Here comes some venue news that most everybody will be able to get behind this coming summer concert season.

While updating the Houston Press's online concert calendar with new listings for the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion, I discovered that the venue now bans the use of iPads and other tablet devices at all of its events. In fact, it has been doing so since last summer.

So saith the venue's Web site:

Tablets, such as iPads and Kindles, are not permitted in the venue because they are a distraction to other guests and the artists.

Courtney Galle, the CWMP's marketing and PR manager, says that it is not Live Nation's but the venue's rule. On top of that, such devices are distracting for everyone including the artists, and more distracting than a simple smart phone.

The Pavilion hosts a variety of performing-arts events, such as performances by the Houston Symphony and various dance companies. These groups are usually bound by union rules that prohibit audiences from recording their performances, rules that the venue is fully backing.

Galle says the venue has no plans to ban cell phones themselves, but of course the artist or artists onstage can always do so. No artists have specifically requested that iPads and tablets be banished, she notes. Numerous complaints from fans that the devices were hindering their enjoyment of a show were the deciding factor.

Last year the venue created an Instagram account at @pavilion_tx, which Galle says should be updated during every CWMP show for fans to check out pictures of bands onstage.

See Also:

Hey, Moron! Why Are You Recording Concerts on Your iPhone? (via West Coast Sound)