Organizers of the United States Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin have revealed the plan for the upcoming race weekend, with Eminem’s concert on Saturday and a football match between popular college football teams Texas Longhorns and the Georgia Bulldogs. The event, followed by the increase in the sport’s competitiveness, is expected to attract a huge audience for the race weekend.

Race promoter Bobby Epstein has revealed that ticket sales shot up significantly after Max Verstappen stopped winning races this season. The end of his winning streak marked the conclusion of Red Bull’s dominance in the ground effect era that began in 2022. His last win was towards the end of June in Spain. Epstein told the media:

“I think it would have been our weakest year in four, since the pandemic.

“Our ticket sales really took off when Max stopped winning and it got more competitive. So, I give a lot of credit to our fan base and the audience, they’re paying attention and I think it’s exciting to see the season shape up the way it is.

“We’re expecting another big crowd, probably somewhere around where it’s been the last couple years. I would think whatever the record is for a Saturday sprint race, we should shatter that record, because Eminem has outsold Taylor Swift [who performed at the 2016 edition], and we’ve increased the size of the infield lawn to get to near 100,000 for the concert. So, I think 130,000 to 150,000 people will be there for the Saturday sprint race.”

The addition of a Saturday night showdown between the Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs, two top-ranked college football teams is expected to attract another 100,000 fans to DKR Texas Memorial Stadium, which presents a unique opportunity for COTA. As a result, Epstein has introduced a Friday-Sunday combo ticket tailored for football fans attending the game. He added:

“We have wound up on the same weekend as college football games before, which makes for a fun downtown late night, but I don’t think we’ve had it where the Longhorns have been ranked as high,” Epstein said. “There are going to be a lot of people in town for that.

“I think it’s a chance, two-fold. One for the college football fan who likes sports and likes big events. If that’s your vernacular, then you’re going to like to make your weekend even bigger by adding on F1 on Sunday.

“It’s a great opportunity for those fans, and then also for our fans who come for F1. I know the Europeans are particularly fond of college football, and in particular the halftime show. It’s surprising, but we have groups from Europe that come when there is a college football game, because it adds to their weekend and just elevates the experience overall.

“The football package is just something fun. We came up with it a couple weeks ago because Saturday was selling out, largely because of Eminem, and we still have capacity on Sunday and Friday. So, we just said, let’s throw it out there for people that just [attend the football game]. I think most of the hotels are three or four night minimums, so if you’re a Georgia fan coming in for it and you say : ‘What else am I gonna do the rest of the weekend?’ Well, you can buy Friday and Sunday and come out to the track.”

He also shared an adventurous plan from some fans who were aiming to attend both the game and the concert, even though the game’s timing has yet to be announced. Epstein said:

“If the game time kick-off is in the evening, then you can go to Eminem for an hour and something and then make the second half of the football game, which we know some people are planning on doing.

“The shuttle stop for our downtown bus route is very near the stadium, so I know there’s plenty of people planning to go to the concert and go to the second half of the football game.”

“Merchants was able to demonstrate our array of innovative affordable housing financing products economically and efficiently to deliver for Sena Affordable Communities in an expedited timeframe.”
Michael Milazzo SVP, Originations

Merchants Capital provided a $69.15 million Freddie Mac 4% Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) Immediate TEL loan and $37.6 million in LIHTC equity as the syndicator. Merchants Bank provided a $29 million equity bridge loan during the rehab period.

“We are excited to continue our relationship with L+M Development Partners and TCC Hill Country Development Corp—and close our first transaction with Silver Tree,” said Marcin Dzido, Vice President of Acquisitions at Merchants Capital. “The Travis Park renovation ensures that 199 low-income families have safe, high-qualify housing for years to come.”

Sena Affordable Communities, an affiliate of L+M Fund Management (LMFM), is a dedicated acquisition rehabilitation business known for strengthening communities with innovative affordable housing solutions to significantly reposition assets with Low-Income Housing Tax Credits and tax-exempt bond financing.

The Travis Park Apartments rehabilitation will involve improvements to the grounds, building exteriors, unit interiors and deferred maintenance across 22 buildings. The scope of work includes the addition of new outdoor recreation areas, playgrounds, extensive accessibility upgrades, window replacement, new boiler and cooling towers, kitchen and bathroom improvements, new energy star appliances, replacement of original fan coil units for heating and cooling, building envelope upgrades, roof replacement and signage.

A Freddie Mac Impact Sponsor, L+M Development Partners and its affiliated companies, including LMFM and Sena, have more than 55,000 high-quality residential units in construction or acquired, preserved or completed in markets across the United States.

“With funding now secured for Travis Park Apartments, we look forward to protecting its long-term affordability and delivering critical improvements that will enhance the quality of life for all residents,” said Jeffrey Moelis, Managing Director, Sena Affordable Communities. “Our planned upgrades, combined with Travis Park’s optimal location near downtown Austin, will ensure this community can thrive for decades to come, especially as the area continues to boom. We are grateful to our partners at Merchants Capital for their work in helping us reach this milestone.”

Travis Park Apartments is located in South Central Austin, with regional access to Interstate 35, US Highway 290 and MoPac Expressway, and near downtown entertainment districts and outdoor attractions, including the riverwalk.

Renovations are expected to be completed in 18 months. To learn more about Merchants Capital and its services, visit www.merchantscapital.com or find Merchants Capital on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Clairo captivated the audience at ACL Live in Austin, TX, delivering an intimate and passionate performance that highlighted her evolving artistry.

Claire Cottrill, better known as Clairo, visited Austin, TX, for a two-night stop at the renowned ACL Live at The Moody Theater. Clairo has been posting music on the internet since she was a teenager. In 2017, her lo-fi single “Pretty Girl” went viral. As her popularity has grown so has her discography. She now has three studio albums released, the most recent being Charm which came out in July. Clairo had downtown Austin buzzing despite it being a Monday night. With the line wrapped around the block, fans excitedly waited for doors to open. 

Supporting Clairo is South African singer-songwriter Alice Phoebe Lou. Alice Phoebe Lou is based in Germany and has self-released all of her albums. In July, she released the single The World Above. She quickly captivated the crowd with her charisma and angelic voice. She opened her set with her 2020 single “Touch,” followed by “Open My Door,” which many audience members seemed to know. As she held the crowd in a trance, she played “Dirty Mouth” from Glow (2021) and closed with “Witches.”

As the crew began to build Clairo’s stage in between sets, audience members soon realized the theme of the stage decoration. The stage took the form of a 1960s conversation pit with benches that allowed them to sit on the ground in a circle. When the band walked onto the stage, that’s exactly what they did. Before the show started, Clairo and her band sat on the ground in a circle, had a drink, and listened to “After Laughter (Comes Tears)” by Wendy Rene before finding their instruments spread across the rest of the stage. They opened with the title track “Nomad” from Charm. The beautifully lit stage made for amazing visuals. She, of course, had to perform some classics such as “Softly” and “Flaming Hot Cheetos.” 

About mid-set, Clairo announced she would be performing a song she’s never played live. The audience went crazy as the band started to play “Harbor” from her sophomore album Sling. Following that, they played “Partridge” and “Pier 4.” Then, after inviting everyone to dance to the next song, she played the upbeat track “Amoeba.”

Before closing her set and during the intro to the last song, she introduced her amazingly talented band. They closed with “Juna,” and then waved goodbye to the adoring audience.

Clairo is set to tour the rest of North America until the holidays begin in November. Next year, she is planning on making her way to Europe for a dozen shows spread across the continent. 

CLAIRO
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ALICE PHOEBE LOU
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THE MOODY THEATER
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