I'll probably catch hell from my fellow BNer's about this, but...
I was ready to leave 15 minutes after I got there. My worst fears were confirmed: too hot, people packed asses to elbows, dark that I couldn't see my way around, and a screaming band that took away any chance of talking or hearing. We had to literally scream our to the bartender. Some of us were reduced to pointing at the list. We decided to stick it out for a while by hanging out in the lobby areas and ducking back inside the rooms when we wanted a beer. That seemed to work better. We were actually able to have a conversation and it cooled off enough to get us below the threshold of spontaneous human combustion. Here are some of my thoughts:
I don't know if it sold out, but there were waaaaaaay too many people. Justin, please raise the price and lower the number of tickets sold. I'd gladly pay more for a better experience. It's good to be a little exclusive.
The beer list was excellent, but I wish the VIP-only beers (were they in the mezzanine area?) would have been listed as such to avoid disappointment.
Ben Franklin was good and very much in character.
I guess being 53 makes me an old fart. I like music loud enough to peel the paint off the walls. I like beer. However, they don't go together. Please move the bands away from the beer (or put duplicate taps with the band), or put the band outside so I can carry on a conversation with my friends without my ears bleeding.
Like I said, maybe I'm getting old. Perhaps I should seek out smaller, more intimate preconference events at future conferences. However, when I registered for the BNA8, events like the Rogue take-over at the Eulogy Bar had yet to be posted.
Please feel free to comment further or critique my critique.
BN Army // 13th Mountain Division 
) grabbing beers from the tables and listening to the School of Rock band. Those kids kicked some serious ass!!!
