Well gang, Labor Day has come and gone and I'm still nursing a hangover whose scope can only be compared to all three Lord of the Rings movies.
This year, I decided to approach each night differently. I kept Friday on the goodie side. My best friend Matt and I decided on a boys' night out with a trip to the Farnsworth Bentley pajama party at Risqué. I wasn't expecting too much from this—I don't think dress-up works en masse ... unless its Pimp 'N Ho. Needless to say, I didn't spot the famous butler. Still, the crowd and vibe were damn good and it was a fun time, minus pajamas.
Matt and I just spent the rest of the night at our favorite watering hole, Tabú. Studio 54 was jumping, like that's any surprise. These two spots are always kicking, holiday weekend or not.
My Saturday approach was tied to the night's main event, Pimp 'N Ho at the Orleans Events Center. I traded in my best friend for two smokin' babes, decked myself out in the height of pimp fashion, and hit the scene. The sold-out party was like no other. The scale and madness made me quake, and the music and vibe were spot-on. On the downside, I didn't dig the no-smoking policy. On the upside, I barely saw any cheap "insta-pimps." The crowd went out of their way to find and create original getups.
Because my hos took awhile to get ready, I missed DJ Donald Glaude's set. Luckily he was headlining after-hours at Ice. I stopped by afterwards and was treated to the best set of his I'd ever heard.
Sunday saw me back at Ice to catch Paul Oakenfold. The last time I saw him, some called my response downright hostile. He was on tour to support his CD Bunkka, which I hated, and which might have colored my judgment.
I wanted to sit and listen in a scholarly manner and see if my dislike was a fluke. It was.
His set was loud, exciting and pounding like a seven-nation army marching on a path of utter destruction. He bounced, danced and the crowd loved him. He was taking some of the older trance sounds and mixing them up with heavy-as-hell rock-like beats. The beats also went tribal. Plus, he kept the crowd happy with plenty of old rave favorites. I still don't like Bunkka, but oh well.
If you missed the show, don't fret. Oakenfold rocks Ice again this Saturday in an encore performance. As if that isn't reason enough to go, the night is also a fund-raiser, with a percentage of profits going to benefit the 9/11 fund.
Antonio Llapur walks softly and carries a big club. E-mail him at
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