Go Bar

Go Bar was putting on a rock show in the next room when I went, and it was the kind of live show that could fit into the basket of a bicycle, where it’s all wonderfully tense and uncomfortable, and the musicians are truly just putting forth a barrage of regurgitation that made me very sad to be a musician, but proud at once. It’s that weird place you’re always forced to exist in as a musician where you feel and realize that any joy you could possibly derive from playing will have to be gotten from deep inside the pocket of the ohm. Because others are either wishing they were someplace else, or wondering how the hell (and why the hell) you do it?! And the only reason anybody ever asks such questions is because you-​the musician-​have managed to obscure the answers, answers that are actually always plain to see. You’ve simply gone where they could not or dared not go, you’ve tucked the facts somehow, maybe right on the hearth where everyone is too polite to look.
Anyhow, there’s something fantastic about the utter discomfort which presides over an audience of four or five people watching two or three others doing something very raw and very common-​place, the whole thing floating on the lip of a giant wave of disappointment, bravely getting through it. In truth, loud music is made from an exuberant fear of silence, and I can understand that. But when I stand and watch, the circuitry will overheat and the singers voice will waver. In a room so small, I’ll be left to blame and sheepishly, I’ll duck out while she makes her explanation.
Where would bands be without the start-​up joints like this one though? And where would I be without bands? I’d be pissed and voiceless, stewing in my venom.
Other than all that, their patio was sympathetic, like a nervous system, with blue columns dimly lighting the troughs that are full of top soil and throbbing plants. Everyone was waiting for something, or maybe that was just me. Their beer selection was impressive and prices were good. The bartender would disappear for short spells, but how much can I tell from an isolated night? We stuck a massive magnolia blossom into the hole of the picnic table we were sitting at, it sat there like a flame.

Love Go Bar — been coming here for years for karaōke, back to 2006, my last year in college and one of the few bars I can go back to as an old man and not feel out of place. Been away from Athens for 6 years now but it’s still just as great every time I go back. Always run into interesting people there and the owners/​bartenders have always made excellent drinks and treated me well. The ambiance/​music/​décor are always out of this world (to give a flavor, usually the TV above the bar has silent movies playing). Plus, it’s on Prince, far away from the rest of the bars frequented by obnoxious college students (not that obnoxious people have never come to Go, but I’d say it’s far less frequent).

Saw a small show there tonight. It was a Monday night, so it wasn’t at all packed, but it still offered a lovely ambiance for a concert.
The drinks were cheap, the lighting was interesting and exactly the right balance of illuminating and intriguing, and the between-​set music was perfectly dreamy.
I’d love to sit on the patio under the stars and strings of lights when it’s not so god-​awful humid. Does such a time exist in Georgia?

Had an awful experience there. Will NOT ever go back. Also, the owner is unprofessional and rude.

Sometimes absurd, always fun, Go Bar is one of the best keep secrets in Athens. They have a fast bar staff and some of the best DJ’s in town.
This place caters to the late 20’s early 30’s hipster crowd. It’s also what I consider a late night bar; it gets busy around midnight and is packed by one.
I would give it a 5 star rating but there is only one bathroom for the whole place, and sometimes the staff is a little snobby.

Okay, this review isn’t really about the actual bar… but about the «vibe» that I got from it this past Friday. Maybe I was just in a really good mood, possibly from a couple of bev-​rohs, but the dance floor in that bar was incredible. The music was pretty good, I guess… and since I’m not much of a dancer, or I kinda hate dancing because it sucks-​or I suck at it… but the over all feel to the place was amazing. The bar is very, very, very small, and the «dance» area is equally as tiny. But they had three DJ’s performing, two mixing dance hits/​smashes/​mashes going back and forth and a very well known, at least in Athens, graphic designer working an animation display that synced with the music. I think that, to me, was the absolute most impressive thing to me there. His animations were very simple and vibrant, but still possessed an energy to them that mad the whole place come alive. So maybe this review isn’t really about the Go Bar at all, maybe its about that person or group or whatever you want to call them making the place come alive.

the go bar is one of the reasons i love athens. you can dance (almost) any night of the week in this town. and tom is lovely.

Oh, nostalgia… Go Bar. I remember Go Clothing. The bar is much better. It was within walking distance from my last Athens pad on Pulaski Street. Sit on the patio on a early summer evening after dinner at The Grit. It’s truly the best. Minus one star because the service can sometimes be… er… snobby. No need to get high-​falutin’ over martinis guys. It’s just booze.

Blue lights all around!
I had many a fun Wednesday night at this place, but it would be awesome if the DJs would be a little less lazy and not play the same twenty songs week after week. And apparently they book bands now too, which is pretty cool. The bartenders are nice and make strong drinks, which is perfect when you need a fair amount of liquid courage to go onto the very small dance floor. The patio is really nice, especially for those hot Georgia summer nights.

This place is serious fun. Hot people who want to get drunk, sticky situations, and knife fights are standards for every good birthday party for nana. J/​k about the knife fights, but BYOK. No seriously still kidding, tea he.

Go Bar, I love your seductive blue cylindrical lights that line your triangular patio. The blue sparkly lights in trees continue this theme and make the outdoor section of Go Bar a really relaxing, charming place to chill with or without a beverage.
The dance floor can get pretty crazy – sometimes it’s a nut house in there. Other times it’s empty as empty as can be, and you can feel free to showcase your moves in the small but beautiful dancing area. Two or three steps up from the little bar and DJ area, the dance floor has bench seating (or bench standing, if it’s wild in there) running along three walls and cascading silver icicle shimmers reminiscent of 60s dreamy Christmas tree décor. Yes, things are busy and hectic late at night, but it’s fun! I do recommend this bar for a low-​key meeting with friends when the weather is seasonable and kind. Why not eat at the Grit and then walk next door for an after-​dinner stylish drink?
The end.
Go Bar, you get 4.5 stars ’cause sometimes you just drive me crazy. Too bad that’s not an option – I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and go with 5.

At heart, the Go Bar is the place for locals who are fairly young, but old enough to want someplace that isn’t swarmed by college kids. Attractive blue lighting, a cozy patio, good DJs almost nightly, and friendly bartenders make this a good place for drinks and conversation with a friend or two, as well as a fun place to dance late night.
If you arrive at 10:00, you may be the only one there, but if you stay past 12:30, you’ll wonder how the rest of the world decided to come there all of a sudden.
Some claim that the bar is snobby, but really, it’s simply that on most nights, 80% of the people there are regulars, most of whom are friends with the bartenders, door people, and owners. Their décor and clientele might lead you to imagine there’s some velvet rope, but indeed there is none.
The dance floor is a bit, uh, intimate, but that actually means it’s fine if you and your friends are the only ones dancing. However, when they book live shows, the crowd may overflow out the door.