Pop’s Goes the 4th 2009

Hello again friends:

Well…this year we’re looking forward to another fun and exciting, live broadcast from the Hatch Shell on the Esplanade in Boston, Saturday, July 4th . Keith Lockheart and the Boston Pops Esplanade Orchestra always put on a fantastic show, and the fireworks…...The Best!!

I believe this makes it about 12 years for me now that I’ve been doing these broadcasts with WCRB. I remember my first one (way back when), Keith was relatively new to Boston, having started his tenure in February, 1995. At that time, we were using a hand held wireless microphone for the broadcast, so we could mingle with the crowd. I remember getting some pretty good interviews that day with some of the revelers on the lawn, but… there’s a funny thing about those mic’s…..as you may know, they come complete with an on-off switch, (for me… a bad idea). I had a habit of turning it off when I wasn’t using it (you know save the batteries and all). Well… in theory it was a noble idea but much more important than turning the thing off, was remembering to turn it on again. Which I seemed to have neglected to do, for at least one…”yes, there may have been more”…of those incredibly insightful yet whimsical chit-chats. Needless to say, I was reminded by the Boss, (in no uncertain terms)… to “Leave It On”!!
It was a hard and somewhat embarrassing lesson to learn but thankfully this year, I’ll be seated, behind the mic with my colleagues, with no switches in sight.

This Saturday will surely be another fantastic July 4th show, (provided the weather holds out)…Oooops, did I say that… I hope I didn’t curse it! If you can’t be there, do the next best thing and join us (in stereo) for the concert at 99.5 on the dial. We’ll have lot’s of great American music for you beginning at 12-noon with Listo Fischer. I’ll follow him at 4pm, then, Laura Carlo will accompany Mark Edwards at 8 for the show.

I do hope you’ll make WCRB part of your families July 4th festivities this year!


Mark Calder