original post: January 7, 2006 ("Git-r-done")

Ladies and gentlemen, I have an announcement to make: I know where all the hicks go now that Rodeo is no longer around. They are going to Prime Time in Burnsville. 

It all began on Thursday night, January 5, for a ladies night out with Betsi, Lisa, Nicole, Kelly, Charity, and myself---Debbie D. didn't show. We met at Champps in Burnsville because of the central location and dinner menu. All was going smoothly--the bouncer came over at one point and asked which of us was shipping off to Iraq the next AM (apparently some gal was doing so but it wasn't any of us!). We had some cocktails and good conversation...up until the point when the live music started. I think I went back in time to 1997 or so--the band consisted of a man on keyboards who had on a flannel shirt; a stoner guy playing the bongos (yes, bongos), with a sort-of blonde afro and thick, chunky hemp necklace; and lastly, an acid-rock looking guy on guitar. THEY SUCKED! It was so loud and the music was just plain awful. We complained to the waitress, who said she'd ask the manager if they could turn it down, but also said that they were "known for the live music on Thursdays," so the outlook was not so good. Maybe the reason they were known for the live music is because it is so bad--I swear, there were only about 15 people in the entire place, and that number went down to 9 when we left about 20 minutes into their "set." So, not looking to give up quite yet and call it a night, we decided to head over to Prime Time, which was just across the parking lot from Champps--if you know Burnsville, it is in the old "Burlington Coat Factory" location. In the strip mall. Yep.
 

Now, both Betsi and Lisa mentioned multiple times that night how much their husbands (both big time drinkers) hated that place--in fact, we had first thought of going there for ladies night, but the two hubbies put the kibosh on that. So, not one to listen to advice, we decided to test it out for ourselves. Well, upon entering, the first thing we noticed was the high amount of underage drinkers in the house--they were easily visible due to the amount of shiny fabrics and accessories they were sporting in the bar in the strip mall. Honestly! Who gets dressed up for strip mall bars? 

So, after we found a little table to sit at, we turned our attention to the dance floor. There was a live band playing, which was actually decent, but they had some interesting members--one of the guitarists must have been at least 30 years older than the other group members. My theory was that he is someone's dad in the band and really wanted to relive his youth so he asked/demanded to be in the band. The crowd was "smitten" with this band, to say the least--there was a woman in a crushed red velvet suit, at the front of the dance floor, dancing right in front of the lead singer and singing along, dancing by herself, being "that woman." Then there was this middle-aged couple: mama had on a red camisole tucked into her jeans; papa had on a red shirt, acid-wash jeans, and white tennis shoes. They were a toe-tapping monster on the floor. 

 Another set of middle-aged friends--one gal in a pink sweater, the other in a multi-color striped sweater--were sort of dancing back and forth on one another, much like Joan Cusack and that blonde girl in "Sixteen Candles." Those were the highlights of the Solid Gold dancers. At one point I saw someone there who used to be in my bowling league at City Limits, and I knew it was time to go. Lisa left first, but she was too busy ogling all the hot bods in there (you know, the mullets, Ski-Doo jackets, Dale Ernhardt t-shirts, beer guts) that she didn't notice the busboy in the area and knocked his tub out of his hands, sending empty glasses and full ashtrays flying. How embarassing! Needless to say, I don't think we'll be going to Prime Time in the future. It sounds like the next stop will be Benchwarmer Bob's in Burnsville on Jan. 18 or 19--I'll give you a full report after that happens!