I've witnessed some great music onstage at Antone's over the years, including a Stevie Ray Vaughn vs. Otis Rush guitar duel (SRV won: Otis Rush bowed and exited stage right), plus bought a great number of albums at the Antone's record store.
Didn't see this show however:
Ed Ward - The Austin Chronicle: Music: Buried Alive in the Blues :
...Wow, I found myself thinking, only in Austin could I see Iggy Pop and Bobby Bland on the same evening. The best was yet to come: at one point in the show, Bobby stopped and announced, “We have a young gentleman in the audience, a very great performer, and I know he's already done his show this evening, but I was wondering if he'd like to come up here and do a number with me.” What the..? “Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like you to give a warm Austin welcome to Mister, uh, Izzy Bob!” Up popped Iggy.“You know 'St. James Infirmary,' right?” Bland asked, and Iggy nodded. The band went into the song, and as my jaw gaped open, Iggy did a credible job of trading lines with the blues great. I'd inched forward and was standing against a pillar, and at the song's end, Iggy jumped off the stage and ran up the aisle to where I was standing. “How'd you like that?” he asked with a grin. It was amazing, I said. “Hah! Just you watch. Ten years, and I'm gonna be in Vegas, baby! And” – and here he jabbed my chest with his finger on each word – “I'm gonna be great!” Then he ran back down the aisle to rejoin his companions.
Of course Mr. Antone's obit has to have the obligatory story about his drug bust...
Rest in Peace, Mr. Antone.
The 30 years since he opened Antone's were not always a smooth ride for Mr. Antone, who served two prison terms, one in the 1980's for possessing marijuana and another from 2000 to 2002 for dealing more than 9,000 pounds of the drug and laundering money. After the first conviction he had to give up ownership of the club; Antone's is currently owned by a board of directors headed by his sister, Susan Antone, who survives him.Mr. Antone was known for his generosity to musicians. He organized a series of benefits for victims of Hurricane Katrina and recently he helped arrange an apartment and nursing care for the 92-year-old pianist Pinetop Perkins.
