The hardest part about writing this blog is going only to one bar a week. There are so many options. I want to write about them all and I want to write about them all now. I just wanted to clarify, I’m not just going to bars, I’m also including bar/grills and restaurants that also have a bar area. They are not all going to be new, and they are not all necessarily going to be places I’ve never been. The point is not to critique the establishment, but to chronicle my experiences in them. However, if there wasn’t much of an experience, you’ll find me focusing on the aspects of the bar itself. I’ll try to be fair and visit every type of place, including the hook-up clubs, which I loathe.
Last night I visited a place I’ve never been before. I wouldn’t exactly call Robert’s Bar off 10, in Mounds View a “destination” bar, but it was last night, because they were holding a benefit show. 47 bars across the US
My friend KB’s band was playing. I had been looking forward to going for two months. I literally worked my ass off to lose 30 pounds, so I could fit into my black, skinny jeans again in time for the show. (That wasn’t the reason for losing the weight. It was just one of the many incentives.) And, I must say, they looked spectacular. My friend “Boots” accompanied me. She was wearing her trademark cowboy boots. Also, she wore a cute knitted cap in browns and pastels. She looked more folksie, boho than rock-n-rolla. I know what you’re thinking, who gives a crap what she or I wore? Well, considering everyone else was wearing black, black, black, she in her browns and I in my blue velvet blazer and 6”, red, patent stilettos looked a little out of place with our color. But that is precisely why I went with color. People didn’t really know what to think of us, but I did get a few positive comments on the shoes.
KB’s band was awesome. They rehearse A LOT and it showed. They’re performance was so clean and well put together. And where all the other bands were wearing get-ups that were throwbacks to Limp Bizkit, they took the stage in suits and ties. It was hilarious to see the dudes in suits suddenly tear out music so loud it makes one’s ears bleed. They usually do different things each time they do a show. Sometimes they paint their bodies, sometimes they wear costumes. This night they chose suits. KB describes their music as a cross between Tool and Meshugga, but with their perfectly synced, jumps, head-bangs and suits, I was thinking they were more like a cross between Meshugga and Morris Day and the Time. (I mean that in a good way.) KB’s band is so polished that they can set up and sound check, or take-down in 10 minutes. The band after them took a half-hour to set up and sound check. I guess they had time. I digress, however; the band is not the subject here. Although we did go to see bands play, a lot of my observations were about the “band culture”.
I’m sure on a night when Robert’s isn’t hosting a hard-rock benefit, the crowd is probably a bit different. They had a large stage and dance floor, so I’m guessing they have bands frequently. The floor was spacious enough to accommodate the wild, whirling dervishes known as “moshers”. The sound was good, I definitely had Tinitus afterward. The bar is spacious enough to hold a lot of people. It was so sprawling, in fact, that it was difficult to get a feel for how many people were actually there. There was a lot of space for people to spread out. It definitely wasn’t tits to elbows packed. There are some dart boards and pool tables in the back and they were all being used by people who were obviously not there to see the bands. This is the typical bar where they are putting more effort into it being a gathering place than a theme bar. Their idea of décor was neon signs and beer-special posters. It was a good night for the bar. I’m hoping it was a good night for the “One Love for Chi” foundation as well.
On the downside: the drinks were mixed in small plastic cups, maybe not their usual practice. They were small. Did I mention that? And, $5 a glass for a mixed-drink. seemed a little steep for so little alcohol. But, perhaps some of that went to the cause. As for food, it’s a typical staple for bars to have pizza as a gnosh food for the drunken munchies, but rather than tossing a generic frozen pizza in a pizza toaster, Robert’s stepped it up by including their own pizza kitchen that seemed to be functional well into the night. I wouldn’t have eaten one, however, because every time the kitchen door opened, a putrid, garbage-smell wafted from within.
The crowd was mixed. It was an 18 plus show, so there were some younger kids that came and went with the bands. There were people of all walks and ages, but heavily on the side of the hard-rock lovers in band t-shirts this particular night. I’m sure their patronage changes with the events, such as today, they probably have a lot of football lovers swilling domestic, tap beer, eating raunchy pizza and yelling at the screens over teams they’re not usually fans of. I liked the crowd, but as a people watcher, I like a varied crowd. Plus, no one was pretentious. I hate places where everyone thinks they’re hot shit. I was with my friend watching my other friend’s band, so I didn’t have a lot of opportunity to talk to people I don’t know. It was very loud, so not the kind of environment to strike up a conversation. I didn’t meet any new, interesting characters.
