Damn it!  I'd really like to go to that show, but The Newport sucks these days.

Don't get me wrong, it's a great venue for a show, but it's a campus bar (Ohio State, my alma mater) and the kids there have no respect anymore.  It's a general admission ticket, so you have to get there early to get a good spot.  The last time I went, I went to see Nashville Pussy and The Reverend Horton Heat (last winter).  I went with a buddy, my girlfriend and two of her girlfriends.  We got there early and got a fantastic spot up in the balcony.  Although I wouldn't say I loved Nashville Pussy, they are one seriously high energy show and they did a real nice job. After them,  The Rev was up next and thats when the real crowd started to show up.  I had gone to the bar to get beers for everyone and when I came back, there was some young guy (thats a chinese dish isn't it?) and his scrawny ass little girlfriend standing in MY spot that I'd occupied all night. This was a spot right in the middle of all those I had come with.  Apparently my companions had tried to tell these people that they could stand there until I came back, but that they'd have to vacate when I returned - they were not going to hear any of that.  When I came back, I asked them to move because they were in my spot.  The girl told me that this was a general admission show and that I had vacated my spot, so it was fair game.  I tried to reason with her (the boyfriend said nothing) in a number of ways to no avail.  Finally, I simply picked her up and moved her out of the way, but in NO way hurt her.  Of course this infuriated every woman in the vicinity (except for those that were with me) and the boyfriend immediately grabbed me by the collar.  I was happy to see that he had at least a modicum of chivalry and I was quite willing to go a few rounds with him.  My buddy however, decided to subdue him before anything else could happen and the next thing you know, I am ankles to elbows deep in bouncers.  THANK GOD I had three (much more mature) women with me that stood up for me that night, or I'd have been skinned alive.  Nevertheless, the staff decided that I was too pissed off (they were correct) and ejected me and my buddy, but allowed my girlfriend and her pals to stay. After that,  I vowed never to come back to the Newport again, despite the fact that it was one of my favorite haunts while I was in school there.  It's just isn't the same anymore.

Just so nobody gets the wrong idea about me, I have never and will never hit a woman.  I had a pretty strong urge to that night however.