ROCHESTER, N.Y. – Thousands of people gathered at Blue Cross Arena for the RPO Eclipse Spectacular ahead of the total solar eclipse on Monday.

Amy Vilcins and her family were among the crowd waiting to get into see Sunday night’s show.

“We love the RPO and are excited for the eclipse. It’s doing such a great things for Rochester, to have such a once in a lifetime event here,” Vilcins said.

Viclins said that she has big plans for the eclipse on Monday.

“We are going to have a yard party. We just did a great play at one of the Pittsford musical at Calkins, right about the eclipse,” Vilcins said.

Vilcins said that coming to Sunday night’s show was a great way to kickoff her family’s eclipse celebration.

RPO Assistant Conductor Jherrad Hardeman said that he was glad to be leading the symphony during part of Sunday’s show.

“There’s a little bit of everything from, ya know the RPO, to arial acrobats from Troop Vertigo, Push Physical Theatre is involved. There’s a chorus. There’s a gospel choir. There’s a little bit of everything. Lasers. Lights. You name it,” Hardeman said.

Hardeman said that that Sunday’s show is proof that, like the eclipse, music brings people together.

“If you think about it, everything about music forces you to come together number one do you have a bunch of musicians who obviously have to come together to present the music but then also, you have to listen. If you are playing, you have to listen to it when you come to a concert, you’re listening to someone else’s perspective on the world for some amount of time. That’s one of the cool things that happens without us even thinking about it all the time,” Hardeman said.