Rain fails to stop performance

Jamie Teibel/ Summer Editor HAIL OUR OWN PURDUE: Members of the audience at the University Summer Concert Band outdoor performance clap along to "Hail Purdue."

By Jamie Teibel
Summer Editor

Rain threatened to ruin the University Summer Concert Band outdoor performance, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday. But as quickly as they came, the rain clouds disappeared and the sun shone through just after 6:30 p.m.

The free concert began promptly at 7 p.m. at Slayter Center welcoming those who doubted the rain with the Sousa march "Riders for the Flag."

Bug repellant was sprayed, lawn chairs and blankets unfolded and dinners were eaten. The mostly adult filled audience — a little over 100 people — bopped their heads, tapped their feet and even danced for a few of the songs that filled their ears for an hour and a half of the summer evening. They enjoyed such songs as Brahms' "Blessed Are They," Mozart's "The Impresario Overture" and Clare Grundman's "American Folk Rhapsody," despite the soggy grass and annoying bugs.

Some concert-goers set up their chairs or sat in their parked cars at the top of the hill in the parking lot, perhaps receiving a more enjoyable performance away from the buggy grass.

Chris Baugher was one of those people. "It's great (the concert)," said the retired secretary of biological services in Lilly Hall. "I try to hit one of them every year."

Following a medley of tunes, titled "Magic of Andrew Lloyd Weber," from various Andrew Lloyd Weber productions, such as Evita, Cats, Phantom of the Opera and Jesus Christ Superstar, conductor William Kisinger announced to the audience the reason for the empty chair placed among the student and community musicians.

It was in memory of a fellow band member, friend and student, Greg Zawisza, director of special projects in the Office of University Relations, who died this past spring, he said.

Kisinger then asked the crowd to stand and clap along to the Purdue fight song, "Hail Purdue." They did, some even sang and marched in place, smiling proudly.

With that, the evening ended, the instruments were put away and sun began to set.

"It went great, we had a good turnout and it didn't rain," Kisinger said with a smile and sweaty brow.