Goodnight, Raleigh!

This past Saturday was the Bud Light Downtown Live series, a free public concert put on by Deep South Entertainment. On average around 8,000 people fill Moore Square to enjoy beers, bands, and good times.
The Raleigh Coinneseur also posted footage of the event.

One of the greatest treasures of Raleigh’s night life is Open Mic Night at the Berkeley Cafe. I’ve covered the Berkeley before back in September but open mic night is something truly special. Just as you may imagine, it’s a night in which musicians of all varieties can perform for a rather large audience simply by signing up. It is usually an eclectic mix of music of several stripes, not music limited to one specific genre.
If you ever find yourself bored on a Wednesday night, I highly recommend checking it out. You won’t be disappointed.

217 W Martin St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 821-0777
Get directions

Kelly

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Sean

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Wes

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Mike

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Of all the bars/clubs in Raleigh, the bartenders at White Collar Crime are definitely the most talented. I tended bar for more than two years, and I was no where close to where these folks are in terms of talent and experience. Even though every spot of the bar was filled with people, they don’t keep you waiting long for your next drink.
In addition to being extremely attentive, they are also skilled at flair, meaning they are good at juggling/balancing/flipping liquor bottles, bar tools, etc. during the course of preparing a cocktail for a guest. There aren’t many of these in Raleigh, but White Collar Crime has almost an entire staff skilled at this art.
The bartenders here are more than service workers tending guests, they are a performance that blended in seamlessly with the DJ and the crowd. While in sync with various buildups/breakdowns of dance tracks, they will throw a stack of napkins in to the air, or blow fireballs against the wall. It is really quite a performance.

319 W Davie St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 828-0055
Get directions

This was the first time I’d ever been to white collar crime, and I must say I sorely regret not having been sooner. This place is certainly something out of the ordinary, and worth checking out if you are looking for a high energy night with great music and a fantastic vibe. The building itself has always intrigued me, as it has served as something else long ago, and you can see the history in the walls and windows. Outside is the unique identifier–the unmistakable blue thumbprint (sadly not pictured).
From the permorming artist bartenders on staff, to random bursts of napkins exploding in the air, a consistently packed crowd, to outdoor seating, and great DJs–this place has it all. This was probably one of the most memorable spots covered for this blog. The author votes it the best club in Raleigh.
Every Wednesday you get to be the DJ–bring in your iPod with 5 tracks ready or use theirs loaded with 30,000.

319 W Davie St
Raleigh, NC 27601
(919) 828-0055
Get directions

The folks pictured above are a part of Blackbeard’s Crew. According to the web site,

Blackbeard’s Crew is a living history performance group dedicated to the accurate representation of seafaring life in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, specifically 1690-1720. Blackbeard’s Crew was founded in the year of our lord 2000.

They weren’t gathering for raiding and/or pillaging, but to celebrate the publishing of Kevin Duffus’s book, Shipwrecks of the Outer Banks The Last Days of Black Beard the Pirate, available on his web site. There are quite a few pirates in Raleigh. If you haven’t seen them, you aren’t looking hard enough.