A major music venue and restaurant in Dallas-Fort Worth is closing: Lava Cantina, which has been open in The Colony since 2017, is closing down for what it says wil be a "thorough renovation" of the space.

According to a statement, the renovation will begin on January 1, following a final week of year-end shows including a blowout on New Year's Eve.

Lava Cantina was from father-and-son Steve and Ian Vaughn, who pooled their passions and experience to create Lava Cantina, a restaurant and music venue they debuted in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 2013. Steve worked in the music industry for over 40 years, while Ian was previously COO at Raising Cane's who left to focus on opening what he called "his dream restaurant."

The Colony location was a spinoff and the third Lava Cantina at the time. It had a Cajun and Mexican menu, described by Ian as "Creole with a Mexican twist," which incorporated elements from his South Louisiana roots with Mexican and margaritas.

They closed the Baton Rouge location in 2018, but The Colony location prevailed — even surviving a COVID closure, due in no small part to its role as a concert venue: The 28,000-square-foot space with a capacity of 1,800 was a hugely popular musical destination, hosting close to 300 shows a year — everything from local acts like Pat Green, to touring acts like the Bellamy Brothers, to crowd-pleasing cover bands in every genre.

Most shows were free along with your restaurant bill, and if they did charge, they generally kept show admission prices low.

The venture eventually spawned an entertainment company for the Vaughns who booked and promoted tours around the U.S. as well as signing and managing artists.

The venue did not respond to requests for comment but according to their statement, they'll host select private parties and events during the shutdown. However, an employee in the events department said that they were not accepting any reservations for events.

Meanwhile, musicians who'd performed at the venue stated that it had been acquired by Live Nation and would reopen as a live music venue only, with no restaurant attached. Live Nation also did not respond to a request for comment.

A current employee said the staff had received no information about what the new concept would be, but that the projected reopening would be in April.