Stable Hall is a historic concert venue located in the Pearl. Built in 1894, the venue originally functioned as a stable that housed the draft horses who delivered beer for Pearl Brewery in the early 1900s. Over the years, the building has been reimagined for many different purposes, and is now an independent music venue featuring entertainers and artists from all over.
Over the last three years, Stable Hall underwent extensive renovations. The 1000-capacity venue has been almost entirely gutted on the interior. The stage was moved from the west to north side of the building, and the previously existing catering kitchen was transformed into updated artist green rooms.
Additionally, the Clair Global company designed and installed a new sound and lighting system. Libby Day, general manager and marketing director of Stable Hall and Trinity University alum, said that these renovations have given artists a new incentive to perform in San Antonio.
“I think, to some larger extent, there are artists who have passed over San Antonio in the last decade because there just wasn’t a room that was the right fit for them. And this is what they do. This is their passion. This is their career. They’re not going to take a gig at a room that just doesn’t fit what they’re trying to do,” Day said.
Danae Barkocy, Trinity class of ‘24 alum, has attended numerous events at Stable Hall including an 80s disco night and a concert by the Tex-Mex punk band Piñata Protest. Barkocy said that the venue offers a great option for Trinity students since it is close to campus and fairly priced.
“Honestly, I think it’s my favorite venue in the San Antonio area, just because it’s so small and easy to get to from campus, and it’s also just so cheap … it was really easy to get in because [the venue offers] $20 concerts. And so as a college student, it’s a really cheap night out, and it’s just really fun,” Barkocy said.
The overall layout of Stable Hall is composed of a concert room with standing and seated admissions and a loft offering box seats.
The ground floor of the concert room offers standing space, with fixed seating located upstairs. The building also has two areas called the east and west hay lofts for a more traditional VIP experience — though Day said that the venue prefers not to use the often antiquated VIP language. Additionally, the venue offers concessions and a full bar.
“This is going to be less important for the college demographic, potentially. I think most people are under 21, but our food and beverage program — we feature a full bar, so we have spirits, beer and wine available. We have a craft cocktail program. We work with a lot of the neighborhood restaurants for our concessions,” Day said.
Notably, the venue is multi-genre, meaning that it presents all different types of music. Stable Hall has hosted everything from jazz, R&B and country music artists in its time of operation post-renovation. Additionally, the venue has begun to broaden its horizons to include other entertainers like drag queens and comedians. Day said that the venue prides itself on providing opportunities for local and regional artists.
“It’s meaningful for those local and regional artists to have an opportunity to play on a stage that operates like a professional touring room, right? It’s a big part of how we can help develop the local talent market and give artists the opportunity to play in a room that’s going to advance the show professionally,” Day said.
One such local artist, Dylan Hoffman, junior marketing major and country singer-songwriter, had the opportunity to perform at Stable Hall for the last KRTU music festival on April 13. Typically, Hoffman said that she performs at restaurants and bars one to three times a week, so the experience of performing at a professional venue was an exciting experience for her.
“Honestly, it’s definitely been the best venue that I’ve ever performed at because the stage was nice, the sound was great. The sound engineers were amazing. … They were on it, and I loved the way it all sounded,” Hoffman said. “They had several different people working and making sure that everyone felt comfortable and got everything they needed.”
