Chris' Christian Blog

Tanya to the Rescue

"Tanya to the Rescue" 

Write about a time you experienced music or a musician bringing a community together during difficult times. Did you feel more hopeful?

This Blog City prompt is easy for me. I was at the Washington County Fair in Marietta Ohio one year, when Tanya Tucker was performing. A lady collapsed in the audience and Tanya saw it happen. She immediately quit singing the song she was singing and used the PA system to notify the paramedics that they were needed. Then as they attended to the lady a crowd started to gather around the lady and Tanya became almost like a crowd control police officer. She encouraged people to back away and let the paramedics do their job and to give the victim some privacy. Then to assure that it happened she broke into one of her biggest hits and encouraged the crowd to sing along. Before long the crowd was so caught up in the songs that they had all but forgotten about the woman. Once the woman was removed and taken to the hospital Tanya asked for a moment of silence for her. Then during the second or possibly third set, she announced that the lady had simply fainted, likely from the heat, and was going to be okay. She had seen to it that her staff kept a close monitor on the lady's condition, with the family's permission, the whole time she had been performing. I personally had deep respect for her actions that day.