I joined with about a thousand other people to watch Harry Smith, Dave Price and the CBS Early Show crew, along with Hootie and the Blowfish, as they did a show this morning from Charleston’s White Point Garden at the Battery.  The Early Show is doing a “Summer in the City” tour, so brought the show and Hootie here for an event.  Our crowd was the best vibe ever, they said (at least until the next stop!)

I posted several photos of the event in the photo area (sorry, that broke).

The Girl Scouts were contacted by CBS to attend the show, as was the College.  We arrived just after 6:00 AM, and they had the whole area closed down.  It’s amazing the logistics that go into a broadcast like this, with several semi’s worth of equipment, staging and lights brought in.

The local CBS affiliate, WCSC-5 was doing their morning report live from the site, and their weatherman Bill Walsh recognized me from other events (I’ve been to the station and their tower for technical tours, and sat in on a nasty stormwatch one evening while Bill did his dance in the studio – never underestimate what these meteorologists do!)  The Early Show guys were milling about, occasionally chatting up the crowd, and frequently doing drop-in segments for various affiliates.  It’s easy to see what pros they are, how easy they were with the crowd, with the constant stream of segments, and with doing the show itself.

Right before 7:00 they told us how to follow the set directors, and then the music, the show, and the constant noise began.  Bethany didn’t feel well, so I brought her and a friend back home, and returned after 8:00 with breakfast for Laura.

Hootie and the Blowfish performed several songs in a sort of mini-concert.  The crowd passed around Early Show weatherman Dave Price in mosh pit fashion.  Hootie is a native Charleston band, so this was a home field crowd for them.  Darius Rucker performed despite having I.V. ports in his arm due to a recent staph infection, and left on a cane with a huge bodyguard in tow.

As we were leaving after the show, I stopped by the wireless sound control tent.  They let me hold a microphone for a picture.  As they handed it to me, they said, “By the way, you’re live to New York!”  From the picture, it’s clear that I could be on TV … if this were a weird parallel universe without community decency standards … if I could avoid squinting in bright light … if I could drop 80 pounds, whiten my teeth, color my hair …   Okay, it’s clear I couldn’t be on TV

(originally published 7/20/2007, 12:34.  Revised because photo area is gone.)