If the crowds are too much and the lines at the bar are too long across the street at Phoenix and down Avenue A at Eastern Bloc, you can always drop by the low-keyed Section 8 (218 Ave. A), a gay neighborhood bar with the usual ingredients for East Village conviviality: decent beers on tap, a pool table, and a rockin' juke box. This is a good bet if you're hanging out with a group of friends and want a space suitable for conversation and gathering. Hard to say why it's not more popular - there's nothing at all wrong with Section 8, but it somehow hasn't quite developed much more than a local following.
On the plus side, the bar has decent lighting, which is a rarity in this part of town, where lounges tend to be unbelievably dark and/or with the tawdry pink glare you'd expect of a cheap whore house.