Play It Again Rob!

Wow Natalie! I loved being there for you, Forrest, your family and friends! You two were so accepting and confident in my abilities from the word go that there was no possibility that your wedding day was going to be anything less than fabulous! I love you guys and look forward to seeing you at more of my club gigs! R! If I may for the folks that may read this without access to my FaceBook account I paste the following: Every once in a while, you meet with clients for a gig, and you hit it off, really hit it off in a way that makes you look forward to the event for which you are hired. I performed at a wedding over the weekend where this was absolutely the case. I found myself really excited for this party: I had met both sets of parents along with the bride and groom, and was struck at how giddy they were that their children were getting married, and how involved everyone seemed to be in the planning. The ceremony and reception were to be a vintage-themed affair, held at a cozy Friends of Nature resort, a nearly 100-year old retreat tucked neatly into the hills of Sierra Madre. I am not going to lie - getting my gear up to the room designated for the dancing was no easy task, but it was the only thing that gave me the slightest twinge. To give you a visual on that, we had to back up a hill to an opening in the courtyard's fence that was so steep, they had to put cinderblocks in front of my tires! It was like being on that ride at Six Flags that backs up before shooting you into oblivion at 80 miles an hour. Once out of the car, all the goodies had to be hauled up a significant flight of stairs to the great room above the terrace. Suffice to say, we got an early start, so we wouldn't have to rush the set-up. The bridal party was dressed in 1940's (ish) attire, and they loved that my playlist favorites were swing, Electro Swing and other oldies. As I set up the lights and speakers, I was already working on my first set in my head, hoping that it would lead right into another, and another after that - in my head, that dance floor was full all night! As we went down into the post-ceremony crowd for dinner, I looked around, feeling out the energy of the party. Everyone - everyone - was beaming at this event. Rarely have I seen such a happy group of guests, and I started to get really amped up to play. As soon as the formalities were completed, I was given the cue to crank up the party, and I launched into my first number - and what better to get the blood and feet moving than "Papa Grande"? Guests began to pour up the stairs and into the room, followed by the flash-popping, pole-dragging hired paparazzi types. As soon as the last of the contracted photos were snapped, those rhythm-killers slouched off into the night, and the mood switched over to high-energy, happy dancing. Before I even completed my first full set, and to everyone's shock and dismay - you guessed it - the cops showed up. It wasn't even 8:30 on a SATURDAY night!!! A compromise was reached - if I kept my sub-woofer turned way down, and the doors closed, I could play music at a "reasonable" level. At l;east, the police didn't come back again... It wasn't what the bride and groom envisioned, but that didn't stop anyone from dancing - even whipping up a conga line and dragging the entire group into an impromptu game of musical chairs! Because the retreat is also where the bridal party (including parents) was staying, we weren't able to go too late into the evening, but I did play into overtime because, well, because they were still dancing and we were all enjoying ourselves! What a GREAT night... This was the kind of gig every DJ dreams about, the reason we DO this stuff: a room full of appreciative guests who love the music, have no problem dancing in bare feet and untucked shirt-tails, and a beautiful space to light up and rock out in. Those happy faces, man... they are going to be with me a long time... More of that, please!!