The Best Musical Performances, On The Subway
Anyone who has ever travelled on the London Underground or the New York subway system knows that the experience is usually a dull and laborious affair. The carriages are sweltering and filled with people trudging to and from work, trying to avoid eye contact with everyone else despite the intense proximity of fellow passengers. All of these facets render the latest internet viral sensation as a harm-warming act to enliven the dreary public transport experience.
Earlier this summer, members of the cast from the Broadway hit Lion King broke into spontaneous song on the New York A-train. The resulting video is currently doing the rounds on social media. The A Cappella version of ‘The Circle Of Life’ leaves many passengers enthralled, clearly delighted to have their journey brightened by the performers impressive talents sing and clap along to the spectacle. Others, however, react with a passive indifference with a few even keeping their headphones in through the song’s entirety. But the Lion King cast’s impromptu performance is far from the first to take place on a subway system. We take a look at some other examples.
In 2013, in a PR stunt to promote his then upcoming album To Be Loved, Michael Buble performed an a cappella treat for unsuspecting commuters. With an accompanying vocal group and microphone setup, the performance was far from impromptu. “Singing in the New York subway is something that’s been done for years and years, and I feel like it’s the most authentic, organic way to make music.” Despite the contrived nature of this performance, passers-by seem enthralled to witness the singer in such close quarters, given that Buble spends most of his time entertaining in cavernous arenas across the globe.
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Highly esteemed classical violinist Joshua Bell didn’t perform on the subway per se, but this social experiment certainly can’t go without mention. In 2007, armed with a violin worth more than most people’s houses, virtuoso Bell performed a flawless rendition of Bach’s D minor Chaconne to commuters. During the 43 minute performance, in which over a thousand people walked pass Bell, he collected just $32 in change, not even enough to purchase a ticket to one of Bell’s own gigs. What’s more, only seven people stopped to listen to this phenomenally talented violinist for more than a minute.
Eager to show her grip of reality hadn’t been lost to the glittering lights of Hollywood, Lavigne took to the New York subway for an impromptu performance in 2011. With guitarist and percussionist in tow she delivered a selection of her hits on stations and in subway cars. Passengers however, were less forthcoming with their tips to the “Sk8r Boi” singer, awarding her just $16 for her efforts which she duly awarded to a homeless individual.
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1980’s pop relic Rick Springfield also saw the promotional potential of New York labyrinthine public transport system as he treated passengers to a slew of hits ahead of the release of his new album, Songs For The End Of The World. Despite making a whopping $3 from passengers, the wall of cell phone cameras directed at Rick suggests passengers were in fact enthralled by the performances of such hits as “Jessie’s Girl”, “Rollover Bethlehem” and “I Hate Myself”.
More: Rick Springfield Shows Off New Tattoo In Tribute To His Dog
Next page: Kesha on the subway
Kesha
US brat-pop export Ke$ha (back when she still insisted on the ‘$’ in her name) treated lucky commuters on Tokyo’s subway system to a rendition of single “Die Young” as a sneak preview before the release of her second album. Having been quietly seated on the subway for a short while, Ke$sha suddenly bursts into song, much to the evident surprise of fellow passengers, who react to the incident with more of an aghast wonder rather than any notion of joy. Perhaps it is because the passengers have never been exposed to “cock pop”, a style of music Ke$ha claimed to have invented.
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