The Beat from Troy Music Hall #77, It’s Raining, It’s Pouring
Weather
It’s been quite a summer. After a brief period of intense heat, the rain started and hasn’t stopped, forcing us to cancel a few of the shows in our Summer Square Concert Series. Luckily, things are looking good for tonight’s performance with the Teresa Broadwell Jazz Trio. This free concert will start at 6 PM in the Music Hall Courtyard, next to the hall. Join us!
We may not love all this inclement weather, but musicians seem to find the rain inspirational, as we demonstrate with this week’s video picks. Enjoy!
“Singing in the Rain” – Gene Kelly
Ah, Gene Kelly, sigh…. you have to love him. Also, you have to admire his stamina – he filmed this scene over the course of seven days, with six hours of fake rain each day. The water was mixed with milk to help it show up on camera, and this mix shrunk Kelly’s wool suit. Being perpetually rained on contributed to giving Kelly a cold with a fever, and yet he pushed through and danced on!
“The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)“ – Missy ElliotBeep, Who’s Got the Keys to the Jeep?
Missy Elliot is hip-hop royalty! Not only does she have amazing beats, but her videos are always visually appealing. Note the now-iconic patent leather blow-up suit that debuts in this 1997 video, which no doubt helped get it nominated for Best Rap Video at the 97 MTV Awards.
“Set Fire To The Rain”(Live at The Royal Albert Hall) – Adele
“Set Fire to the Rain” was a mega-hit for pop superstar Adele. This gem was featured on her second studio album, 21, and this version, recorded during a performance at the Royal Albert Hall, earned her the Grammy Award for Best Pop Solo Performance in 2012.
“Raining Blood” – Slayer on Jimmy Fallon
Metal band Slayer visited Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in 2017. Wow! What an enthusiastic performance of their hit “Raining Blood.”
“Didn’t It Rain” – Mahalia Jackson
The gospel standard “Didn’t It Rain” has been recorded by many artists, including Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Louis Armstrong, The Band, Clara Ward, and many more. Our favorite version of this song is by one of the great 20th-century gospel singers, Mahalia Jackson. As long as she’s singing, we say let it rain.
“The Rain Song” – Led Zeppelin
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant perform “The Rain Song” with the London Metropolitan Orchestra in 2011. Don’t you think this wonderful pairing, very lush and atmospheric, would sound amazing in the Music Hall?
“Rain” The Beatles
It’s always fun to watch The Beatles perform live, though in this case “live” is suspect. Watch to the end, and notice how they abandon their instruments as the music fades out – a giveaway that they were “playing” along to the track off the album.
Weather Cat!
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