Cullen Performance Hall at the University of Houston didn't lose any shows to the floods.
Wednesday morning Jeff Kossow was thankfully watching Smashin’ Pumpkins move in for their evening performance at Cullen Performance Hall, Houston. On Tuesday, following Monday’s devastating and deadly floods in that city, the band and crew were not sure they could make it in from Bass Performance Hall in Austin.
Nina Jackson, NRG Park, Houston, was back in the office Tuesday. Everything was closed Monday and NRG Stadium lost the last performance of Disney on Ice to the pending floods. The production had to get out of town in advance of the rains. Since it was an ice rental and a stadium show, that was a bit of a hit financially.
At Toyota Center, Houston, Greg Poole, operations director, had already had tear down crews remove the basketball floor in preparation for a Monday, April 19, Carrie Underwood concert. She had to postpone her show till the following Monday (25) and since the Houston Rockets will be back for a playoff game before she finally gets there, he will have to put the floor back in and then out again for the later show.
In the scheme of things, it’s not a big deal given the citizenry’s plight with flooded homes and streets. Schools are still closed.
When reached this morning, Kossow said Smashin’ Pumpkins' production “got here on time. Load-in was at 9 a.m.” He was planning for a 5 p.m. VIP reception, doors at 6:30 and show at 7:30. Promoter was AEG Live and the show was sold out with 1,601 capacity. He had received about 15 calls from patrons inquiring about the status of the show, he said. Ticketmaster posted notices on its website that did the job.
Wednesday was a big change from Monday when he was unable to get to work, Kossow oversees four buildings and three outdoor facilities on the University of Houston campus, and none was impacted in terms of damage, he said.
Weather issues are no stranger to Houston. Last year, he lost Nitro Circus at his stadium because the production team couldn’t get out of Dallas.
Poole said very few people made it into work at the Toyota Center on Monday. He has had to reschedule crews, but it’s just a matter of communication. It took his crew of 10 part-time and 10 temporary workers 4-6 hours to make the changeover from basketball to concert mode. Now he has to schedule the changeover three more times.
As to advance notice, there really was none. “We get rain all the time,” he said, “just not 18 inches in two hours.”
He had gone through the checklist of potential trouble spots and there was no flooding or leakage in Toyota Center. Since Toyota Center sits 32 feet below grade, he is very conscious of maintenance and potential problem areas. Downtown has a fairly robust drainage system. Most of the damage was in residential areas on the north and west sides of town.
He had also been on the phone quite a bit with the National Basketball Association, assuring officials the arena would be ready for Rockets basketball. It’s part of the drill.
NRG Park began move-in for its Offshore Technolgoy Conference Tuesday, but the event doesn’t open until May 2, Jackson said. Some employees were still dealing with flooded homes and personal issues, but the majority made it in. Assistant GM Leah Mastaglio was rescued from her home by boat by her brother. “It was crazy,” Jackson said, especially because it came on so fast.
At Minute Maid Park, the Astros baseball team was on the road and made it out of town Monday at 3 p.m., their scheduled time, said Steve Grande, media relations. There was no flooding and no problem with being ready when the team returns Thursday night for a Friday game.
Everyone at Houston venues appreciated the many in the industry who reached out to make sure they were okay.
Interviewed for this story: Greg Poole, (713) 758-7384; Nina Jackson, (832) 667-1791; Jeff Kossow, (832) 842-3100; Steve Grande, (713) 259-8990