A Love Fest for Antone’s: 50 Years of Soul, Sound, and Shelter
From your friends at HOME
Last night was a love fest - and there’s no better way to describe it.
We gathered in the heart of downtown to celebrate 50 years of Antone’s Nightclub, a place that isn’t just a venue but a vessel. A vessel for the spirit of Austin, for the legacy of the blues, and for generations of musicians who have made this city sing.
Antone’s has always been more than a stage. It’s been a sanctuary for artists and fans alike, a refuge for those who find their peace in the music. It’s a second home for so many of the legends we serve at HOME - artists who shaped Austin’s musical soul and helped turn the city into what it is today.
Last night, the room pulsed with history. HOME board members and icons in their own right - Marcia Ball, Sarah Brown, and Eve Monsees - lit up the stage alongside HOME clients and other legends who are the very reason Antone’s is a temple. Their performances were a reminder that this isn’t just nostalgia - it’s legacy in motion.
HOME advisory board member Susan Antone could be seen welcoming old friends among the crowd as her iconic photographs looked on from the walls - each one a testament to the countless nights that Antone’s has given the world something unforgettable. And of course, Ilse Haynes stood at the front with her signature smile, just like she’s done for decades. Time bends a little in this place, and that’s part of the magic.
The spirit of Clifford Antone is unmistakable here. You feel it in every note, in nod as you pass through the door, in every guitar string bent just right. When CJ Chenier took the stage last night, it was more than a performance - it was a full circle moment. His father, Zydeco king Clifton Chenier, opened the club in 1975 with the Red Hot Louisiana Band. That first weekend announced to Austin: something new, something lasting, had arrived.
That something has endured for five decades. It has nurtured the roots of the blues while giving rise to a whole new era of artists. The Antone’s All-Stars. The Austin sound. And the people who built it with their bare hands, their deep grooves, and their enormous hearts.
Clifford built this club to honor the blues and the people who lived it - and in doing so, he preserved not just a genre but a community. The Clifford Antone Foundation has been with HOME from the beginning, one of our first sustaining donors. Their support helped us grow - and continues to help us care for the elders who made Austin the Live Music Capital of the World.
So yes, it was a celebration. But more than that - it was a reminder of who we are and where we come from. And at HOME, we know what it means to protect that.
Because at the end of the day, Antone’s isn’t just the Home of the Blues - it’s the home of the blues lovers. And we are so grateful to love it right back.
