Fear not, fans of jazz and blues.
Though the Omaha Riverfront Jazz & Blues Festival will no longer be on the riverfront, it's still happening this weekend.
And despite its new venue, it's going to keep the festival vibe alive.
The two-day festival will take place at the Orpheum Theater on Friday and Saturday now that the original location near the Missouri River is flooded.
“We cannot get away from the fact it's indoors,” organizer Tim Clark said. “It was forced upon us. We looked at other alternatives but based on the timeline and the cost analysis of the move, economically the best move for us is to move inside for this year only.”
The theater will allow patrons to take food and drink down to their seats, and the usual vendors at the outdoor festival will be set up inside the Orpheum.
There will also be a New Orleans-style menu, including gumbo.
“That will give people a festival flavor,” Clark said.
This year's lineup features the legendary The Whispers as well as Karrin Allyson, the three-time Grammy-nominated jazz singer that grew up in Omaha.
The Whispers were formed in California and had hits over the years with “And The Beat Goes On” and “Rock Steady.”
Allyson, a jazz vocalist, was once described by the New York Times as having “a feline touch and impeccable intonation.”
She also credits Omaha with influencing her decision to become a singer.
“I grew up in Omaha and caught the jazz bug there,” Allyson told The World-Herald in 2009. “It's always good to come back.”
Festival organizers are proud of the lineup and said they're making the best of what mother nature has given them.
“Sometimes at the Orpheum, you think, ‘I'm going to sit in a chair for four hours,'” Clark said. “But we're going to make it fun.”
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