A Look Inside South Congress’ New Superstition Nightclub

Located at the former site of long-shuttered male strip club La Bare, a glimmering new Seventies-themed nightclub soft-launched with disco ball twinkle Wednesday evening.

At 110 East Riverside Drive, Superstition arrives with a replica of Studio 54’s bar in the space adjacent to the former home of the Austin-American Statesman. Despite lying fallow for the better part of two decades, the property’s resurrection comes at the hands of NoCo Hospitality, the team behind the (sac)religious-themed Congress Avenue cocktail bar and nightclub, Higher Ground. The team includes Hotel Vegas, Volstead, and LoLo wine bar co-owner Charles Ferraro and Paolo Soriano, former co-owner of Rainey Street bar Reina.

Via email, Ferrero told the Chronicle: “The 1970's was a transformative decade full of energy and new ideas. Inspired by the Stevie Wonder song of the same name, we wanted Superstition to evoke the sense of ritual, magic and belief that was vibrant at that moment in time.”

Austin-based production company C3 Presents – famed for helming Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza festivals as well as booking Stubb’s and Emo’s locally – take the reins on programming for Superstition. The official open-to-the-public launch, on Thursday, Dec. 29, features Canadian pop and funk duo Chromeo, closely followed on New Year’s Eve by French electro-pop pair Justice. Further booking for the venue includes moombahton starchild Dillon Francis and Dutch electronic producer/remixer Afrojack among an initial run of white, male dance music DJs and producers.

As seen at last night’s preview, NoCo pulled no punches for Central Austin's most sumptuous nightclub. Interior designer Rebekka Glass created thoughtfully distinct spaces throughout Superstition’s 12,000 square feet. Every fuzzy nook, mirrored hallway, and striped turn of the corner reveals a separate feast of textures, contrasts, and motifs.

Not just style, but sheer excess, dazzled. In a hallway entrance – hung with at least two dozen disco balls of different sizes – a doorperson remarked that 60 more were being ordered.

As DJ Amir spun disco, tech house, and Latin rhythms to a glossy bar and confetti-strewn dance floor downstairs, a small army of bottle servers shimmered in matching black dresses. Influencers and friends of the service staff milled around taking photos and exploring the main floor, including the club’s immaculate cocktail lounge, the Gold Room. Though Superstition’s promised “elite” experience already garnered attention for a dress code requiring “upscale and fashionable attire” – I spotted bare feet and unpainted toenails in foam flip flops.

Investors mingled upstairs. A second-story space – akin to a cross between a high-end listening room and the Driskill Bar – swam in warm, golden tones. At one end, well-worn records filled the shelves of an unexpected vinyl collection featuring the likes of Barbra Streisand and Kenny Loggins. Across the room, Willie Nelson and Townes Van Zandt album covers faced the bar in frames mounted to the wall. A small stage draped in a honey-colored curtain stood at the room’s far end, while just outside, a dark hallway lined with low tables and closely tucked chairs kept VIP in a shadowy mezzanine.

“I don’t really like clubs,” admitted one club backer, “but it’s a sexy investment.” Nearby, a small queue formed for the upstairs loos, with climate controls in each stall.

As the night progressed, sonic highs became more piercing and cocktail servers’ stylish clear plastic heels necessitated what looked like painful, gingerly placed steps. But the clubbing continued.