By: Michael Burgart, Danielle Johnson, and Matt Stuenkel

Just off the East side of the Florida State University campus is a small run of property that is home to night after night of entertainment for Tallahassee residents. Catering particularly to the college scene, the strip of bars and clubs on Tennessee street provides Tallahassee with a nightlife of its own. Every week there are musical performances, from local bands to national acts, as well as bars, and 24-hour McDonald's. It is not unusual to stroll by at 4 a.m. on a Saturday night and finding the parking lot of this restaurant as busy as lunch-hour; only in this instance, chances are most attendants are tired, weary, tipsy, and burned out after a long night of drinking and partying.

Floyd's Music Store is home to many popular music acts. A relatively small venue, the atmosphere in the club makes for an intimate experience between the audience and the act on stage. Take a look for yourself from this appearance of GWAR in 2002:


When a national act graces Floyd's, the humble venue has no difficulty selling out.


The crowd on any given night at Floyd's can be characterized by the act they are there to see. Let me elaborate; when I was taking photographs for this web site on the evening of another appearance by GWAR (a thrash metal/punk band known for their outrageous stage performance and no-remorse attitude,) I was approached by a (typical) skin-headed GWAR fan. With fists clenched, he demanded to know why I was photographing him (although in actuality I was photographing the venue itself,) and even threatened to break my camera. I calmly explained that it was for a school project, and let him know that I too was a fan of the band. This established somewhat of a comradery, and despite his initial attitude, he agreed to "allow" me to use the following photograph. I still am not able to pinpoint the actual fan-in-question, which only demonstrates my point about fans paralleling in nature the act they turn out to see.


Now, for your entertainment, here are two accounts of Florida State University students and their experiences with other establishments on the strip, including Yianni's and the Inn Between!

Danielle Johnson - The Tennessee Strip

Matt Stuenkel - A View of the Tennessee Strip