Donna Summer: A Hot Summer Night with Donna (1983)

In 1983, HBO broadcast "A Hot Summer Night with Donna," a concert special recorded at the Pacific Amphiteatre in Costa Mesa, California. Special appearance by Musical Youth. According to the ad, it's a sizzling in-concert performance featuring the sultry pop queen's latest hit "She Works Hard for the Money" - and more. The show was also released on videotape and LaserDisc.

My family didn't have cable in 1983, just the Houston broadcast stations that existed at the time (mostly VHF, but if the weather was right, a UHF channel or two). In any case, there was no HBO for young Mark, so I didn't watch this 36 years ago.

Song performances:

• MacArthur Park
• Love is in Control (Finger on the Trigger)
• Unconditional Love (with Musical Youth)
• Romeo
• Don't Cry for Me Argentina
• On the Radio
• Woman
• Medley: Dim All the Lights/Sunset People/Bad Girls/Hot Stuff
• Last Dance
• She Works Hard for the Money
• State of Independence

From the wiki, edited:

British director Brian Grant was hired to direct Summer's video for "She Works Hard for the Money." He would also be selected to direct Summer's Costa Mesa HBO concert special. Grant, who was a fan of the song "State of Independence," had an idea for a grand finale. He wanted a large chorus of children to join Summer on stage at the ending of the song. His team looked for local school children in Orange County to create a chorus of 500 students. On the final day of rehearsals, the kids turned up and they had a full rehearsal. According to Grant, "It looked and sounded amazing. It was a very emotional, very tearful experience for everyone who was there." After the rehearsal Grant was informed that he could not use the kids because the concert would end after 10 pm; children could not be licensed to be on stage at such a late hour (California had strict child labor laws in 1983). "It's a moment that I regret immensely: a grand finale concept I came up with that couldn't be filmed in the end." When the final sequence was filmed, Summer's daughter Mimi and her family members joined her on stage for "State of Independence".

CashBox, November 12, 1983, p. 10

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