Letter to the Editor

Performance was inappropriate

To the editor:Cape Girardeau is fortunate to have Tunes at Twilight in Courthouse Park in downtown Cape Girardeau. This has been a positive for folks who enjoy music under the stars. The folks who sponsor this venture, the Coad family of auto dealerships and Capaha Bank, are to be commended as well as Shivelbine's Music Store for providing sound and technical assistance.

All that being said, someone in charge of Tunes at Twilight needs to apologize to these three sponsors and, more importantly, to the people attending on Aug. 17. While the performers are talented, some more than others, this one was a fiasco and an insult to the sponsors and audience. The inappropriate lyrics with children present, lighting up a cigarette while performing and talking about past days of "good drugs" had no place here. The 20-plus folks I counted leaving this performance early apparently agreed with my way of thinking.

I know the folks who put Tune at Twilight together work hard to bring talent here, and I also understand this performer was a replacement, but please consider the makeup of the audience. We have a lot of good talent in the immediate area (Jerry Ford combo, Pat Schwent and Steve Schaffner come to mind) that could and should be scheduled, not just as fill-ins, but as regular performers.

Here's hoping this kind of fiasco will not be repeated in the future.

RICH BEHRING, Cape Girardeau