A place that quickly became a popular spot for outdoor music during the pandemic last summer has returned.
The Morris Museum is hosting concerts on its parking deck. Guests can reserve a socially distanced square, bring their own chairs and the music. The museum started outdoor shows since its Bickford Theatre is still closed.
Musician Mike Davis played at the museum last summer. His band The New Wonders revives the jazz music earliest songs.
“It completely blew my mind. It was like an epiphany and I said, ‘I have to do this,’” Davis says.
The New Wonders reunited at the Morris Museum for the first time in more than a year.
The regular concerts on the back deck of the museum have been a bright spot, according to executive director Cleveland Johnson, after reopening the museum last summer.
“And I was terribly wrong. People did not come back the way we were hoping,” Johnson says.
While the Morris Museum’s exhibits are ready for museumgoers, visitors were reluctant to come back indoors. Johnson says that attendance did not come close to even the limited capacity allowed.
Jazz became popular 100 years ago after the last pandemic gripped this country. And Davis thinks there's a message in that era's music for the current era.
“It’s from an optimistic time, but there’s just a little note of ‘enjoy this while it lasts, while we’re here,’” Davis says.