An ode to The Backer

Welcome to your one-stop guide to navigating the thriving metropolis of South Bend, Indiana. I aim to provide you, the reader, with a review of a new local destination with each entry. I plan to venture to uncharted territory and report back from the front lines with either new ideas for entertainment or money-saving admonitions against that “iffy”-looking bar you’ve been thinking about for the past semester. This means that I need to research future destinations and plan my adventures several days before I post. I did not do that this week. But don’t fear, because despite the fact that I have already dropped the ball on my first official blog entry, there is one subject that I need to address that did not require any extra research.

And so I christen this blog with an ode to The Linebacker Inn.

For those who have never been to The Backer before, I suggest a virtual trip to http://www.backernd.com/. There you will find a photo gallery and mini bios of “The Backer’s Starting Lineup,” the people who make the magic happen every Friday and Saturday night. You will also see a slide-show of inebriated patrons with the caption, “If you don't have fun at The Backer, it's your own [darn] fault!” (Followed by the charge to “Always drink responsibly.”)

Those readers who have had a chance to “continue the tradition” of sloppy intoxication and townie-dodging will doubtless agree that it is a fine tradition indeed. From the minute one enters The Backer, it is obvious that the love one once felt for say, the dueling pianos of Rumrunners or the laxity of C.J.’s was in fact infatuation, and that going out will never again be the same. First, you receive a ticket with your cover charge that entitles you to one free drink. And by drink, I do not mean a three-ounce mixer a la Rumrunners on Wednesdays. I mean a veritable bucket of beer. Though this is pure conspiracy theory, I believe this is because you will end up dumping the majority of your beverage on the floor anyway when you hear the stellar music line-up. I will buy you a drink if you don’t hear “Walking on Broken Glass” at least once.

But there is more to this oasis than just a good time. In fact, I think that we could all learn a lesson from The Backer. Unlike another local institution named after a flu symptom, The Backer does not try to be something that it is not. You would be hard-pressed to find anything “hip” at The Backer, and there are certainly no “cutesy” test-tube shots topped with a glow-in-the-dark fish. You will, however, get beer spilled on you. You will go home with “Backer sludge” coating your feet, and often your calves. You will not be able to spit without hitting a townie. But the next day as you are desperately scrubbing sludge in the shower, you will chuckle to yourself and probably sigh something along the lines of “Oh, The Backer.” Because that’s why you love The Backer. It is not because you can get a tank of beer upon entry (although this is awesome) or because the music is phenomenal, but because of its imperfections. The Backer embraces its identity as a somewhat-shady South Bend bar, for better or for worse, and we would not love it any other way.

For those who don’t believe me, the offer on “Walking on Broken Glass” still stands. And trust me, I’ll be around.