The first night of the Detroit Jazz Festival had to switch to an online format on Friday due to severe weather. To ensure safety, organizers canceled the live shows at Hart Plaza and moved the performances to the Internet.
According to the WWJ Newsradio, two performances - "Translinear Light The Music of Alice Coltrane" and "Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band" - were to be live-streamed from the Gretchen C. Valade Center for the opening night. A statement from event officials explained the decision, "Acting out of an abundance of caution and the safety of our patrons and artists, we have decided to present both concerts, Translinear Light The Music of Alice Coltrane, and Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band as livestreamed only performances from the Gretchen C. Valade Center."
The free livestream was made available on the festival's official website, as the festival organizers announced all outdoor events for Friday evening were postponed. Despite the change in plans for the first day, the rest of the weekend's events were expected to proceed as initially scheduled, weather permitting.
Weather concerns were further elaborated upon by Dave Gurney, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in White Lake. Speaking to the Detroit Free Press, Gurney mentioned, "A scattered or broken line of thunderstorms has formed out to the west of us, along and just in advance of that cold front, and we expect that activity to increase in coverage and intensity to some degree as it works into the area."
FOX 2 Detroit quoted the festival's organizers: "Due to the impending severe weather conditions projected to impact Hart Plaza during tonight’s scheduled performances and acting out of an abundance of caution and the safety of our patrons and artists, we have decided to present both concerts, Translinear Light The Music of Alice Coltrane, and Brian Blade & The Fellowship Band as livestreamed only performances from the Gretchen C. Valade Center These presentations will be livestreamed for free on our website www.detroitjazzfest.org without a live audience. All outdoor events are postponed for this evening only. We’ll see everyone here tomorrow at the Detroit Jazz Festival."
