The downtown music venue known as Bayou Music Center is no more. Today Live Nation announced a new presenting sponsor and immediate name change for the theater, although its new patron is hardly a household name. Forthwith it shall be known as Revention Music Center, after the Houston-based company that creates hardware and software to handle point-of-sale transactions in the bar, nightclub and restaurant industry. Within the trade, it's called “hospitality management solutions.”

The change took effect immediately; the building's exterior signage and promotional materials have been changed literally overnight. Its new Web site is reventionmusiccenter.com.

According to Live Nation Senior VP of Venue Sales Andy Peikon, last year the former BMC hosted 69 events and welcomed approximately 150,000 fans to the venue (excluding private events). Current General Manager Drew Dixon said some renovations will be done to the bar areas and VIP area, but would not affect upcoming shows such as Jill Scott (tomorrow), Damien Rice (Friday) or Weird Al Yankovic (August 18).

Several top Live Nation and Revention executives announced the name change at a press conference earlier today in the venue's basement-level Jack Daniel's VIP Lounge. Houston District I City Councilman Robert Gallegos was on hand to read an official proclamation from the City of Houston.

“The City of Houston commends and appreciates Revention Music Center for its many years of dedication providing a music venue for Houstonians to enjoy the sounds of renowned artists, and contributing to our city's vibrant nightlife,” he said, noting that the council has also declared today “Revention Music Center Day” in the city.

Revention Music Center seats around 2,800, has hosted thousands of shows and has now had four names since opening in 1997 as the Aerial Theater. Later, it was known for a decade as the Verizon Wireless Theater before becoming Bayou Music Center when Verizon's sponsorship agreement with Live Nation expired in March 2012. Around that time, it opened the Jack Daniel's VIP lounge, where fans are greeted by this awesome statue of ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons.