Eyes Wide Shut: The Review

I'm not gonna lie, two days before Machel's concert I started debating whether or not to sell my tickets. It seemed like everyone was going to Kes and for a lil while I even wondered if this concert was going to flop. I am soooooo glad that I ended up sticking to my original plan. Machel was bess!

I got to DC Star at around midnight and got in easily, the line was short and the entry process ran smoothly. It was interesting to see that they searched/scanned people a grand total of three times before they were allowed in. I guess they were taking no chances, which was wise considering the reputation of that neighborhood and the fact that Machel concerts tend to have their own brand of wileness as we all know. As iffy as I had been about the type of crowd that would have been there all my concerns disappeared once I walked in the club. The party had rel vibes and it was clear that everyone was just there to have a good time.

We jammed, wined and wukked up courtesy Dj Super Slice for a lil bit then it was time for the performances. Farmer Nappy came out first and did his thing and then it was time for the Soca King himself, Mr Montano. (I was secretly hoping for a lil Patrice too but she was MIA this rounds). I must say I thoroughly enjoyed Machel's performance. Yes things got a lil wild in front the stage but being a Machel veteran I know how to hold my own in a crowd like that. When I couldnt take the jammin anymore I headed to the 'middle' of the club where I could still see Machel but without all those ppl advantaging my poor toes lol. And yes as other people have testified Machel did do his usual vulgarity on stage but ummm...ppl is Machel we talkin about here, what did you expect?! Every Machel concert I've been to there's always been him playing with his nipple ring, winin up a storm and ALWAYS some thirst grls/women in front the stage trying to grab his crotch. The only difference was that this time he said and I quote

"Ladies in front the stage, alyuh could stop trying to pull down my pants cuz guess what, I not going home with any of you!"

LMAO! They looked so ashamed afterwards!

Special Guest Walker made an appearance which I loved as With or Without You has always been one of my fave songs. He even put down a small wine on the stage, and what can I say, 'A' for effort lol.

This was hands down one of the best events for the weekend, Machel performed from around 2am to like 4:30 (after begging management for extra time) and joked that we were gonna make him miss his flight. He later replied to my tweet saying that he made it tho :)





At one point one of my friends turned to me and said "Damn I forgot Machel had all these tunes yes!" From Too Young to Soca, to Pretty Gyal to Advantage we heard it all! What had me laughing is that while DC Star was getting advantaged....the Kes concert was already over. I heard that Kes was off the stage by 2:30am and the party finished soon after. A lot of my friends were totin that Machel was on stage for so long, to the point that at 4:30 I had to send a mass text letting them know it was over and they could stop totin and go to bed lol.

Long story short Machel officially brought my carnival vibe back, by the end of the concert I was making plans to be on the road the next day and bbming my friend asking for Indigo tix. So thank you Machel, for saving MY DC CARNIVAL!

C'est Fini!

DC Carnival weekend ended last night. Overall I had a great weekend, there were definitely some ups and downs but at the end of the day I totally enjoyed myself.

My first event was the Launch Party at Bar 7 on Wednesday. It was exactly what you would expect for a warm up party, a more lounge than club type setting and a chill crowd (well except when wotless and where yuh from' played). The event was free with happy hour from 10pm to 11pm. The crowd was a tad uptown as I think at least half of the people there just kinda wandered in after work and found themselves in the middle of a carnival party. This was evidenced by what one patron said to DJ Hazzard (see his tweets about it below). I just about flatlined when I saw this, I mean who goes to a soca party and asks for Trey Songz?? LOL



I do know there was at least one weirdo in the mix who approached my friend with the opening line of "yo ma you aint got no panties on huh?" -_- I kid you not. We couldnt even be that mad because it was obvious that he was really drunk and we also didnt want to cause a scene so we just moved as far away from him as possible. Other than that it was a good night. This was a nice addition to the Carnival weekend line up and I hope they have it again next year. A link to the photo album for the event is below.

http://www.facebook.com/DeeJayHazzard?ref=ts#!/media/set/?set=a.751389866610.2183269.8908404


ONE
This event was held on Carnival Thursday and basically replaced TRIBE's Ignite. I missed Ignite last year but did attend it in '09 and I must say I prefer Ignite to ONE. ONE was held at the Muse Nightclub which was a tad too small for the crowd imo. Also, a lot of people including myself were a little upset that it ended at 2am which is typical for dc clubs during the week but not of course the usual finishing time for carnival parties. Hopefully next year they find a club that facilitates a later end time.

At that point of the week I honestly was not feeling the Carnival vibe at all and was still adamant that I would not on the road on Saturday and would not be attending Indigo. Particularly after Thursday night I just was not feeling the hype that I usually get so close to the actual Carnival weekend.

That all changed after Friday night....to be continued!