This is the third year I have made it to the Annual Boiled In Lead show at First Ave. I was sober-cab for the entourage: Xtina, Jess, Colin, and Jess' VERY SWEET AND NICE AND SINGLE FRIEND Nancy, WHO BY THE WAY, IS SINGLE. There was and opening band, "Savage Aural Hotbed" a band which uses auto parts, containers, and power tools as percussion instruments; a pseudo-cross between Devo and Stomp.

The Minnesota Pipes and Drums (as in Bagpipes) band also made an appearance, as they have in previous years, although we didn't make it to the show in time to see them this year.

Last year, the show started later, (Around 8-ish) and didn't stop till 1:05 AM when the bouncers pushed us out the door. This year, the doors opened at 5, but the idea of pogoing for 9 hours straight is sick, so we figured arriving there about 9-ish would give us plenty of time, and 5 hours of dancing and headbanging should be plenty, right? Bars are open till 2AM now, right?

Wrong.

Boiled in Lead went on at just after 9, and we arrived just after they started. Coolness. And coolness it was, until just before 11 when they took a bow and left. Grr.

The band came back out to play for another fifteen minute encore. Yay.

Then they left. Grr. For good. Double Grr. The roadies started packing up the stage, and some lame-o mix music came on. It wasn't long before we were ushered upstairs to the VIP room, (It seems that everyone is a VIP when they close down the main room...)

WTF?

Didn't First Ave almost close last year because times were so f-ing hard? And now they shut the party down at 11:30? I could tell the crowd had just reached the proper level of intoxication for uninhibited dancing, and they shut it down.

ELEVEN-FUCKING-THIRTY? St Patricks Day on a Friday, and they shut it down before midnight? Sorry dudes, but where I'm from, the party doesn't get started until 10PM, and doesn't peak till after midnight, and that's on a Non-Holiday Weeknight.

From now on, I am not only checking the Start Times for bands, but the Finish Times as well. I recommend you do the same, and make sure to have a backup plan when the bouncers push you out of First Ave at 11:30 and you need to find somewhere to finish what you started...

Blog on,
-CZ

Labels: A Day In The Life, holidays, Minneapolis Event, Ubersuck