Gary L. Geiger
Jazz at 5
Three of Madison's iconic downtown events, including Jazz at Five (above), have moved to other venues this summer.
Several iconic downtown events have changed venues this year out of an abundance of COVID caution. I’m skeptical that this wasn’t an overabundance of prudence. In any event, the events need to return next year to where they belong.
The big three are Concerts on the Square (moved to Breese Stevens Field), Paddle and Portage (to Tenney Park) and Jazz at Five (to McKee Farms Park in Fitchburg).
It’s not all bad news. Art Fair on the Square is tentatively scheduled to be back on the Square on Sept. 25-26 and the Dane County Farmers' Market is back in full force.
Jazz at Five is especially concerning, though, because organizers are toying with the idea of not returning to the top of State Street next year, but staying in what I’m assuming to be a glorified cow pasture in Fitchburg. (I’ve never been to McKee Farms Park and, so, don’t know what I’m talking about, but I claim former mayor’s privilege in talking down the competition.)
The thing about all these events is that it isn’t just the activity; it’s about the place. The event won’t be the same experience someplace else. Jazz is a city sound. It deserves to cascade down State Street and through the Capitol grounds. You could lay back on the grass and look up at the sun reflecting off the Capitol as you listened to the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra play “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” at the concert nearest to the Fourth of July. And running with a canoe over your head is a special thrill only when you’re doing it to the cheers of thousands of people around the Square.
In a Wisconsin State Journal story on the Jazz at Five move, Vickie O’Connor, a Madison resident and 20-year Jazz at Five devotee, was quoted as saying, “It’s just being Downtown and the Capitol’s right there. It’s just a beautiful view. I don’t want to go to McKee Park and I don’t want to go to these other places to attend the Downtown events. I want to go Downtown. These events are about being Downtown.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself, Vickie.
I don’t want to be too hard on the event organizers. They had to make venue decisions months ago amid a lot of uncertainty. They erred on the side of caution, choosing places with more breathing room, and you can’t blame them for that.
On the other hand, over in Milwaukee, the Brewers and Bucks are now playing in front of full houses. I can’t help but feel that Madison is taking caution a little too far. In fact, in that same State Journal story, one of the Jazz at Five board members noted that he has seen local public officials still wearing masks when they appear on television and that kind of thing apparently had some influence on their decision. And, I’ve noticed that some businesses here are still requiring masks even with a 70 percent vaccination rate in Dane County and amid advice from the CDC that they are unnecessary for those who have been fully vaxed.
Let’s face it, folks. We’re a community where people, when they were kids, excelled at being crossing guards. We are rule followers. That’s fine. It’s one of our many charming quirks, but I do think we can ease up on the masks and the social distancing already. It’s all about weighing the risks versus the rewards of getting back to normal. For me, the pendulum has swung and the benefits of normal well outweigh the risks now.
And it’s absolutely vital that the iconic events that have called downtown home get back here next year. Because Vickie O’Connor is right. These events were defined by where they happened. And they won’t be nearly the same even at a beautiful old stadium or a pretty city park, and certainly not in a cow pasture in Fitchburg.
