FLINT, MI -- The traditional Friday night concert of Back to the Bricks is moving from downtown Flint to Grand Blanc this year, but the Flint Symphony Orchestra, which typically performs in the concert, has decided to stay put.

"We just decided that we needed to keep our support for downtown Flint," said Tom Glasscock, manager of the FSO.

It was a decision Bricks officials embraced.

In addition to the Friday concert that will be held at the General Motors Weld Tool Center that straddles both the city and township of Grand Blanc, there will be a Saturday concert for Back to the Bricks week as well, taking place from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. in front of Flint City Hall.

"We decided if we were going to have a choice, we were going to stay downtown. It's really important for us to support the redevelopment downtown," Glasscock said.

Jerry Preston, secretary for Back to the Bricks, said he's looking forward to having two concerts.

"I think it's a great opportunity. We have two wonderful concerts," he said.

He said the move of the Friday concert was due to safety concerns. The stage for Friday night concerts was placed on the bridge crossing the Flint River on Saginaw Street, where Preston said crowds were "bottlenecked," causing safety concerns.

The space in front of City Hall, he said, is much more open.

Al Hatch, Back to the Bricks Chairman of the Board, said he's looking forward to having the two concerts also.

"We understand the importance of providing this exceptional concert in a downtown Flint venue as part of our event. We believe that having the Music in the Parks concert featuring the orchestra downtown, as well as an event in Grand Blanc, can be managed in such a way that Flint and Genesee County residents and visitors alike will be treated to two very successful events," he said.

For the FSO, though, it's all about downtown.

"For nearly a decade, Music in the Parks has featured an annual summer concert in downtown Flint and for the last few years it has been in conjunction with the Back to the Bricks festival," said Music in the Parks Committee Chairman Paul Torre. "It was always our intention to continue the tradition of a downtown concert."

The FSO will perform with Flash Cadillac, an oldies and rock 'n' roll band that has performed at Back to the Bricks concerts in the past.

The move to Grand Blanc on Friday was controversial for some, including local business owners who expressed some dismay at hearing that the concert -- along with a three-hour evening car show -- wouldn't be downtown Friday in 2014.

Glasscock said helping those downtown businesses played a large role in setting up the Saturday concert.

"It's really important for us to support the redevelopment downtown," he said.

Patty Bergstrom, manager of Blackstone's Pub & Grill in downtown Flint, said she understands what the FSO is doing, but added she thought it was the cars that really got people downtown on Friday.

"I just don't feel that that many people come just for the concert. ... I understand that's an active part of the Back to the Bricks, but because we're so busy I never realized that was as big a part of it," she said. "I understand where they (FSO) are coming from, I truly do."

Her plan for Back to the Bricks: "We're just going to do the same thing we always do."