It had been a long week, and I was about ready to call it another lazy weekend staying in until my friend invited me to come along with him and his wife to Blaine’s. I knew Shae Abshire and the Nighthowlers would be playing, and I was eager to get to hear them for the first time.
The temperature dropped fast, and after a spot of dinner I ran downtown to meet them. The bar was already getting pretty crowded as we sat down to chat.
Blaine’s: The Go To Honky Tonk
Just about everyone in town is familiar with Blaine’s Pub. For any newcomers, it was opened in 1997 and has been the honky tonk go-to ever since.
The stage is to your right as you enter the front door. Drinks are cheap and hit the spot. It’s not really the kind of place that demands a lot of overthinking, though I did plenty of that anyways.
I counted 29 neon light beer signs in Blaine’s. Photos, magazine covers and paintings adorn almost every square inch of the interior. In back, you can find a couple of pool tables and a patio.
Shae & The Nighthowlers Headline, Tristan Sanchez Warms Up.
Tristan Sanchez opened with an acoustic set. Everyone really enjoyed the warmup, and he played with a lot of passion. He seemed like a natural on stage by himself, which is always a scary moment for any performer.
Shae and the Nighthowlers put on a really great show. Their music can be found on Spotify where they have over forty-five thousand monthly listeners.
Their most recent track “Somehow” is a slower tempo ballad. Shae introduced to us as their most successful song release to date. Wonderful guitar solo, and you can hear vocals from artist “Mila” on the recording. “As You Weep” tops the list with over 4.7 million listens.
A versatile band, the setlist flowed from hard rock to easier going country and folk tunes with an amplified twist.
If you’re looking for a place to release the pressures of the week, Blaine’s is the spot. My friends arranged for a babysitter and told me that it was their first time out in two years.
The Crowd
But it seems that half of the entertainment at Blaine’s is the crowd. I laughed harder than I have at a long time, moving from spot to spot, meeting the cast of characters who were occupying that particular corner. If I wasn’t bound by the regulations of decent publishing here I would share some of these, but they were probably funnier in the moment anyway.
At one point, a lady snatched my camera off my shoulder, perhaps after a few too many, and insisted on taking my photo, and then a group photo with all of us. If the House of Fifi Dubois is the place you can ask anyone to dance, Blaine’s is the place where you can strike up a conversation with just about anyone and before you know it you have a new friend.
As a somewhat anxious person, it always takes a lot of work to go out and see the town, but I can assure my fellow overthinkers, it’s always worth it.
