THE TESH TOUCH

Last year I took my mother with me to see John Tesh at the Universal Amphitheatre (“No Irony. No Angst. No Problem,” by Sean Mitchell, March 16). Not knowing who John Tesh was, not even from “Entertainment Tonight,” she was concerned that the concert would be a loud rock show. I assured her it would be tame. Indeed, I expected the live performance to be only slightly more exciting than the L.A. Philharmonic at the Bowl.

Surprisingly, I was mesmerized by the performers and their high energy level. Tesh himself was very down to earth and established an excellent rapport with the audience. I appreciated the fact that the ensemble was diverse, both ethnically and agewise. Likewise, the people who attended the concert reflected a mixture of ages and racial groups.

While he may have his detractors, his music seems to be able to draw together people of various age groups and ethnicities. How about Tesh for president in 2000?

DAVID CHENG

Long Beach

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While John Tesh’s music is not everyone’s cup of tea, he should be applauded for pursuing his music wherever and whenever he can, and PBS should be commended for taking a risk in order to develop new audiences and generate dollars.

CAROLYN E. AGUAYO

South Pasadena

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The scary thing about Tesh is that he actually seems to think the noise he makes is good music.

RICHARD SHOWSTACK

Newport Beach