I return to my old stomping grounds.

For someone who's moved around as much as I, it's always a little surreal to return to a place you once called home. You see names and places that strike a chord in your memory, and things that once seemed to exist no longer remind you that your mere absence doesn't put an end to what you left behind. So it is for me with Charlotte, NC.

Having spent my final two years of high school here, I happen to know some people in the area. Bobby Wilkinson is pretty much the only person from high school I keep in touch with regularly, and he lives in Charlotte with his wife and kids. Since we had the 19th free while Ari played a gig in New Jersey, I decided to hang out with Bobby. His band was playing a charity concert that night for the Bubel Aiken Foundation, a children's charity founded by Clay Aiken and someone else named Bubel. I got to see his new home for the first time, along with his home studio. His wife and kids were there, and I had the pleasure of meeting Caleb, the youngest Wilkinson, for the first time. On the way to the concert we listened to my advance copy of How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb, which Bobby loved. He's already talking about covering Vertigo with his band. Once I was back at the hotel, I realized later that I had left the CD in his car. Fortunately, I'd see him at the Ari Hest concert tonight. I called and asked him to bring the CD to the show.

The Evening Muse is a cool little spot in an area called NoDa in Charlotte. NoDa stands for North Davidson, kind of like SoHo stands for South of Houston in New York. It's an artsy area of town, with coffeehouses, gourmet-type restaurants and vintage clothing stores. The Evening Muse was a cozy coffeehouse, so the band decided to strip down the arrangements and go mostly acoustic for this set. There was an electric piano onstage, so lead guitarist Matt Beck (who also plays keys for Matchbox 20) tickled the ivories on a few songs. Rob used his new upright bass, and it sounded great. The whole set was fantastic -- the sound was great and the crowd was totally into it. Bobby had to leave early, but not before he returned my precious CD. It was also a great surprise to see my pal Tony, who lives in Charlotte, but whom I met when I lived in Lynchburg. All in all, a night not to be forgotten.