The star and his big band performed pop music standard “All The Way” during the show. The Black Eyed Peas, Mary J. Blige, Jaimie Foxx, Jennifer Hudson, Ke$ha, Maxwell and T-Pain were among other stars on hand.

Harry Connick Jr tickets are currently available for his late-February shows in the South.

The tour begins on Jan. 23 in California, and wraps up on Feb. 19 in Virginia.

Don’t miss the 52nd annual Grammy Awards, which air on Jan. 31 from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, Calif., on CBS at 8 p.m. (ET).

Connick remarked,” I just want to say, on behalf of my country, I know it was done humorously, but we’ve spent so much time trying to not make black people look like buffoons, that when we see something like that we take it really to heart.”

Feedback to the performance was mixed between outrage and “what’s the big deal?”  But Connick stood by his reaction and comments, noting he did the right thing.

Connick performed at the Celebration of Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Camps in May of 2009, a benefit for Newman’s Own Foundation. It was hosted by Joanne Woodward, Julia Roberts and Robert Redford, and included performances by Joshua Bell, Connick, Art Garfunkel, Yo-Yo Ma, Jerry Seinfeld, Take 6, and James Taylor.

He also performed at the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival in June, which honored pianist, composter and educator Ellis Marsalis. The concert included Branford, Wynton, Delfeayo and Jason Marsalis, as well as Connick.

On the film front, the devastatingly handsome crooner, who also is an accomplished actor, is celebrating the DVD release of his film “New in Town,” a romantic comedy with Renee Zellweger.

Finally, Connick was honored by Tulane University with an honorary degree. A New Orleans native, Connick was a driving force behind the recovering of New Orleans, helping to navigate flooded streets and testifying on Capitol Hill about the conditions in the city.

All the while, Connick is preparing a new album for release. More details on that later!