A smoke-free evening

Thanks to Minneapolis' smoking ban, Famous Dave's is about $30 richer. That's about what I and two of my friends spent to see Commander Cody play and have a few drinks. We hadn't done that for years because the smoke would make me physically ill.

For the last 10 years I felt I had been banned from enjoying live music. It was liberating to go out again.

Judging from the crowd size, I'm not alone in that opinion. The place was packed on a Thursday night and when the singer of the opening band made reference to the smoking ban, there were many more cheers than boos.

For those of you who feel imposed upon by the ban, you have my sympathy. Addiction is a tough thing to battle.