Cynthia Mitchell Woods Pavilion back to concerts after 602-day lull
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With the coronavirus pandemic seemingly in the rear view mirror of communities across the nation, officials at The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion in The Woodlands are preparing for a busy few months as concerts restart.
That preparedness, said Pavilion president and CEO Jerry MacDonald, helped venue officials pull off on Sunday night the first concert at the iconic music site in The Woodlands in 602 days.
“(Sunday) night was our first show, Chicago, everything went well with no problems,” MacDonald said. “We went 602 days without a concert, which is crazy, just crazy.”
Hopes have been building since January, MacDonald explained, for a massive return-to-normal series of dozens of concerts in 2021 — many of which had been canceled in 2020 and reset for this year.
“I think we’ll be the busiest venue in the nation this year,” MacDonald said. “We’re starting off slow. We purposely were booking some acts that we could do seats only with.”
The Pavilion concert season usually begins slowly in April and May with more shows on the calendar beginning in June and continuing through the end of October. In 2020, the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation or postponement of every concert on tap.
MacDonald said on Monday officials with the outdoor concert venue located on the banks of The Woodlands Waterway are extremely optimistic that more than 30 live, in-person concerts will occur in 2021, with a flurry of big-ticket acts slated for September and October.
There are still a few possible concert additions to the fall schedule, MacDonald added, noting that a “big announcement” will be released by venue officials soon. He also said seven new concerts have been added to the Pavilion’s 2022 schedule and are on sale online.
The Chicago concert was limited to seats only, meaning the vast grassy general admission area was empty and only about 7,000 attendees were on hand, MacDonald noted.
“We were the third date on their tour. They were all so excited to be back on the road, playing for fans,” MacDonald said of the members of the popular classic rock band. “It was seats only, so close to 7,000 people in the seats. We’ve announced 26 shows to date and those are on sale now. We expect we’ll do over 30 shows in the 2021 season.”
The optimism for the concert series has overflowed to officials at Visit The Woodlands, who are excited about numerous concerts in September and October that are expected to help fill local hotels with guests.
Nick Wolda, president of Visit The Woodlands, said he and other staff at the township’s nonprofit convention and visitor bureau are excited for the upcoming season after an unusual 2020 with no concerts.
“The Pavilion has almost 40 shows over the next five months, they are going to be rocking,” Wolda told township directors during a June 23 meeting of the Board of Directors.
MacDonald said the Pavilion is ready to go because of continuity the venue had during the COVID-19 pandemic, including not laying off workers or staff after getting two PPP loans. Now a busy stretch of concerts kicks off with the free July Fourth symphonic musical extravaganza on Saturday followed by a list of high-profile performers.
Among those on tap for shows in 2021 are: country star and local favorite Parker McCollum; a first-ever show at the Pavilion by Dead & Company; the Doobie Brothers; teen girl favorites the Jonas Brothers; contemporary rock standbys the Black Crowes, Brad Paisley; Jason Aldean; the kooky antics of Korn; 1980s icons Daryl Hall and John Oates; dank-crowd favorites, Lil Baby and Lil Durk; Latino rockers Santana; elderly crooner Rod Stewart; the childish dance hits of The Back Street Boys; and in 2022, Steely Dan with Steve Winwood.
“September and October will be really busy. We just announced Pit Bull, the Kings of Leon,” MacDonald added. “We’re working on several other acts we’re announcing soon. There are no mask requirements and we’re operating as usual.”
jeff.forward@chron.com