Hugh Laurie takes 'leap of faith' into music

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Hugh Laurie left House last year. But as he follows his new passion — music — he still jokes about the years he spent in Los Angeles filming the series.

At a tour stop Wednesday in historic suburban Washington, he told the Birchmere club crowd, "After a decade in L.A., it's wonderful to be in a city built before last Thursday."

The English actor continued, "It's wonderful to be in a brick city, a city with history." And a city where it rains, he said. "It doesn't rain at all in California. Once a month a man drives through spraying Evian."

Laurie, 54, and his seven-member Copper Bottom Band belted out blues for more than two hours (and did two encores) with songs including Iko Iko, Mystery Train, and The Weed Smoker's Dream. He's on tour through early November to support his bluesy second album, Didn't It Rain.

Throughout the show, he's self-deprecating and funny, often turning the stage over to singers Gaby Moreno and Sister Jean McClain. After McClain's powerful rendition of Bessie Smith's Send Me To The Electric Chair, Laurie said, "Only an idiot would try to sing after that." He paused, adding, "Who would that idiot be, I wonder?"

Laurie played piano and guitar and sang, including tackling Dr. John's Wild Honey. He and the band stopped only to take a shot of whiskey midway through and toast the crowd.

"I realize this is quite a leap of faith," said Laurie, "seeing someone out of their environment, trying something they're not qualified to do —- kind of like a pilot saying he was a dental hygienist who just started flying last week."

The audience seemed to have already taken the leap. "We love you, Hugh!" shouted a fan.

With that, he took a seat at the piano and urged the crowd to join him in Let the Good Times Roll. "If we all sing it together, we make the likelihood of it happening all the more real. Let's live in hope. This is a nation of hope, right?" he said with a grin.