UPDATE, April 19: The They Might Be Giants’ postponed show (originally March 25) at the UC Theatre has been rescheduled for Friday, July 22. Tickets purchased for the March 25 show will be honored for the rescheduled date. More information.
UPDATE, March 26: The UC Theatre has canceled Saturday night’s Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue show citing power and permitting issues. It’s the third scheduled show that has failed to happen at the yet-to-open venue. Ticket-holders are being offered refunds.
ORIGINAL STORY: The UC Theatre, which was due to open its doors for its first time Friday night, has been forced to postpone the scheduled appearance of They Might Be Giants due, it said, to technical delays beyond its control.
Read more about the UC Theatre.
Tessa Morris, a spokeswoman for the theatre, said they have had “electrical issues which have affected the whole [theatre] system.” Morris said Saturday night’s scheduled performance by Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue, which is billed as sold out, is still slated to go ahead.
The theatre sent out an email to They Might Be Giant ticket-holders via Ticketfly Thursday night, in which it apologized for the inconvenience and offered immediate refunds.
The theatre also stressed that the postponement was not the fault of They Might Be Giants, who arrived in San Francisco Thursday and expressed their disappointment about the news on Twitter:
“We were very much looking forward to They Might Be Giants being the first show at The UC Theatre, and we are very sorry that wasn’t able to happen,” the theatre wrote to TMBG fans.
The UC Theatre held an Open House on Sunday as part of the inaugural Meet Me Downtown event that involved many organizations, including BAMPFA, Berkeley Rep and the YMCA. While much of the theatre’s renovation — which began a year ago this month — is complete, the dance floor still needed to be laid down at that time. David Mayeri, who has spearheaded the entire project of bringing the 1,400-seat theatre back to life, including raising the funds for its refurbishment, told visitors the project was $600,000 over budget, which was originally set at $5.5 million.
The theatre, which dates back to 1917, also now boasts a state-of-the-art Meyer sound system, and a full-service restaurant and bar. A full program of shows is scheduled once it opens. This week the theatre announced that well-known singer-songwriter Joe Jackson would be performing there on on June 22.
It is, in fact, the second time that a show slated for the theatre has not happened there. Best Coast and Wavves were both due to perform at the UC Theatre on March 1, but the show was relocated to the Fillmore in San Francisco. The theatre cited “construction circumstances beyond our control” as the cause.
The theatre said in its statement Friday that it will organize a makeup There Might Be Giants show, details of which will be announced soon. Ticket-holders are being asked to call (877) 435-9849 or email CustomerSupport@
This story was updated with information about the relocation of the March 1 Best Coast show.
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