The Club vs. The Bar

On Sunday, I went to a club in Hollywood for only the 2nd time. I oughta be talking about how happy I am that I've finally crossed something off my checklist this year (Go clubbing in H-Wood). Instead I'm wondering if the scene has passed me by.

It's been 5 years since I've been old enough for the club and times have changed. Just look at the music. In 2005-06, it was all crunk/reggaeton. You could go knowing you could still get songs with some bass to keep bodies moving. Now its 2010 and we got a bunch of techno rap or songs that make you want to pose and be hard, not grab a chick and start dancing.

Case in point. I'm on the dance floor Sunday. Rick Ross' "BMF" comes on - dudes start posing while chicks didn't know what to do except sing along. There were some other new joints that came on and I'm like, where's the rhythm? Now of course, some songs made girls lose their minds (i.e. Usher's "OMG") but most of it felt like music where a girl can freestyle, a dude watches or just poses but no partner dancing.

To make it worse, the DJ replayed BMF, Turn My Swag On and a few other wack songs I won't mention but they only played one crunk song (Ying Yang Twins "Salt Shaker"). When they played Tupac's "How Do U Want It", they mixed it into Biggie's "Juicy." Granted, I love both songs but at a club, they set different moods and it killed any buzz I had on the floor.

Why in the world do DJ's who come after each other not know what the other played? I never figured that out - of all the dope club songs you can name, there's no reason you should be repeating songs. You're responsible for setting the mood and you're reminding me how dope I used to be having a club playlist back in college.

I dont know, man. Clubs nowadays play songs that I just don't feel anymore. Any club that plays Souljah Boy should lose its license. I'll say that hearing Waka Flocka "No Hands" made chicks lose their minds but that song is so stupid that Wale is making me forget he released his More About Nothing mixtape. Throw in high covers and overpriced drinks, it's like I'm almost wondering why pay for something I might not fully enjoy.

A lot of songs now just aren't good dance music. It's mostly for posers or people who want to be seen. Granted, we all like songs that we can walk around feeling hyped over but when it gets down to business, I'm there to dance and earn my money.

And that's where the bars come in. I love the bar scene when it's the right mood and the right crowd around me. 1) It's Free. 2) More money for drinks and a laidback scene where i can rock a T-shirt or polo instead of   get too dressy (although I like that). 3) Fewer egos as far as talking to folks.

The catch is, you get everybody coming in there. And the music is probably going to be similar, if not worse because it will be catering to Top 40 even more. But the thing is, it's free and chances are, you'll probably be dancing anyway because if you're in a good mood, anything can happen.

The women still look nice in there but naturally you'll find better eye candy in a club. Hey, you pay more, you get your money's worth in ambience and eye candy appeal.

Honestly, I'd rather pay near nothing to hear decent music and have a good time than pay $20-30 for a club that doesn't step up their music like the crowd steps up for the environment. I mean I'm not expecting much but I'm expecting clubs to get good DJ's who can spin a good mix of songs to keep the dance floor full.

I'm not getting old and boring, I'm just deciding how to make better use of my time. Sunday night reminded me why I love the club every so often but the bar a little bit more.

(Sidenote - I still love the clubs in San Diego. Music's usually on point and I realized the standard I now have for DJ's after being lucky to see the Alchemist perform at Stingaree.)