The first musical act for the evening was a 7 piece bluegrass outfit. This is the second bluegrass act I've seen in Antarctica in a week. I asked "what's the deal with this popularity?" The best theory is that with the Grateful Dead gone and those walking in their footsteps defunct (Phish, etc), the next step was for bluegrass to arise. I like traditional bluegrass (Bill Monroe, Lester Flatt, Earl Scruggs, etc), but the more modern stuff doesn't do much for me. This crew played for more than an hour.
After this, a 3-piece rock band hit the stage. These guys were well stocked in tattoos, fashion, and instruments. But, lacked a little in the rehearsal, execution, song-selection department. Ouch! They attempted a few songs that I wouldn't even consider with a 3-piece. But, they pulled-off those songs pretty good. The audiance really enjoyed eveything they heard. As usual, I took-up a defensive position along the perimeter with the other wallflowers. Still, it was a good time until they played "MMMMM-Bop" from the Hansens. It was at this point that my colleagues had to walk-out. A strange choice of tunes. Perhaps the abundance Kiwi beer allows this sort of aggression to go unchecked.
(Photo by: Ethan Dicks)After the party, one of the bars was scheduled to be open, but it was not. A few of us re-assembled in the hallway outside our room and then decided to go to MidRats for a snack. Jambalya. Hmmm. Not as good as what they were serving at the hangar, but what can you expect at midnight in the Antarctic?
