What was the last live performance you saw?
The last live musical performance I saw was The Atlanta Rhythm Section (ARS). I really wanted to see them for two reasons. One, I like their songs, and back when I was an AM DJ, I played their songs frequently in rotation (because they were hits and came up frequently, not simply because I liked them).
Two, their song “I’m Not Gonna Let It Bother Me Tonight” has a special meaning for me. I discuss this in my Audio Chimera podcast Episode #16 “TMI!” Usually TMI refers to “too much information,” but in that episode I talked about the Three Mile Island nuclear reactor near-meltdown. I was on air that weekend at WZIZ 1350AM in York, PA, just within the danger zone. People were freaking out and calling me, and while songs played I was monitoring the Emergency Broadcast System for evacuation warnings.
Finally, over the teletype (those big old noisy clunky things that spewed news almost constantly during major events) came the news that the bubble, which had caused so much concern, was shrinking. Crisis over, I went on the mic and announced it, and followed it with this particular ARS song. I thought it very appropriate.
I enjoy the song every time I hear it but, at the same time, it invokes the memories of that weekend—memories I would prefer never to repeat.
MUSOFYR 