To commemorate 20 years of Borostock, The Boro went frugal with this year’s three-day music gathering and waived all door fees for their guests.

“We started looking at it and realized this was our 20th year doing it,” Boro owner Lee Roberts said. “We wanted to do something special, and have been having a lot of success with our Frugal Fridays.”

Despite the temptation of free music and a well-stocked bar, the first two nights of Borostock were pretty low key. Thankfully that just means every person in attendance got a front row seat to some truly entertaining music.

The original schedule submitted to The Pulse had five bands slotted for the first night of Borostock, Thursday. A few hours after music was scheduled to begin, it became obvious that a few bands weren’t going to be able to make it. So the two bands that did make it, the Gay Republicans and Snow Black Sunday, really had a chance to shine. And, really, have you ever been to a performance that included Craig Murphy and been disappointed? The answer is no, as long as you were looking for something hilarious and offensive.

So for the first set of the evening, and the 20th annual Borostock, Murphy took the stage with fellow Boo Boo Bunny Member Kevin Robertson, under the name the Gay Republicans.

Leave it to two bald men to represent. The duo performed a series of Murphy originals (“She’ll Take the Fist” and “Let me Smell your D***” among them) and a smattering of crudely performed but extremely entertaining covers, including Aaliyah’s hit “Are You That Somebody?,” some Cranberries and INXS.

The second band of the evening was also relatively entertaining. Five serious musicians performed behind one hot young lady wearing a very distracting outfit, while she slung her hair around and shook and shimmied around the stage.

Snow Black Sunday really isn’t bad, but it seemed like a bit much for The Boro’s stage and the six of us sitting out in the audience. Horray for beer, and on to Friday.

Friday’s crowd was a bit bigger, but still pretty thin, and all four bands on the schedule showed.

Local guitarist and songwriter Jeffrey Pair took the stage first for a lovely set of quiet, thoughtful originals. Mostly John and Adam Dalton & The B Sides were perfectly good filler bands, with some amusing lyrics and a certain amount of talent, but the event of the evening was an unprecedented visit from The Secret Commonwealth, a band drinking enthusiasts are used to dancing around to at The Boro on St. Patrick’s Day. The Secret Commonwealth produced some amazing music with its usual energetic, entertaining charm.

Apparently this Borostock business was catching on, because by Saturday the place was packed and ready to entertain the masses with DJ No Love warming up the crowd at the beginning of the evening, and Laughing Storm Dogs, Intent City, Lojaque & The Flaming Nadbits and Screaming Names bringing the noise into the wee hours of the morning.

The Boro has been a Murfreesboro staple since it opened in 1985. With 200 different kinds of bottled beer, 13 draft beers, and a wine selection, not to mention that full kitchen serving up for hungry people throughout the evening, it’s more than just a venue. But we’re thankful for any excuse to see music, especially for free. See you next year, Borostock.

For a complete list of beer offered and to see a schedule of upcoming artists at The Boro, visit myspace.com/theboro.