Saskatchewan jazz festival ends on a stormy note

The Saskatchewan Jazz Festival came to a close in Saskatoon Sunday night with an electrifying set by City and Colour that was cut short by a storm.

The band was partway into its sold-outset when it had to pull the plug due to weather conditions.

Storms swept through a large swathof the province on Sunday afternoon and evening, hitting Regina with hail and Saskatoon with high winds and rain.

• Large hail, high winds hits Kindersley, Sask.

Sold-out crowd for City and Colour

The band got partway into its set

Then the storm rolled in

Weather a challenge throughout

Despite the squall during the final set,jazz festivalorganizers called the 10-day event a success overall.

But weather throughout the festival posed a challenge and led to slightly reduced attendance, artistic director Kevin Tobin said.

"As a predominantly outdoor event, you have to take the weather for what it is and we worked with it the best we can and we're lucky we have such a loyal and dedicated audience that they came out and still supported the event and the musicians," Tobin said.

It was really special to close out the set as the weather was rolling in and the crowd cheering.- Kevin Tobin, artistic director

The finances will be reviewed over the next few weeks, but it's estimated thatthe festival brought $7 million into Saskatoon.

Tobin said the City and Colour show was a beautiful end to the festival, despite the looming weather.

"He's got such a wonderful connection with his audience. It was really special to close out the set as the weather was rolling in and the crowd cheering."