Photo by Kim Pham
‘Did Y’all Die?’: Brooklyn Mirage Ticket Holders Are Still Looking for Answers
With its opening up in the air, the East Williamsburg venue continues to cancel and reschedule shows, leaving fans frustrated.
It’s almost been two months since the Brooklyn Mirage failed its final inspection and cancelled its opening weekend. In that time, shows have been relocated, a CEO has been fired, and reminiscences have been shared. And, as the New York Post points out today, ticket holders are still asking if they’ll be able to see the shows they paid for or when they’ll get their money back.
Temple Barros, 47, told the outlet that a friend from Florida had bought tickets and airfare to see Excision, scheduled for May 24 and 25 and now rescheduled for July 17 and 18. “So he had tickets, flights, and hotels, and I felt bad,” Barros said. Barros was also set to see Sara Landry on May 1. The show was moved to the Knockdown Center at the last minute.
“My friend still complains to this day that she had one eyelash on,” Barros said. “We were getting ready to walk out the door, and we all got the text message an hour before we were supposed to go to the show, and that was crazy.”
The Brooklyn Mirage has offered status updates on Instagram, the latest of which arrived before Memorial Day weekend and promised refunds to ticket holders unable to attend rescheduled shows.
Asked one commenter: “Did y’all die?”
“We just want transparency,” said Christina, whose cousin booked a flight to the city to see Two Friends on June 13. With three days to go, the show was rescheduled for September 12 in Central Park, but Christina’s cousin couldn’t cancel her travel. “The venue could’ve been more open about what they were doing. They knew they had problems with permits. They could’ve been more explicit. They didn’t have to waste anybody’s time,” Christina said.
According to the Department of Buildings, the Mirage applied for a Temporary Place of Assembly certificate for its outdoor area, which would allow 200 or more people to gather there. The East Williamsburg venue has been granted a TPA certificate—which also allows 75 or more to gather indoors—for The Great Hall, another establishment on the same property. Its job filing applications “remain under audit.”
Last week, it was reported that the Brooklyn Mirage had enlisted a hedge fund executive to lead it through its permitting struggles.
