It’s Friday night and you’re trying desperately to remember how you spent your weekends in high school, because coughing up $25 at the bar and not remembering the good time you had doing it is definitely getting old.

Big Shots Sports Bar & Nightclub, 2522 Chamberlain St., might be the place you want to go to spend some quality time.

Big Shots is jumping on the live music bandwagon and following in the footsteps of establishments such as People’s Bar & Grill, Boheme Bistro and the Maintenance Shop.

And don’t worry, the bar will still be open.

Wendell Mosby, Big Shots’ hospitality and promotional coordinator, says customers deserve a good place to hear live music.

“We’re more than just a college bar,” he says. “There’s no limit to what Big Shots will do.”

Malik Toms, Big Shots DJ, says a Big Shots experience will be different from other live music venues because of the atmosphere, the variety of acts and the ability to see the band from many different areas in the bar.

“We’re just the new, big thing in town,” says Toms, graduate student in English.

On Nov. 9, Souls of Life, a hip hop group based out of Minneapolis, will take the stage performing four acts of rap, R&B and dance.

The club has already hosted the acoustic stylings of Matthew Moon; the Jumbies, a Caribbean/salsa group; and rock band Saving Mae.

Big Shots also hopes to bring reggae, punk, ska, merengue, jazz and blues acts to the venue.

Mosby says the bar is not afraid of scaring off regular patrons who are used to the club atmosphere because they have found nights where live music works well.

“We know how to tip-toe around customers to not run them off,” Mosby says. “We work very hard to keep our customers happy.”

Wednesday will most likely become a regular night to host live acts, along with Friday evenings, Mosby says.

Although a large percentage of the clientele is college students, Mosby says working professionals ages 25 to 45 are also spending some of their evenings at Big Shots.

“It’s a good mixture between college and local people,” Toms says.

Patrons of Big Shots must be 21 years old, but if an act caters to all ages, a younger age group might be allowed into the establishment, Mosby says.

Even though the venue has changed, Mosby says the cover charge to get in will never be above $5, unless a big act is booked.

Then, the price of admission would be comparable to a concert ticket, he says.

Along with the live music venue, Big Shots offers many other amenities to suit the needs of its customers.

“We have a nightclub and a sports bar — the best of both worlds,” Mosby says.

The nightclub is for those who want the club atmosphere but don’t want to drive to Des Moines, Mosby says.

Big Shots’ VIP lounge caters to working professionals, complete with leather couches and glass tables.

The lounge is hosted by Mosby himself and has its own waitress.

“Another bonus is that [the lounge] is enclosed and people who want to chill there are put on the guest list so they don’t have to wait in line,” Mosby says.