COEUR d’ALENE — Sunshine. Blue water. Great music. Big crowd.

All was perfect for the opening night of the Riverstone Summer Concert Series season opener on Thursday.

But for one thing.

And Ali Shute, executive director of The Coeur d’Alene Arts and Culture Alliance, wasted no time pointing it out after an introductory greeting.

“What do you think of our new shade cover? It’s invisible,” she said with a smile as the crowd laughed.

The much-awaited, eagerly anticipated overhead cover to protect musicians from the sun was hoped to be in place for the concert, which featured Nu Jack City.

But due to a series of problems and mismeasurements and, as Shute said, without any female persuasion, the project has been delayed and then delayed again.

“A woman seriously should have been in charge,” Shute said to about 250 people at the amphitheater at Riverstone Park. “So much has gone wrong.”

Posts standing like sentries are ready for two sails measuring about 75 feet by 45 feet. They will cover the stage and extend out over the audience.

New covers are being made, expected to ship June 27 and be ready for the Dog Zaggenz concert Aug. 3, if everything goes right.

“We’re very excited about that,” Shute said.

The stage is known as the “frying plan” because until the sun sets, it's cooking out there. That tends to make musicians uncomfortable, sweaty and considering a dip in pond behind them.

Fundraising efforts started in 2019 and brought in about $180,000 to pay for the canvas covers and installation costs.

While disappointed with the delays, Shute said the audience will still be comfortable as they sit on grass and steps shadowed by trees.

The musicians, well, they're used to the heat.

“It’s not the audience we’re worried about," Shute said. "It’s these guys."

Still, she found a positive.

“The posts look cool from across the pond,” Shute said.