I set up to play for a company party on board one of the Commodore Line ships that specializes in dinner cruises on the San Francisco Bay. Everything went as planned: I played low-key background music for the dinner, then gradually picked up the pace as we started the party. The people were happy, I was happy, the music was. . .fine; but somehow, for as great a venue as this was, sailing on the Bay under the moon and the beautiful lights of San Francisco by night, something was missing.

I’m not even sure that I knew that something was missing at the time, but something happened that made the evening turn special: A guy came up to me and asked me to play his favorite song, “Lean on Me.” Now, perhaps this song is one of your favorites but, believe me, it was far from being on my list of favorite songs, and I wasn’t about to let a non-music-pro run “my music.” But there was something soulful in his pleading for his favorite song, and when he promised that everyone else would love the song, too, I relented and started the old Bill Withers classic.

Immediately, as Bill started the piano intro, there was a thrill of anticipation that ran through the crowd, and I knew that the guy had not overstated the crowd’s love for this song. Soon, the entire ship, from bow to stern, was singing, “Lean on me when you’re not strong; and I’ll be your friend, I’ll help you carry on.” They might have heard us on the streets of San Francisco as even some of the crew joined in—we were more than a community of office workers, we were family, and the song transformed a nice evening into a spectacular, memorable event.

If you have a great DJ story, or if you have shared an experience of being in the presence of a DJ who transformed your party, please jot it down in the comment field, and I’ll share it with other DJ’s and clients on my Website at DanceworksDJs.com.

–Dave Crosby, San Francisco

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