Atlanta Rhythm Section lead singer Rodney Justo promises Park City audiences that they will be able to relive their college days during his band’s four-night run at the Egyptian Theatre next week.
“We’ve got songs like ‘So Into You,’ ‘Imaginary Lover,’ ‘Do It Or Die,’ ‘Champagne Jam’ and ‘Spooky,’” all of these classic-rock hits,” he said. “It’s an absolute delight to play these songs for the people. The band sounds great, and I can’t think of a night when we haven’t had a standing ovation.”
The last time the band played the Egyptian Theatre was during the winter of 2020. Justo remembers how scared he was getting to and from the venue.
“For some reason we stayed in Salt Lake City and made the trip up the canyon every night,” he said. “One time the weather was really bad, and they closed all the roads. We couldn’t see. The windows were all iced up. It was scary. And we thought, ‘How in the heck will we get to Park City?'”
This time around, the band will be staying in Park City, Justo said.
“It will make life much easier,” he said with a laugh.
Justo is also looking forward to playing one venue for four nights.
“When we started out in the business, we played clubs,” he said. “Back then we would work five or six nights at a club and then you’d pack up your stuff and move to the next club. So it was nice being able to be a few days in one place. And I love that this time when we play a string of shows it will be in Park City.”
The secret of playing quality performances lies in how much Justo respects the songs he has sung for the past 50 years.
“I remember going to see Ray Charles in concert one night many years ago, and when he played ‘What’d I Say,’ he played it too fast,” Justo said. “It was like he was being disrespectful to his own song. So, when you hear us, you will hear the songs done with integrity.”
Integrity is a word Justo doesn’t take lightly, especially because he is the last member of the Atlanta Rhythm Section’s classic line-up who still lives.
Singer and keyboardist Ronnie Hammond died in 2011. Drummer Robert Nix passed in 2012. The band lost bassist Paul Goddard in 2014. Guitarist J. R. Cobb died in 2019. Guitarist Barry Bailey died in 2022 and keyboardist Dean Daughtry passed away in January.
“They are all gone,” Justo said. “I’m the only one left. So, I’ve become, for the lack of the better word, the caretaker of the music. As long as we can still put one foot in front of the other and there are people who are still alive and want to hear us, we will go out and work. But we also have to do it right or the work stops. We just can’t go through the motions.”
While playing the same songs every night may get stale to some people, Justo thrives during the set lists.
“People ask us how I feel about singing these songs every night,” he said. “And I tell them they may be the same songs, but they are different every night. The audiences are different. The band plays differently. The sound systems may be different. So everything is fresh.”
The biggest reward of keeping the band’s hits alive is meeting fans after the performances, Justo said.
“That’s when we sign CDs and T-shirts,” he said. “Every night someone comes up to us and says, ‘I just relived my entire college experience.’ I mean, we started the band to make records, and we made hit records so people would buy them so we could eat. But to the audience, those records are all about making memories. When you have songs like that, you can still work.”
Atlanta Rhythm Section was a southern-rock dream of Buddy Buie, a recording studio owner, manager, songwriter and producer, Justo said.
“Many of us were session players who played in Roy Orbison‘s back-up band that recorded in Buddy’s studio,” Justo said. “Buddy was a friend of mine. And even though I left the band a few times throughout the years, we always remained friends. He’s gone now, but I’m still trying to impress him.”
In the meantime, Justo isn’t ready to retire anytime soon.
“I don’t mind traveling,” he said. “In many cases when I get off the plane, there is usually someone who meets me and treats us really nicely. I’m getting old, but I enjoy working. So, I’m not ready for it to die, yet. And I’m not ready for me to die, either, by the way.”