To some, the $12 all-you-can-drink-til-midnight special is a perk. To others, simply being at the bar was representative of its namesake.
“Man! Let’s go to fuckin’ Rodeo!” a masculine co-ed exclaimed to his buddies near the entrance to Taboo at 23 W. Sixth on Thursday night.
Sex-funky, sweaty, hedonistic air filled the sprawling space, which has experienced some serious remodeling since its days as The Jungle. The most striking and appreciated disappearance from the aesthetic is the mess of camo, fake trees and cages that used to clutter the dance floor.
Even though Taboo has been remodeled, the space was lacking in some respects. Two new bars flank the entrance to the main room but remained unused. The dance floor was mostly empty all night, but wild action surrounded the bar. Women looking warm and windy-haired were getting freaky with large men, and everyone had drinks in their hands.
A Jan. 20 Register-Guard article reported that since May 2001, the club’s name has changed four times. Most recently it was called Belly Up, before that it was known as Biagio’s, Olympus, The Annex and The Jungle.
This bar is not perfect for everyone. Its fratty vibe, compounded by open-bar madness on Thursday night, could be frightening to some.
An over-crowded bar is manned by only two bartenders and a bar back. For the number of people they’d let in and for the price they were charging, some were crying bloody rip-off.
“$12 for this crappy music!?” patron Brian Henderson, 21, said. “No more Bon Jovi! A little more hip hop please,” he added.
Joan Jett, Def Leppard and various other butt rock bands peppered the 11-11:30 p.m. time frame. Afterward, an equally offensive cliche of hip hop songs battered the patrons for the next hour or so, including 112 (“Peaches and Cream” was a big hit for this crowd), Bow Wow imitators and Sean Paul.
One of the shiny new aspects of Taboo is Barb’s Southern Cooking, open from 7:30 p.m. until 2 a.m. Barb, a boisterous and enterprising woman, serves ribs, catfish, Southern fried chicken, collard greens and mac ‘n’ cheese bakes. She also offers Barb’s Cafe menu, which consists of $4.50 to $7 smaller dishes, such as burgers and fries. 
Brian Robe, a second-year at the University, sang praises to Barb’s cooking and said it’s what has kept him coming back to Taboo.
“Her food is honestly the best food I’ve ever had,” he said. “I’ve had the catfish, the burgers, the ribs, and it’s always fantastic,” he shouted over the loud music with a bowl of fries in his hand.
If nothing else, there’s good people-watching. With the dance floor being bereft of people to get jiggy with, those brave enough to venture out there are on display. An awkward man in a polo shirt followed his girlfriend around the floor while another girl used the barrier between the bar and the dance floor to let loose some mimicked stripper moves.
Space is not a concern. There’s no sliding through a crowd, no bumping into random people and no spilled drinks on high-heeled feet. There are a couple of pool tables, ample tables and chairs and an outdoor smoking space. This is a place to get down and dirty and maybe bring home a lucky lady or gentlemen for a once-in-a-night-time relationship. Otherwise, try ’80s night at John Henry’s, Neighbors on Friday nights or Indigo District to get your groove on.