Picture this scene. A dimly lit exuberantly plush backroom, uber private, getting access to this room is more difficult than finding Beerfest, and then sprinkled with finding the center of the Labryinth. If you don’t pass David Bowie holding a glass ball enchanting you with sweet soft melodies you are for sure going the wrong way.
In this room Dom Perignon and Cristal flow from bottles as fast as oil is spilling into the Gulf of Mexico. Sitting at this table is Dos Equis’ Most Interesting man in the world, Larry King and of course none other than DiscoverSD.com’s own Party Jeff. But with one of the busiest party weekends approaching quickly would San Diego be ready for a weekend without Party Jeff?
Without hesitation San Diego answered with a bellowing and resounding YES! With huge names performing in town this Memorial Day Weekend, there was no shortage of Party Jeff imposters.
Starting Wednesday with Hypercrush at Voyeur, I prepared myself to expect the unexpected. As the crowd started rolling in and buses pulling up, I quickly realized this is exactly what I expected. Thank goodness SDSU was done for the semester because every stereotypical sorority girl was in tow behind her man-boy. You know who I’m taking about, the kid on the freeway in the M3 that passes you looking B-rad from Malibu’s Most Wanted with his bro posse following him as if he’s Moses leading the Chosen People thru the desert. The night got off to a quick start and Washington Apples and Gummy Bears were being poured left and right, B-rad and his boys next to the bar about to drop some Jager Bombs to celebrate the hotties in the club.
Queue fist pumping warm ups and stretches and before you could say “totally awesome” Hypercrush took the stage. Let’s admit it, Voyeur knows how to put on a show and give the crowd, the fans, the groupies and the musically retarded what they want. LED wall in full effect, background track blasting song one began…awesome a cover song. At this point I look down at the crowd and they are going bananas. WTF? I mull over what is transpiring for maybe 1 min, turn around to talk with my friend and blink and Hypercrush is no where to be seen. Are you kidding me? Really? Hey Hypercrush … guess what you aren’t that cool. But what do I know. Voyeur rocked it, the crowd ate it up and they will always be back for more.
With the night coming to an end I see B-rad Jr. hopped up on Jager shots and “Goose and mixers” getting all caveman on some poor scenester who has no idea he stumbled into the SDSU jungle. Funny enough though as I was leaving at the end of the night I see a “B-rad” poser outside asking what happened because he started a fight with the wrong guy and wound up sans one tooth. I guess Daddy will have to get someone a set of veneers for a graduation present. Even without the presence of Party Jeff this was one night to remember.
Thursday brought us Eddie Halliwell at Fluxx which was a night of sparkler runs and San Diego’s finest experiencing EDM with a grand light and sound system. There was no shortage of guys with Ed Hardy shirts of dragons raping lions on skateboards and ladies in dresses small enough to be hand towels held up with dental floss. Who are we kidding? Fluxx is the place to be seen at and you want to be noticed when you are there, so with that in mind the crowd dressed to impress.
The Scene: View Eddie Halliwell at FLUXX party photos.
Fluxx has invested enough into their sound system and lighting that even if MC Hammer was headlining he would still sound good, but by teaming up with the original DJ booking, ancient powerhouse Eventvibe this night was sure to be a good one. With Party Jeff’s alter ego Business Jeff’s work lair directly across the street for easy access to intervene on any bottle service emergency that may occur this would have been the perfect night for PJ to flex his boozing muscles and save the night. But alas he was in Vegas running amok in the streets and living it up at any nightclub who would allow him bottle service. Which from the status reports on Facebook was all of them and he made it a point to take advantage of that. The good news was that at this point there was no mention of PJ trying to get into his own suitcase and be tossed from the balcony of his suite…yet.
Walking from Fluxx to Voyeur in hopes of catching some Party Jeff like antics I poked my head into Xavier’s to see if his VIP table in the back was seated but even they were feeling the effects of PJ’s departure to Sin City. His private table was dusty with the platinum reserved sign barely visible through the cobwebs. Can’t anyone fill his shoes in his absence? Thursday night at Voyeur was its usual North Park hipster crowd with loud banging electro brought to you by Them Jeans. Local badass resident DJ’s Shark Attack (Pat and Mike) and family were trying hard to take a bite of the standard of booze related antics set by PJ by having bottle service but they just could not reach the same level of “Voyhavior” this place has come to expect from Party Jeff. Well hopefully Friday night can bring the true partiers out and take the crown of crunk from the Michael Jordan of partying.
Markus Schulz, Feddie Le Grand, Fluxx, Hard Rock, hell even Star Wars in concert, the odds were too good for someone to not pull a PJ. Wrong! Come on San Diego, this is not a good way to start off MDW. How can events sell out and no one can seem to get out of control enough.
Markus Schulz was sold out a week before he played and Voyeur was alive and jumping. He brought amazing sounds and the crowd loved it. As he was taking his final bows, signing sweaty t-shirts and napkins, the crowd was chanting for one more song and bras started flying on stage I felt my heart skip a beat because I knew that potentially something amazing may happen after. Butterflies in my stomach I knew that this was the start of PJ antics and the best was yet to come. Then the crowd started filing out, one by one, like lemmings to cliff. NO! Come back my inner voice yelled, you have yet to fulfill your destiny, there is so much trouble to cause. No dustpans and brooms being swung over head in a fit of sexual rage, no stumbling around asking for more bottles of Veuve, no after parties where it’s like the movie Fear and Loathing followed by a morning of The Hangover. But that made me think, could Party Jeff actually end up with a baby and Mike Tyson’s tiger in his suite. So right to Facebook I went and it was a gallery of awesome posts describing his adventures in the town that never sleeps. It was at this point I began to lose faith in San Diego. But I knew that if there was going to be redemption it would be on Sunday Day/Night. How could we not live up to the challenge this town gladly accepted? With the anticipation of Deadmau5 at intervention and Voyeur invading Wavehouse with LA Riots and Dirty South and the same show at Voyeur that night for sure someone could keep the royal seat of PJ warm until he comes home.
All we had to do was survive Saturday’s 98.1 Smooth Jazz Festival which filled downtown with the soothing sounds of world class jazz acts and the delicious intoxicating aroma of swisher sweets. This daytime festival filled the streets with people experiencing downtown for the first time but the monstrous construction of green fences and guard rails killed the night life but would have made perfect hurdles for anyone willing to give Elite security a run for their money. Where was PJ when we needed him? Oh that’s right. Vegas. Downing $1100 bottles of champagne pulling all nighters with after parties filled with cotton candy. Damn him…
11 am Sunday morning, I arrive at Wavehouse prepared for the day’s shenanigans and this is the day he is removed from the throne. I can feel it in my bones like a Vietnam Vet knowing it’s going to rain. Without any delay guys are walking around shirtless straight from the gym, muscles flexed, tribal tattoos in full effect and double fisting plastic pitchers of bud light. It starts to fill early so I make my way to the raised DJ booth so I don’t accidently catch a fist pump to the eye. Sure enough right in front of the stage I witness Techno Jersey Shore and Techno Screech fist pumping away and dancing around like crazed fanatics. These two guys are going to make my day, these are the guys to watch for the day because if anything crazy is going to happen these two have the highest probability of being involved. Don’t worry fellows I have my eye on you. Like the eye of Sauron from Lord of the Rings I am watching everything going on today. I see all.
The Scene: View Voyeur Wavehouse Invasion party photos.
The openers Florence and Normandie and Rifat Ziadeh warm up the crowd and by the time LA Riots take over the booth there is hardly any room left in this venue. Good thing Techno Stephen Hawking got an early spot in front of the booth to fist pump the day away because this crowd was not going anywhere. Booze was flowing like the purifying water of Lake Minnetonka and there was no shortage of people wanting to cleanse themselves. Sadly I had to leave to prepare myself for the night I was going to experience with LA Riots and Dirty South at Voyeur later that night. Bring it San Diego. With stories flowing in from across town at Intervention I had my ear to the ground waiting to hear of anything that could trump what PJ would have brought to the party. A successful day, killer sounds, hot bodies and the rejects from MTV’s smash hit “Jersey Shore” were all I was to hear about though. Overall, two killer parties, two different venues and no one brave enough to step up to the plate and hit a PJ fastball out of the park.
Sunday May 30. Doors open at 9pm. Location=Voyeur. Sold out day of, and still there is a high demand of divas and douches who expect to get in. Tables are sat, booze is served and music like this place has never heard. If you thought LA Riots had brought it before, think again. And as for Dirty South, holy f bombs Batman. Amazing. Business Jeff’s partner Nadav Wilf (Party Jeff’s roommate) can coorbaorate the insane party that night and can confirm that PJ was truly missed.
I knew that PJ still had at least one more party in Vegas to attend and I couldn’t wait to hear the stories upon the return of my confidential sources. The best one I heard was PJ in the tub, wearing a Brett Michaels wig bandanna and all, a la Crying Game saying he was going to “die alone”. Yes there are pictures to prove it.
All in all, San Diego by far had one of it’s best weekends ever talent and party wise, but without PJ here there is no doubt that it could never be an historical weekend. From the stories I couldn’t write about it would seem that Vegas got the best of Party Jeff this weekend and he was truly missed.
“My name is Party…and I like to Jeff”
Party Jeff 2010
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