I scored decent seats for the first night of Billy Joel at the Hard Rock Live and, as Dylan once said, The times they are a-changin'.

First of all, $40 for a concert T-shirt? Are you kidding me?

Secondly, people don't light their lighters anymore during an emotional encore. They run the Zippo application on their iPhones and wave those around instead. I thought I was going to die from embarrassment.

And lastly, I stood up to applaud a rather impressive sax solo and at least 10 people screamed, ''Down in front!'' I yelled back, ''This is a concert, not an opera!'' Thankfully, one thing hasn't changed. Joel still rocks like he's in his 20s. I was floored by the show and thought about junking every non-Joel CD in my collection.

But as soon as I exited the venue, the power chords to Satisfaction hit my ears and I changed my mind. The excellent band Robert Elias and High Tolerance was jamming most proficiently in front of Knight Time Billiards Trick Shot and Champagne Bar, one of the many clubs in Seminole Paradise, the entertainment complex next to the casino. The band played a U2-inspired version of House of Pain's Jump Around and a funky rendition of Sweet Dreams that put to shame the original by The Eurythmics. You can catch High Tolerance at the patio bar here on Tuesdays, Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays.

The crowd outside was a diverse group of locals and vacationers dressed to kill -- and smoke and drink as if the sun might not come up in the morning. Pool sharks hustle each other at the many billiards tables and then huddle around the inside bar stocked with premium liquors and 25 champagne selections.

Fitting with the Knight Time theme, the walls are painted to look like the stone building blocks of a medieval castle and are illuminated by faux flames. Shields and swords hang from the walls near portraits of young queens knighting valiant warriors (which hang between monster 8-x-8-foot front projection screens showing music videos and sporting events). But as Joel said on The Nylon Curtain, we all need a room of our own. So you can walk up the winding stone steps, past the suit of armor, to the private rooms that can be rented for $35 an hour -- they come with a black felt top pool table, cushy couches and bar service.

I strolled a few yards over to Automatic Slims and took a seat in the circa 1960s, gutted-out aluminum camper. The drink menu was propped up next to a flickering candle. A bottle of white, a bottle of red, perhaps a bottle of Perrier-Jouet rose instead -- for $850 a bottle? Along with concert T-shirts, table service at happening hot spots isn't cheap these days.

Automatic Slims has that retro, Where the Boys Are vibe. The counter at the outdoor tiki bar looks like a surfboard and the stools are cushioned, hand-carved Hawaiian idols. A life-size Bob's Big Boy guards the door with a bouncer and the inside is illuminated by Sputnik-style light fixtures.

Another bonus at the Hard Rock: bartenders like stunning Heather Doyon, who is quick with a joke, will light up your smoke, but there's no place where she'd rather be.

Although I didn't have tickets, I went back to the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino a few nights later to soak up the scene outside Joel's second show. Late night at Murphy's Law, I actually bumped into his band. We hung out until 4 a.m. and they were as cool as could be.

While I was trying to convince Chuck Burgi, Joel's drummer, to let me sing backup in the band, The New Planets was brilliantly covering Sympathy for the Devil on the stage at Murphy's Law. They play here on Tuesday nights but click to www.TheNewPlanets.com to see their full touring schedule.

And since Chuck said no, it doesn't seem like I'll be touring anytime soon. I guess I'll just stick to singing along with my CD collection.

Coming up:

• Local rockers Loose Cannon take the stage tonight at O'Malley's Sports Bar (1388 N. State Road 7, Margate). Show starts at 10 p.m. No cover.

• Karl Denson's Tiny Universe plays Saturday at The Culture Room (3045 N. Federal Hwy., Fort Lauderdale). Doors open at 8 p.m.; tickets are $20.

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