Yesterday, I continued my annual father-daughter tradition of going to Opening Day at Camden Yards. Of course, it wasn't really in its purest form, as we opened on the road in Tampa Bay, snagging three wins along the way. But whether it was our so-far perfect streak, the ideal 80-degree weather, or just people looking for an excuse to get drunk on a Monday afternoon, the fans came out in hoards.

The area outside of Pickles Pub was barricaded off and fans had to show I.D. to even enter. There were a few beer tents scattered around, serving $4 Miller Lite and Coors Light cans (prices which were most likely hiked up for the special day). The atmosphere was much like it's been in the past, crowded and rowdy. But, this year seemed to be amped up a little—people were throwing around bottles as if it were Preakness and chants of "Let's Go O's" started well before the game.

Walking into the stadium (which took a while, due to the considerable crowds at all the entrances), I thought the new vendor takeover was obvious from the get-go. All the facades on the concession stands were new. There were even different titles like, "Oh, What a Hot Dog." Speaking of, Natty Boh was available on draft (for a pricey $7.50), as well as a huge variety of other beers, including Flying Dog brews, Stella Artois, and Landshark, just to name a few.

Something that the new vendor, Delaware North Companies Sportservice, had boasted about was new concession-related technology to make transactions faster. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case yesterday as most of the credit card machines were down, causing plenty of frustration for hungry fans who waited in half-an-hour lines. But, 46,593 fans won't pack the Yard every game, so hopefully they'll be able to work out the kinks.

All in all, it was a great Opening Day. The Orioles prevailed over the Tigers 5-1, thanks to Brian Roberts's three-run homer in the fifth. The crowd was extremely energetic—explosively applauding when Buck Showalter was announced before the game and coming to their feet as Koji Uehara closed it out. You know it's April when there's Orioles optimism in the air and, hopefully this year, it will last.

[Image: courtesy of flickr.com/photos/visitmybaltimore]

Today, March 17, marks one of the biggest drinking holidays of the year. And, while many of you have already been celebrating for two weeks, I'm sure there are still plenty who want to fit in a little more festivities tonight. So I've come up with a handy primer to help you choose an Irish bar depending on your mood.

If you're feeling...charitable: Today only, Sláinte Irish Pub in Fells Point is donating $1 per every Guinness poured to the American Red Cross to help those affected by the earthquake and tsunami in Japan and throughout the Pacific. Also, there will be buckets throughout the bar if patrons would like to make additional donations.

If you're feeling...frugal: As it's done so many times in the past, the deal-a-day site Groupon read my mind. Today's deal is $15 for $30 of food and drink at one of my favorites, The Life of Reilly, a quaint Butcher's Hill bar with great Guinness stew and an equally impressive Irish whiskey selection.

If you're feeling...musical: Rigadoo, the long-time house band of J. Patrick's in Locust Point, will go on at 4 p.m. The local Irish folk band has been playing bars in the area for years and J. Patrick's is a nice escape for people who just want to enjoy some authentic Irish tunes.

If you're feeling...ambitious: The Stil in Timounium has an all-day celebration that includes multiple bands on multiple stages (inside and out). The music lasts from 3 p.m. until 1 a.m. and there are progressive price specials on pints, starting at $2 and increasing all day long.

If you're feeling...outdoorsy: So far, it looks like a great day to be outside. Lucky for The Reserve, it's throwing a giant block party. The party will include traditional food and drinks, as well as bag pipers, beer pong, a dunk tank, corn hole, and live music by Pressing Strings and Jah Works. It all kicks off at 11 a.m.

If you're feeling...lucky: Looney's Pub in Canton opened at 6 a.m. this morning and played host to the Mickey, Amelia, and Spiegel Morning Show. Throughout the day, Looney's will be presenting giveaways, including a trip to see Roger Waters in Dublin and U2 here at M&T Bank Stadium.

If you're...ready to dance: Like always, Cat's Eye Pub is featuring live music today, but this time it's for a straight 12 hours (2 p.m.-close). Originally from Ireland, the members of Dogs Among The Bushes add a rock flare to traditional Celtic music. The bar will also feature drinks specials on Jameson and Murphy's, as well as giveaways throughout the day.

And of course there are tons of other Irish bars in the area offering great live music, corned beef specials, and plenty of Guinness throughout the day. Enjoy the holiday and be safe! You don't want to end up like this guy.

[Image: courtesy of The Life of Reilly]

Victoria Gastro Pub, the Columbia brewpub that we named a Best Restaurant last year and Best 'Burbs Bar in 2009, now has growlers for sale. These glass jugs are usually sold at breweries and brewpubs so customers can get some of their favorite beers to-go. This past week, Victoria started selling 32-ounce growlers (about half the size of typical jugs) of their 24 rotating drafts, which currently include Schlafly Coffee Stout, Flying Dog In-Heat Wheat, Baltimore's-own Oliver’s Coventry Cream Ale, and many others.

The growler itself will cost you $15 and then it will be yours to come in and fill as often as you'd like. The prices for filling the growler will vary, of course, depending on the type of beer you choose. The pub is also very specific that the growler cannot be drank on-site and is meant strictly to be enjoyed elsewhere. They can be purchased anytime from opening until midnight.

This is good news for beer enthusiasts, as growlers aren't prevalently sold or filled in the Baltimore area. But these massive beer jugs are great for many things, especially if you want to have a few people at your house and drink straight-from-the-tap, fresh, craft beers without the bar atmosphere.

[Image: courtesy of Victoria Gastro Pub]

This past Friday, I traveled up to Philadelphia to see Girl Talk, aka DJ Gregg Gillis, perform at The Electric Factory. He also made some closer stops (Rams Head Live! on Monday, 9:30 Club on Tuesday), but I thought catching the Friday night show (that last on this tour) in his home state of Pennsylvania would be a guaranteed good time.

And I was right. I've seen Girl Talk before (at Virgin Fest a couple years ago), but this was my first time seeing him headline. Since 2002, Gillis has been putting out albums full of digital mash-ups and sampling from a huge variety of artists. He's been accused of stealing music from those artists (his latest album samples nearly 400 songs), but Gillis maintains that the brief snippets he uses are covered by the copyright law's "fair use" principle. (Plus, most of his music is available for free on his label's website).

Since his music is a collage of other songs, his shows, in turn, become huge dance parties. The sold-out crowd at The Electric Factory certainly looked ready for a dance party, with glow bracelets, neon clothes, and sunglasses. The crowd was definitely skewed younger—most people were college-aged and in their 20s. The Electric Factory is a pretty big venue (akin to 9:30 Club), and it has a fenced-off bar area to the right of the stage, as well as balconies on top. It seems like the type of place where you can always find a good view.

Gillis opened his set with "Oh No," the premeire track on 2010's All Day. The song is a great example of Gillis's ability to mash up seemingly random song that layer together flawlessly. Mash-ups include Ludacris's "Move Bitch" over Black Sabbath's "War Pigs," Call Swag District's "Teach Me How to Dougie" over Jane's Addiction's "Jane Says," and Missy Elliott's "Get Your Freak On" over the Ramones's "Blitzkrieg Bop." One of my favorite samples on his new album is in "Let it Out," where he layers Rhianna's "Rude Boy" over Fugazi's "Waiting Room." Pure brilliance.

Girl Talk then plowed through his recent discography, playing most of All Day and 2008's Feed The Animals. The low point of the show definitely came when Gillis, a Pittsburgh native, played Wiz Khalifa's "Black and Yellow" and the crowd dancing on stage (always a requisite at Girl Talk shows) waved terrible towels.

But, that was really the only negative of the high-energy, hour-and-a-half set, which included a version of "Shout" that puts any wedding dance to shame. While the main focus of Girl Talk shows is the music, he gives you plenty of other distractions. There was a giant video board, and he blasted confetti, shot toilet paper from a gun, and dropped balloons from the ceiling. The latter might have been my favorite moment when, towards the end of the show, Gillis played "Every Day," which samples John Lennon's "Imagine" about halfway through. As soon as that iconic piano started, the netted balloons fell from the ceiling in what was a really beautiful moment.

Then he played an encore, or what he called an "after-party set," which included old favorites off of Night Ripper. It certainly seemed like Gillis went all out on Friday, as he kept saying how excited he was to be back in his home state on the last Friday of his tour. To get a good idea of what the show was like, check out one fan's perspective in this YouTube video.

[Image: courtesy of flickr.com/photos/sxt]