Club Reports: The Dog Bar, Park&Rec, Saigon Blonde, Club 201, Yard of Ale, Ringside Cafe, Goodnight John Boy (St. Petersburg) By King Bob in Club Reports April 30, 2023 Operating like a rapid transit Metro system along a dedicated route between St Pete Beach and downtown St. Petersburg (DTSP), the free SunRunner bus was a great way to park your car in the suburbs and then head to the downtown clubs without the city traffic and parking hassles. We spent Saturday night doing just that! Beginning the evening at The Dog Bar since it was near the SunRunner stop where we parked. There is an inside area with a full liquor bar. And an outside area which had really gone to the dogs! Downtown Orlando has a similar dog bar called Pups Pub which we’ve reported on previously here. Next stop, Park&Rec DTSP. Even though it was only 4PM, DJ Tiptonic (USA) was already busy at work. Late afternoon business at the far end of the room. Outside, several free sporting events are offered. House music was a great way to begin the evening! Words to the wise. This was a first visit to DTSP and it far exceeded expectations. Blocks and blocks of bars, clubs, coffee shops and restaurants line the streets. It reminded us of New Orleans and Nashville but much cleaner and way more upscale. And if you get an alcoholic drink, you’re allowed to carry it around outside! Are you looking at this, Orlando government? No, you’re too busy shutting things down instead of building things up. Quick visit to another bar called Saigon Blonde. The Asian-themed club was generally empty at this early hour. There’s a booth upstairs but we were told the DJ does not come on until 10PM. EDM and House gets played here at Saigon Blonde so we’ll have to check it out at a future date. The front bar had a few customers. Next stop was Club 201 located in the historic Hotel Detroit Building. A wall of old clocks provided the backdrop for this small band that was playing. The Karen Benjey Trio (USA) was playing a Jazz set. Like everywhere else, a full liquor bar with strong pours. So many options, so little time. Music pouring out of Yard of Ale made this the next stop. Drinks last night were limited to one per venue and then it was time to move on to the next spot. DJ Muni Mike (USA) was playing Top 40 hits during our visit. It was only 8PM but this place was already bustling. Ringside Cafe is another historic venue in DTSP. The nerdy live band Spazmatics (USA) were on stage when we arrived playing mostly 80’s New Wave. Dance floor was packed for songs reminiscent of a night at Independent Bar in downtown Orlando. Upstairs had this cool Matrix-style portal. Crop tops for the win! Orlando has its own nerdy live 80’s band called Nerd Ranger (USA) as we’ve seen here. Songs like “Video Killed The Radio Star”, “867-5309 Jenny” and “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” put everyone in a great mood. OK, it was finally time for the actual reason for coming over to DTSP. It was opening weekend (finally) for Goodnight John Boy. We arrived close to midnight to find this long queue outside waiting to get in. And this is what it looked like inside! Absolutely packed! DJ Kyle Conley (USA) was in the booth delivering what everyone was here to dance to! Lots of 70’s Disco like Abba (S) & Bee Gees (GB) of course but also plenty of 80’s Funk and even some current Dance hits! Goodnight John Boy has a large color-changing Lucite disco dance floor. And a requisite shiny disco ball. Lots of 70’s kitsch around the club. And nothing says 70’s like the iconic Farrah Fawcett (USA). DJ played a fast-paced format of music that left each song playing for only a couple minutes before moving on to the next hit. It was awesome because it was one banger after another! Fun times! You need to come check this place out! When you think about partying in the Tampa Bay area, you usually think of the Ybor City area of Tampa. Turns out there’s a huge scene over here in St. Petersburg too. Who knew? It just got even better with Goodnight John Boy. Everywhere we went last night, a good time was had by all. Social:TwitterFacebookEmailLinkedInRedditTumblrPinterestWhatsAppPocketTelegramLike this:Like Loading...
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