Washington to Denver

by Lenny Hughes

Utah, Nevada, Colorado-November 10-11

It's been a crazy-busy two weeks, and in two days, we're headed to New Orleans-the greatest city in America.

Lewis is convinced that the Big Easy isn't so easy on ticket sales for comedians, so, fans and friends, let's prove him wrong. Meet us Thursday at the Mahalia Jackson Theatre for the Rant Is Due Tour at Congo Square. You KNOW it'll be a party-it's New Orleans, for Saints' sake!

I am, of course, in mourning over the Saints' tragic loss to San Francisco. I don't really want to talk about it.

I don't really want to talk about that election last week, but I feel compelled. I don't know whether to be ticked off more at the stupidity of voters who claim they want Congress to "get along and do something" while turning it over to the party that shut down the government and tried to reverse everything Congressmanagedto do in the past few years. Or should I be pissed off at registered voters who profess to protest the tea-baggers and Republicans, but decided to do nothing themselves, and stayed home last Tuesday instead of showing up to stop them?

The Rant Is OVER-Due.

But on to happier thoughts.

After Seattle last week, we shot across the state to Spokane, and another stellar production. We were at the INB Performing Arts Center, a giant complex, where Lew greeted the fans after the show accompanied by a cut-out of the Grinch advertising an upcoming show at the theater-a harbinger of the fabulous Pre-Christmas show we were about to launch in Utah.

Out on the road in Washington, we stopped for fuel near a seedy structure advertising "antiques and apples." John and I checked it out: the apples were great, but the "antiques" were just a few shelves of knick-knacks salvaged from a recent fire in the main building. We stopped to photograph a wilting, fly-infested jack-o-lantern that greeted us at the entrance.

We finished out the weekend with a trip to Salt Lake City for the awe-inspiring Pre-Christmas Special. I was a little nervous about invading Mitt Romney country, but the guys at Mobile Rider's studio told us that many of the establishment Salt Lakers have moved out to the suburbs. And walking around with Ben and John, I found the place to be pleasantly diverse and bohemian (long as you're not put off by too many pawn shops, tattoo parlors and hotels of ill-repute).

Ben and our tech guy James Salkind loaded in the equipment, John and I put together a little script outline; then John decked the halls with Walmart Xmas adornments and I set up a merch display...andThursdaynight Lewis delivered the goods like Santa himself, answering tweets and phone calls in our live streaming event to celebrate the new tour schedule.

Next day, we soared down to West Wendover, Nevada, to start the weekend with a fine show down there. We slipped out of town for an overnight marathon to Denver, Colorado. How Frank can drive 700 miles through the dark of night, I really don't want to know.

We did the first Colorado show in Denver, then finished up in Fort Collins, where I set up a Christmassy merch display, and where our old high school buddy Charlie Rock joined us for the evening.

I flew out of there on Monday morning, with just enough time to do the laundry and pack for New Orleans.

Laissez les bons temps rouler.