Live at the Lake: Bob Schneider

Bob Schneider. The man. The legend. Well, maybe not legendary like, say, Mick Jagger or Mozart. But an Austin legend, nonetheless. And considering that music is a large part of what Austin is about, one could say that Bob is doing pretty well for himself.

Although he perhaps first gained fame as the front man for The Scabs, Bob has played in numerous other bands in Austin, including Braniac, Joe Rockhead, and Ugly Americans. Now largely playing independently of The Scabs, Bob continues to garner eager support from Austinites, young and old alike. He has even generated a national (dare one say international?) fanbase, and frequently tours around the country. With Ugly Americans, he opened for Dave Matthews Band, certainly no small feat, and some of his songs have appeared in movies and in television shows. He has even appeared on the Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Fortunately for Austin, though, Bob continues playing a regular gig at the Saxon Pub on Monday nights, and frequently performs at other venues and events around the city such as Antones and the Keep Austin Weird Festival.

On a warm Sunday night this past August, one of these “other venues” at which Bob performs happened to be the Lakeway Resort & Spa, for the KGSR Live at the Lake concert series. With all deference to Bob, it’s hard to say which part of the experience was better: hearing Bob play, as he does so well, or enjoying the superb sensory experience that the locale itself provided. Seeing Bob play is always great. But seeing Bob play while sitting in one of the five gorgeous pools (one of which has a swim-up bar), fraternizing with friends, enjoying a beverage of choice, and watching a glorious sunset unfold behind the stage over Lake Travis and the surrounding hill country, well. . . that’s pretty much unbeatable. Apparently a significant number of others thought such an ingenious combination was too good to miss as well, because the turnout was absolutely spectacular. Just enough people to get friendly with the neighbors, not so many people that all the water in the pools was displaced.

All in all, Bob’s performance out at the Lakeway Resort & Spa turned out to be one legendary concert in a series of many more legendary concerts to come next summer. Stay tuned.