After 1296 straight days of rain and cold, the sun finally came out today.
This evening, so did the crowds.
Over 1,500 people — proud parents, folks whose kids graduated from school back in the 20th century, little kids who were born in the 2010s — packed the Levitt Pavilion for the 2nd annual Westport Pops concert.
A bottle of wine, some Pops, and wow!
The Bedford Middle School jazz ensemble, and Long Lots’ steel drum band — is there another elementary school with one this side of the islands? — warmed up the crowd.
Orphenians sang the same stirring arrangement of “The Star-Spangled Banner” that they wowed crowds with at Yankee Stadium.
The Long Lots Elementary School steel band.
Then Staples’ 3 orchestras, Orphenians (again) and jazz band took over.
Staples High School’s brassy sax ensemble.
The program rolled from “West Side Story” and “Pirates of the Caribbean” to Dolly Parton and freedom songs. Madison Malin and Riley Thrush nailed solos.
Madison Malin solos, Luke Rosenberg conducts, and the Orphenians sing Dolly Parton’s “Light of a Clear Blue Morning.”
And then — waving American flags handed out by the musicians — the enormous crowd clapped along to a rousing “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
Stars and stripes on the Levitt lawn, during “Stars and Stripes Forever.”
A night like this was worth all 12,960 days of rain and cold.
“Live at Lincoln Center” producer Andrew Wilk guest conducts the symphonic and sophomore orchestras in “Stars and Stripes Forever.” (Photo/Valerie Smith-Malin)
Broadway actor, noted entertainer and Weston resident Jim Naughton emceed the pops concert with wit and grace.
The Westport Police Department Color Guard opened and closed the show.
BONUS FEATURE: Here’s what the Levitt looked like last night, from Brandon Malin’s quadcopter:
Such a happy crowd and thanks for all you do, Dan!
I’ll ask it again (got no reply the first time!) — was the steel drum set played by the Long Lots group the same as the one brought back from St Croix by the Orphenians in the 1960’s/
Betsy Tucker of the Long Lots music department reports that they were bought between 1996 and 2016.