Moody Center turns 1; Here's what has happened since its opening

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Thursday marks one year since the Moody Center opened in Austin.

Throughout its inaugural year, 1.5 million fans have packed the venue to see artists representing every major genre of music.

On April 20, 2022, the Moody Center was introduced with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, followed by a sold-out John Mayer concert.

By its first birthday, the venue has already emerged as one of the nation’s busiest concert destinations. Recently, named the ‘Best New Concert Venue’ worldwide by Pollstar and listed as the No. 1 highest-grossing venue in the world by Billboard Magazine.

The 15,000-seat stadium has hosted Willie Nelson, Bruce Springsteen, Harry Styles, and many other blockbuster artists.

This month, the Moody Center also hosted Austin’s first-ever televised awards show, the CMT Music Awards, which reached a record-breaking worldwide audience.

Looking ahead, we'll soon see artists like Madonna, Chris Stapleton, Duran Duran, Paramore, Blink 182 and more take the stage at the venue.

Moody Center general manager Jeff Nickler says those big names are headed here by design.

"Because there hadn't been a world-class venue here in Austin, so many major artists were skipping the market,” he said. “So this really has been a perfect storm and the response has been incredible."

In sports, we witnessed the first NBA regular season games in Austin, as the San Antonio Spurs played two contests.

The Moody Center was also home to both University of Texas basketball teams. The Texas women’s and men’s basketball teams combined for a 31-3 record at Moody Center.

Despite its success, there are still some challenges.

Centrally located on UT’s campus, a major obstacle includes parking and pickup for rideshare services.

This has caused considerable congestion on concert days.

The venue admits it is aware of these ongoing issues and is trying to make changes when it comes to easing up traffic.

In the meantime, the Moody Center recommends fans give themselves plenty of time to get in and out of the venue.

Throughout its first year, the venue also launched Red River Rising, a community platform initiative that focuses on two key areas -- providing economic opportunity and support for local musicians and working to combat homelessness in Austin.

Since its formation, Moody Center has donated nearly a quarter-million dollars to local charities including HAAM, Community First! Village, Red River Cultural District, Everytown in partnership with Harry Styles’ “Love on Tour” and Spurs Give.

To purchase a ticket to an event at the Moody Center, you can click here.