Belles of Skin City

Cultural Event #3

My second time seeing The Belles of Skin City play was not as good as the first. That's not to say the music doesn't stand up to a second go-round, but the performance wasn't as good. Or maybe it was just the fact that I was on Day 6 of the virus from hell, and could barely breathe through the smoke in the Turf Club.

Which brings me to: the Smoking Ban issue. For those who don't know, our fair Twin Cities have been divided by cigarettes. Minneapolis has banned smoking in restaurants and bars, while St. Paul has stuck to its blue collar guns, and its accordant blue layer of smoke. Though I'm a non-smoker, I've actually always sided with the smokers on this one. Smoky hair and clothes are part of the bar experience. Saturday night was the first time I've ever realized how kinda awesome it is to be in a smoke-free bar. I still would never fight for a smoking ban, but I'm not gonna fight against one either. All I'm saying is that had I not been choking and wheezing all night, maybe I could have rocked harder to the awesomeness of the Belles.