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THE DOOBIE BROTHERS The Misty Moon was the best showbar in the Maritimes, bringing international stars to Gottingen Street in Halifax. The owners planned to move the Moon to a much larger venue on Kempt Road. All the die-hard Moon goers were there on a Sunday night, which was to be the last night at the "Old Moon". Appropriately, the Sam Moon Band was playing, and the place was packed. To our utter delight, in walked the Doobie Brothers!! They were scheduled to play at the Metro Centre on the upcoming Wednesday, and they had reserved that facility to rehearse a new bass player, Willie Weeks. They had practised on Sunday night and asked if there was a good bar in town. Naturally, they were sent to the Moon!! How appropriate!! On the break, Sam invited them to the dressingroom and of course there were "doobies" passed around, and then Sam asked them if they wanted to play a few tunes. Michael MacDonald hemmed and said, "We would, but there's no keyboard." This was my chance. I piped up and told him I had a Rhodes and a Wurlitzer piano and we could go and get it. Before I knew it, I was in a car with Michael MacDonald and Keith Knudsen (drummer) and heading to my place. I was so embarrased, as my little bachelor apartment was in an uproar, but in we went. Michael decided to take the Rhodes, but before we did, I asked him to show me the intro to "Minute by Minute" (my favourite Doobie song). He showed me and then I dug out my "Minute by Minute" album and got him to sign it. I totally ignored poor Keith, I was so nervous, as Michael is one of my all time favourite singers. They took the stage and started with "I Got A Woman" by Ray Charles. It took a couple of songs before the rest of the bar realised who they were, and they clamored around the stage. Somebody requested "Long Train Runnin'" and Michael called me to the stage to sing backup!!!! Afterwards, Michael asked if I had tickets to the concert, and I told him I hadn't got them yet. He asked me to meet him at his hotel before the concert, and he would take me in!!! He even gave me his room number, saying, "Don't tell anybody". I buzzed his room Wednesday evening, and he met me in the lobby, where we waited for the rest of the group. We chatted while we were waiting, talking shop of course. Then, we all decided to walk to the Metro Centre as it was only a block away. The concert was fantastic, and we were invited to the dressingroom afterwards. The band really enjoyed their stay in Halifax, and it was certainly a momentous occasion for me!! I got to sing with the Doobie Brothers, and I didn't wash they keys on my Rhodes for quite a while. Luckily, a friend shot some pictures - living proof it wasn't all a dream. 
Patrick Simmonds - Michael MacDonald - Pam - Keith Knudson - Willy Weeks
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