the street and hitting the leg of a Columbia Records executive inside. The last act to play La Zona Rosa under OConnors ownership was Prince at SXSW 2013. The singer believed he'd stumbled on the perfect property. Not only did Nelson play Castle Creek, he also offered to take O'Connor on the road. TRAPRS has been taking care of Bobbie Nelson and Yoyo Nelson over the past few weeks, arranging the dogs boarding, rehabilitation and training. 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. Timothy worked for Kimbrell Farms for ten years as a service tech. It's obvious that you get economy of scale working with them.". What O'Connor didn't know was they'd since befriended another fledgling band, Buffalo Springfield, and as word of the two bands' association spread, the show sold out on the belief Stephen Stills and company would show up to jam. Located on Fourth at Rio Grande, an area that looked like where the mob dumped bodies, the Red Zone was inspired by crazy bordertown cafe/bars, with decor (black velvet paintings, bright colors, weird rectangle cutaways) that made someone dub it PeeWees Whorehouse. I ordered the truckstop enchiladas every time, so I cant tell you about the rest of the menu. After recuperating, O'Connor returned to staging benefits and working with Nelson. October 14, 1949 - April 16, 2015, Timothy O'Connor passed away on April 16, 2015 in De Pere, Wisconsin. His parents preceded him in death. That would be good enough for me.". and yea.the gun.timc/s, This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. 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. This is the first real obit Ive read. Family and friends can send flowers and/or light a candle as a loving gesture for their loved one. 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. "He'd sign hundreds of dollar bills and tell the bank president he could come to whatever shows he wanted.". By sixth grade, he was sent to a boy's school in Arkansas for three years. What started as benefit concerts for local Native Americans grew into something far bigger: star-studded concerts pairing artists with causes. Skeptics, on the other hand, said concertgoers wouldn't drive that far for a show, particularly from North Austin. TRAPRS helped provide boarding, rehabilitation and training for Bobbie and Yoyo. "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. According to the website, Bobbie Nelsonis just over 2 years old. I'd like to think I was one of the architects of trying to make this town's concerts more professional.". Who Receive obituaries Sandra Lucille Hidrogo February 20, 2023 (81 years old) Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www . Somewhere along the way, O'Connor started a band in Laguna. Obituary. Tim, an avid music lover and skilled audio The deal Willie made with Terrace Motel owner Dude McCandless included 14 acres on South Congress at Academy for just over a million dollars. "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. Both are now available for adoption. Even worse were the lawsuits from unpaid contractors and architects that began piling up against OConnor and Direct Events. I think Ill let you negotiate all my deals with Columbia, was Willies response. 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. They did him one better, allowing him to stay in the garage apartment of their new house. Before long, Georgetown's "Only a Conversation Away" slogan became the Backyard's "Only Three Songs Away. His goal was to come out of a negotiation less battered than the other guy. There was a time when Tim O'Connor didn't have to worry keeping the Opera House's doors open. 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. But Castle Creek also hosted rock shows- Little Feat, Doug Kershaw, Doug Sahm, etc. "It wasn't by design, but it worked out that way.". He was presented IBM Means Service Awards in both fields, in Recognition for Outstanding Accomplishments in Service. Funeral Home Se. They also hung out at another one of O'Connor's clubs. "When the Armadillo went down, all the other clubs started disappearing. I'm Willie Nelson. Id sure like to play your joint, said Willie, who was growing out his hair and looking for new audiences. "While his was a closed shop, you could walk into the Opera House, cut a deal, and get your feet wet as a promoter. Additionally, they can flex the muscle of 1,170 radio stations. In the offices of Direct Events, the production company that runs his venues, associates call him "Crazy Ivan," a reference to the brash and unpredictable submarine captain in Hunt For Red October. Timothy OConnor, II, 51, passed away on Wednesday, September 30, 2020 in Ennis, Texas. using a new Instagram account, Austin Pets Alive! No services are scheduled at this time. O'Connor denies critics' claims that he's used Pace's muscles to target Stubb's and Liberty Lunch, and maintains that the increased competition he's seen in the past few years has done more to hurt the local concert business than help his own. To maintain a relationship between his people and that wonderful bunch of Damon Runyan characters that hang around Willie still impresses me. "Instead of fighting each other for the same piece of pie, we were cutting the pie up.". Can't keep up with happenings around town? OConnors best decade was the 90s, when his Direct Events opened the Backyard in 93, the Austin Music Hall in 94 and revived La Zona Rosa in 97. After roughly 26 months in an adoption facility, he was adopted and given the surname O'Connor. Chef Jeff Blank found it and originally partnered with OConnor, but it turned out to be a much better venue for 3,500-capacity outdoor concerts than fine dining inside, so Blank refocused on Hudsons-on-the-Bend (and the chicken cone that would redefine festival eating.). Defense from what? "I was screaming at him," recalls O'Connor, nearly 25 years later. Copyright 1981-2023 Austin Chronicle Corp. All rights reserved. "Instead of coming to work with machetes, we tried a pencil and pad. "As long as you're doing private parties, you know the money is there up front, and no matter who shows up, the check's clearing. Over the last few years, we've been killing ourselves.". "What do I want you to be?" He left behind his pack of dogs. Check out the rescue video: https://t.co/HdqwH1zKJo Help out today by donating to their rescue and care: https://t.co/H4ndUa1g7M pic.twitter.com/PBL0nIXOWm, Willie Nelsons daughters and OConnors goddaughters, Paula and Amy Nelson, were able to find homes for four of them. Find an obituary, get service details, leave condolence messages or send flowers or gifts in memory of a loved one. "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. This site is provided as a service of SCI Shared Resources, LLC. On those nights it was a listening room. He's been zealously drug- and alcohol-free ever since. Bobbie was preceded in death by her husband, Curly O Connor in 1974; her son, Arvel Franklin; and her parents, Frank and Louise . What O'Connor didn't advance very well was peace between concert promoters and neighborhood groups. Chris is survived by his widow, Sandra OConnor, mother Elizabeth (Penny) OConnor, 2 brothers, Tim OConnor, Argyle, Texas and Kevin OConnor and wife Laura, New Mexico, three nephews, Ryan, Matt and Jeffrey OConnor. At the time, the only viable concert venues for major touring talent were the City Coliseum, Palmer Auditorium, and the Erwin Center. You have to build a base on a fixed income so if you lose it on the concert side you don't go bust.". ', "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. 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. Bobbie "Cole" O Connor, 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. "Everyone ends up paying more, including the ticket buyer. (Austin Pets Alive! "I may not know him as well as Charlie [Jones], but I'm certain it's not the money that drives him anymore. After graduation in 1963, he decided to tempt fate and stay in-state, attending Monterey Peninsula Junior College. He loved staying busy. The tale of Tim O'Connor starts with a Baby Doe born in Great Bend, Kansas. "The first chance he had back in Austin, he fired me," reveals O'Connor. The Nelsons reached out to Austin Pets Alive! Has Alejandro Escovedo ever sounded better than on the Sunday nights that closed SXSW? It may take up to 1 hour for your comment to appear on the website. ", "It was the holdout," says Henry Gonzalez, who first worked at the Armadillo and later stage-managed the Opera House. . ESPN analysts say Urban Meyer should be fired for viral dancing video, Police say former NASCAR driver attacked ex-wife with hatchet before being shot, Dallas-area mother rents billboard next to AT&T Stadium to raise awareness about fake pills laced with fentanyl, 8 state propositions will be on the ballot this Election Day. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. Charles "Charlie" M. McLemore 81, passed away Tuesday February 21, 2023. Yet for all the yelling, he's known real pain of his own: He's lost a testicle to cancer and a daughter to drugs. Sign up for service and obituary updates. In fact, O'Connor was to retire from day-to-day operations January 1, 2001. Unfortunately, O'Connor almost didn't get an opportunity to use his new Rolodex entries. What Jones learned from OConnors example is that you do what you say you will. 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