And now that its sunk in, you think that you have a Super Bowl story, while you were having a beer and munching popcorn? One this lucrative no matter which team advances to that contest?
For starters, going back to the playoffs that led up to the Big Game, and this could be a looking back Glory Days reference, a local bartender at Dick’s Bar and Grill had an on the side bet — in the amount of get this, $100 — that the 49ers would beat the Packers in the NFC title game. That way, if he’d win the bet, of course he’s money ahead. And if Green Bay won, he’d get that much difference in tips, as this place close to the border crossing caters both Packer and Vikings fans. San Francisco took that game, but no idea if the worker had another field day and retained his big money at the Big Game.
Two older church ladies I know shook loose their husbands and got them to go out — as far as the living room. None are good football fans, but for the Super Bowl … wouldn’t miss that one, even though, again, these families when they cater to Dick’s are more the afternoon businessman crowd. Something here with the special teams involved, and not those on kickoffs and punts. Don’t know whether they gave the live on-air announcers any heart attacks to report from them. And the grub they cut short to watch from the first kick? Something to do with slabs (plural) for Kansas City style BBQ ribs, and were not talking about the Big Guys Roadhouse BBQ or Southern Smokehouse variety. (Memories of tailgating in warmer temps?) Not that San Fran does not have its own great grid grub, but you know these old school guys the their food faves, especially when it comes to football. And they love the local chili cookoffs when they are available.
All this banter is a regular occurrence at Mickelsen Drug downtown, as people come in asking directions to the nearest sports bar, usually The Smilin’ Moose, and their garb gives their tastes away, or indeed does it really? One fan might be showing off the colors of their favorite squad, or be in conflict with the fave based on another, say cap vs. sweatshirt. Or they might have an all-together different take on what comes up; I seem to remember the 49ers holding sway, much for the better. And then there was that person from Fargo, who said the Packers are big-time there, being geographically challenged at the Vikings expense. One other patron had on all purple, gold and green, and was not aware of any conflicting symbolism. She appeared to be much younger than 40, so much so that I think she wouldn’t remember the years of all those Black and Blue Division glory.
Some of that was lost on a Kwik Trip clerk way over in Eau Claire more than an hour into western Wisconsin from the Twin Cities, as far as her allegiance — and not the Packers. That ran counter to her boyfriend, who also works at, get this, a neighboring and competing convenience store, so for two reasons they have to watch what they say at holiday gatherings — and even her stints on the job on game day, which made all her colors fade, or so he would like.
Lastly, the Kansas City Chiefs made their biggest splash on our scene over a decade ago, where for many years they held training camp at UW-River Falls, and yes those were the days of Joe Montana, and he still is in the memory of locals. At Bo’s and Mine, a manager still recalls that Montana would come and hang out, and talk it up with the patrons, as long as the topic wasn’t yet again football. He just wanted for a change to be just your regular Joe. Like Lynyrd Skynyrd so famously sung, “Don’t ask me about my business … If you want to talk fishing, I guess that would be OK.” But talk about that and he just might push curfew, which was in bunks well before midnight. And of course no prominent QB is without his backup, and in that case that man, and he was indeed in this case 40, would get in the golf cart to take him across town to the practice field, and his work ethic being that age showed, as he would say, Gee, I could just walk over there.
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Summer’s here and the time is right for dancing in the streets? OK, that’s getting ahead of ourselves so instead lets review the current Super Bowl as seen at local sports bars along with its past heated memories — no winter doldrums allowed
February 18th, 2020You just might be the Sunshine of my Love, if you go to Shooters and give Apollo Beacon a shot for V-Day
February 15th, 2020Sunshine is given a shot at Shooters on a cloudy and cold day:
— You gotta love a band named Apollo Beacon, which is shining its light in its own godlike way when giving more verve to old standards of rock and other styles. They take the stage at Shooters in River Falls this weekend, as the club steers away from the tried and true standards.
— And then back to the Village Inn in North Hudson, which is getting more and more into having more music on a more regular basis. You gotta love it when they start with more with the stellar stalwart Kurt Jorgenson, etc., who is being asked to play more and more at The Village. He is back twice in March, on the 13th and 27th, Fridays all, after the upcoming Feb. 21 gig.
— And of course there’s Valentine’s Day night — with heart-throb rocker Bret Michaels, he of big flowing hair and the occasional love ballad, at Treasure Island resort and casino. Just after reading this tidbit, I heard a song by none other than his band Poison on the radio. There is a Hudson connection, too, as longtime duo-based guitarist Geno was invited at play at the newly discovered oil territory in North Dakota, along with Michaels. But being a Christian, Geno elected to decline due to the lawlessness of this northern locale, opting for a day job at U-Line, although he held out slim hopes of returning to rock with only Christian lyrics. But bad boy Michaels just may have been a good fit for that. and if you can’t make that show tonight, consider this offer, only from hudsonwinightlife: If you can’t make the show and why would you not like to, catch the chance before he heads back to LA to get a private serenade from Michaels, at the Quaint Old But Still Kinda In Demand Watering Hole — with his gorgeous locks cut that he’d older, instead evoking a combo of Rob Halford’s current bald head with Judas Priest, and the lullaby of Queensryche’s Silent Lucidity. Do You Lie Like I do?
— All three evenings this weekend, the fine arts center at UW-River Falls will hold a valentine-themed cabaret with a name starting with the words, you guessed it, “amor.” There is a significant admission charge, based on age, so if you want to take your Smilin’ Moose of a lady to something truly different and show your heart through getting out your wallet …
— As far as drink specials, there are some outrageously mixed cocktails with multiple over-the-top ingredients, at Juniors lounge in River Falls. But to top it off, there are five, count ’em five, singled out as special concoctions to that degree, at the end of the drink menu that are truly premium and veer toward top shelf, unlike you will normally see. The folks there have elected not to say for the record exactly what these are, because there is always the chance that they will be altered/improved upon by the week, at the expense of a past fave. So check it out and make up your own mind.
As the NFL sports bar season now ends, and locals watched them fade, San Francisco was not the only team still sporting their gold colors, possibly without tint (only rust?)
February 7th, 2020Take this as a piece to mull over, now, now, as it pertains to football only. Up a few blocks there are a pair of extended-height tree stumps, each wrapped in gaudy strings of lights, like something you might buy in a bathroom at a nightspot. Colors of the two particular ones are one purple and one gold. Then I wish to note there are the glowing lawn lights packed in still-present snow just up the street. Not to be risque, but one might say, to make a comparison the Vikings were going up and the Packers were going down. But since one of those bulbs under the snow surface was red, and actually one gold too, you might add that the San Franscisco 49ers were on the rise also and even more so, defeating the Packers in the NFC championship game, and then another Red team, the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, much like what actually played out in U.S. war history.
This post continues with quips about how we got to the game of games, (and a later post will follow about that ultimate contest), which was won like the west with both the rushing game to start the two-game swing, and the passing of QB Patrick Mahomes to finish. As a halftime ad put it, Leave it all out on the table, which HudsonWiNightlife has done about most of the playoffs until now, as its Funner to the final second, as was appropo with the the 49s being championship-material in the final minutes if not seconds.
Not to drag with this like an instant relay, we will tell the war of the roses, so to speak, often in the terms of more colors and metaphors, so here goes:
The Packers run to the playoffs ran into a dead end, and they ran out of luck, when facing the run-based 49ers, who used the rush to run Green Bay into the ground, although not flat-out running the table ( is that a run-on sentence?)
The Packers did run the table one-game longer than the Vikings, winning their first game against the Seattle Seahawks. But if across the river, this was one big and wide question, to take center-stage a week earlier.
The Purple People had a cloudy query in their headgear, and unlike Einstein it was not subtle, “Will Theilen be able to play?” Yes was a possible answer to that key question, if judging by the violet jerseys for him that abounded about town, and teamed with hats, although not helmets, that included dreaded Green Bay. Turns out they’d need the injured star to go forward to win. And when cleaning up the house with my Viking spouse, we came across a postseason mug in the name of those dreaded Eagles. More green. (I will say the logo shown is very much like that on Minnesota helmets). Are either of these things street legal?
The question apparently was answered at the Village Inn in North Hudson, on its big sign that’s a jog off the main drag. It declared itself Packer country, and backed it up by showing the whole U.S. on a green and gold colored map, with a great big G over the Rockies (road) and over to the West Coast. I guess that would make it the much sought after G Spot. And a few days later, but current by HudsonWiNightlife standards, was a leaping deer with a G Spot where to borrow from The Grinch in this season, his heart should be. Aww. Or am I mixing up things with a colorful lawn decoration nearby?
But back to Thielen. A guy at the can dropoff spot was beaming and then pointed to his head. Turns out that his work helmet had been fashioned into a Viking thingee, although the only horns were the ones painted on — three inches long, and therefore not nearly as big as the ones of his ancestors. He was guardedly confident in his teams Saturday chanches, although as he said, these are the Vikings. Ouch. Regardless, he planned to witness the result, although he’d have to hurry since the closing of his shop was at the odd time of 11:45 a.m. Stop by Kwik Trip to get game grub first, as time would allow, like the two-minute warning that actually takes another ten. And at that store recently, they were wearing not Packer/hunting gear, or Viking helmet-style horns, but chicken hats including waddles, which may or may not be appropo, depending on your favorate squad, but inevitably a bit pathetic. So I queried a couple of the workers there, Why did the chicken cross the road? To get quickly to the other side, as was late for his shift. Alas, one of the workers said, he hadn’t heard any chicken jokes to that point.
And we shift over to a conversation in that enemy state, at a watering hole that caters to of all teams the Chicago Bears. It was in advance of the starting game of this column’s concern, and there was one other person in the bar. But the bartender assured me that give it a couple of hours the place would be almost as hopping as if the Bears had squeaked in and barely made the playoffs. Packers more of a question, but in doubt, refer to that Big G..
And what of the Viking season, now ended. There is a new logo, same look, same old result, except the Viking braid is shorter. Did this mean its time for a haircut? However, that could also sap their strength even further, as assistants are looking for other employment. The score, however, was even when a friend was given a big Packer ring, and responded she is always from the other side. So we ended up having both of them.
And Green Bay does so carry on, and the sign at Kozy Korner sums it up with a double meaning. Scout group (insert the troop number with the one of your kids). Go Pack go! And concerning the Border Battle, the Pack was not yet catching flack.
13 is the number of music shows as we know it, and I feel fine about the Hudson Hot Air Affair as it heats up the sky and stage
February 5th, 2020There’s lots of music Up Nort’ and there’s more than a fiddle and a drum in the band (s) this weekend, the first one in February. Yah Sure You Betcha! And at that point, that two phrase theme for the annual ballooning event his year strikes a chord.
That (Lucky) 13 of the Hudson Hot Air Affair features a bakers dozen different music shows, up quite a bit from most years, that run the gamut as far as styles.
— The Flannel Brothers mix rootsy Americana standards with other popular genres as they deliver foot-stomping passion, true to the Flannel, shown in photos online with a look by the band of old school (older guy) badass, and even a combo of old and new buildings such as seen at any dairy farm in the land, on their home page, full scale. This sets them apart when they play Madison Avenue Wine and Spirits on Saturday all evening long, as part of their Backwoods Bash gala. The fan favorite Flannel have a long set list that has one song by one artist — and steering way away from the rock cliches — with the only exception being Tom Petty, God rest his soul, being the only duplication. Powerful vocals with blended harmonies are key to the Flannels’ performance. Up-tempo songs will keep your toes tapping and dancing the entire show. So these are not your mother’s Nort’ standbys.
Giving the Flannel as fan favorite another fierce force are indoor axe throwing and hammer schlagen (careful, don’t hit one of the distillery vats!), Blue Ox spirits, theme cocktails, and making it Nort’ hotdish and hot beef sandwiches all for free admission and a cash food and bar.
— Roberts-based Boondoggle, with players of various ages, is known for their imposing stage-presence and own take on largely traditional country but also much more, with that kind of riffs, driven by the sheer height of some of the band members, which is even more impressive on a raised stage. Even the bass player is six-and-a-half-feet-tall and has the mojo usually seen in vocalists. “We play music by Elvis, the Beatles, the Stones, Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Dwight Yoakam, and anything and everything around and in-between,” they say, covering an impressive five decades, as drawing from the youth vs. wisdom that is a heyday of the band.
Boondoggle provides the music, and might even tone it down a bit to allow for chit-chat during the gourmet Taste of the Hot Air Affair about Badger-based appetizers, chocolates, cheeses and sweets at the Hudson House Grand Hotel on Saturday starting at 7:30 p.m. Make sure to fly on over.
– Wicked Garden gets more specific with its sound, down and dirty and gritty, at Ziggy’s on Friday night, covering the grunge power groups that filled the top 100 charts in the 1990s, such as Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots (hence the cover band name) and Alice in Chains. They also cover several grunge-influenced bands from today, that started strong almost two decades ago and since has kept a strong following, such as Tool, Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age.
— Good for Gary, which plays the Smilin’ Moose on Friday, does quite well when it lays it out there, as they specialize in current and past dance hits, but in a twist that’s different than most, focus on the newest Top 40 songs. With a seven-piece line-up, (also unusual), there’s no hip-hop, pop or dance song they can’t cover, they say, adding it is likely that you will hear some Lady Gaga, Eminem, Usher and Rihanna at every show.
– Everything goes better with live music, but it doesn’t need to be making-your-ears-bleed volume. So noted by Jazz Savvy, a trio rather than duo, that provides, among other things, classical jazz when they again hit Urban Music and Vine all Friday evening: “Never intrusive or sonically aggressive, Jazz Savvy gives you and your guests a memorable listening experience that will make them smile (and allow conversation),” they say. Its great patio music and that’s largely how they started into the mainstream in Hudson, with a whole summer of jazz at Pudge’s, before it was Ziggy’s music bar.
— Alan Busby makes a return, again, to Hudson, where he’s played quite a bit in recent months, spicing up the mix at Urban Olive and Vine on Saturday evening, part of an acoustic trio.
— Other music is at: Smilin’ Moose on Saturday until close ( DJ that steers to more to a younger hip-hop, dance and country crowd, Dick’s Bar and Grill on Friday and Saturday night until close (variety of danceable songs and a bit more rock); Karaoke both nights at Hudson Bowling Center; and Sunday until close, Jeff Loven’s one-man-band, which is in the process of unfolding his revised set list, for those who haven’t seen the guitar (and yes vocal) virtuoso for a while.
Contact www.hudsonhotairaffair.con for more information.
On your own for a Super Bowl party, for perhaps the first time as a student, or for all other causes, here’s the way to have a great day via RF Family Fresh food that tops even the commercials and halftime show
January 28th, 2020Away from home at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls for the first time, and possibly without your mother’s guidance and — yikes! — maybe even co-hosting with her, to have to throw your own Super Bowl party, whether for your college friends or family too? Here’s a primer, courtesy from the folks at Family Fresh grocery in River Falls, for making it a superb gala.
There is so more to entrees at these shindigs, such as all the special ingredients that get thrown into your nachos dip, and Family Fresh has them all. The start is when you walk into the store and are immediately introduced to a caravan of goodies, within several steps of the door. But there is much more snack food, added to the variety of chips and crackers, available. If the fiesta is hopping, there will have to be all kinds of soda, and other beverages, to balance the spicy taste. And inside the store, you can go the the plentiful aisles of candy and deli food and cheese, at a reasonable price that beats the competition, and all the ingredients for more than just comfort food. And if you like games — football, and poker, and more — there is the benefit of a deep three-of-a-kind discount when you buy that many items of the same variety.
Hope that your party is wonderful and your team wins.
And by the way, the Biggest Sports Night is not necessarily the biggest bar night, as people stay in for house parties. And who does snacking and other foods like the south, we assume, especially when its for late delivery, or even eat in, although we doubt that for Sunday Night. And who is more South, and hotter than the weather down there — other than maybe if having the big game on TBS — then KFC, of course formerly known as Kentucky Fried Chicken. They are adding new flavors to their recipe, and of course front and center. are wings spiced with not only hot sauce but NASHVILLE hot, as that torrid Tennessee twist invokes a popular song “hot, hot, hot.” Take that all others including the neighboring ragin’ Cajun.
An as long as we are on the theme the south does their very own style of food best, consider the special the have that’s also new, BOGO coupons for chicken pot pie. Just don’t expect deliver by horse and buggy.
This Friday: Last chance to qualify for Bungalow Idol, and a warmup act for bungling the jungle in front of some opinionated judges brought in by HudsonWiNightlife
January 24th, 2020This Friday: Last chance to qualify for Bungalow Idol, and a warmup act for bungling in the jungle in front of some opinionated “judges” brought in by HudsonWiNightlife. And I know, you’re reading it again, but this mentioned phrase is worth repeating. Actually, think about the emcee off on the side, stage right, with those big theatrical curtains hanging just kinda, sorta in front of him. Bungalow Idol has this version that promotes individuality by both the singer and emcee, very big dance area, and place where the machine that spins the instrumentals at this point has been used so many times it has taken root, and limits (are there any?) are delineated by carefully laid and separate styles of flooring, apt for cutting the rug.
This is not your father’s karaoke, or maybe it is, so just hit it. And so goes all you need to know about the remainder of Bungalow Idol, held all this month on Friday night, so you can still weigh-in — along with some non-official judges, brought here by HudsonWiNightlife and giving their commentary only there. So there may be those truly quasi-celebrity judges in the audience, whose opinions really mean nothing as far as naming the real winner, that will reign in on the sidelines with those select few who actually are the judges and have views that count, and carry more weight then, say, an emcee,”as I will keep on rambling on.” The two additional possible principals who are likely to show, after being on the road, come from very different worlds that start way back: The guy who can give you the ultimate Iron Maiden lowdown for virtually every one of their 180 songs but loves all types of music, retools his views to the point that the ol’ AC/DC is a meeting in the middle, and a woman whose choices are defined by four words To Sir With Love. And there may be added stand-ins who prefer something middling as far as volume, and between the polar ends is yes, Bungalow Idol minds and music. So lets all get together in Lakeland for the Bungalow Idol finals! This Friday is the last of the chances to qualify for the finals, on the first Friday in February. Music starts shortly before 10 p.m.
January 11th, 2020
(For more on the continuing NFL playoffs — that will likely be chronicled on this website — led off this week by the pursuit of purple pride, and the next day by Packer pigskin perfection, check out the Village Inn. See the Picks of the Week department).
Count the reasons, a full TD-worthy numeral, to indulge inside the Village Inn into both the Packers and Vikings and cheer their touchdowns, which should be many
January 11th, 2020It takes a village to fully support more than one NFL football team in the playoffs, even if begrudgingly, but the Village Inn in North Hudson pulls it off again this weekend, with the backing given to both the Packers by land (as in farm country) and the Vikings by sea (harken the early pirate days of their ancestors).
So, as owner Leigh says unabashedly, this is a Packer bar, but they can bend the rules a bit more and a bit more as the season progresses — and if the Vikings don’t do one of their disappearing acts. So for this weekend, it will be nuts with cheering all the way through to shortly before midnight on Sunday, as has been the situation a bit more and a bit more as the decades have progressed — and yes, The Village has been serving the Packer population that long, and when judging by the sheer numbers watching games, they have got to be the main destination for such sports bar revelry in the entire area. Its not easy to fill up a place that big week in and week out,.
Why this devotion to one venue? The vast majority of the fans are seated at dozens of tables that are spread reasonably apart, giving some leg room rather then the only option being squeezing in a bar area, so when there is a touchdown patrons can literally up jump and wave their arms around, and they regularly will, all the time shouting in most cases Score rather then Skol, although you can do that too (and this should be an air show battle). And if the bar rail is your thing, you can get do that too, and no doubt be close enough together to get into some candid conversation, if you are among that area’s frequently cerebral crew, and they are not just a few.
There are 20-plus televisions combined into several different banks, so if you want to watch something like soccer instead, the bartender can likely hook you up. And one more big bank that’s an attraction because combines many different glass-enclosed cabinets into one big viewing wall of NFL helmets, and it takes in even more show pieces than the number of TVs.
Lastly, you cannot forget the big PDFP attraction of specials, which can and do get a lot of attention. That is short for pizza, drink, food and pitchers.
The Vikings are on during the late afternoon Saturday and the Packers on Sunday night.
Get joyful along with the Irish (and maybe that Wild Irish Rose) one more time. Or maybe twice. All at Paddy Ryan’s, where the holiday continues beyond the weekend
January 5th, 2020Where’s the go-to place for the through-and-through Irish as the long holiday celebration continues through and through? Why Paddy Ryan’s of course, my Wild Irish Rose, as you can join them.
If you are still willing to go six ways from Sunday, and maybe even beyond that, then you might be very cool with continuing your holiday joy even further, courtesy of Paddy Ryan’s Irish Pub (they are indeed the host with the most and are making this facet of their business a tradition). What could be better in this vein then partying with the Irish and don’t know just when to give up during the long weekend. To wit: Paddy Ryan’s has not only the usual Guinness, but also prominently Murphy’s Irish Stout, and I found this out by picking up a CD that was lying next to our TV, and on the cover jacket these two were shown front and center, among the 28 pub songs done by veritable Irish such as the Clancy Brothers and Tommy Mecheam. So get to the town of Hudson venue in the next few days until the 12 days of Christmas officially expire.