New Jersey Stage 2015 - Issue 12 | Page 43

Many music fans have learned about Parkinson’s disease from the annual Light of Day concerts, which raise funds to help find a cure for the disease. Light of Day has expanded from a single show in Asbury Park to events held on 13 countries on 3 continents. The shows return to Asbury Park for 10 days in January, including one night that includes a performance by Arlon Bennett, an artist diagnosed with Parkinson’s in October 2010. Bennett, a folk musician whose songs evoke memories of Harry Chapin and James Taylor, had suspicions of something wrong for a few years prior to the diagnosis. As a finger-picking guitarist, he noticed his fingers stumbling during patterns he had down cold. But no matter how prepared you are, hearing the official diagnose still hits hard. Bennett recalls feeling numb when his doctor told him the news. Watch Arlon Bennett perform “World of Possibilities” NewJerseyStage.com 2015 - ISSUE 12 ARTICLES 43