WILLIE NELSON'S CANCELED CONCERT INSPIRES STATE SENATOR'S SONG

State Sen. Charlie Albertson says he can relate to country music
legend Willie Nelson.

Sen. Charlie Albertson -(D) Duplin A lifelong musician himself, the
Duplin County Democrat spent 56 days on a tour bus in Germany in the
late '70s and understands how "a bus is sort of like a home to a
band," he said

So he got upset after state alcohol officers raided Nelson's tour bus
in Albertson's home county and cited band members for possession of
marijuana and moonshine.

It's only natural that Albertson is now expressing his frustration
musically.

With his own voice and musician friends from Nashville, he recently
recorded "Leave the Man Alone," a country-flavored lament about how he
wishes the officers would have just let Nelson "sing and play his
songs" in peace.

Regarding Nelson's decision not to play in Duplin County after the
Jan. 28 bust, the song says: "We lost more than the revenue. It hurt
the county's name."

A statement on Nelson's Web site said pain in his hand caused the
concert to be canceled, but Albertson said he thinks that the bust was
the real reason and that authorities may have planned it in advance.

The senator said he has received many calls from Duplin County
residents disappointed by the incident. He said he respects law
enforcement but thinks "it was a bit much" for a number of ALE agents
to show up.

"A lot of people think it was planned and contrived," Albertson said.
"It looks like a special effort was made to bust the guys on the bus."

At the time of the incident, Alcohol Law Enforcement Special Agent Ted
Carlton said agents smelled marijuana in a parking lot by the Duplin
County Events Center in Kenansville then decided to enter the tour
bus.

Carlton did not return a message Wednesday seeking
comment.

The bust happened less than an hour before the scheduled concert. John
Vogt, the events center's executive director, said it lost $30,000
because Nelson didn't perform.

Vogt said he fears that Duplin County might shut down the venue for
economic and political reasons, and that it may be exacerbated by that
income loss.

He doesn't expect the message in Albertson's song to help the venue's
cause, he said, but noted that people have been strongly supportive of
the events center since the Nelson incident.

Albertson said he would like to see his song become a hit on radio
stations.

The senator, whose district also includes Lenoir and Sampson counties,
is not seeking re-election this year