The rain fell. The music played on. The crowds gathered under tents and collected under overhangs and awnings. Wearing hats and hoodies, they huddled together getting drenched. Make Music Salem was very wet.

The rain began as a downpour, water gushing from the sky like a faucet tap turned on full blast. It took a brief respite and slowly dripped for a while before returning as a steady flow.

It was the Summer Solstice, and I stood in the cold summer rain, me and my cameras getting soaked: For the first time at this annual event, I was bundled up in coat and sweater. Previous Make Music days were spent shooting in 90-degree temperatures.

If I got lucky on this past Saturday, sometimes I didn’t have to worry about constantly drying my cameras off, because the music was moved inside. The photos are always worth it. I take these images for myself and my friends. It’s great fun. Shooting local concerts is the best.

The free, normally outdoor event takes place annually in Salem on June 21, giving the bands and audience the opportunity to see as many performers as possible on the longest day of the year.

Performances take place on the sidewalk, in alleys, and in open-access areas. Often, musicians play outside a local business or organization — neither of whom is compensated, because on this day music is for the masses.

Frequently music sits behind a paywall. Performers will have to pay-to-play, which means bringing in a large enough crowd to compensate the venue for the opportunity to use their stage and services. If a band or solo musician doesn’t have a big enough following, they don’t get to have the stage.

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It can also mean the audience will have to pay for tickets to hear the music. This is sometimes out of reach for many.

In contrast, Make Music Salem allows the performers to meet the community, share their music, and get exposure.

The event is sponsored by the nonprofit Salem Foundation, and according to its website, Make Music Salem is “based on France’s Fête de la Musique, a national musical holiday inaugurated in 1982. The festival has become an international phenomenon celebrated on the same day, June 21st, in more than 800 cities in 120 countries, including Germany, Italy, Switzerland, and Japan. American cities include Salem, New York, Chicago, Denver, Nashville, Boston and Seattle, among others.”

There was so much to see and hear this year — chamber music with classical instruments, harps, singer/songwriters, hip-hop, rap, every variety of rock from metal to indie, pop, country, Americana and Indie — and no possible way that I could see it all.

What began in pouring rain standing in front of a tent shooting local band Years For Months in KMUZ’s Durbin Alley site ended standing up on the stage of the Gerry Frank Rotary Amphitheater taking photos of Salem legend City of Pieces.

Between those acts I got to hear punk music by The Grenades, Americana performed by Born Too Late, metal by Grand Head, beatboxing by Robotic Torres, and so much more. I got to witness the ending of an era, attending the last performance held at the Infinity Room, after which the venue permanently closed its doors.

Salem has a fantastic local music scene. Despite the rain, the town turned out and supported the performers who had come to share their music.

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As the day faded to twilight, closing Make Music Salem and beginning the Earth’s slow rotation toward winter, I stood looking at the amphitheater silhouetted against the dark blue sky and watching the people moshing to City of Pieces. It was a magical day.