PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — Shows at the Union Bank and Trust Pavilion in Portsmouth continue to be postponed or moved to other venues as crews work on a repair.
Downtown Portsmouth owners say this is causing a loss in revenue.
“It just keeps people from coming down who wouldn’t normally come down to see what we have going on down here,” said Tyler McMillen, owner of Baron’s Pub.
When the weather turns from cold to warm, it means concert season is here, bringing a different vibe to Downtown Portsmouth.
“Sometimes we have concerts on Tuesday or Wednesday nights,” added Stefanie Brown, owner of The Bier Garden. “We super look forward to that. The staff loves them. They fight over those shifts.”
“When you hear that the first four, and then the next couple, are canceled and moved, it’s frustrating,” McMillen said.
Two weeks ago, city officials announced there was a “major structural flaw” with the Portsmouth pavilion’s canopy. During a routine inspection engineers found a deformity in the main support that holds everything up. At least six shows have now been postponed or moved to other venues.
“You just hope they fix it, then they can move on and get some good shows in there,” McMillen added.
“Our hands are up in the air going ‘when will the season truly get here?’ Because the business has picked up, but not like it usually has this time,” Brown added.
Singer Vance Joy was scheduled to play at the pavilion over the weekend. Instead, he put on private shows at The Bier Garden in Portsmouth and then at Mix It Up in Virginia Beach.
“He kept saying this is so great, because he is so used to these big places and he was like ‘the feeling here is so great,'” Brown said.
City officials say they hope the work is done by June 30. The plan is to put a sleeve over the main mast and take the canopy down. The pavilion will then be an open air venue. Business owners say it can’t come soon enough.
“We are hopeful, but there is definitely that fear in our mind that it’s not going to get fixed and the biggest draw that Portsmouth has right now will be gone forever,” Brown added.
