By Tim Binnall
A pianist preparing for a performance at a notoriously haunted theater in Texas may have inadvertently photographed one of the site's resident ghosts. The remarkable image was reportedly taken by musician Chad Lawson over the weekend following a soundcheck prior to a show at the Paramount Theatre in Austin. He initially posted the photo on social media to promote that night's event and apparently didn't notice anything out of the ordinary until later that evening.
The following day, Lawson shared the photo again on Facebook and wrote that "I wasn't gonna post this because it freaked me out a good bit." He went on to explain that "until returning to the hotel," after the previous night's performance, he was looking back at his images from the day and was astounded to see "someone in the mezzanine." What made the photo particularly intriguing, he noted, is that it was the second images of three that were taken in quick succession and the eerie visitor only appeared in that one shot.
A subsequent Google search by Lawson seemingly confirmed his fears as the Paramount Theatre not only boasts a reputation for being haunted, but a local media report from 2014 specifically said that one of the ghosts said to linger at the location is "a woman in a white dress who was seen roaming the aisles on the mezzanine." When Lawson contacted the theater about the odd image, he was told that the mysterious stranger could have been the venue manager, but they couldn't confirm that theory since she was uncertain as to when she may have entered that area of the building that night.
For his part, Lawson seems skeptical of that prosaic explanation, observing that "the picture would detail her coming up the stairs in the first picture and more clearly in picture three. Where, as in picture three, there is a figure but the figure is transparent." He also insisted that "I have no purpose in deception" and that "I'm personally convinced" that the figure in the image is not the venue manager. What's your take on the eerie snapshot? Share your thoughts at the Coast to Coast AM Facebook page.