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State of Mind, Episode 5: G-L-O-R-I-A

Mike Hall tells the story of closing down the legendary Austin club Liberty Lunch in 1999 with a 24-hour performance of Van Morrison’s “Gloria.”

By Texas Monthly

July 14, 2021 0

Members of the audience (including the Texanist, center, hand raised) begin to lose their inhibitions as the Gloriathon nears its end. Courtesy of Michael Hall

Along with his coverage of crime and punishment in Texas, executive editor Mike Hall is also a chronicler of Texas music, and life in Texas’s fast-changing capital city. This week’s episode of State of Mind features Mike—and a backing band—with one of those stories. It’s about the last day of Liberty Lunch, the beloved Austin club that closed in July 1999, and the sendoff Mike organized on its stage: a nonstop, 24-hour performance of Van Morrison’s “Gloria.”

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This story was first published in the August 2009 issue of Texas Monthly. Next week on State of Mind, former Houston poet laureate Deborah D.E.E.P. Mouton will share her story of finding hope during the pandemic by growing wildflowers.

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