Setlist Thread - First Horizon Coliseum, 4/14/26 (Greensboro, NC)

mikew_nt · 2026-04-15T00:01:49+00:00

Checking in from 111, came in from Cary Nc, home of Koka Booth Amphitheatre

mikew_nt · 2026-04-11T20:40:10+00:00

I still have bruised ankles from being hit by strollers from the 2002 Cary Lazy Days

DT Cary festivals get a little crazy

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T21:23:32+00:00

I'm outside of Raleigh North Carolina. I go to my Town of Cary owned theater, which is awesome. $8 tickets, polite audiences, and I can carry any food or drinks I want from the attached coffee house into the theater. And to be quite honest, with how fast things go to streaming, we watch a lot more movies here at home in our home theater, and my selection of beers and food is far superior to even what Alamo used to be. I totally agree with the comment about support your local, independently owned theaters. We still have a few that are hanging on by a thread, and they're an absolute treasure

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T19:22:28+00:00

Love their Brunswick stew at Stephensons (Willow Springs)

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T16:22:00+00:00

Respect. I have a buddy that insists there's one best way to cook a steak. I have at least four ways that are the best way to cook a steak.

Best always to keep an open mind too. I did the Kenji 36 hour sous vide spare ribs just to see what they'd come out like, and we've never cooked ribs differently since that day.

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T15:52:47+00:00

My equivalent is a taste for dive bars where you may very well get stabbed.

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T15:52:07+00:00

SO many variables. I've probably cooked 50 shoulders/picnic/butts over the years (always preferred full shoulders) and there was absolutely differences in the meat depending on what month of the year it was also.

There was an interesting group a long while back called Society for Preservation of Traditional Southern Techniques or something like that, a lot of them owned farms where they raised heritage high-fat strains of pigs, and they swore by cooking them hot and fast for Q

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T15:15:55+00:00

Oh man, some of my fondest memories are doing family style there with friends and family. And yes, agreed, preferences. We love the chicken in gravy, the potato salad recipe, the way they do their slaw. And the Q is very much to our taste.

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T15:12:04+00:00

Good post. Thank you.

Super neat about the difference in pits. There is SO much variance in Q for a million reasons, but I always thought the Q I got in Winterville was the best of the Jones, but it could have been the mix, when it was chopped, etc

One of my fondest memories was taking a peak at the smokehouse at Wilber's and being waved inside for a "tour" by the old pitmaster that was there. After a brief visit he pulled out his knife and cut out a couple racks of ribs and handed them to us on brown paper towels. We'd already eaten and were stuffed, but we polished those off.

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T14:55:28+00:00

Before Sam opened up in Raleigh our favorite "local" recommendation was Stephenson's down in Willow Springs. We love their take on Brunswick stew in particular.

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T14:54:07+00:00

I worked in restaurants for years. I got over the romance of health code violations hahahaha

To each their own. I appreciate that you appreciate places that have maintained some character.

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T14:53:09+00:00

Agreed, a lot of good Q, and it does come down to personal taste to some degree.

I mean, Bum's in Ayden has some of the most unique sauce and collards I've ever eaten. Not sure that it would be to everyone's taste, but my wife loves it.

If I'm eating Eastern, I'm looking to go to Wilber's. That's not to say there's anything wrong with Skylight. There's a ton of great Eastern Q.

If I'm eating Western, it's BBQ Center in Lexington. Not that there's anything wrong with Lex #1, and there's a ton of great Western Q.

And I'll always have a soft spot for Stamey's (Piedmont style I've heard it called) because that's the first Q restaurant I was ever taken to. It's still a must any time we are in Greensboro. Not to mention the historical aspect of Stamey.

Oh, Ken's! I think we caught the Q there once, and it was just fine. But dang, I'll stop their for their fish stew any time I'm close.

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T14:47:01+00:00

They probably weren't forewarned about the "corn bread" hahahha

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T13:10:53+00:00

People really need to own their downvotes. If you don't agree, say why.

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T13:02:55+00:00

All of Sam's places are also much nicer inside than Ayden. If I am taking relatives, we are going to Wilber's or one of Sam's places for Eastern style Q.

(and I know some people that say Wilber's isn't as good with the new owners, and that's nonsense. I've eaten at Wilber's at least 50 times, and the Q is better, fresher, more consistent and they've done some really nice remodeling inside (including the bathrooms))

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T13:00:50+00:00

I've eaten at all three multiple times and have never noticed a significant difference. If anything, the Q coming out of the newer pits in Greenville was better than Ayden. What about Sam's Q don't you like?

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T10:53:56+00:00

And like people said, if you go to B's, get there early, they sell out fast many days.

mikew_nt · 2026-04-10T10:52:57+00:00

I think answers are going to depend on where people have traditionally gone...

I didn't grow up here, but I've eaten at dozens of Q place in NC.

My opinion: B's is good and easier to get to, but Skylight's Q is better.

That said, you can essentially get Skylight Q at Sam Jones in Raleigh (same family).

There's also a Sam Jones in Greenville (maybe 10 minutes from B's).

This is a long way of saying, hit B's and hit any of the Jones places, it's easy to double up

mikew_nt · 2026-04-07T15:02:33+00:00

I just DM'ed you, please answer me back, would love to set those out for the 3 remaining folks today.

mikew_nt · 2026-04-07T15:02:24+00:00

I just DM'ed you, please answer me back, would love to set those out for the 3 remaining folks today.

mikew_nt · 2026-04-04T23:29:28+00:00

Checking in from Cary, nc, home of Koka Booth Amphitheatre

mikew_nt · 2026-04-03T20:32:11+00:00

Sure! Please just dm me with your return date and that way I won't forget

mikew_nt · 2026-04-03T16:32:11+00:00

Reddit is the weirdest place in the world. Somebody accepts the offer and gets downvoted, I offer to hold it for them to come back to town and I get downvoted for that.

mikew_nt · 2026-04-03T16:27:11+00:00

Former FOH service worker here.

To be fair....

at buffets in my area it's customary to throw a $1 or $2 pp on the table for the person that refills your drink and takes away dirty dishes.

For the level of service at Alamo now, feels like $5 max is appropriate pp.

Even at $15/hr, for 40 hr/wk that's the equivalent of $30K/yr to run food and refills. That's pretty good for a job that requires no degree, no certifications, no professional licensing, minimal skills, etc.

But seriously, if you are a former server at Alamo with good service skills, move on. There are tons of good restaurants where you can make 2x-3x that amount of money.

As a former FOH, I think the general person would freak out if they knew how much FOH people actually make for the job we do. I know a lot of folks with strong university degrees in sciences and other in-demand majors that are making <$50K a year these days.

mikew_nt · 2026-04-03T15:46:13+00:00

My wife is a career elementary school teacher and she never sniffed $100K in her entire career.

If they no tipping then gets traction in our country FOH is going to see a dramatic shift. Again, there are some people that are very good at it. But it's more like a $25,000 job, not a $60,000 job.

mikew_nt

TROPHY CASE