At this point, Atlas mainman Brian and bartender Jon Weier showed us up to the newly refurbished VIP lounge (aka Jon's apartment above the bar) where we sat on rich upholstery and drank beer and smoked cigarettes while listening to the entire set of Man the Hunter upstairs. We wished we had closed-circuit TV to see the band, but the sounds came loud and clear through the heat register, and, with the help of some special party favors, we finally could see through the floor and watch the set in earnest. This culminated in Man the Hunter doing perhaps the best cover we'd heard all Blowout: Whitney Houston's "How Will I Know." (Yeah, we didn't see it coming either.)
After a 3 a.m. meal at Campau Tower, and a 16-hour nap, we were back out again. Missed our friends at the Whiskey, rushed off to Atlas only to find we'd missed the Bill Bondsmen. Finally drove over to Painted Lady and found a few seats at the bar. The band Liquor Store was pretty good, although we couldn't understand a word they said. One particularly catchy number seemed to be called "Grape Nuts!" — though that's unlikely. And the Lady was a perfect setting for the Terrible Twos show. The crowds smoking outside stood in thick, wet snow on the pile of rubble that was a wall a few weeks ago, and leaned against the 19th century wood facade of the bar, with the nails almost ruining the jackets of those who'd lean and smoke.
Thankfully, we were whisked off to a party on Poland Street after the show. Timmy Vulgar was in fine form at the end of a long, hard weekend, as we think this photo illustrates.
