The look: A strip club next to a U-Haul that has been taken over by hippies.
The smell: Men's cologne, da club, and patchouli.
The taste: Clove cigarettes.
Three words/phrases to describe the night: Tie-dye, dreadlocks, bad T-shirts.
Who to bring with you: Hippies, young and old.
Drink of the night: Whatever can be taken with you and not spill easily as people whirl and twirl with reckless free love abandon.
The regular weekly events that we've been highlighting always tend to be a little bit on the odd side. Whether it's a plethora of unconventional people or a complete lack thereof, these nights often stand out as just a little bit different. And this one was no exception.
910 Live sits in a rather out of place location on McClintock Dr. in Tempe. It's on a relatively empty stretch of road just north of the the 202 freeway and the excessive-in-every-way outdoor shopping center known as Tempe Marketplace. But you can't miss it. The outside of is lit much in the same manner as a strip club, with purple and white shining down from the roof of the building.
While I typically don't expect much in the way of attendance at these sorts of things, (especially since I tend to go on the weeknights) I actually had to drive around for a minute to park the car. Once I got out and started to walk in, the smell of cologne wafted through the air as I approached the front door. Upon entering, I noticed the type of set up that would be conducive to a more "club like" scene. There were a few wallflowers and lovebirds hanging on the sofas against the wall, and a stripper pole graced the middle of the room.
Venture a little further out, and the tie-dyed masses were swinging and swaying, all the way onto the back patio. The Grateful Dead tribute band played their own brand of hippie jamming, but one couldn't help but notice the presence of sheet music at certain points throughout the evening.
Since I'm not really a fan of the music in question, people watching was the more fun part of the night. Women selling hemp bracelets and tie-dyed everything were bare foot and mingling with the fans, the drinkers, and the band, who had one member that looked suspiciously like Philip Seymour Hoffman...
