Austin music venue Stubb's now fully owned by C3 Presents and Live Nation

Austin concert promoter C3 Presents and its parent company, Live Nation, have taken over full ownership of Stubb's, the barbecue restaurant and outdoor music venue that has been a Red River Cultural District mainstay since the mid-1990s.

The companies announced the news on Tuesday morning. The deal, which was completed at the end of 2021, includes not only the restaurant/venue business but also the land that Stubb’s occupies — a full block between Eighth and Ninth streets, from Red River Street to the banks of Waller Creek.

It's a somewhat seamless transition, because Charles Attal, who helped launch Stubb’s in 1996, co-owns C3 Presents. C3, which also owns and runs the Austin City Limits Music Festival with Live Nation, has been involved with Stubb’s bookings since the company formed in the mid-2000s.

Related from 2020:Co-founder Charlie Jones leaves C3 Presents

California-based promotion giant Live Nation acquired a controlling stake in C3 in 2014. The companies finalized the acquisition of Stubb’s from the partnership of Attal, Edward Patterson, John M. Scott, Scott Jensen and Jeff Waughtal — collectively doing business as Stubb’s Austin Restaurant Company — at the end of 2021.

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

C3 Presents promoter Amy Corbin said that Stubb’s is “part of our DNA as Austinites, and we intend to carry on the outstanding legacy and experience fans have come to know and love over the years.” Corbin also noted that C3 and Live Nation have plans for “upgrading the current space to enhance the overall experience for both artists and fans.”

It’s the latest in a series of recent C3 investments involving major Austin music venues. Attal partnered in creating the University of Texas’ new Moody Center arena, which will open this spring with a slew of high-profile concerts including John Mayer, the Who, the Eagles and Jimmy Buffett. C3 also is booking some of the concerts at the new Moody Amphitheater in Waterloo Park.

More:Moody Center will be 'a world-class venue built for music,' its developers say

The large outdoor yard at Stubb’s, which the venue refers to as the Waller Creek Amphitheater, has a capacity of 2,500. Major acts such as Lady Gaga and the Foo Fighters during South by Southwest have played the stage. Last year, Austin breakout Black Pumas played five sold-out nights there to mark the venue’s first major concert since the pandemic began.

Stubb’s also operates a smaller, indoor performance space, which holds around 200-300 people, in the basement of the barbecue restaurant. No shows have been held there during the pandemic, but a C3 spokesperson says the inside room “will have shows again very soon,” possibly in time for SXSW. The restaurant’s Sunday gospel brunch shows may return soon, as well.

Stubb's is named after C.J. Stubblefield, a barbecue cook from Lubbock whose restaurant there in the 1970s became closely associated with Lubbock musicians such as Joe Ely. Stubblefield moved to Austin in 1986 and sold barbecue at several locations (including Antone's when it was at 2915 Guadalupe St.) before his death in 1995.

In Stubblefield's last years, he sold the rights to his signature barbecue sauce to a firm that's now owned by Maryland-based McCormick & Co. A legal dispute over the usage of the Stubb's name a few years ago came close to resulting in the Austin venue changing its name, but the matter was resolved in 2019 without any change being necessary.

More:Stubb's restaurant/venue gets to keep its name

Upcoming shows in the Stubb's amphitheater space include Pacific Northwest rapper Aminé on Feb. 17, blues-rock singer-songwriter Elle King on Feb. 20 and Southern California rockers Bad Suns on Feb. 25.