ATLANTA -- The roof of Mercedes-Benz Stadium is still being worked on, but stadium officials are telling 11Alive the work shouldn't extend past the start of March 2018.
Steve Cannon, the CEO of the AMB Group which owns Mercedes-Benz Stadium, told 11Alive on Monday that crews are continuing to work on automating the eight petal roof. But he said the roof's issues will be forgotten by the start of the 2018 MLS and NFL seasons.
"By next season with all of the events, this won’t be a discussion," Cannon told 11Alive. "Certainly for MLS season, football season next year we will be fully automated."
Cannon did not have a final timeline or exact date that the roof automation would be complete, and it could be earlier than the MLS season, which begins in March.
Crews have been continuing to work on the roof since the stadium opened two months ago. However, the progress has been slowed down since the stadium opened.
"Our issue is simply we’ve got events going on every single day in this building. And that’s what’s stretching this out," Cannon said.
RELATED:
Why the roof at Mercedes-Benz Stadium is delayed
Garth Brooks Atlanta concert leaves complaints about audio at Mercedes Benz Stadium
The roof hasn't been the only complication.
Two weeks ago, the stadium held its first concert. Garth Brooks performed in front of a sold-out crowd, however people complained about serious audio issues.
"We are an organization that listens and responds," Cannon said. "We did hear from our fans that some of them had a less than wonderful experience and we take that very, very personally."
Following the incident, a spokesperson from the stadium told 11Alive a breaker that powers the speakers in the upper deck was tripped. The spokesperson said the issue was resolved.
"We are still calibrating, we are still getting this building dialed-in," Cannon said.
Stadium officials and crews have until May 26 to continue working on improving the acoustics. That is when Kenny Chesney will perform. Cannon believes the audio will be perfect by then.
"The sound dynamics of this building will be great and our goal is not only for this to be a world-class sports venue, but a world-class concert venue," he said. "We’re going to get the sound right."
The stadium's other events have been successful. Atlanta United and the Atlanta Falcons, which both call the stadium home, have played games with the roof opened and closed. Atlanta United has set new MLS attendance records twice in the new stadium.
The venue will hold the 2018 MLS All-Star game, announced on Monday, as well as the 2018 college football national championship, 2019 Final Four and Super Bowl LIII.
"We are off to a great start. We’ve put almost 1 million people in our building since the 45 days started," Cannon said.
Photos of Mercedes-Benz Stadium events
