From the air, the full scope of the extensive damage to the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion caused by Hurricane Ike is visible. The 35,000 square foot fabric roof was ripped to shreds, and a number of awnings covering concession stands and the merchandise area were blown off.
Jerry McDonald, President/CEO of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, explained, "We had structural engineers look at it and right now it's deemed unsafe to have a public event."
It's not just the canopy. McDonald says the steel support beams also suffered damage, forcing them to cancel several of the season's remaining 10 events - including the sold-out Santana concert, the Houston Symphony and Houston Ballet.
"We've had a great season to date," McDonald said. "If we lose the rest of the season, it's about 100,000 people that we project that we wouldn't do. We've had a great season with over 300,000 people here to date."
Those hundreds of thousands of people have a major economic impact to the surrounding businesses. Though developer George Mitchell says they plan to have repairs complete by the start of the season in April and plan to come back bigger and better.
He said, "We're now working out ... to get a better design, add a little bit more capacity and [extend the canopy] over some of the reserve seats."
If you bought tickets online to any of the cancelled shows, refunds will be automatically credited to your credit card. If you bought tickets at the Pavilion ticket office or Ticketmaster outlets, you'll have to go back there in person to get your refund.
