Rain Can't Stop the Music

“It will never rain roses: when we want to have more roses, we must plant more roses.” ―George Eliot

This quote came to mind after our Northrop Summer Music Festival concert last Friday. With a soulful lineup ready for sunshine, the second Northrop Summer Music Festival concert, featuring The Ericksons, Southwire, and Chastity Brown, instead found the real meaning of dancing in the rain. When Friday’s weather radar took a sudden turn, it caught a happy crowd in downpour and high winds.  Luckily everyone was able to get safely indoors. Thank you to our audience members, musicians, and on-site staff for handling this change of events so well! With a post-storm Plaza littered with soggy flyers, cups, and speakers, it was the audience walking across the Plaza—smiling, laughing, and dancing—who reminded us of the real heart of the Northrop Summer Music Festival.

The Ericksons, our first folky duo, played their full set to the applause of our crowd buzzing beneath the tents and Northrop pillars. As sprinkles started, couples danced in the rain. After sudden weather forced everyone inside, audience members played some of their own originals acoustically on borrowed guitars, and everyone dried off.

A highlight of Friday evening was an impromptu, intimate acoustic performance from Chastity Brown in Johnston Hall, where most people were taking cover. Chastity perched herself on a bench in the building’s entryway with a boot on her guitar case. She filled the space not only with her smoky vocals and effortless charm, but also a premiere of a new song, which all together created an unforgettable experience.

Check out this video for Chastity’s acoustic performance!