Maybe Birmingham's not so bad?

I can see how Birmingham gets a bad reputation as a tour city. The hotel and venue are located in a rough part of town, a block from the jail and next to the highway. There really isn't much of interest in the immediate vicinity, except for a nice art museum. However, venture about 3 miles from the hotel and you get a really cute restaurant/boutique district called Five Points. Had this area been near the hotel, I think this city wouldn't get such a bad reputation.

Monday takes me back to Hershey, PA for 24 hours then on to DC. Hello, Kennedy Center.

Travel day post- Memphis to Birmingham

Today's another travel day, express bus to Birmingham.

Memphis was...dangerous. A city with incredible wealth and incredible poverty. And for a city built on the civil rights movement, the class disparity between races is jarring. Everything beautiful in Memphis seemed populated only by whites. Honestly, I found it depressing. But the audiences were great and the southern hospitality is definitely not what I'm used to.

Now on to the bus. I love travel days that don't involve flying. It's not that I have an issue with flying, it's just that bus travel days are so easy. No security lines, no luggage weighing, no issues with getting your instrument in the overhead. Plus there's something fun about long bus trips. It reminds me of high school band trips.

And I can't wait to get to Birmingham. I'm serious. No, I'm not. There's apparently nothing around the hotel and theatre...I'll keep you updated.

In other news, in 15 years I'm going to write a book: Everything I Know About the Violin, I Learned from Les Mis.

It's 55 and rainy here in Denver today and I LOVE it. What is wrong with me?

Denver and Barber

This post finds me in Denver, about to start the second week of our 2 week run here. Next week, we're off to Memphis.

Denver is a great city, probably one of my favorite so far on tour. The weather is tremendous, there's a great pedestrian mall with some fun stops, a fantastic art museum (specializing in Modern and Western American art), a great running path, and the audience here is wonderful. I don't think I've enjoyed a city this much on tour since Philadelphia.

In other news, I was introduced to the Barber Piano Concerto yesterday. Check out the second movement. It reminds me of the Ravel Piano concerto mixed with some Respighi. It doesn't beat the Ravel in my opinion, but about 5 1/2 minutes in, when the strings enter in unison, prepare to have your life changed. Truly beautiful.