$18 for two beers

 I could ruminate on a lot of things about the new Raleigh Amphitheater after last night's opening. I could discuss the good things, such as how walking with the crowds downtown made Raleigh actually feel like a real city,  how you can get food from your favorite Empire eateries, or how the shimmer wall is really pretty stunning when viewed from that angle. And I could write about the not-so-positive things, such as how the amphitheater itself is really pretty charmless and is in fact built RIGHT BESIDE the railroad tracks. The Amtrak and a CFX came through during the short time I was at the show, and both times the train horn drowned out the music.  And then there's the ultimate insult-to-injury of having to walk by the empty lot where Kings once stood. It truly appears that the City of Raleigh bought that building and tore it down for nothing. 

But the thing that just kind of stuck in my craw was having to pay $18 for two beers. Granted, they were local micro brews (a Big Boss Bad Penny and a Lonerider Shotgun Betty), and they were the 24 oz. variety. I know this is probably what I would pay for a beer if I went to RBC or Walnut Creek, but I wasn't at either of those out-of-the-way venues. Three blocks away I could get both of those beers for $5 apiece. And the truly irksome thing is that the $9 per beer price tag was actually kind of a deal; the $16 oz. varieties are $8 apiece. 

Basically that means if you're going to a show at the amphitheater and don't feel like going through the hassle of sneaking something in, go across the street to Deep South, or next door to Poole's and get your drink on beforehand. 

We got to the show right before

The Loners from Mann's World on Vimeo.
">I Was Totally Destroying It's last song, which was a cover of "In a Big Country," which they nailed. If they're going to keep doing the '80s covers, I want to hear them do Paul Young's underrated "Come Back and Stay."

I could have gotten a little closer, but they started playing this song right as we got there, so I just stopped where I was and started recording.

IWTDI at Raleigh Amphitheater from Mann's World on Vimeo.

After IWTDI, Raleigh legends The Connells played to a sedate but appreciative crowd. It really did seem like family night at the amphitheater with small children running everywhere. I wonder how many of those parents are aware of the Connells kid-friendly off-shoot Mommie. I honestly wasn't in the mood to do much shooting last night, and just retired to the small lawn area to enjoy the ambiance and my overpriced beer.

Afterward we ended up at Isaac Hunter's Tavern, a place I really don't go to that often (usually I'm at The Remedy or Landmark). It took over the spot formerly inhabited by the Capital Room/Fayetteville Street Tavern, which used to be the one unpretentious place to get a drink downtown. It's a little more upscale now with a good North Carolina beer selection, a DJ, and a Wii. If you were there last night and saw a couple aggressively playing Wii tennis (and knocking over a Dewars in the process), that was me and the Wiz. The place was packed, but I didn't see anyone I knew, which can be a very good thing.

After Isaac Hunters we headed over to Tir na Nog, getting there just before the end of The Loners set. I got a quick photo and video, then got a quick photo of Red Collar before leaving. Both bands put on energetic shows as usual.

The Loners from Mann's World on Vimeo.