My friend Debbie, however IS in the fan club, and she entered the contest.
When the contest winners were notified, I saw that many people I knew had won, and I was happy for them. I jokingly offered people that they could sleep at my house for free if they took me to concert with them. I didn't get any takers. It didn't occur to me that I might actually get to go. I was happy for my friends who DID win, and everyone was very excited.
Then, my phone rang.
My friend Debbie called, she said she had won a pair of tickets and she asked me to go with her. I said yes.
I have not known Debbie very long. We 'met' in a Duran Duran group on Facebook back in October, and we hadn't talked much since then.
Until April.
A friend of mine (a DJ) had organised a Duran Duran tribute night at a club that we go to, and I had posted the link in several groups on Facebook. Debbie saw it, and we started talking again.We found that we had a lot in common (especially Simon LeBon) and we just hit it off. She came for the DD tribute night, and then she came to the same club about 2 weeks later for my birthday. We danced til 3:00 am and we have been in touch with each other almost every day since.
The e-mail that was sent to the winners gave very few details. We were told that the concert would be short (4-5 songs) and in the evening. We were told we could dress any way we wish, and we had to be over 18. That was about it.
THERE WAS NO MENTION OF CAKE.
Because I had gotten a chance to go, and almost everyone I knew was going, I tried to get a ticket for my best friend, Eileen. One of my friends knew a girl who had won, and that girl didn't have '+1' to go with her, so we asked if Eileen could go. I contacted Eileen, and I put the two of them in touch with each other. (Thank you, Lauren....it was really nice of you to share your ticket with someone that you had never even met.You rock!!)
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| 'See What Unfolds - LIVE!' (mayhem, that's what) |
I had friends who had been on line since 11:30 that morning. I had already asked them to let the people on line with them know that we would be joining them later. I have waited on line for general admission many times, and I know how annoyed I would get when someone would cut in front of me, but the policy was that the VIP's and their '+1' had to enter together. I won't go into the details of who needed to go with who, but it added much un-necessary stress.
There was the usual 'I have been here this long, and you just got here' vibe when they started moving the line so we could get in.When they came through to check our ID's and give us bracelets, you could FEEL the tension. People were getting antsy, and the girl handing out the bracelets looked seriously stressed out.
"They didn't warn you about 'Duranies'...did they?" I asked her. She laughed, and replied,
"No...they didn't!'
Eventually they let us in and we headed straight for the front. We had heard rumors of water, and champagne and cake but I didn't believe it until I saw the sign taped to the front of the barrier warning us that:
'Steve Aoki performs an interactive show. Objects (including food) may be thrown into the audience'
They also warned us that large inflatable raft would be 'surfed' over the crowd.
I was still in denial.
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| DJ Steve Aoki's Command Control Center |
There was a vibe amongst the Duranies in the crowd to hold your spot, and don't let anyone get in front of you. I have a hard time with this. While I don't really care how many people are in front me, I still want to see the show. I must admit that I did not stand on line all day, I DID meet up with others who had been there earlier, and held a spot for me. BUT there were people who had been on line longer (and others who had NOT) but I wasn't about to argue TOO much about what was only 5-12 inches closer to the stage. Not everyone felt this way. Duranies are territorial. Especially when they have been standing on line for most of the day, in 100 degree heat. While we waited for the show to start there were several instances of Duranies fighting to get positions close to the stage. When the crowd shifted (through no ones fault) two Duranies behind me started fighting about their positions. They were really loud, and at one point I was genuinely concerned that one of them was going to hit the other. It never happened, but later on one of them would be involved in another altercation.
We were NOT told that Steve Aoki would be performing for about an HOUR before Duran Duran even came on stage. We were NOT told that our hard-won spots at the front would be eradicated when they made us all take two steps back so that the 'Steve Aoki Super-Fans' could be in front of the stage.
This did NOT go over well.
Up until that point I had been in the equivalent of the second row, and I now found myself pushed back to the fourth.This actually turned out to be a good thing as the fans in front of me took the majority of the hits from the green frosted cake that was hurled into the crowd.
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| The happy recipient of a cake in the face. |
Green icing spattered everywhere, and the floor began to get treacherous. Sure enough, an inflatable raft was loaded with fans who rode two at a time over the surface of the crowd. It was actually pretty cool, and the Steve Aoki fans were really into it. The Duranies (myself included) were pretty much just trying to get through the whole ordeal so that we could FINALLY see Duran Duran. A Duranie (female) behind me got into a huge argument with an Aoki fan (male) and there was physical contact. It was pretty scary.
The Aoki fans were mainly 18 - 23 year olds who were there for what they perceived to be THEIR show, and in all, I think they were actually quite tolerant of the Duranies who had their own set of priorities. Aside from the multiple assaults on my senses, my biggest complaint about the Aoki portion of the evening was that all of his songs sounded the same. One song blended into another so that by the end, it felt like I had been listening to the same song for over an hour.
My feet were beginning to get numb when Duran Duran finally took to the stage. Along with Steve Aoki, they remixed a version of 'Hungry Like the Wolf'. It was pretty cool, and the Aoki fans seemed to get into it.
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| Steve Aoki and Duran Duran remixing 'Hungry Like the Wolf' |
When that was over, Aoki left the stage,a bunch of his fans left the front and I got to move forward again.
The dance floor was now coated with green frosting/slime, and the crowd was so packed in that dancing was impossible. But I managed to hold my own, and only minimal damage was done to my shoes and feet. The set was short (we were told that it would be) and sweet:
'Girl Panic!'
'Girl Panic!'
'Notorious'
'Sunrise'
'Wild Boys'
'Sunrise'
'Wild Boys'
The entire band performed well, and they seemed to be having a great time. Despite several cheers from the audience (including myself) John's birthday was not at all recognized. I managed to shout out one last 'Happy Birthday' at the end of the show. Simon heard me (though JT did not) and he smiled and nodded at me in acknowledgement.
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| Roger, Nick and Simon watch as Steve Aoki thanks them for working with him. (sorry, I cut you out of the picture, JT) |
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| The Bass God / Birthday Boy |
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| The man *I* came to see, Simon LeBon |
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| It's just not Duran Duran without the JoSi |
This was an insane experience. Clearly the Aoki fans knew what to expect and the Duranies did not. It was an odd mix in the crowd. I don't know who's idea it was to mix 19-23 year old ravers with a bunch of middle-aged territorial Duranies. Someone thought it was a good idea.
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| Cynthia (right) and Debbie (left) rest their tired, green slimed feet on the train back to Long Island |
The Duran Duran portion of the evening was great, and I'm glad that I got to be a part of it.However, I think that we (the Duranies) should have been told what to expect. I think if we had been told that getting cake thrown at us, and being doused in water and champagne was part of the show many of us would have opted to play it safe and enjoyed the show from the upper level viewing areas.The contest was presented to the Duranies as a unique VIP experience and it felt like anything but. I did not see any of the Aoki fans on the same line that the Duranies had been on all afternoon, and yet they were allowed to go in front of us inside the venue. Some of them didn't leave or move back after the Aoki portion was finished. While I do like the idea that they were interested enough in Duran Duran to stay and listen, I was disappointed that it was at the Duranies expense.I can understand the effect that Steve Aoki was going for, and his fans were clearly game for the experience, and I have no doubt that when the vibe is right it can be quite an experience.
But why add 40-something year old Duranies to the mix?
The event was called 'See What Unfolds - Live' and that makes me wonder if that was the idea all along. Throw these rave kids and these Duranies together and see what unfolds....LIVE!
What DID unfold was an experience which I doubt satisfied either of the parties involved. If the idea was to bring the group together and to get us to hum on the same frequency, then that certainly did not happen.I enjoyed watching this one raver-girl in particular as she was clearly enthralled by the whole thing. She got to join Steve Aoki on stage, and she got to ride in the inflatable raft. She reminded me of myself. She was there to get as close as possible to this artist whose work speaks to her.
The rest is a matter of taste.
Call me an old fart if you want, but I prefer NOT to have cake and stuff thrown at me.
I can't help it.
Certainly an experience to be experienced...I too had a blast. Would have preferred to eat cake and drink champagne in a civilized manner at a nice restaurant with the boys and discuss bass lines and guitar riffs.
ReplyDeletenow THAT would have felt like a VIP experience.
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