JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – TIAA Bank Stadium wasn’t the only place in downtown Jacksonville where people were rocking the night away Thursday.
A mile away at Riverfront Plaza, the former Jacksonville Landing site, hundreds attended the last show in a series of free outdoor concerts this year.
Sugar Ray was the headliner. The band played around the same time the Jaguars selected quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft, and many concertgoers were dressed in Jaguars gear.
Prior to the band taking the stage, News4Jax spoke with Jody Dowling. She and her family have attended three of the four shows in the Jax River Jams concert series.
“It’s beautiful. It’s fun. We’ve enjoyed it every time,” Dowling said.
The fourth and final concert in the series was actually the first one for Lisa Haggerty. She said she regrets not coming out to the previous concerts.
“It turned out really well, and I think it’s exciting for the city to do something with the property that the Landing was on,” Haggerty said.
Jake Gordon is the CEO of Downtown Vision, the organization that brought the concert series to Jacksonville. Gordon said it’s been great to see people coming out to enjoy an event that was designed to bring new life into downtown.
“We produce to put a little more there, there in downtown Jacksonville. You know, downtown is great, but it could be better,” Gordon said. “So we’re just excited for this being the fourth show of Jax River Jams, and it’s gone very well so far.”
Of course, the multimillion-dollar question is whether the organization can make this an even bigger event next year.
“I’m looking forward to what happens next year,” Haggerty said.
Dowling said: “Everybody wants to come and enjoy the water downtown, and this is the way to do it. Bring more events like this.”
Many people may not realize this concert series was a gamble that payed off. When this was being planned, organizers really didn’t know what to expect because of COVID-19. They rolled the dice, and the dice fell in their favor