Hard to believe I’ve lived my whole life in New Jersey — the majority of it on the shore — yet I’d never been to Atlantic City until this past Friday night. Gambling alone was never enough of a reason to get me onto the Garden State Parkway, but when I found out Clutch was playing at the House of Blues, I found myself strangely compelled to take a two hour car trip.
Clutch playing at House of Blues in Atlantic City
While I made the drive for the music, I decided to stay and get a sense of things — maybe even try my luck at a game of chance. I wandered through 6 or 7 of the boardwalk casinos, trying to find the least expensive blackjack table I could, but even the $15 tables I saw at Caesars weren’t low enough for me. I’m just now getting some work hours after two months of being on the sidelines (more on that later), so gambling away chunks of my grocery money is hard to justify. Still, just experiencing the sights and sounds of the casinos, the boardwalk, and the surrounding streets was more than enough excitement for me.
It was more of a trek than I usually make for a show, but I had a blast and would certainly do it again. Hell, maybe I’ll even get up the nerve to sit at one of those blackjack tables next time. Of course, the odds of all that happening go up if the right band(s) decide to book some performance dates.
