BEST College Throwback Weekend EVER

Having recently reached the "it's been three years since I finished college and started working in DC" milestone, it was time for a College Throwback Weekend. And what better way to do that than a spontaneous trip to the Windy City?



Chicago is the obvious choice for me to partake in a College Throwback Weekend in the summer for several reasons:

The wind is actually welcomed when it is sunny & 80-degrees (versus the 30-below endured during a Chicago winter).

No one talks about what is happening on the Hill, unless they are commenting on the recently-named-to-the-50-Most-Beautiful-on-the-Hill Senator Barack Obama.

But above all, the reason it's a great college throwback location is that I went to a college where 99.9999% of the student body ends up in Chicago. Namely, my two best friends: Merkel and Ece.

Considering it was a rather spontaneous trip, it was a pleasant surprise to find out that Mike & Joe, an acoustic duo that has become one of the signature cover bands to play at IU, planned to perform at Cubby Bear on Saturday night. Mike & Joe both graduated from IU and started performing throughout the Midwest even before I started college. Which probably means they are somewhere in their mid-30s. That does not seem like a stretch for me, but then I start to think that they are often catering to an audience much younger than me. Like 18-year-old college girls that are using fake IDs to rock out to the latest Jack Johnson hit.

Now, perhaps my memory of a night with Mike & Joe is not as vivid as I would like to have thought, but things seemed to have changed since the last time I saw them:

• In Chicago, the cover charge to see the cover band was $8. In college we paid $3 at the Bluebird, which also covered the entrance fee for quarter-beer night. I suppose I need to factor in the cost of living of Bloomington, IN versus Chicago and three years of inflation, but still.

• M&J seem to have recreated a songlist that features electric guitars versus the acoustic songlist we grew to love. On Saturday, they played the latest from Green Day, the Killers, Gorillaz, Coldplay, and Maroon 5 (despite my unfufilled request to "Play Casey Jones! Play Casey Jones!"). When I commented on how they changed from the acoustic guitar-based playlist consisting of Rusted Root, Dave Matthews, Pearl Jam, Jack Johnson, and OAR, I was reminded that those were the popular artists when we were in school. M&J hadn't changed. Three years had passed. Right, right. Thanks for the reminder.

• When drunken idiots dropped their sophisticated drinks at Cubby Bear, the glass shattered, leaving my sandaled feet soaked in beer and shattered glass. In college, the classy plastic cups left my feet sticky, but never gouged and bleeding.
  

To hell with the things that had changed. We had no problem dancing to the beat of a different drum. Literally. They expanded M&J to M & J & another guy on bass & another guy on drums. We hadn't changed that much (or had we?). In fact, there were also a few things to take note of to prove that no matter how many years pass by, there are always a few things that remain constant:

• We still were hit on by strange men ("Can you just hold my drink, I'll be right back...And if you want to take a sip, go for it." Okay, Mr. Roofie Rooferson.)

• We still have the hots for Mike of M&J (poor Joe).

• We still take pictures like it's socially acceptable to pose for a camera in overcrowded bars.

• We still woke up the next day with hoarse voices, blurry eyes, and smoke-infused hair.
  

To Merkel and Ece-- Thanks for showing me another wonderful time in your city. You truly are the best hosts! I cannot wait to return the favor when you make it back out the Nation's Cap! Much love!