Avett Brothers wow a sellout crowd

The Avett Brothers opened their two-night homecoming show Tuesday at the Belk Theater -- and it was easy to see why the bluegrass band from Concord is making waves in the music industry.

The guys -- Scott Avett on banjo/vocals, brother Seth on acoustic guitar/vocals, Joe Kwon on cello and Bob Crawford on bass -- started with a bang, opening the show with "Left on Laura, Left on Lisa" and quickly built on the sell-out crowd's energy, rarely slowing down for a break in their hour-and-a-half set and playing such favorites as "At the Beach" and "Salina" as well as newer songs such as "Standing With You."

At times, it seemed as though they were throwing their whole bodies into each note while playing multiple instruments at a time. The only people working harder than the band were the backstage crew who worked throughout the show to fix broken banjo strings and a kick drum that felt the full force of Scott Avett's enthusiasm for the music.

The biggest ovation of the night was saved for "Go to Sleep." The audience continued to sing the refrain from the song a full five minutes after the Avetts had left the stage. The guys returned to play a four-song encore consisting of "Colorshow," "The Lowering," "Kick Drum Heart" and "Salvation Song."

The energy from the stage was infectious and had everyone in the crowd -- from children to seniors -- up and out of their seats, dancing in the aisles. It's hard to imagine how raucous the show will be tonight on New Year's Eve.

But it was the Avetts who were most thankful:

"Thanks for having us home," Scott Avett said. "You are old friends and we thank you for coming."

(Tonight's New Year's Eve concert starts at 9. It's also sold out, but you might be able to buy tickets through Craigslist.)

Win NYE tickets!

Rich & Bennett's popular NYE bash is already sold out, but you're in luck -- I scored two tickets to give away to one lucky reader.

The party will serve as the grand opening for the new Common House restaurant in Plaza Midwood and features an open bar from 9 p.m.-2 a.m., a full dinner buffet from Hawthorne's Pizza, a champagne toast at midnight and music by DJ Kadence.

Interested? Just call 704-358-5207 by noon today and sing the first verse of "Auld Lang Syne" into my voicemail.

Best version wins the tickets.

Good luck!

For a full list of NYE parties, click here.

NIX owner responds

My last blog about Nix Burger & Brew received a large number of negative comments about the new uptown restaurant that opened just last week.

Owner Nick LaVecchia sent me an e-mail today addressing some of the concerns.

"I am hoping you can help me clarify some of the issues we've experienced during NIX debut. We experienced many delays during construction that were beyond our control. When we finally opened, business volume was way above our projections. We are addressing many issues daily that exist with any new restaurant opening. We are working diligently to fix problems, mostly related to the high volume with very limited space. With any new concept, there are always kinks to be worked out in the first few weeks of operation. I just want you to know we are aware of these issues and are working hard to fix them. We hope we are given the chance to fix problems and not be judged based on the first few days after opening."

In short, have patience, people. We should be rooting for all businesses to succeed right now.

Uptown burger joint opens today

NIX Burger & Brew opens tonight at the corner of Fifth and Tryon streets, offering a rare mid-range option for dining uptown.

NIX, owned by Nick LaVecchia of LaVecchia's Seafood Grille, offers about 20 different eight-ounce burgers from the traditional cheeseburger to ones topped with fried egg or onion rings. Most burgers are $8.95 and you can choose whether you want turkey, beef or bison as your meat.

Drafts, including Shock Top and Kona Fire Rock, are $5, while bottled beer starts at $3.

I checked it out last night during a pre-opening event and found my buffalo cheeseburger to be perfectly cooked and smothered in blue cheese. I also liked that the bun didn't overwhelm the burger and leave me feeling sickly stuffed.

The place has an industrial feel to it with a keg-inspired ceiling treatment, deconstructed chandeliers and bolts used as accent pieces along the wall. There's a small bar and six flatscreens located throughout the cozy 80-seat space.

LaVecchia said NIX will be open for lunch, dinner and late night (food served until about 1:30 a.m.) seven days a week.

Check out photos here.

Will Smith visits Observer newsroom

The first sign Will Smith was approaching the Observer: a luxury motorcoach emblazoned with a huge photo of the actor's face, advertising his new movie "Seven Pounds."

Subtle he is not.

Smith is in Charlotte today promoting the film and raising awareness for Second Harvest Food Bank.

He stopped in the Observer newsroom after visiting the Levine Children's Hospital and students at John Taylor Williams Middle School and Northwest School of the Arts.

Wearing a white button-down shirt, v-neck sweater, hooded vest and jeans, Smith breezed through the Observer lobby, smiling ear-to-ear and saying hello to gawking employees.

After a quick elevator ride to our fourth-floor newsroom, Smith stopped to shake hands and greet everyone he passed.

A reporter was able to snag an autograph for his 12-year-old son, a big fan of the actor's.

"Best Hanukkah present ever!" he exclaimed after he walked away.

Smith stopped to give a hug to one copy editor, commenting that her jacket "felt like butter." She's been seen re-enacting the moment ever since he left.

He then sat down with movie critic Lawrence Toppman for a half-hour interview, his trademark booming laugh trickling into the newsroom every so often.

His entourage -- mostly public relations reps and security guys -- mingled with others in the newsroom. One of them pointed to TV/radio reporter Mark Washburn's desk and said, "You know all the '70s movies about reporters? That's what I envision."

On his way out, the actor stopped to pose for a brief photo shoot and signed some more autographs, including an Observer section promoting "I Am Legend." He told the autograph-seeker that his K-9 co-star in the 2007 film was "the best dog ever."

Afterwards, the (straight, male) staffer said, "I never felt like a giggly schoolgirl before, but I did."

In fact, the whole newsroom seemed like a bunch of giggly schoolgirls -- the room was louder today than it was on election night last month.

He said, "Excuse me, love," to one young woman, who then flushed, clutched her heart and exclaimed "He called me love!"

Smith left about 1:45 to head back to his south Charlotte luxury hotel before heading over to Regal Stonecrest tonight, when he'll donate 300 turkeys to Second Harvest.

Click here and here for more Smith coverage.

Carol of the Pipers

It's nice to know that after a year of covering Charlotte's nightlife, I can still be surprised by things I see during my party travails around town.

On Saturday I was celebrating a friend's birthday at the Gin Mill -- a low-key gathering of shuffleboard, cheap beer and music played at a reasonable volume (what a concept).

We were all thinking about heading home for the night when about 10 men wearing kilts and Santa hats and carrying Christmas-light-adorned bagpipes walked in, making a beeline for the bathroom.

I stopped one and asked what they were up to.

Turns out the guys are part of Ceol na Gael, an Irish Pipe Band, which for the past three holiday seasons has been piping its way to center city bars during its annual Carol of the Pipers.

"The guys have had a few beers," band manager (and bass drum player) Frank Keenan told me, waving at the line to the men's room.

The bagpipers -- who had already played at Tyber Creek Pub, Connolly's and Phil's Deli -- stayed long enough to play three Christmas carols for partygoers (who also demanded an encore) before heading on to their next stop, Vinnie's.

As the last member left with candy canes swaying from his bagpipe, I couldn't help but think it was a lovely way to spend the evening.

Hope some of you guys got a chance to see them, too!

Nightlife on 'Monday Night'

The energy uptown was palpable yesterday as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and ESPN came to Charlotte for "Monday Night Football."

Some of that energy was, of course, generated by the buzz building up to the pivotal game, but did anyone notice how bright the uptown sky was? The buildings were encouraged to keep all of their lights on for the national broadcast as Charlotte enjoyed its moment in the spotlight. (I'd love to see the Bank of America building's overnight electric bill. No wonder we're in an energy crisis.)

Fans started tailgating hours before kickoff at Bank of America Stadium, and for those who couldn't take a half-day from work, their frustrations and excitement were documented hourly on Facebook. (I'd also love to see the productivity rate at Charlotte businesses yesterday. I'm guessing it's about the same as it is during March Madness.)

But while banks, law firms, (newspapers) and other businesses experienced a drop in productivity yesterday, the hospitality sector saw a boon: Charlotte Center City Partners predicted the game generated up to $8 million in extra revenue to area bars, restaurants and hotels.

I stopped in to WFNZ's Dog House before the game to check out early revelers. For those of you new to Charlotte, the Dog House sits in the shadow of the stadium at Mint and Morehead streets. It's open only on game days when the WFNZ on-air team broadcasts from the bar and fans use it as a tailgating/meeting/game-watching spot.

Inside, fans dressed in Panthers garb munched on peanuts and loaded up on beer while listening to the radio show. Out back, a live band played while folks from Sagebrush served up steaming hot BBQ.

It was nice to see everyone just out having a good time and not sitting at home listening to news reports about the flagging economy.

The Dog House opens two hours before every home game (last one's next Sunday when the Panthers host the Broncos) and stays open as late as two hours after the game ends.

Where are your favorite places to tailgate or watch the game?