J DUB's

At my house, leaving to go to the bar on a Friday night, almost every Friday night, is met with surprising goodwill. My kids briefly turn their heads away from the television, say good-bye and kiss me good night. My wife Andrea appraises my clothes, tells me I wear to much cologne, tells me to be careful and also gives me a kiss. Out the door I go, into fantasyland, nary a harsh feeling to be had.

If you happen to miss a Friday Night Bug Juice, say because it falls on your 27th wedding anniversary, and decide to go out on Saturday instead, you can expect the good-bye to be a bit different. In my case, Andrea did not give me shit directly, she tipped her hand by barking at our son Jack. He left her sweet-tarts in the basement (they were the larger size to be fair), tried to watch Ferris Beuller (for the umpteenth time) and misplaced the portable phone (again).

My son was paying for the sins of the father and I didn’t look back even once, as I waltzed out the door to pick up Tony.

I walked out of that fire and into the frost at Tony’s house. His wife Beth said very little as I waited for my brother, then reluctantly got up to see us out. The usual good humor and loving kiss were replaced by a grim look and a perfunctory “have fun.” When the door closed, Tony deadpanned, “She really means it.”

The credit we built up by trudging off to work Monday through Friday had been spent by Saturday. The working class heros blowing off a little steam had been replaced by two bums deserting their loved ones.

There was the usual gallows humor on the way to J. Dubs in Riverview, even leading to some talk about pulling the plug on the evening (this was quickly squelched as we reasoned that the hard part, leaving, was already behind us). We actually wondered if the weirdness of bug juicing on a Saturday night could be overcome.

It could.

J Dubs was a regular stop on the tour many years ago, but had changed owners and styles about twenty times since then. Tony and I had heard it was back to being a rock dive bar, so we decided to give it a whirl. It still sat on Sibley Road between Fort Street and Jefferson, the only beacon in an otherwise dark industrial area. No problem parking in the huge lot, though a few more cars would have been nice.

No line, no over zealous jarhead checking ID and only two bucks to get in. So far, so good. I was initially placed in the pay me no nevermind club by the distracted chick behind the bar. I finally caught the eye of a fellow stocking the cooler and ordered the usual Miller Light and Labatts. Very reasonable at $4.50, and it came with a tip that during POWER HOUR all Miller and Bud products were a buck apiece. When it came time to re-up, the barmaid reminded us of the beer deals, but Tony being the connoisseur he is, stuck with the more expensive Labatts. His taste buds are so well educated.

The bar itself is huge, maybe too huge given the empty spaces that abound. The bar that sits right in front of the door is surrounded by tables and chairs. The stage sits in the corner at an angle and has a decent dance floor. A large open space is on the other side of the dance floor and is dominated by long rows of banquet tables and a second bar for better service. An area near these tables that used to be lousy with pool tables has been replaced by...more banquet tables.

Whatever the Oakland County crowd thinks of when they hear the word “downriver” was present at J Dubs. Lots of facial hair, stocky physiques and heavy drinking. The guys looked pretty rough too.

The Kopykats soon hit the stage, some straggly looking alt rockers fronted by a physically imposing female lead singer. The only thing thin about this chick was her voice. The first song I heard was a hard rocking version of “You're So Vain”. No good. Still, they did their job as the dance floor, while never jammed, was always in use.

If dancing is not your bag, or if you have difficulty dancing to Alice in Chains, the wide open spaces lend itself readily to talking and mingling. Of course, Keno and numerous televisions also dot the landscape.

J Dubs has an overall friendly vibe. People go there to talk, listen and dance to strange rocking music, and not be judged on how much money they have or what they wear. If you’re not a pretentious arse, a good time is easily had, even on a Saturday night.

Cheers!
-Jim


J Dub's:  12850 Sibley Rd. Riverview, MI 48192