Getting LAI'd Consistently

[EVENT REVIEW - LA Influence Monthly Social, Long Beach, CA | August 5, 2011]

After a self-imposed 3-month hiatus from salsa, I decided to make my "comeback" last Friday at the LAI Salsa social. It's been a while since I last attended an LAI event but I already knew what to expect and I wasn't disappointed.

What can one expect at this social?

• Packed House --- 280 guests (and counting?) --- although even with the crowd, there was plenty of room to dance.
• Great Lessons --- Peter and his crew delivered a wonderful class...infused not only with clean technique, but also proper etiquette.
• Awesome Music --- DJ Mambo T made it hard to sit still churning out one great song after another.
• Delicious Food --- All that dancing can make a person ravenous and the plate of $1 tacos I had disappeared very quickly. 
• Exceptional Performance --- The LAI team, which doesn't always perform at the social, looked sharp and on-point during their exciting routine. Peter and Ciara did a great job choreographing this piece with touches of rueda, salsa, intricate transitions, and tricks. This team will definitely stand out at future festivals and competitions. 
• Welcoming Atmosphere & Vibe --- When I walked in, I was greeted with smiles and hugs. It felt like I was coming home. The vibe at this social is never pretentious or cliquish. I managed to dance so many times, I lost count...and I was able to get dances in with people I'd never met before. I stayed so long, we closed the place down --- "You don't have to go home, but you gotta get the hell up outta here!!" LOL

All in all, what I found that night (and in the nights I'd attended since February) is that for Peter, Ciara and their team, CONSISTENCY is their key to success. I had an amazing time --- I already knew I would --- and I can hardly wait until next month.

Until then...

Prince @ The Forum: Nuit Dix-Huit

[SET LIST — PRINCE @ the Forum | May 27, 2011]


Opening ::: NIKKA COSTA!!!!
833pm
LIKE A FEATHER
NYLONS IN A RIP
KEEP PUSHIN'
EVERYBODY'S GOT THEIR SOMETHIN
CAN'T PLEASE EVERYBODY

923
Lights come down...new lightning sequence on stage Prince solo entrance, goes directly to the piano for...
Sample Teaser Medley:
WHEN DOVES CRY (whole song)/NASTY GIRL/SIGN OF THE TIMES/TMBGITW/ALPHABET ST./4EVER IN MY LIFE - full first verse and chorus/DARLING NIKKI/HOT THING (messup on lyrics)/I WOULD DIE 4 U


DMSR
POP LIFE (Renato on keys... Band costume change)
MUSICOLOGY/PRINCE & THE BAND (Prince rips shirt open!!! Woot!!!) Maceo Parker on horns!!!!
SHHH (prince hasn't picked up guitar yet) into U WILL B WITH ME back into SHHH extended

Renato on the THE LOVE WE MAKE piano into --- Prince on guitar (finally) --- into TAKE ME WITH YOU
ANOTHERLOVERHOLEINYOHEAD/ROCK LOBSTER ext. ending
PEACH!!!! (Where's my Miko at?? LOL)
(Special Forum talk) into 1999
COOL (Girls sing Don't Stop Till U Get Enough - homage to MJ)
LET'S WORK
U GOT THE LOOK

Break :::
MAKE U FEEL MY LOVE (all girls)
PURPLE RAIN (10 mins long)


ENCORE :::
NIKKA!!!
Beat to CONTROVERSY into LOVE BIZARRE w/ NIKKA and MACEO
CONTROVERSY/HQ chant
Prince pulls an older lady up to dance -- Can U say "GlamSlam Granny???" --- no hotpants, but she was rockin' a leopard print dress!

Celeb sightings --- from crowd pulled onto the stage:::
Holly Robinson Pete
Lisa Kudrow
Celestina -- the Dancer from Musicology & Black Sweat videos --- she was WORKING IT!!!

ENCORE :::
DISCO HEAT
BABY IMA STAR!!! (freaking FINALLY)
KISS


ENCORE 2 :::
NOTHING COMPARES 2 U (with Shelby J)

-------

On NIKKA:
FINALLY!!! After weeks of rumors, she opens for Prince. I happen to LOVE Nikka. Truly, she's the only other artist out there that I would follow like I follow Prince. She's quite a bit easier to "follow" since her diehard fans are faithful, but few compared to Princely standards. I don't have to wait in line for hours on end to get into a venue or to see her take the stage. It was quite exciting to see her in "Prince's House" although a bit bizarre to see her hauling ass across such a huge stage. At one point, as she was strutting down the long catwalk that makes up the bottom of Prince's symbol, she realized that she still had another 50 feet to go and she says into the mic, "Hang on babies, mama's comin!!!" LOL I actually prefer her in a more intimate venue --- especially since the people surrounding me had no idea who she was. "Please stop asking me who she is. Her name is NIKKA COSTA. Google it when you get home."


On MACEO:
Maceo is a legend. And it's always great to see him. Although the addition of him and Mike Phillips late into the LA run was very reminiscent of the MUSICOLOGY tour.

On the AFTERJAM:
I was once again blessed with the opportunity to get into the club. But the crowd was rather large and the afterjam was already underway by the time I got in. Nikka was playing sans Prince and she was rocking the joint. The sound was particularly bad tonight in the club. I'm not sure if it was always this bad, or it just sounded that way because I was way in the back dancing by myself. About 3 songs or so in, Prince sweeps in, flanked by security...sweeps back out after about 2 minutes...and then the show stops abruptly and DJ Rashida starts spinning again. Not sure what happened there, but I'm guessing Prince decided to move the jam session to his house. After dancing for another hour, the club started clearing out and we called it a night.