Getting Worried About Duke O'Brien's

You know. I'm getting worried about Duke O'Brien's.

Back in the 1970's - 1980's, it was Cat Ballou's. In actuality Cat Ballou's looked very much like Duke O'Brien's does now; dingy, usually dirty-looking and mostly kind of dark. It was a fun place however and the only place of its kind in town ... and the biggest. Then, it changed into Southside Johnny's. It was cleaned up and bright-looking, had live music and had good food. Then it became Duke O'Brien's ..... and things changed again.

In many ways, Duke's is not a lot different from a lot of other bars that have live music. If you are a hot-looking female in a tank top, you can get in for free. I've seen whole groups of women get in without paying and I've seen a few guys who are obviously the friends of the doorman's get in for free. This is a direct rip-off for the band who, by the way, is working way harder than that doorman.

There is also the friendliness factor, which is totally lacking in Duke O'Brien's at night when it's time for the band to go on. The door guys never smile. They just have this air of being on some kind of power trip. Dingy, unfriendly, hard to get around in, bad washrooms, and lately ... a lot of not-quite-up-to-par bands.

When JD took over the booking there, almost all of the local bands were nixed out of a chance to have a place to play in locally. If you wanted to see Insomnia on a Saturday night, check out Sideouts or Algonquin Road House or wait a week. They'll be at one of them. Then JD picked up even the little places like Georgios and DC Cobbs and Govnors. You had to be on JD's money maker list to get booked anywhere around here. I'm just guessing but I'll bet you the bigger better bands are not making anywhere near the money in Duke's as they used to so the D-Man's backing off on booking the bigger bands there. Maybe local groups can get back in again .... if the place stays open.

I don't know the reasons for Dave Sarkis's departure but he and Skaja are premier-class musicians and entertainers and Sarkis has been there since he was old enough to walk. You have to think Sarkis is making a move either because he sees the writing on the wall or Duke's management doesn't want to pay any more. It's a genuine drag to see Dave and Skaja leave. They are truly excellent musicians and McHenry County should be proud to have them.

I don't know. I don't see Duke's making it. The 20-somethings were shunning the place for the most part anyway for a few years now. Duke's has always had great great food but that alone is not enough to keep it afloat. The 20-somethings are gravitating to Finn McCool's and the Cottage now. Duke's can make it and maybe still could make it as a live-music place but it will take a bunch of bucks to clean it up and probably new management to show these employees that their livelihoods depend on how they greet and treat people.

85 Brink Street could keep do better but I think that place needs a new attitude. Labemi's is just too dark and scary in there. The deck may help but the place needs to be more festive. The Williams Street Tap is way too scary to hang out in. It's turned around some but there still seems to be an an unsavory crowd that hangs out there. Georgio's used to be the 20-something hangout and will lose that title if it hasn't already. It just needs a gimmick now.

The real sleeper is Metro Bowl. That place could be a friggin gold mine if they wanted to be. It's very obvious they just don't want to be because why else to they stay like they are? They're hopeless. They want to be the last of the townie bars and they'll tread water until they sell the place in their old age trying to keep it that way.

Well ... that's my take. Let me know what you think.