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[/media-credit]Ask any UW student about his favorite place to rock out on a warm summer's night, and the answer is resoundingly clear. Look no further than the green, yellow and orange sea of chairs that flood the Memorial Union Terrace. This lakefront live music gem has it all: great atmosphere, tasty Wisconsin cuisine, free-flowing beer, unbeatable talent — and best of all, it's free!
On any night of the week, the Terrace is a truly exciting place. There is no telling what might happen or who you might encounter on a trip to take in breathtaking sights and sounds.
If it happens to be Thursday, you might drunkenly find yourself belting out the chorus to "Total Eclipse of the Heart" to a crowd of strangers, or if you're the shy type, listening to that other drunk idiot as he does his best "Total Eclipse" rendition. But really, at the Terrace, it doesn't matter. Everyone is your friend (yes, even that dude who looks like he walked straight out of the scenes of "Happy Gilmore" and should have a nail stuck in his head, but that's neither here nor there.)
Have a hankering for some soul? Well look no further than the annual jazz festival, where you can dance in harmony with senior citizens who have come down to relive their glory days and cut a rug by the shores of Lake Mendota. Or really, just head on down any weekend night for a time of blues, rock, punk or hip-hop — the possibilities are endless.
And when you've worked up a sweat from grooving to the sweet sounds of local bands, the Terrace is there to quench your thirst with the nectar of the Sconnie gods — beer. And when you give a UW student some beer, he'll probably also want a brat — don't worry, the Terrace also has that covered.
The only catch: Word of this music venue so chocked full of Madison goodness spreads fast. Arrive early to stake out a table, or risk losing prime real estate in the Terrace chairs to some mutant 4-year-old with Babcock ice cream dripping all over his dirty little face.
Memorial Union Terrace: 509 votes
The Orpheum: 401 votes