A rhetorical question: What do you do if you're the only live music game in a large midwestern college town for the best touring rock, blues and alternative rock bands? The Blind Pig's answer: Book a mix of adventurous and sure-fire winners and keep the college kids drinking while digging sounds old and new. Fortunately, The Pig also has a great sound system and supports (by way of offering opening slots) local music acts, too, thus endearing it further to the never-ending stream of conspicuous cultural consumers that flood Ann Arbor every fall. For the "townies" the Blind Pig is the home of regular blues jams and other folk-friendly programming year-round. It's seen most alt-rock luminaries grace its stage over the years (long before they played the major venues) and has been the host of intimate shows for such outfits as Pearl Jam, too. So you never know what you're gonna find at the Blind Pig but it's usually worth checking out. -- Chris Handyside (Photo: C.J. Bahnsen)