A Hard Rain's a Gonna Fall.
by - Ethan Meyer (headline stolen from Bob Dylan)	I must begin with a confession: I planned on leaving early (a cardinal sin among night party owls) Even with the promise of an impressive birthday bash, I was determined to be responsible. But with Summer coming and free weekends scarce, it seems Thursday has become a great night to draw your locals together and get a little sweet party on as well. So in the end, we closed the joint. What joint you may ask? RAIN 906 Barclay
The skinny? Overall a very smooth club. Open design, excellent lighting, yet with all the nooks & crannies one needs for people watching and wicked conversation. The overall look is true to the "rain" theme without overdoing it. Combine that with a helpful staff, catering to the needs of the Milwaukee liquor conssouier and I'd definitely recommend a visit. (Personally my waitress was "Katie", tip her well, she's excellent. But just remember, I saw her first.)
So on to the evening. With around 150 TNDC party goers sliding into the place, the people mixing was entertaining to say the least. If you can't meet someone to talk to here, you really need to open up you little introvert. Two minutes of overheard conversations included:
- Health of Miller Brewing's brand label
- 26th birthday at Chuck E. Cheese (apparently they serve beer, who knew?)
- Swimming with sharks - Melissa
- A family completely forgets a young woman’s 16th birthday (though I can't be too sympathetic as I personally never received that puppy at 12 or that illicit 1970s Sally Field video at 25, but I digress)
- And from the true confessions file: "I just came from the Yanni concert. He's a jerk."
Around nine, the dance floor belched out a vanilla fog and soon the ritualistic dancing began. Sparsely at first, but the throng quickly grew thicker and bolder as they throbbed in time to the music. I can't complain about what the DJ was spinning either. It made me get up and dance, although I had some help from a certain blonde & brunette....thanks ladies, Rrrrow rrrrrow. The dance floor became a hot spot all evening. Everything from strange hungers on display to a version of the "worm" so surprising I even considered leading the article with the headline 'Area man worms his way into the heart of local fisherman.' But that cheese was too thick for even for me to swallow. "He dances on his own terms!!," was the quote of an excited vocal drunk.
At some point during the evening I began to ponder one of the mysteries of club life.
Club mystery 67: Single men, dancing alone, for extended periods of time. This confuses me. Whatever their sexual orientation, do they truly believe that this makes one hot? Is their love of lightly syncopated rhythms so all consuming? Or as Jean Paul Sartre may have once pondered, "Can Ego truly control the mortal coil?" Hmmm...perhaps I'm stretching. But seriously, next month someone needs to explain this to me.
In celebration of TNDC's 1st birthday, a special chocolate & adult condiment filled creation was lowered from the ceiling. Mockingly, "Happy the Piñata" smirked his fiendish smile down on the candy-crazed patrons of Rain. It was not long before the mob turned on this golden idol and in a fit of rage, made certain Happy rued the day his papier-mâché was mixed. In my personal opinion the piñata stick was far short of regulation, but I was assured this particular plunger-stick possessed a sinister past wherein it was known only as the 'Cell Block C Special.' It's street cred firmly established, the weapon was put into service. After three trysts with lovely ladies of TNDC, a Van Damme-esqe bouncer attack and what appeared to be a man in a drunken rage (almost claiming the lives of 2) the mighty smiling beast was finally smited by a vigorous overhead slash. His innards were indeed delicious. "I grin at thee, thy grinning piñata" - all apologies to Melville.
Late in the evening, the most impressive goodie-sack full of TNDC prizes yet to be seen was unleashed; sports tix, concert tix, ever-present drinking Jenga, golf bags, chocolates, and accidentally even dances with key members of the TNDC staff. So much was given away, serious prize bartering ensued. Quite a few people walked away with a little extra bling for their buck.
In Conclusion: - Rain, I recommend. - Charity through club life, I definitely recommend. - Yanni, I do not recommend. He is a jerk.
So happy 1st birthday TNDC! Just 20 more years and you're legal!