Hugh Laurie and the Copper Bottom Band, June 1, 2012, at the Arlene Schnitzer Concert Hall, downtown Portland

The marquee connected to the iconic Portland sign says it all. Here's what Laurie's Web site had to say about the tour:

Hugh Laurie will take the music from his critically acclaimed debut album Let Them Talk on the road for a run of select dates on the West Coast. The 10-show tour will kick off on May 22 in San Diego and include stops in Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Portland before concluding on June 4 in Seattle. 

This marks Laurie’s first U.S. tour, following up on two heralded performances last year at The Mint in Los Angeles and the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass Festival in San Francisco.

Laurie will be on vocals and piano and will be joined onstage by The Copper Bottom Band, featuring a cast of renowned musicians including Jay Bellerose (drums), Kevin Breit (guitars), Vincent Henry (horns), David Piltch (bass), and Patrick Warren (keyboard/accordion).
 

Laurie alternated from playing the piano and singing from there, just playing the piano, or just singing at the mic at center stage. The music performed ranged from "Unchain My Heart" to "St. James Infirmary" to "You Don't Know My Mind" to "Suwannee River" to "Tipitina." Made me wish for younger knees and feet and the opportunity to stand up and dance the night away. The man played and/or sang for a couple of hours without a break, then took a bow and came back to do, I think it was, two more songs for an encore. As far as I'm concerned, Laurie was a great big piece of cake which certainly makes the Copper Bottom Band the perfect icing on said piece of cake.
 

After the show, someone offered to take our photo--that's Sharon in the middle of her twin daughters and me on the left. Smiles all around after a most satisfying evening of entertainment and live music.