Nine-time Grammy Award winner Asleep at the Wheel is set to bring more than five decades of Western swing to Spring's Centrum hall, courtesy of Cypress Creek FACE. The Austin-based band, which has recorded more than 20 studio and live albums and charted upward of 21 singles on the Billboard country charts, is one of the genre's most enduring acts, and tickets for the Northwest Harris County show run between $58 and $95.
The concert is presented by Cypress Creek FACE, according to CultureMap Houston, which first reported details of the booking. Band leader Ray Benson has steered the group through five decades of continuous touring, a run that has cemented Asleep at the Wheel's national critical acclaim, per Wikipedia. Event organizers note the show, like any live performance, may change due to weather or other concerns, per the same account.
The band's roots trace back to Paw Paw, West Virginia, where Ray Benson and Lucky Oceans founded the group in 1970 before relocating to East Oakland, California, in 1971 at the invitation of Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen. That West Coast chapter led to the band's first record deal with United Artists after Van Morrison gave the group a shout-out in Rolling Stone, and the band released its debut album, Comin' Right at Ya, in 1973.
From the Bay Area to the Heart of Texas
Asleep at the Wheel's path to becoming a Texas institution began with a 1973 performance alongside Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen at Austin's Armadillo World Headquarters. That show, combined with personal encouragement from Willie Nelson and Doug Sahm, convinced the band to leave the Bay Area behind. The group officially relocated to Austin in February 1974, a move the band's own website describes as tied to Austin's 1970s cosmic cowboy movement.
More than 100 musicians have passed through the band's lineup over its 50-plus years, and Asleep at the Wheel now calls Austin home. Its commercial peak on country radio came in 1975 with “The Letter That Johnny Walker Read,” which climbed to No. 10 on the Billboard country chart and helped push Western swing onto national playlists during that decade's country boom.
A Recent Return to Austin City Limits
The band's stature in Texas music circles was on full display in October 2024, when Asleep at the Wheel joined Willie Nelson for a 50th-anniversary concert marking the history of Austin City Limits, a program the band had performed on during its inaugural regular season back in 1976. As Hoodline's earlier coverage detailed, that anniversary event was live-streamed globally from Austin, underscoring how deeply the band remains woven into the story of Texas public media and live music.
Cypress Creek FACE's Nearly 30-Year Run in Spring
Cypress Creek FACE, formally the Foundation for the Arts and Community Enrichment, was established in 1997 in partnership with Cypress Creek Christian Church, and it held its inaugural performance featuring composer Marvin Hamlisch that November, according to My Neighborhood News. Nearly three decades later, the nonprofit has grown into a year-round presenter serving Northwest Harris County, running three distinct concert lineups: the evening Star-Lit! Series, the daytime Promenade Series, and a free Children's Series, alongside youth music camps and master classes. The Promenade Series alone presents nine daytime performances monthly from September through May.
Asleep at the Wheel will perform at The Centrum, an 800-seat hall at 6823 Cypresswood Drive designed by architect Clovis Heimsath with acoustics by consultant Kirkegaard, featuring a high wooden arched ceiling and built-in wooden risers, according to the Cypress Creek Christian Community Center. The hall sits within a 63-acre civic and cultural district in Spring.
The Centrum's Comeback From Hurricane Harvey
The venue's current form is itself a story of recovery. Severe flooding during Hurricane Harvey in August 2017 inundated The Centrum with several feet of water, forcing Cypress Creek FACE to host concerts in local high school auditoriums and community centers for four years, as Hoodline reported in its coverage of another Centrum show. The restored, upgraded hall did not reopen until late 2021, with post-flood renovations adding a new sound system and lighting grid.
Cypress Creek FACE now keeps its administrative offices at 6450 Louetta Road, Suite 200 in Spring, separate from the performance hall, with that office space having moved there after the 2017 flood. Concert-goers heading to The Centrum for the Asleep at the Wheel show will find free surface parking on site, along with an optional $15 valet service for those who want it.
