Note:  I'll be posting diary entries from my banjo tour over the next couple weeks, as soon as my lawyers clear each set. 


Part 9

If you say the word 'tour' enough times in your head, it makes no sense!


11/01/2009 Eugene, Oregon Jaqua Concert Hall

Eugene is the home of my 15th favorite tofu slurry! I ad-libbed a great line tonight. I said: "It's great to be here in Eugene!" Astonishing show.


11/02/2009 Spokane, Washington Martin Woldson Theatre at the Fox

Sometimes, we wait a bit before we come out for an encore. This heightens the audience's excitement AND I can Google myself without feeling rushed. Tonight, the adoration oozed lusciously toward me like an industrial vat of ultra-thick cottage cheese that had cracked open.


Coming up Monday: Finally, for the love of Christ, the conclusion of Steve's Tour Diary!

Note:  I'll be posting diary entries from my banjo tour over the next couple weeks, as soon as my lawyers clear each set. 


Part 8

I remember this place!


10/28/2009 Los Angeles, California Disney Concert Hall

The acoustics are wonderful in L.A.: vapid, cynical, and sleazy. Superlative show.


10/30/2009 Costa Mesa, California Orange County Performing Arts Center

When the Steep Canyon Rangers do a couple songs of their own, I go backstage so they'll have the stage to themselves. The break is nice, but it's hard to get a proper facial in 6 minutes. My pores still feel kinda 'off.' Still: unbeatable show.


Friday: Steve heads to the Pacific Northwest in the penultimate* installment of Steve's Tour Diary... PART 9! (*delirious and weepy)

Note:  I'll be posting diary entries from my banjo tour over the next couple weeks, as soon as my lawyers clear each set. 


Part 7

Whee! I'm self-medicating!


10/25/2009 Santa Fe, New Mexico Lensic Performing Arts Center

Sometimes, I look down while I'm playing a song on my banjo, and my fingers are a blur. It's like the music's coming through me from a mysterious channel to the divine. Then I see my fly's open. Is topping myself this many times in a row even possible?

I can't take things for granted, though. I'm sure I have flaws somewhere.


10/27/2009 Dallas, Texas Meyerson Symphony Center

I was born in Texas and lived here when I was a boy, so coming here always fills me with rage. Oops, I meant nostalgia. OUR BEST SHOW YET!


Part 8: Steve heads to California. Will his relentless schedule keep him from the one thing he loves most in this world – HIS MUSIC? Check back Wednesday!

Note:  I'll be posting diary entries from my banjo tour over the next couple weeks, as soon as my lawyers clear each set. 


Part 6

Running on fumes!


10/22/2009 Chicago, Illinois Cadillac Palace Theatre

Three weeks of touring down, two to go. If all goes well, we stand to lose only $14,000! Celebrated with champagne and oysters in my dressing room while everyone else set up.

The applause wasn't just for my performance - it was for my existence!


10/24/2009 Denver, Colorado Paramount Theatre

Thought I was getting dizzy from the altitude here. Turned out I'd forgotten to take my humility regulators. Show was sublime.

Tonight I ad-libbed a great line. I said, "It's great to be here in Denver!"


Monday: Will Steve approve of the next venue's TEMPERATURE and HUMIDITY? You won't find out in Steve's Tour Diary... PART 7!

Note:  I'll be posting diary entries from my banjo tour over the next couple weeks, as soon as my lawyers clear each set. 


Part 5

Where am I?


10/15/2009 Toronto, Ontario Roy Thomson Hall

There are so many Os in the name of this place! Look at them all, so round and ring-shaped! I count 8! Not counting the two in 8! And by the way, this Canadian beer is great. Our best show yet: I used all five strings of the banjo.


10/20/2009 Troy, New York Troy Savings Bank Music Hall

Troy, New York was named after the famous ancient city of Troy. That's where Greek soldiers hid inside a giant wooden horse, then crept out at night and captured the city. When I think about those soldiers hiding in that huge statue, I shake my head in amazement. Talk about trying too hard.

Or was it named after Troy, the waiter at Chili's?

Show was without peer.


Friday, in Steve's Tour Diary, PART 6: Steve inspects the flowers in his dressing room. Will they be GORGEOUS, or KINDA "ENNH"?

Note:  I'll be posting diary entries from my banjo tour over the next couple weeks, as soon as my lawyers clear each set. 


Part 4


Did anybody tell me how long this tour would be?

10/11/2009 Nashville, Tennessee Ryman Auditorium

Came back here in search of those cheese steaks, and got roped into playing another show. Awkward. Still, the show was excellent beyond belief.


10/12/2009 Washington, DC Warner Theatre

After somebody told me, I realized I was in our nation’s capital. (U.S. residents, I’m talking to you.) If I could talk to the Founding Fathers, I’d ask them, “How could you survive without limos?” Our best show yet!


Coming up Wednesday: Will Steve choose to eat BEFORE or AFTER a show? Don’t miss the next installment of Steve’s Tour Diary... PART 5!

Note:  I'll be posting diary entries from my banjo tour over the next couple weeks, as soon as my lawyers clear each set. 


Part 3

Still on tour!


10/09/2009  Atlanta, Georgia   Chastain Park Amphitheater

Atlanta has a beautiful concert hall named after soccer star Brandi Chastain, so when I finished playing, I stripped to my sports bra and knelt down, exulting in my victory.  Our best show yet!


10/10/2009  Charlotte, North Carolina   Blumenthal Performing Arts Center-Knight Theater

The Steep Canyon Rangers are from here, so we knew this show really had to rock.  And it did.  People went nuts – nodding, eating, texting... they were totally berserk.

Waves of love came over the footlights like truckloads of wheatgerm.  


Monday:  Will Steve suffer a slightly uncomfortable bout of eczema? Ambivalently refresh your browser until the next chapter of Steve's Tour Diary...  PART 4!

Note:  I'll be posting diary entries from my banjo tour over the next couple weeks, as soon as my lawyers clear each set. 


Part 2

Going strong!


10/06/2009 New York, New York Carnegie Hall

Yo-Yo Ma gave me the side-eye as I passed him in the hallway, so I stepped on his foot. Fantastic show!


10/07/2009 Boston, Massachusetts Wang Center

Know what turns out to be a bad idea? Napping against an amp.

Tonight, I ad-libbed a great line. I said, "It's great to be here in Boston!"

Oh, and guess what? This auditorium, The Wang Center, was named after me!

The audience loved the real me, not the stage me!

Friday: Will Steve travel to A FEW MORE CITIES... and PLAY MUSIC?
Find out in Steve's Tour Diary... PART 3 !

Note:  I'll be posting diary entries from my banjo tour over the next couple weeks, as soon as my lawyers clear each set. 


Part 1

It begins! 
          

10/01/2009 Nashville, Tennessee   Ryman Auditorium
International Bluegrass Music Association (IBMA) Awards

My tour kicked off in Nashville, Tennessee, a city world-famous for its cheese steaks!
The show was absolutely incredible!  I also presented an award at The 20th Annual IBMA Awards. Turns out “presenting” means “hand it to the winner”, not “tuck it under your arm and run.”  My bad.  

My bluegrass album, The Crow, did win two awards, though:  'Best Liner Notes for a Recorded Project' & 'Best Graphic Design for a Recorded Project.'  In the bluegrass world, when you win these kinds of awards, it's code for “we can't give you all the awards you deserve, plus you are extremely handsome.”  I'd like to thank my designers and producers, whoever they were.  


10/03/2009  San Francisco, California   Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival

The Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival includes other music besides bluegrass.  Did you know there are over three other kinds?  Our best show yet.


Wednesday:  Steve visits NYC, Boston, and the bathroom (not in that order)!  Check back for Steve's Tour Diary...  PART 2!

December 4 (HOLLYWOOD) -- Steve Martin, who recently finished a six-week music tour of cities such as Canada and Europe, will publish his tour diaries on his website STEVEMARTIN.COM beginning Monday, December 7th.

Earlier today in his laundry room, Steve clutched a cardboard paper-towel tube and enthused, "I'm thrilled to share my innermost thoughts and feelings about my bluegrass tour.  I'll be posting my diary entries in short installments for a variety of legal reasons, all of which are grim.

"It's a revealing look at the experience of performing live, the marvelous experiences I had playing banjo alongside the Steep Canyon Rangers, and the wonderful people I met along the way.  Of course, I know the parts my fans will enjoy best will be the juicy, no-holds-barred accounts of life backstage, especially my bouts with indigestion!

"Happy reading, check back often, and you're welcome!"