Cleveland, Ohio

On the drive into Cleveland I was kind of excited. We were set to play at Pat’s in the Flats, which I assumed was in the Flats, an area of Cleveland bustling with nightlife. Since we had just left Grand Rapids, I was ready for a change of pace and looking forward to spending the evening in the Flats. Unfortunately, Pat’s was across the water from the Flats where all the nightlife was and was smack dab in the middle of a different kind of action; an asphalt plant. Heavy truck traffic pulling in an out of the plant carried a strong odor throughout the area and our van. On the bright side this brought to life Cleveland’s special character, and reminded me why the city was once dubbed "The Mistake on the Lake" after the extremely polluted lake caught fire in the 70s.

Pat’s actually ended up being an interesting venue. With the doors open for 60 years, and newspaper clippings from the end of World War II still on the wall, it was hard not to appreciate the history the place had. Often the venues are all we will really see of a city aside from the skyline, so it makes the visit more rewarding to be somewhere that reflects the character and history of the area. Pat’s did this for me.

My personal highlight of the show was watching the Canadian ska outfit, The Delegates, play some Bostones inspired ska rock and liven up the place. They were tight musicians, and woke up the crowd.