US Air Guitar Championships: Minnesota Regional

At any given point, most of us have done it, whether in private, in moments of jovial intoxication, or even right out in front of a competition crowd. Ever since there was a good guitar riff, air guitar has been there for countless rockers musically coming of age. For example, that transcendent moment at the 1:59 mark of Van Halen's "Running with the Devil" is a perfect moment to go to town on your invisible ax. However, in terms of technicality for the Air Guitar elite, it's a little short of the regulated 60-second routine requirement. "Panama" would be a much better choice. It's the second year at the Varsity for this strange, cheesy, and satisfying event, featuring round upon round of relatively anonymous people setting their inhibitions aside (if they had them to begin with) to make hard-rocking fools out of themselves in the spirit of competition and air guitar glory. 21+.
Fri., June 13, 10 p.m., 2008