Best of 2020: The Beat from Troy Music Hall #51, Your Top 10

We Hit 50 Issues!

On March 30, the first issue of The Beat was published. This was right after businesses started closing and we all started staying home. Here was our opening statement:

“Our lives have been upended, with so many of us staying home, working from home, and homeschooling (if you’re doing both, you are a superhero.) This is a new journey for all of us and we are on it with you. To help make it a little easier, every week we’ll send you videos and links of great music and irreverent links to fun content. A little escapism from our current situation.”

Last week we hit 50 editions. We hope that you find escapism in our weekly video offerings. To celebrate, we now present you with your top ten favorite videos from the first 50 editions!

We know this is hard, especially during this holiday season. If you need someone to listen, NYS has set up a Covid Emotional Support Helpline – call 1-844-863-9314, available 8 AM – 10 PM, seven days a week.

#10 – Trey!

We are thrilled that this full concert, filmed at the Music Hall, made your top ten! We miss having live shows, we miss having you in the audience, and we can’t wait until it’s safe to welcome you all back!

#9 – Clean Off Your Car!

It stands to reason that two of our top ten videos involve our cold and snowy upstate New York weather. This is a PSA from a fed-up weatherman who, just in case anyone has forgotten, demonstrates the proper way to clean snow off your car.

#8 – Weapons of Choice

You all have good taste! This Fatboy Slim song and video stars Christopher Walken and was directed by Spike Jonze. The video won six awards at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards and it was also ranked number one in a list of the top 100 videos of all time by VH1.

#7 – The Bears are Coming for Us Y’all!

Sketches from Saturday Night Live are always well viewed when we feature them, but this one was by far one of your favorites! Eddie Murphy interrupts a news reporter from the North Pole as he attempts to cover a horrific accident at Santa’s workshop.

#6 – We Hope this Never Happens to You

This video was sent to us by two of our wonderful volunteers, John and Lois. They have their finger on the pulse of what you all like – we published this just last week and it’s made the Top Ten!

#5 – Weird and Wonderful

We love that this little slice of weirdness made it into our top ten! Never change, Beat readers!

#4 – A Tribute to John Prine

Brandi Carlile Pays Tribute To John Prine: “Hello In There”We lost singer-songwriter John Prine to Covid in 2020. Here is a lovely moment from The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Stephen and Brandi Carlile pay tribute to this true musical icon.

#3 – A Funny Classical Moment

Salut Salon “Wettstreit zu viert” | “Competitive Foursome”Starting with Vivaldi, then transitioning into Mac the Knife? Seriously, you’ve never seen string instruments played like this before!

#2 – A TV Classic

WKRP Turkey Drop
This one really needs no explanation. It’s a timeless classic!

#1 – The Mood of 2020

Boss Bitch Fight Challenge
Our number one video is also the one video we got the most feedback about! It got the most views and a few emails from readers who thought this video was most unbecoming of these ladies. Posted on YouTube in May of 2020, it quickly became a viral sensation and showcased many of Hollywood’s biggest stars taking part in a virtual fight.