North-South Mind-Meld

Since moving back to New York from Texas those many moons ago, I've tried to impress upon my northern friends that the country is really just one big continuous place these days. Our culture has made its way down south. The hip kids in Austin, and even Houston and Dallas, know about the cool bands. You know, magazines and web sites -- they travel. Fast.

But of course, the opposite is true, too. The south encroaches on the north. Not just when NASCAR talks about building a track on Staten Island, but also, occasionally, when one of New York's highest-profile venues -- say, Radio City Music Hall -- makes certain bookings. For instance? Oh....