No Dance Band. Yes Hard Times Cafe.

Tonight I had every intention in meeting up with Maren and Kos at the Varsity Theater for Dance Band and Mel Gibson and the Pants. Of the two bands, MGP is one of my favorite local bands only trailing Doomtree, but something has to be said for the way Dance Band makes hipsters move.

No one in the Twin Cities moves a dance floor the way Dance Band does. All inhibitions are lost and regardless of the venue, Turf Club, Hexagon or the Triple Rock, dance floors hop in rhythm, everyone knows all of the words and are unafraid to sing them back at frontman Captain Octagon. Each band member dates on an split personality from another planet, with costume to match. It's a site to be seen and experienced.

Unfortunately, thanks to a late night at First Ave. for Doomtree and a long day at work, I fell asleep for a power nap and missed the show. I arrive just in time to catch Maren as she was leaving for the grand reopening of Hard Times Cafe. I was glad to see word got out and Hard Times fans came out in droves. The line was out the door when we arrived at just after 1 AM. It didn't take long for me to break out my camera to capture the moments.

It was obvious just how much everyone missed Hard Times, as it was still standing room only an hour after we arrived. The quesdadilla was just as I remembered it and the salsa was perfect. The delay in being served was to be expected with the number of patrons. It felt like a family reunion. People were hugging. The chatter was deafening at times. Smiles could be seen at any turn and laughs could be heard from across the room.

I'm sure that the crowds won't remain this big for too long. I'm looking forward to quiet nights - I say this in jest, because there's never a completely quiet night at Hard Times - with a chai and vegan muffin in hand as I study for an impending test. Until then, the eclectic crowds alone can keep me entertained late into the night just as they did tonight.

Video From Hard Times Cafe Reopening

Hard Times Cafe: Always Open and Open to All

I'll never forget the first time I stumbled into the Hard Times Cafe, half awake, unsure exactly what I'd walked into. The mix of people reminded me of the first time I walked down Telegraph Avenue in Berkeley -- as a closed-minded 17-year-old. I grew up like many of you in small town. Only my small town was located 2.5 hours south of San Francisco in Pacific Grove nestled between Monterey, Pebble Beach and Carmel. Pacific Grove is still today referred to as the "Last Hometown." I had no idea what to make of Telegraph. I'd yet to learn anything about the famous protests of the 1960s on "Telegraph Hill" leading up to and through the UC Berkeley Campus. The mix of malnourished gutter-punks with their malnourished dogs to match, college students and tourists caused for a collision of many world, my small world being the least of it.

I'd never witnessed anything like it before. Half afraid, half shocked and completely closed off. I never gave it a chance. There was no way I could have ever imagined I'd make Telegraph Ave. my home three years later. My mind and heart were not yet open to what I was seeing. Later it became one of my favorite places to buy records, pick up a slice of pizza at Fat Slice and shop for quirky Christmas presents. Berkley became a home away from the "Last Hometown", more comfortable within my East Bay surroundings than I ever was in Pacific Grove.

Hard Times Cafe reminded me of that feeling: Comfort amongst the freaks, everyone minding his or her business, and certainty that no one was judging you. Whether it was late at night after a few drinks, on a long break between classes or for a quick chai and muffin before heading out on the night, Hard Times was always open to anyone and everyone who was open minded enough to experience it. The 6 AM to 4 AM - 22 hours per day - afforded even the worst insomniacs amongst us a spot to be at peace. The restrooms were never been the cleanest. The random graffiti was never the most artistic. The patrons were always the most eclectic. And the menu is the most health conscious (mostly vegan and vegetarian) junk food available in the Twin Cities.

Hard Times has been closed since the beginning of August as they fought with the city over health codes violations and permitting. What all of the regulars are doing to fill his or her fix is anyone's guess. But I learned today that Hard Times is reopening this Saturday at midnight. I'm unsure whether that means the doors open at Friday night/Saturday morning at 12:00 midnight or if that means that the doors open at 12:00 midnight Saturday night/Sunday morning. Regardless of the details, which you can stay posted to on their MySpace page, I know that I'll be making a stop by sometime this Sunday for a quesadilla, and I look forward to re-introducing Hard Times back into my normal stomping grounds, just as I did with Telegraph Ave. many years ago.