Went to a bar to see a band last night.

(People that know me are already floored. That's pretty much all they need to know. No, I didn't have anything other than Diet Coke. It might have been more fun if I did, but beer is high-carb any time and definitely out where I am in my diet. I didn't look to see if they even had any decent ales anyway.)

@dragonjaze works with the bass player, so when one of his bands had a date only a few miles from us, we went so she could say she had seen him play. I went because, you know, after three years being the built-in date for such things is part of the job.

The band was ... let's not be deliberately insulting, and start by saying it was mostly not my kind of music. They basically covered '80s rock with two guitars and drums. I look at them as being four guys having fun on weekends, at which they were successful. Picture middle-aged men jumping around while playing in front of 30 people, and a half-dozen middle-aged women dancing five feet in front of them, and you've got it. Musical artistry was not a requirement.

The were playing an upstairs room in a small village's corner pub. Acoustics were non-existent. The music was there to be loud and vaguely recognizable. They butchered some hits, but none that didn't have it coming.

I had fun watching people using this as their excuse to dance. Mostly women, sometimes with embarrassed but dutiful husbands. @dragonjaze remained seated but otherwise participated. We stayed for one set that started at 9:30 (a.k.a. bedtime) and left before 11:00, while the fun was forecast to continue until about 1:30. No thanks.

Related thought: at what age can straight men sit around a table with wine and retain the respect of their self-stereotype? I'll say 55 is old enough, 25 isn't, and I'm trying to box it in a little more than that. Um, research reasons.