As I sat in JJ’s Bohemia waiting for the start of open-mike night last Tuesday shooting the breeze with Bohannons lead guitarist Matt Bohannon, I realized something: I really hate late-night shows during the week.

It just seems counterintuitive. Who can stay out that late to hear a band? Certainly not most 9-to-5-ers like me. Even with a short walk to most venues, if there’s not someone onstage by about 9:30 p.m. or so, I get restless.

The open-mike show was supposed to start at 9 p.m., which was, I was told, an hour earlier than normal, which I found astounding. Single-bill acts starting late I can understand, but with so many artists participating, a popular open mike could last until dawn.

I’d say 9 p.m. was a step in the right direction, but by 9:15 p.m., no one had shown up. Thinking I would just grab a quick bite and come back, I headed to my apartment. But once I was on the couch, no force on Earth was going to remove me.

Fortunately, I’m a big enough fan of live, local music that I’ll try again next Tuesday, but I wonder how much better attended some shows would be if they weren’t concurrent with “Law & Order.”

Curious as to why JJ’s seemed to be doing its best to keep Red Bull in business and me at home, I called co-owner John Shoemaker. As it turns out, it’s not that he hates daywalkers but that nightwalkers are more frequent concert attendees.

“My customer base is mostly restaurant workers, so you have to wait for them to get off work, and they’re not getting out until 10 or 11,” he said. “I think about this constantly, and I don’t know that I would (move it up) if I could. I think it might kill the shows by appeasing a smaller audience rather than a larger audience.”

When I called Rhythm & Brews manager Mike Dougher to find out why weeknight concerts there started earlier than Bohemian ones, demographics was only part of the answer. With an entire wall made of glass, sunlight is an issue, he said.

“We did Todd Snider a few years ago (with) two shows — he started at 7:30, and then I had another show at 11,” he said. “He said it was the first time he’d done a show in daylight, and it was really bugging the crap out of him.”

So apparently, to enjoy some shows, you’ve got to be willing to brave some late nights, which might seem like a no-brainer, but it still leaves some of us out in the cold, or, in my case, tired.

For those who want to trade some winks for a few hours of great music, there are options (all of which start at 10 p.m.).

n Enjoy a night of eclectic music at JJ’s Tuesday courtesy of a double-bill with out-of-towners Bombadil joining a local trio Band Legrand. Check the latter out at myspace.com/bandlegrand. I’m fond of “This Is the Jam.” Cover is $5.

n Two artists making Scenic City sophomore appearances tonight are Israeli rockers/asylum escapees Monotonix, who are returning to JJ’s, and former Drive-By Trucker Jason Isbell. Covers are $8 and $12, respectively.