Thanks to a shadowy figure cloaked in darkness and mystery, I had two tickets to the Legendary Shack Shakers show at Mercury Lounge on Wednesday. Melissa joined me, and we consumed good beer and mediocre quesadillas at Sixth Ward before heading over. As a venue, I like Mercury Lounge - it is small but the sound is good and there are plenty of places for those of us who are not so tall to stand and see the stage without being precisely front and center.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the Haints; I have Ghost Dance and like it, but I think they’re one of those bands that you appreciate much more after seeing them live. Plus, I mean, there’s a washtub bass. That’s got to count for something.

I had been warned that the Shack Shakers put on a show made of crazy, and I was not disappointed. I was a little too sober and a little too conscious of the fact that I do not own a spare pair of glasses to actually dive into the small pit that developed, but from the side of the stage I could still soak up the madness pretty well. The stage and crowd were both a wild mess of beer and water and sweat and noise, which I figure is pretty much as it should be. All in all it was a good time, and I am happy to have finally experienced a Shack Shakers show for myself.