Pavilion racks up goodwill with cyclists
Do I have to come up with every good idea around here?
About a year ago, I mentioned to Jerry MacDonald, president of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, the world’s No. 1 outdoor concert venue, “You need to get some bike racks here, so people who live close by don’t have to wait in traffic on The Woodlands Parkway. Plus it’s good for the environment, a healthy habit for fans and might keep a drunk driver off the road. I’d rather be hit by a drunk pedaler.”
I’m always giving unsolicited, usually bad, advice to people on how to run their business. It’s one of my more endearing qualities.
Whoa! MacDonald listened!
“We’ve never had bike racks, but I liked the idea. More people now live in close proximity to the pavilion here in The Woodlands and millennials are more energy conscious,” MacDonald said. “We installed them this week in front of both the north and south entrances. I believe that people will use the bike racks once they know we have them.”
The pavilion’s sea-
son kicks into high gear April 15 with Buzzfest, featuring the hard rock acts Godsmack, Breaking Benjamin, Highly Suspect, P.O.D. and many more.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Joe Walsh are there April 29, Kings of Leon on May 2, Chance the Rapper on May 7, Train on May 19, Kidz Bop Kids on May 20 and my guy Jimmy Buffett on June 8. There’s a whole bunch more acts coming, check with Ticketmaster or woodlandscenter.org.
Good on the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion for promoting riding a bike to concerts. It’s the way to go. Remember to bring a good strong bike lock.
Keep on pedalin’
On the bike trail, there’s still time to register, train or get involved in the BPMS150 ride, April 29-30, from Houston to Austin, with an overnight stay in La Grange. It’s the largest weekend charity ride in the world, with 13,000 bicyclists huffing, puffing and cursing the hills between Houston and our state capital.
I am nearing peak condition for the ride. Only thing left … which flavor Blizzard will I have at the Dairy Queen in Bellville on Day One? I’m torn between my trusty Chocolate Xtreme and Turtle Pecan Cluster.
In 2015 and 2016, the weekend ride was cut short a day because of weather. You didn’t hear any complaints from me. For information, click on bpms150.net.
A Beatle is coming!
Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band will play the Smart Financial Centre in Sugar Land on Nov. 2. Tickets go sale 10 a.m. April 10.
The first time Ringo played Houston, it was August, 1965 and he was the drummer in a British band called the Beatles. The last time he performed here was October 2014 at the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion. This year’s All-Starr Band lineup includes Todd Rundgren, Gregg Rolie, Steve Lukather, Richard Page, Warren Ham and Gregg Bissonette. Fun Ringo fact: in 1961, Ringo was playing with Rory Storm and the Hurricanes and things weren’t going well for the band in England. Despondent, Ringo mailed away to Houston for information about immigrating here and taking a factory job.
But when he received the packet of paperwork, he found it so complicated that he gave up, later joined the Beatles and became one of the most famous performers in music history. Yay for red tape.
Classy move
Remember my column about Marcy Banda, manager of a Pollo Tropical, who was murdered on March 8 by her supposed boyfriend? The restaurant will celebrate Banda’s life on April 5 by handing over 100-percent of the cash register to her family and young daughter. The Pollo Tropical is located at 6522 Westheimer.