The Butterfly Tour hits Chicago

Last weekend The Butterfly Tour traveled to Chicago for one of the best weekends I've ever had in The Windy City.

Friday night I rode up with my boyfriend for the DJ Shadow show in Chicago. Read my full review here on NUVO.net.

After the show, we stayed the night at Kristin's new place. Brendon took off early in the morning while I waited for Swanny to wake up. We went to a handmade craft fair in the afternoon where I made a few purchases and crossed a few names off of my Christmas list. After that, we went out for dinner at a small Mexican restaurant where I learned about Chicago's BYOB policy. My understanding is that due to the high number of restaurants in a relatively small area, not all places of business are able to obtain liquor licenses. Consequently, a policy of BYOB is in effect at some establishments, allowing customers to literally carry in their own beverages. In leiu of margarita mix, we each purchased a lemon-lime soda to mix with the Cuervo we picked up at the Seven Eleven on the way there. BYOB FTW.

After dinner, we had time to kill and met up with some of Kristin's friends before heading to The Congress Theater to see Mutaytor. After two bars, two beers, and one shot each- we were ready for the show. Of the many things that put me in awe when I visit Chicago, public transit ranks among the top. After a relatively quiet train ride, I found myself on the bus listening to the guy behind us repeatedly remind everyone that Soul Train would later be on Infusion and that he couldn't wait to watch it as he shared his blueberry pie with his cat.

The Congress Theater was more striking than I could have imagined. A DJ was set up on the lobby's picturesque double-staircase and a small ragefest was in full swing on the floor below him. Inside the theater, the show was surprisingly under-attended. Nonetheless, the crowd was full of freeks and geeks- exactly the way I like it- and I had never felt more at home at a show in Chicago than I did in that crowd.

After Mutaytor, we headed back to the sports bar we were at earlier and rejoined the crew we had left before the show. Still in "dance mode" I entertained myself in the corner to the music supplied by the house DJ while everyone else played beer pong and continued the debauchery. The rest of the night is a collection of fragmented memories that includes a stop at a different bar full of creepers, falling asleep at the table over a plate of breakfast, and a heated debate about what's best: BJ's or handies.

Fully equipped with a massive hangover, I embarked on a three-hour bus ride home the next afternoon. I slept the entire time.

But hey- at least my car didn't get impounded and nobody went to jail this time.

Indy's Next Big Thing is... not The Twin Cats?

Last Friday Indy's beloved Twin Cats performed in a contest called "Indy's Next Big Thing" in which they competed against 3 other local bands for a large marketing package and studio time. The Cats were the obviously dominate band, evident by their massive fan base. Alas, the winner was chosen by three judges, not the level of audience support. After the announcement was made that The Last Good Year were the winning band, the entire venue booed the announcer. Minutes later, a group of people began chanting "Bullshit!".

Although I was just as disappointed as everyone else, I found the chanting to be incredibly inappropriate.

Admittedly, I chuckled a little when the crowd started booing after the announcement. It felt nice to sort of "stick it to the judges" to make it known that The Twin Cats had the biggest fan base and that we all felt they should win.

However- when that smaller group of people started chanting "bullshit!" I was a little appalled. That was a totally unprofessional representation of the Twin Cats fan base. As their biggest fans, our words and actions are a direct reflection of the band. Imagine how that would have felt to be one of the Twin Cats shaking the hands of The Last Good Year members and congratulating them while the crowd completely minimizes the amazing accomplishment they've just made.

If the roles were reversed, how would we (the local Twin Cats fans) feel if the guys took first place and some other band with a fan base that dwarfs our own came out and starting chanting bullshit to the fact that they won? We'd say, "Wow. Those guys are a bunch of pricks. I'll make sure I never go see them live."

The Twin Cats had an opportunity to enhance their already-massive local following last Friday and win over fans from a completely different musical genre. But because everyone got caught up in winning and losing, we overlooked the fact that the event was to support and celebrate local Indianapolis talent and be happy for the band that won.

The Butterfly Tour 11/5

Cyberoptix was at The Mousetrap on Thurzday and I went to bed around 3 or 4 that morning. Lucky for me, I scheduled Friday off of work.

I had a meeting with my editor at NUVO around 11 on Friday. We talked about a regular "Nightlife" column that will be added to the print version of the magazine early in 2011 and we brainstormed on what type of content should fill the space. Funny? Sarcastic? Heavy on photos? Advice, tips, and tricks? Reviews? Informative? Opinionated? Only time will tell...

The first stop on The Butterfly Tour that evening was at White Rabbit Cabaret in Fountain Square for the MarchFourth Marching Band. I'll be posting a review of that to my NUVO blog, so if it's not in that column along the left, then it will be soon.

After that, I drove north to the The Vogue for "Static Shock: where hair & fashion meet music & art". I was primarily interested in seeing AudioDax, but was curious to see the format for the event as well. Impeccable timing put me inside the venue minutes before AudioDax came on. Considering the amount of production put into the songs, their live show remained remarkably true to the original compositions. The set was active, but movement was limited to the two emcee's jumping around the stage and flailing their arms in lieu of instruments. I started in the front row, but quickly left the hoard of college frat boys I found myself immersed in. Literally... " 'scuse me," one said as he scooted in from the side with his camera. As if I'd asked for validation, he squealed at me with a burst of excitement, "These guys are in my fraternity!"

From my new position along the back of the concert floor, I observed a catwalk extending into the audience that was apparently used in the fashion show portion of the event. Except I personally only saw one really drunk girl use it in her attempt to maintain a sexy demeanor while stabilizing her intoxicated body horizontally on the catwalk. After less than half an hour inside The Vogue, I had seen enough.

Over on Guilford at Tru Night Club my good friend, fellow mofo, and fellow Jay County native Kelli Whitenack was having her birthday party. The overwhelming number of Indy Mojo members was fun and exciting, nostalgic and touching. When we do fun things in big numbers, we do it better than anyone else around. From massive events like The Zombie Walk, to co-ed strip club outings, to invading Tru Night Club on a Friday night to support Matt Allen and celebrate Kelli's birthday- its always more fun (and safe) in mixed company. "Who are you here with?" one of my non-mojo friends asked me on the side. I slowly made a large semi-circle in the air with my hand as I turned and faced the mass of mofo's that had swarmed the dance floor. "All of them," I replied.

John Larner's set was heavy on Top 40 music and proved to be annoyingly unpredictable;  those who had come to dance found it difficult to locate a solid beat. Furthermore, the tracks were uncomplimentary from one to the next and his choices lacked cohesiveness. Soon after Larner was done, however, we danced away Matt Allen's hour in the blink of an eye- an invigorating set that included both ample amounts of Weezy and a fun classic by Eurythmics.