things to do: tailgating & wallflowers

Here is the best advice I can give about how to have a fabulous time tailgating: Go with people who already know what they're doing. 

Tony and I went to the Nats game Saturday evening with one of his coworkers and his coworker's girlfriend. And as fun as it was to see the Nats dominate the Braves, tailgating was the highlight of the evening. The four of us pulled the car into a parking lot on M Street, popped the trunk, and unloaded a whole party. These guys have got tailgating down to a science. Portable tent to shield us from the rain. Folding chairs. Mini grill with mini propane tank. And then all the things you wouldn't necessarily think about ... wet wipes for your hands after dinner ... a separate Ziploc bag for utensils that touch raw meat. Impressive outfit. 

And here I present Tony's plate, which looks like it belongs in a gourmet restaurant, not necessarily a parking lot. Bison burger with bacon and cheese (upside down, oops), served on a toasted everything bagel. Fresh spinach salad with spicy slivered almonds. Salt and pepper kettle chips. 

Let me pause to talk about serving a burger on an everything bagel. I did not know what to expect. I mean, it sounded kind of weird. But I'm sold. It's something Tony's coworker said he just kind of discovered one day when he made burgers, and all he had to serve them on were everything bagels. I'm not sure I can go back to buns now. 

And also I present the photo below with a two-fold purpose. First, we sat on a Browns chair. Awesome. Second, that guy in the background, a fellow tailgater from across the parking lot, is going to the bathroom. Right there on M Street. For everyone to see. He deserves to be on the internet. 

So we got to the game in the fourth inning, witnessed the win, and then stuck around for the post-game concert with The Wallflowers. The setup was kind of awkward, being so far from the band, but it was definitely a rad bonus to the evening. They played some of their hits -- Sixth Avenue Heartache, One Headlight -- and also some of their new stuff. The Wallflowers are coming out with a new album in the fall, and they played a song called Devil's Waltz off of that album. And it was pretty good, less pop and more dark. It's not on the internet anywhere yet, so I can't go listen to it again and verify what I was thinking that night, but a couple of us commented that lead singer Jakob Dylan kind of sounded like his dad (Bob Dylan) in that song. 

The Wallflowers post-game concert was part of a series the Nats are putting on this summer. Next up: Third Eye Blind on Aug. 18.