Thanks, Bob L and Guest. They were indeed wireless mics. What do you mean by 'pick up interference'? This is a big city, so there are trucks, trains, planes and helicopters around. But why would a radio produce uninterrupted static for a long time?

I remember when a PA system would occasionally pick up words from the CB's of passing truckers, usually IIRC, with a blast of static. But I haven't heard that in a long time. The noise that we heard Saturday night seemed to last a long time - long enough for everybody to freeze, and look around in confusion, and for our leader to run across a sizable public room, open the door and turn off the PA. Who knows how long it would have gone on if left alone?

At any rate, it wasn't the usual 2-second blast of static. I'm sure there were a lot of thudding hearts in the room for a while.

The church, of course, will deal with it, not us. Nonetheless, it's good to know there are logical explanations - dying batteries, interference, or a fault in the system. But it's funny that the thing worked perfectly for three hours prior.

The noise stopped, and after a few seconds we resumed the playing of the final couples' waltz. The sweet music seemed to soothe everyone's battered system.