More neon for the landscape
(Credit: Kelly Christ)
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Rock Bar is Power Plant Live's high end rock club—if you forget about Rams Head Live and the fact that it hosts shows such as Tesla, Kixx, Danzig and Queens of the Stone Age. But if you don't have the Rams Head kind of cash, and you substitute your Coke for gin (as sung by Roger Daltrey), Rock Bar just might suffice.
So you're thinking Rock Bar, and you're thinking acid wash and mullets, outrageous clothes, big concerts. Except for the outrageous clothes, you're wrong. The angelic bartenders, barely clad in fishnets, chains and lingerie, writhe as they pour your drink and sing the lyrics to "Paradise City" even though they were probably toddlers when the song came out in '88. The guys are both substantially inked and mohawked and wear skinny jeans, wristbands and of course, the skull and crossbones. Next to the rock-n-roll, the staff could be the best thing about Rock Bar.
But, "you wanna rock...ROCK" (a la Twisted Sister). For now, Rock Bar advertises eventual live shows and top DJs, but it's hard to trust rock and rollers. By 1 a.m., Tommy Lee still had not appeared for his DJ appearance to kick off the bar's opening weekend. Don't blame Rock Bar, though. Metromix prefers Kid Rock, anyway.
Food: You're a rock star, you don't need to eat. You need to be thinking of sex, drugs and rock and roll, and squeezing into Spandex. Besides it's cooler to drink your dinner.
Booze: The drink of choice at Angels Rock Bar is the bull on parade—the rocker's version of Red Bull and vodka. The bartenders pour 'em strong and tall—just like the bouncers out front checking IDs. Besides not serving draft beer or Natty Boh, Rock Bar has got it covered in the booze department, not to mention its bottle service, specializing in Jack Daniel's and Maker's Mark. It depends how you like your hangovers; Rock Bar patrons prefer the head-banging kind.
Digs: Remember Have A Nice Day Café? Yeah, that's the new Rock Bar, except now instead of the flashy neon colors and disco ball, you've got red and black and chains and strobe lights. When you enter through the outside deck, white canopies hang over the white sofas and lounge chairs. It's actually angelic, but the moment you walk inside it's hell on wheels. A pair of big red lips, smoking a cigarette hang over the 130-foot center bar and a 20-foot video wall plays concert footage from Guns-N-Roses to Rage. Chains hang and divide the VIP rooms and will tangle up a bartending angel when her favorite song comes on.
Vibe: If you wanna rock out—you wanna go to Angels Rock Bar. From the Doors to Danzig, Faith No More to Fall Out Boy, and Kiss to The Killers, the best thing about Rock Bar is the music and you know it's freakin' cool to throw down Jack Daniel's and throw up the metal horns, too. But as much as we love the ear-ringing, heart-pounding idea behind Rock Bar we can tell when a place is trying too hard. Rock Bar just seems too canned, hence its Power Plant Live locale. Yeah, Baltimore is blue collar and gritty and maybe our town could use a Rock Bar, but we'd rather see a show at Fletcher's—at least they still serve Natty Boh.
