Summer in the City

Greetings from Raleigh, North Carolina, where we had a great time this morning on our second Summer in the City tour stop. The weather was beautiful and we had a huge crowd… and I felt right at home back in the south -- starting with the great food. Last night we had dinner at the legendary Angus Barn, starting the night with baby back ribs and crab cakes and graduating to ostrich burgers and chocolate chess pie. Chef Walter Royal came by this morning to show us some of their best dishes, with a steak salad and some black-eyed peas.

We also had a great time checking out the local wine, doing a NASCAR pit stop, and, best of all, a live concert by Ricky Skaggs and Bruce Horsnby. I'm totally crazy for their new album, which combines piano and bluegrass. Their resulting collaboration has been #1 on the bluegrass charts for 12 weeks. And we were loving it this morning! Check out our interview where they explain the story behind their first single, The Dreaded Spoon, which is about Bruce's dad. They told me afterwards that they have tour dates scheduled through next May and that whenever they get together onstage it's so much fun because all Bruce's jazz fans and Rick's bluegrass fans come out together to watch the shows. You come away with an appreciation for a whole new kind of music. People always ask if doing these shows out on the road is as much fun as it looks, and the answer is yes! I love feeding off the energy of the crowd and meeting the folks who watch us every morning. So thanks, y'all, for the great southern hospitality!