His goal was to come out of a negotiation less battered than the other guy. Sign up for service and obituary updates. For those desiring, memorials are suggested to Mobile Loaves & Fishes, 903 S. Capital of Texas Hwy., Austin, TX 78746 or at www.mlfnow.org/donate. By 1994, Fowlers Two-Alarm Chili money was almost gone, so he and his partners closed their liberal hangout where youd see Gov. What nobody expected, Jones included, was O'Connor's recent invitation for Attal to begin booking La Zona Rosa. When Tim died, there wasnt a word in the Chronicle or Statesman, and still hasnt been to my knowledge. "A stray bullet was fired and went into somebody's leg. What O'Connor didn't advance very well was peace between concert promoters and neighborhood groups. Visitation for friends and family will be held from 6:00 pm 8:00 pm on Friday, June 2, 2006, at Wilke-Clay-Fish Funeral Home. He was of the Catholic Faith. "I really cut my teeth in neighborhood negotiations back there -- in all the wrong ways.". That and inadequate AC: was that shit even on? With over 1,900 locations, Dignity Memorial providers proudly serve over 375,000 families a year. What's done is done. Three years later, O'Connor's life changed again, this time by his own choice. It was there in the former Chequered Flag folk club on Lavaca, that OConnor met new Austin resident Willie Nelson. Recovering from triple-bypass surgery, OConnor opened up to writer Andy Langer in a rare Send In the Clowns manner. 2023 SCI SHARED RESOURCES, LLC. Receive a notification when services are updated. Or, he hints, he could wind up settling for less money to merely close the venue and sell the property outright if he can't find the right buyers. And to some degree, it's also about admitting what I've done wrong. Travis Heights wouldn't be free of O'Connor until 1990. Three words that changed O'Connor's life. This was one of those nights. Who's gonna do it? He let me spill everything out for him and then I asked, 'What do you think?' I felt lost, without a home, he told Chris Riemenschneider of the, By 1994, Fowlers Two-Alarm Chili money was almost gone, so he and his partners closed their liberal hangout where youd see Gov. 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. He sees it as a return to the free flow of information that he found in the Castle Creek days. Employees fear him and competitors loathe him. 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.). Perhaps it's all of the above, although he denies there's any real motive at all. ", When the Armadillo finally ended its storied, decade-long run in late 1980, the Opera House was seen by many locals as the last gasp of "Old Austin. "Tim ended up ruling the whole roost.". . Besides being Willie Nelsons promoter and business partner since the second Fourth of July Picnic in 74, OConnor ran the Austin Opera House for 13 years, then founded Direct Events in the 90s, owning and operating such successful venues as the Backyard, Austin Music Hall and La Zona Rosa. 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. After roughly 26 months in an adoption facility, he was adopted and given the surname O'Connor. "I think they might also say, 'He sure had a lot of breaks because of his association with Willie Nelson. A celebration of her life will be held at 10:00 am on Saturday, June 3, at Wilke-Clay-Fish Funeral Home. "I could either walk down to the bar and start drinking again, or be honest and do what I said I'd do -- to produce these shows in a professional manner.". We never called them 'benefits,' but we both knew the deal. Send a note, share a story or upload a photo. Charles Attal has spent the past five years receiving a crash course in concert economics at Stubb's. He is survived by his wife, Beverly, of Austin; son Michael OConnor of Houston; Olive OConnor of Houston; daughter, Loraine Moulder and husband Jim of Cedar Park; three grandsons, Brian Poolman of Austin, TX; Daniel Poolman of Austin/Houston; Sean Poolman of San Marcos, TX; Granddaughter, Melanie Diggins, Great-Granddaughters Adrienne Diggins and Alix OQuinn; a brother, Donald OConnor ( Helen), of Plattsburg, MO; four sisters, Loretta Broderick (Tom), Plattsburg, MO, Juanita Thornton (Jim), Liberty, MO; Charlene Swope (Emerson) of Joplin, MO, Peggy Evans (John) of Smithville, MO; twelve nieces and nephews, all of Missouri, and several cousins, living in the Midwest.. I remember certain nights with Steve Goodman or John Prine where I physically threw people out for talking. Like Lance Armstrong, O'Connor just couldn't walk away from the action, and suffered the consequences. Now, as his relationship with SFX, the country's largest concert promoter, nears contractual completion, the impact of O'Connor's retirement on the local promotions pool is unknown. 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. ", Several months later, the landlord offered him the chance to do just that; after tearing down the wall O'Connor opened the Austin Music Hall with a sign that said "Phase 1. and TRAPRS joined hands for this rescue operation, which was filmed by Amy and sharedonline. They were blessed with two children, Thomas Michael and Anita Loraine. "It wasn't by design, but it worked out that way.". "We had a lot of fun, a lot of drinking," says O'Connor, who ran for his freshman class vice-presidency and won. Timothy O'Connor, II, please click here to visit our Sympathy Store. October 14, 1949 - April 16, 2015, Timothy O'Connor passed away on April 16, 2015 in De Pere, Wisconsin. I'd made concessions to the tune of some serious dollars.". If you didn't know what you were doing there, he didn't either. Tim was born in Lakewood, NJ to Joseph P. O'Connor and Patricia DiGennaro O'Connor on December 4th, 1969. 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. Tim sold his share in 1990, too soon, and became an independent promoter, doing shows at City Coliseum and the Palmer. The promoter shouldve retired in 2001, a move he contemplated in an Austin Chronicle cover story that year. APA! He wound up in Houston, diagnosed with cancer. One of OConnors rules was that you cant trust someone who doesnt love dogs. "I do think it's going to work to the consumer's benefit," reasons Attal, who now shares office space with Jones. Indeed, says Steve Hauser, if you're looking for O'Connor's legacy, look toward his lack of patience for part-timers and carpetbaggers. "My first thought would be that they'd say, 'That's that old guy that's been around forever. He does it because he loves music and loves the game.". "I'm open to the possibility we can do something collectively that we can't on our own -- to protect the Austin market," reasons O'Connor. He passed in his sleep on April 5 in his longtime home . What a mistake it was to tear down the Music Hall to build a new one that was worse than the old one. Maldonado Construction had the biggest claim- $334,000 for work building detention ponds and roads and supplying utilities at the new Backyard. But a couple disastrous decisions- rebuilding the Austin Music Hall in 2007 and the Backyard in 2010- cant put a lien on the memories he created in the years between the 1972 opening of Castle Creek and the 2008 closing of the original Backyard. Is he showing his hand to lull competitors into a false sense of security, or is coming clean part of a public relations campaign designed to repair his reputation before he eases into retirement? Unfortunately, Ramsey says, there were often too many cooks in the kitchen without a head chef. Chris was preceded in death by his father Joseph L. OConnor. I'm sure that's what made his career.' has started a fundraiser to help reimburse those fees- which is estimated to be about $2800- and is asking the public for any interest to help Bobbie and Yoyo get fostered or adopted. Overestimating access and parking capabilities also marred the second Backyard in Bee Cave, about a mile west of the original. When my lawyer got done kicking me in the leg, that's when things really went downhill," recalls O'Connor. No non-musician has had more impact on the Austin scene than Tim OConnor- and he had to leave town for two prime years in the 70s. cover story that year. Some still fear him. When Willies Picnic traffic backed up 11 miles after the parking lot was full, there were a lot of pissed-off Deadheads. They did. 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. O'Connor isn't serious, but given his thoughts of retirement and recent run of heart troubles, he's indeed been spending time pondering his legacy. "Obviously, there's already a pattern developing," smiles O'Connor. The last act to play La Zona Rosa under OConnors ownership was Prince at SXSW 2013. In those days, nobody in Nelson's Family had a title: If you had to ask for one, he didn't need you. "He called me into his office and said, 'Tim, I just want to let you know I think you did a great job, but I think you're maybe just a little ahead of us. He enjoyed brewing wine, bee keeping, hunting, fishing, gardening, and pigeon racing. He left behind his two dogs,. "We all found ourselves together one day," says O'Connor. On the road, O'Connor got his hands dirty re-wiring sound systems and handling payouts, but his stint with Nelson was short-lived. "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. i'm holding the 25 year chip tim gave me when we both hit 25 years. Search Austin obituaries and condolences, hosted by Echovita.com. "Winters are fairly cold in Colorado, so it became a strong collection approach.". 's website. I stuck around Willie like bad penny.". O'Connor's contract with one of the country's largest promoters is due to expire in December. The son of Charles and Gladys (Farrell) O'Connor was born on October 14, 1949 in Appleton. I think Ill let you negotiate all my deals with Columbia, was Willies response. At this point, there's no timeframe on how long Attal and O'Connor will continue working together. Aesthetically, [the Opera House] and Liberty Lunch were the only ones to carry over the Seventies vibe into the Eighties decline.". O'Connor was left holding the market share of shows in Austin. The Backyard had about 10 good years until the Shops of the Galleria began encroaching, eventually eating up most of the parking by its 2005 completion. He was born October 20, 1941 in Clarksville, Texas. The road, O'Connor got his hands dirty re-wiring sound systems and handling,... 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