Just caught a gig for St. Patrick’s Day at the Evening Star Cafe, a wonderful place where I’ve played occasionally for years. Musicians share a nickname for St. Paddy’s (and New Year’s Eve): “Amateur Night.” It’s the night when people who don’t drink come out to drink, with predictable results.

I’ve had a couple of ugly St. Pat’s experiences over the years, including the year when a patron took a wild swing at me after I refused to let him play my harps. My guitarist at the time responded to that threat by punching the drunk in the kindey, and the drunk responded by falling down, grabbing his side in pain. After that, he was escorted out. He was still outside later on, when I walked out during a break, and he was still laying down (and was far past the point of violence). He later became one of the band’s more regular fans.

The Evening Star, fortunately, is too high-class a joint for that sort of action.