Republican Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska had barely finished her speech in St. Paul when the partying began in Minneapolis.

But it wasn’t all officially sanctioned Republican National Convention events. Near the Target Center, where Rage Against the Machine, a band known for its left-leaning politics, had played a concert, a large group of policemen in full riot gear blocked the street. Hundreds of people, many wearing “Rage” t-shirts, watched from the sidewalks. (Edited to add: The St. Paul Pioneer Press reports today that police arrested 102 people last night.)

Just a few blocks away, the Epic night club was the site of another concert, this one featuring the performer Daughtry, sponsored by the Recording Industry Association of America, the One Campaign, and a long list of corporate sponsors: DLA Piper, AT&T, CEA, Comcast, Fidelity, HP, Microsoft, Oracle, Verizon, Symantec, TimeWarner, Viacom, and the Walt Disney Group. A similar list had sponsored a concert at the Democratic National Convention featuring Kanye West in Denver. The only security here were the folks who were checking people’s invitations.

Despite the fact I didn’t have credentials, this time the folks at the front desk agreed to let me in. Inside a young crowd was gathered. I saw a number of people with delegate badges around their necks. The bar was open, and people were milling around waiting for the music to start.

When I left the party, one of the security guards pulled me aside and asked to look at a sign I was carrying. It was a placard proclaiming “vote for real estate!” that I had gotten at an earlier party today sponsored by the tourism industry. When he saw what it said, he seemed satisfied that I wasn’t a protestor, and waved me on to proceed on my way.

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