One of the pillars of rock, AC/DC, is coming to the Greensboro Coliseum on October 25. Tickets went on sale at Ticketmaster outlets this morning at 10am.

While there are unfortunately no roller-coasters in the Raleigh area, there are 38 roller coasters within a 3.5-hour drive of Raleigh. Not many cities in the world are an easy road trip from that many.

Next summer that number will push 40, and will do it with world-class style. Yesterday a sleuthy coaster enthusiast let the cat out of the bag about Kings Dominion’s new coaster for 2010. It will be a gigacoaster by Intamin, which by definition, means it will be taller than 300 feet, placing it among the tallest 5 coasters in the world. If you have seen the 310-foot, 93-mph Millennium Force coaster (pictured) at Cedar Point on TV, then you have seen another gigacoaster by Intamin. It will be located on land that was once the safari ride, behind the Outer Limits.

To put this height in perspective, the two-year old Griffon at Busch Gardens Williamsburg is 205 feet tall, and the Eiffel Tower 1/3 scale replica at King’s Dominion is only 275 feet tall.

In other regional coaster news, Carowinds has unfortunately destroyed its log flume ride to make way for a new roller-coaster coming next season. This will certainly be a showcase coaster, but Carowinds loses a bit of family elegance in removing their log flume.

One of the last living Hard Bop Jazz musicians is coming to UNC this fall. On September 22, Sonny Rollins will be playing at UNC’s Memorial Hall. Tickets go on sale to the public on July 13 thru the UNC ticket office.

Rollins is one of the most important figures in the history. Not only did he play with Miles Davis, he was an influence on Davis when he was young. The chances to see guys who have played with Davis, (Rocky Mount’s) Thelonious Monk, Max Roach, Charlie Parker, and Art Blakey are coming to an end, so don’t miss this one!

On Sunday, August 2, the American Idols Live tour will be swinging through Greensboro Coliseum. The tour features this season’s Top 10 finalists, including Chapel Hill’s Anoop “Dawg” Desai.

The presale will be Friday (May 8th) from 10am to 10pm (password: Idols2009). $1 from each ticket will go to City of Hope.

On Thursday, September 24 Loggins & Messina will be in Durhams. Tickets are $37, $47, and $62. The general public tickets go on sale today at 10am thru Ticketmaster.

The beleaguered Hard Rock Park, which cost $400 million to construct, has been purchased for $25 million by FPI MB Entertainment LLS. The park’s previous owners filed Chapter 11 after just one season of being open. They plan on opening the park by Memorial Day after injecting $15 million in improvements including more rides for children. Hopefully they will also overhaul their admission fee schedule, too.

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VarmintBites has a good post today informing readers that Ben and Karen Barker’s Magnolia Grill has been named by the James Beard Foundation as one of 20 finalists for the nation’s Best Restaurant award.

I’m not surprised. The unassuming grill continues do wow decades into its existence. One gains a true appreciation for the restaurant when trying to cook Barker’s recipes. Many included in the Not Afraid of Flavor book literally require days in advance of preparation.

What makes Barker special is his ability to blend deep layers of flavor without overpowering a dish. All too often popular local chefs think that the way to impress is to serve the culinary equivalent of german speed metal music. (one chef who was once in Cary, then in Raleigh, and now has left the country comes chiefly to mind). Not so with Barker. Magnolia Grill is one of the few restaurants where each bite should be savored instead of serving as a backdrop for mundane conversation.

Chapel Hill chefs Bill Smith, Andrea Reusing, and Chip Smith, along with Durham’s Scott Howell were nominated for Best Chef of the Southeast award.

Best of luck to all!

We’ve discussed interstate highway signage here before. However no situation in this state is as screwy as the signage and routing of Interstate 40 through Greensboro. For decades Interstate 40 proceeded through a narrow section of road in southeast Greensboro westward by Four Seasons, and onward to Winston-Salem. Over the past decade sections of Greensboro’s perimeter highway, I-840, have opened and now offer travelers many new options.

When the southern half of I-840 opened, all west and southbound traffic on I-40 and I-85 (respectively) was routed onto the new road. In recent months, though, only I-40’s westbound route reverted to the old, much quieter highway.

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The problem lies with Eastbound I-40 traffic. From the gas farm west of Greensboro, I-40’s east bound traffic is guided onto the new perimeter highway. After skirting south Greensboro, it picks up Northbound I-85 traffic and eventually merges back into the old highway on the east side of Greensboro (near Replacements). From the western gateway the old road is labeled 40-Business, and has a green badge.

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There are two important points here. Westbound I-40 traffic is guided to the old highway, while Eastbound I-40 traffic is guided to the new bypass highway. Huh?

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Additionally, on the west side of Greensboro, traffic staying on I-40 is instructed to remain in left-hand lanes while exiting traffic (continuing on the old highway) exits to the right. The eventual pathways cross, so the intersection is exactly the same as ours at the Wade Avenue exit on I-40. The big advantage with the interchange’s signage in Greensboro is that only one pathway carries a red and blue interstate badge. The exiting route carries a green badge. Because only one route is clearly marked with a typical interstate badge, it is obvious to drivers which of the two options is correct for staying on the current interstate. A similar situation exists on 421 west of Winston-Salem. Drivers have two options; I-40 (red/blue badge) and 40-business (green badge). For the casual driver, these two interchanges are extremely easy to navigate.

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If the DOT insists upon marking the Wade Ave exit with a “To I-440” badge, they should consider renaming I-440 to “40-Business” and applying green badges. This would allow I-40 traffic to clearly understand the difference between the two roads.

Triangle Business Journal is reporting that the five diamond Fearrington House Restaurant has promoted Colin Bedford to Executive Chef. He will replace Graham Fox whose departure is not being discussed publicly.

Fearrington House is located just north of Pittsboro.