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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 5, 1993)
Free beer! Duffy’s whets appetite for alcohol with occasional Bladder Buster n I lost people get a little leery BJULp when offered free beer. That’s because there is usually a catch. Like standing around at a really boring party, drinking cheap and dis gusting beer and talking to people you don’t really care to talk to. Just imagine how nice it would be if one of your favorite local taverns was to offer free beer. welcome to Duffy's Blad der Busters. Yes, a down town bar that serves free beer one Tues day a month. All you have to do is show up — you can even bring your friends, people you like to talk to. Just don’t talk about waterfalls or the Midwest’s heavy flooding this summer. Yep, that’s the catch. During the course of the Bladder Busters event, nobody can use the bathroom. No body. Kinda makes you have to go right now, doesn’t it? Patrons also can't leave the bar or talk to the outside world via the phone. They have to say please and thank you to the bartenders, too. Reynold “Reg” McMeen, owner of Duffy’s Tavern, 1412 O St., said Bladder Busters has been going on for about a year and a half. Crowd reaction to the event varies, he said. “It took awhile for it to catch on,” he said. “The people who don’t want to play get land of pissed off about it, but some of the people really get into it” Some of the people REALLY get into it “We’ve had people pee their pants,” McMeen said. Now that’s a person who enjoys free beer. McMeen said the idea for Bladder Busters came from one ofhis partner’s visits to a bar in Missouri that was running a similar promotion. McMeen decided to give it a try to liven up weeks at the bar when fewer shows were planned. The record amount of free beer consumed was two and a half kegs, McMeen said. That’s a lot of money, but it’s not any more expensive than other promotions, he said. The longest running time on record was one hour and 23 minu1-* McMeen said. That was in the early days. “Early on we would draw a small but determined crowd,” he said. “Now that we draw a crowd of 50 to 60 bodies, it doesn’t last as long.” Especially when you have bar tenders on the microphone talking about water, water and more water. . ^ Last Tuesday one woman was so desperate the bartenders decided to let her go to the bathroom — if the crowd raised enough money in tips to help send Hank to Hawaii. Nice try. She didn’t have to wait long, though, some jerk left, and it all came crashing down around our happily boozing heads. It was nice while it lasted. McMeen said the next Bladder Buster would probably be the first Tuesday in December. So watch for the fliers, then grab a bunch of fiiends. And remember to go before you go. — MaiacIH b ■ aralor newt-editorial ma jor aad the Daily Ntbraikaa Arts A i ““ Opera blends love, sorrow and song By Anne Steyer Senior Reporter schemes and suicide fill the Kimball Hall stage this weekend as the UNL School of Music presents “Dido & Aeneas.” The 17th century baroque opera, written by Henry Purcell, is a collaborative effort between the University of Nebraska-Lincoln School of Music and the theatre arts and dance department. John Whiteman, promotions coordinator for the School of Music, said “Dido & Aeneas” is consid erea by many to be the first English opera piece. It’s also one of the shorter operas, he said, lasting only about an hour. “Its considered a tragic love story,” Whiteman said. The story is one filled with pain and sorrow. It opens in 1870 as Dido, the queen of the ancient city of Carthage, haunts her tomb a few n thousand years after the fall of her city. theater preview Possessing the mind of a young archaeologist, Dido tells the story of her fateful love affair with Aeneas, the pnnce of fallen Troy. The time flashes back to 814 B.C. to the halls of her royal palace. With her husband dead and a handsome, valiant Aeneas ship wrecked on her shore, Dido must choose between her loyalty for one man and her new love for another. But Dido’s fate is not to be determined by a simple choice. Instead there is a Sorceress plotting her downfall while witches plan the destruction of Dido’s city. The young lovers experience the momentary triumphs of passion, but the sorceress’ dastardly plan sends Dido and Aeneas into a cyclone of confusion and desperation. The climax is noble and tragic at the same time. UNL Symphony Orchestra conductor Emil Aluas serves as music director for “Dido & Aeneas,” and many other members of the university community are involved as well. Students, both graduate and undergraduate, have featured roles in the production. Performances are tonight and Sunday at 8 p.m. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are available at the Lied Center Box Office, 12th and R streets. David Bad dors/DN