MFK: Gratuity, Electric Bass, Social Media...Save the Burlesque and Bucks for another weekend

Shelf with-out con-doms

Please, just as-sume the front desk

Clerk does not sell them

Once a hotel guest is given the freedom to expect stuff without a reservation, the staff will have a thorn in their side. Does anyone know how to make someone feel like a douche bag without saying it?

After heading to Bloomington to catch Kurt Vile and The Violators, the drummer from the opening act, The Sadies left me feeling that way. You would figure it would be easier to conduct international business with fans via a Square Credit Card Reader. Why declare the extra cash at the border when you have a transaction record waiting for you?

With that said, KMFDM has only taken cash at live shows the three times that I have seen them. They have sold over two million records, so you figure they would welcome credit cards, but it maybe the paper trail that screws with everything. Unless you are selling $10,000 of merch, why deal with the customs issues. It is a long enough flight back to Deutschland.

The Sadies leave it open to interpretation

I thanked the drummer for the show, asked if they took credit cards to which he responded with directions to an ATM. After stepping back for a moment to contemplate paying $30 bucks for a $20 record, the best option was to order it on Amazon. Just to make sure they got their royalties, I offered a five dollar bill up and said it was the least I could do. If only there was a tip jar like Kurt Vile's merch table offered.

The drummer gave it back saying he could not take it for nothing and I told him my intentions. He said he would take the tip, thank me and a stranger who had asked similar questions, and shooed us away for not being more liquid. Compromise is an under appreciated art.

Thanks Donald Trump. The Sadies leave Toronto for a small tour, and your attitude has sunk into them. Their rocking fiddle must have infected them with its rural attitude.

I am kidding around when it comes to The Sadies. They were a lot better than Kurt Vile. Vile was really good. His style may not really be suited for mind-blowing live performances. You are going to come off as less fun when compared to the brothers with two-part harmony and a violin to headbang with.

The Sadies and Reverend Horton Heat: I think if the bass was at one point used in a high school orchestra, you are in for a good time.

All in all, it was fun night, but wee frustrations (which reminds me to ask you to check out my "The Hobbit" animated film from 1977 at ninetyforchill.com) were present. I was on my own figuring that I would run into a familiar face or two. That was not the case. How else do you stand Peoria if you do not make the relatively short trips to a city with a MLB or NFL franchise at least once a month? Kurt Vile was not even asking that of you. Well, Heywood Banks was a The Jukebox Comedy Club, so there is at least one excuse.

And drinking five screwdrivers and a shot of Jagermeister left me losing my original spot during Vile's performance when the inevitable bathroom break occurred. Act overly committed one way (to travel) you end up showing your commitment ends with sobriety. A real let down for my ego since this is probably the first show I ran off to take a piss during the performance. I am either not as dedicated to entertainment as I claim, or my soon-to-be 39 body is acting how it should.

The major frustrations are all those social media posting of what else was going on. There was a burlesque show in Urbana, so perhaps I could have met up with my favorite Peoria performers. AAW had the weekly surprise appearance by the Young Bucks.

You decide to take a night off and lose your wages. It turns out that you lose a lot more each time. I guess I don't really have any room to complain about my girlfriend and my tendency to not try out new things.

Or, it is now easy for me to relate to my girlfriend not wanting to try new things, but that maybe too much information.