So I had two songs on constant replay in my head all weekend – Prince's "Purple Rain" and "Sacrifice" by The Expendables – one of the direct side effects of my musical adventures Friday night in Ybor.

My boyfriend (bf) and I had tickets to see The Expendables at The Ritz and doors were at 7 p.m., but I have to admit, the night got started a little late because of a surprise visit from my boyfriend’s older bro. However, we kept the party going far beyond the end of the show.

It was about 9 p.m. when the three of us stopped at The Dirty Shame to grab a beer before the show. The melodic vibes began early as the bar’s speakers blared "When You Were Young" by The Killers and "Lazy Eye" by Silversun Pickups.

My impatient pestering a little while later finally convinced the guys we needed to go, so we downed our beers and headed straight down 7th Avenue to the venue. And, perhaps we would have made it to the show by 9:30 p.m. or so, had I not heard a familiar laugh coming from The Boneyard as we strolled past. But I did, and inside having cocktails were two of my close Tampa girlfriends and their significant others, who I haven't seen in months. Nothing makes a night on the town better than randomly running into your favorite people.

This article appears in Feb 3-9, 2010.