Last night, the King of Country Music arrived in his Silver Eagle buses and held the SRO crowd at the Palace Theater in the palm of his hand. Jones, who turned 80 recently, is out once again touring and singing his heart out. Yes, the voice has withered alot with age, but the sincerity and showmanship still shines through. In fact, the rowdy crowd of all ages didn't seem to mind if George couldn't hit all the notes perfectly! He rolled through a pile of hits from the 50s (Why,Baby,Why), the 60s (Window Up Above), the 70s (The Grand Tour), the 80s (I Always Get Lucky With You), the 90s (I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair), the 00s (Choices). Unforgettable classics like "Golden Ring", "White Lightnin'" and, of course the all-time favorite country song of any era, "He Stopped Loving Her Today."  Perhaps the most moving moment of the evening is Jones' "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes", a tribute to country singers of the past. While singing, the powerpoint flashes photos of many country music legends. The greatest applause coming for Conway Twitty, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, and Tammy Wynette.

Yesterday afternoon I had the pleasure of attending my good friend, trainer and mentor, Sidney West's open house for his new workout facitlity "Body By Sid" just off I-670 and Cassidy on Switzer. Nearly 100 people which included bootcamp clients, personal training clients, church folks and friends gathered to honor and encourage this humble man who himself has encouraged many others, myself included. It was an honor for me to be included in such a joy-filled place. Several times I thought we might as well have church as the Spirit of love and joy was abounding! Sidney has been such a great friend and personal trainer to me for the last 6 plus years! I can testify that diet and exercise have truly enriched my life and I'm thankful that God gives us gifts like Sidney West who can help keep our earthly bodies running as God intended! My best to Sidney and his wife Joy as they begin this new phase of the journey!

An evening of music and dance were provided by the two titans of the respective genres in Columbus. Specifically, BalletMet of Columbus provided the sizzle on the floor, and the Columbus Jazz Orchestra provided the sizzle in the music. Although the show was staged at the Capitol Theater, home to many BalletMet performances, it was Byron Stripling, CJO leader that ran the dynamics of the show. Opening with familiar songs from the  seventies pop group "Chicago" the band and dancers hit the stage running and never looked back. Mixing in uptempo jazz numbers as well as some sultry ones which allowed the dancers to strut their stuff, it was always entertaining no matter the tempo. Dancer Dustin James, an aquaintance of mine, was especially fine, and good to see old friend Jimmy Orrante in top form as well. Due to an injury, my friend Jackson Sarver was unable to dance in this production, and certainly his skills were missed. The musical highlight was "Get Right Church" which featured Stripling on vocals and Bobby Floyd on organ, stompin' out that fast 4/4 beat which gave the entire dance ensemble an incredible workout! Fascinating vintage film clips  were provided by WOSU through out the show.

Last night Broadway Across America presented the "Blue Man Group" at the Palace Theater in Columbus. These guys are incredibly talented, but if you've never seen them either live or on YouTube, describing the group and their show is very difficult. I would start by saying they are a very high tech mime troup. Throw in  a little slapstick comedy, some elements of "Stomp" plus dazzling graphics and video displays through out the show and you begin to get a glimpse of the uniqueness of Blue Man Group. These three guys were on stage over 90 minutes straight and with much participation from the audience, weaved their magic from the stage and sometimes within the audience itself. By the time the night was over as huge lighted and lightweight balls bounced from the stage through out the entire theater the audience was eating up these three funny blue men. The group has shows currently playing in NYC and Vegas daily. The traveling team were excellent in every way.