Santa Barbara, California

We decamped Los Angeles for a VERY short flight up the coast to Santa Barbara. About 125 miles north of L.A., Santa Barbara is a seriously well heeled and beautiful coastal town with wonderful restaurants, resorts, balmy breezes, Spanish architecture and old California charm.

I last played the Santa Barbara Bowl way back in 1981 with my friend Rodney Crowell when we opened a show for Christopher Cross who, at the time, had a big hit record going. Standing out on the stage tonight it was much as I remembered it, a very friendly outdoor amphitheatre that seats about 4,000 tucked into the hills surrounded by the eucalyptus and pine trees.

Tonight's show certainly appeared to be sold out as I didn't see an empty seat in the house and was our penultimate show. Without a trace of ego, I have to say we are getting really good at playing this show with Emmy and wish it could go on well into the summer. It's been a wonderful tour of camaraderie, music, travel, food, great shows, fabulous audiences and loads of laughs, but tomorrow is the end and we fold up the tents. Having accumulated about a dozen stage shirts in the wardrobe trunk, I took all but a couple out to pack and bring home, a sure sign that we're just about done.

A runner for our last flight on the Gulfstream up to San Francisco where we'll spend the night and play the finale tomorrow at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley.

So long,

Richard