What A Way To End A Series

Well, it’s been a long time coming but I figured it’s time to finally write about the last concert of the Hollywood Bowl series. I finally got the photos and video in order and I didn’t wanna look like a chump if I didn’t get this up before Miss Sin wrote up our latest MOCA outing. It’s just, I’ve been a little busy permenantly borrowing things lately.

Luckly for Miss Sin my friend that I had bought the tickets with wasn’t gonna be able to attend. Don’t worry Alesha you were missed, and Miss Sin definitely stepped up and earned her seat that’s for sure. Neither one of us went hungry on this outting, The Chef stepped up and made one bombin’ dinner for us to enjoy in the park before the show. This being my third show I’d pretty much perfected the route up and the parking situation so we had plenty of time to relax and enjoy the meal.

Once fed we headed for our seats with our lips on fire. Tonight we would be enjoying one of The Thiefs home made beverages to the sounds of Jose Gonzalez, Herbert (Definitely was on something), Zero 7 (joined by Sia and Jose Gonzalez), and Gotan Project. It would be a show to remember, with Jose Gonzalez opening with an acoustic set with some amazing guitar playing and an unbelievable voice. Jose was followed up by Herbert, an LA local performing in his pajamas with his crazy band, not the best music I’ve ever heard but it was entertaining as hell.

The main acts of the night were Zero 7 accompanied by Jose Gonzalez and Sia. It was an amazing set with both Sia and Jose doing solo and duo perfomances. By now the sun had set and the stage always looks amazing at night. Gotan Project wrapped up the night for us with almost an hour set with some of the most amazing stage visuals I’ve ever seen at a show before, and man does there Acordian player kick ass!!

All and all it was a fantastic night and everyone left satisfied. We even managed to catch the end of the Emmy’s in a near by market while we were enjoying a little late night snack while we waiting for the parking situation to clear up. So thanks goes out to all the acts that made this a very memorable evening.

 

Culture & Crystal Method in the City

So Saturday night rolled around, and the VIP Team was once again reunited on another fun mission. En route we made a brief pit stop at a little coffee shop called Caffe Americano, in the heart of Koreatown (K-town to the natives), where The Thief was treated to a little bit of The Chef’s hidden bilingual skills. After a little coffee to wake us up, we found ourselves among skyscrapers and one way streets in Downtown LA, headed towards MOCA (Museum of Contemporary Art). [On a side note, there was a photo shoot of some chick in a bikini on one of the lower streets going on which we passed by. Seth & I will also be featured in the calendar...we're the month of August.]

Now, what were we at MOCA for you ask? Yes, we’re cultured; yes, we can appreciate art; but more importantly, The Crystal Method was performing live! It was part of a concert series at MOCA that included arts & crafts for the kids at heart, as well as a kickass show.

We took a stroll through the museum first and looked at the different pieces of art. While some were impressive, some were just…how do you say…weird. Or like a 5 year old could’ve created it. But hey, I guess if it’s in MOCA, it’s art. Thankfully the Thief kept his hands in his pockets throughout the museum, saving me from developing an ulcer from fear that we’d be escorted out by security. We putzed around the MOCA store afterwards, had a few drinks, and then came The Crystal Method. We listened, danced and watched as the inevitable glowsticks came out as the crowd surrounded the dancer and bopped to the beat. The best parts of the night had to have been the older (at least 50 year old) people dancing around like they were still teenagers.

After about an hour set, The Crystal Method signed off and we left the Downtown skyline and headed to Canter’s Deli, a legendary deli up the street from The Chief’s residence. A nice nightcap meal and a glass of milk for The Thief later (GROSS!), we headed back to our respective homes to rest up for the kickass show awaiting us on Sunday…

Catch you at the next post,
Sincerica Sin

 

V.I.P. Team goes solo…

Well, Sunday night was supposed to be a full-on V.I.P. Team effort to the illustrious Geisha House. However, our resident Thief decided to party it up a little too hard on Saturday night and thus missed an amazing night of free booze and free food. The Chef had to fly solo for this bad boy, but I think I was up to the task. I brought along a few potential future V.I.P. teammates to see how they handled the V.I.P. pressure.

The party being thrown was for Raw Vodka. The theme of the party was “I’m not going to remember your name in the morning anyway,” so upon entering, everyone was given a fake name. To illustrate, my name was “Iva Bigguns” and my friends’ names were “Slutty Minx” and “Hugh G. Cock”. You get the picture. The party was being held on the second floor, which had booths and an open floor in the middle with an open roof too, which was awesome. There was even an area that was kind of a stage area with cool couches and a table. It happened to be occupied by a guy in a green snakeskin cowboy hat, which I thought was tre classy.

Open bar was from 7-8, so of course I took full advantage of it. About an hour and eight drinks later, the sushi and hors d’oeuvres started flowing. Crispy rice with spicy tuna, every kind of roll imaginable, and shrimp, beef and chicken skewers. Between the food and drinks, I gotta tell you, it was one great night. The Thief was sorely missed, but I still managed to have a great time. Next time, I expect you to rally young man.

This is Iva Bigguns, and I’m out.

 

Tennis Anyone

This past Sunday The V.I.P Team found themselves headed to the La Costa Resort and Spa for what would be a beautiful sunny, jam packed day full of good food, plenty of drinks, and a heated match of women’s professional tennis.

The morning started out with an early drive down the 405 with a pit stop at the Gypsy Den located at The Lab in Costa Mesa for some coffee and a quick bit to eat. As you can imagine from the title it was a dim lit, low key, quiet place where The V.I.P Team’s status would not be an issue and they could sit undisturbed while they sipped there Mocha’s and Latte’s wondering what the day would bring.

After breakfast it was back on the road and before long they were bypassing the long line of cars waiting to park at the match with a simple wave of the V.I.P parking pass. No charge and no line and parked just steps from the courts.

Once inside the first order of business for the Team was to locate the Acura V.I.P tent where they were told a feast and bottomless drinks awaited them. In no time they had found the tent and were seated and eating and drinking the afternoon away. Not a bad way to pass the time until the match started.

The match started shortly after and to the V.I.P Team’s delight they would be watching the young pro Maria Sharipova battle it out with one of the all time champs Kim Clijster, for the Acura Classic title. Sure enough it was quiet the battle with La Costa favorite Kim Clijster eventually losing out to the younger up and coming Sharipova.

After the match and following each set with another round of drinks it was time for a much needed walk around the grounds. Little fresh air never hurt anyone.

And with that V.I.P Team bid farewell to La Costa and ended the day with a drive up route 1 leading them through Laguna Beach and Newport and thoughts of what sort of event would bring them to one of this towns one day.

 

Trying to avoid the paparrazi…

Sin speaking here:

Wednesday nights may be a down night for most people, but you know that there’s no such thing as rest for the V.I.P. Team. Seth had sniffed out a spot called the Bourgeois Pig in Hollywood, located across the street from the oh-so-inconspicuous Scientology Celebrity Center (unfortunately, we didn’t have any Suri Holmes-Cruise sightings). After circling about five times looking for a parking spot, we came to our senses, got back in touch with our VIP roots, and rocked the valet.

We first walked into a sweet little record and book shop where Seth browsed for records and I browsed through the cookbooks. After a little while, we made our way to the Bourgeois Pig. We walked in, music was blaring and the barista looked like he had had about 20 too many espresso shots. The clientele consisted of hipster kids and people with their noses in their laptops, along with the couple playing a really bad game of pool. (I have to give the barista big ups for the awesome foam he made for my cappuccino, by the way). The barista must’ve recognized us too and knew our VIP status – he hooked it up with some free ice blended drinks while we were waiting for the ones we ordered. There was a cool little nook in the back of The Pig with some couches, where Seth & I lounged and got our caffeine fix.

After a little bit, we headed out and went to a nifty little shop next door that had all the most interesting knick-knacks, toys and books that could be crammed into one store. I won’t spoil the details of what’s in there – you’ll just have to experience the magic for yourself. And wouldn’t you know, after we left the cool little shop, we walked right by a restaurant/bar called Birds that just happened to be having happy hour (1/2 off drinks) from 11-12. (They must’ve known we were coming). We sipped on our VTs (vodka tonics) and watched the place pretty much get packed within the first 10 minutes of the beginning of happy hour. We bounced, got into the car and took a lengthy self-guided tour through the Hollywood Hills. Even though we’re not quite sure who lived in which house, I’m sure Brad Pitt and Kevin Spacey caught a glimpse of the VIP Team as we wandered through the Hills.

We then embarked on a couple failed attempts to find an open bar, but never fear, the trusty Tom Bergin’s Irish pub was there for us. Situated just 100 yards away from the Casa de Sin, it was an ideal place to end the night. A couple beers, some quality jukebox DJing by the resident DJ Seth Thomas and excellent conversation was all that was needed to finish off a night. However, the VIP Team doesn’t end the night without a bang. The Thief inside came out in Seth and one mischievous look told me he had some plan up his sleeve. Let’s just say thank you to Tom Bergin’s for the new Red Bull drink mat that is now decorating Seth’s kitchen. When you visit and see it, just remember that you’re seeing a little bit of history right there.

And thus ended the mid-week adventure of the VIP Team. No one else knows how to party it up on a Wednesday night…

 

The Night That Started It All

Spoken by Seth (The Thief):

So a couple weeks ago I happened to find myself on the receiving end of a V.I.P. hook up at the House Of Blues for the Jurassic 5 concert. I knew they were playing there this week and their new album came out yesterday, and yeah I wanted to go but didn’t have the money for it.

It just so happened that on Saturday I meant a friend of a friend that used to work there and apparantely still had some connections. Well actually a lot of connections. I had mentioned it to her at dinner Saturday night and she said that she’d see what she could do. No go on Monday but she called me on Tuesday and said that she had gotten tickets. I headed up around 9 o’clock to a packed house and a got a tour of the third floor which I never knew exsisted. The much quieter, cooler, laid back, and private floor. Where the offices are, the dressing rooms are, the private decked out dining rooms/lounges are, and even the room that Prince hangs out in every time he comes there.

The show was insane, the seats at the railing over looking the whole show were even better. I’m not gonna go into detail about the concert cus some people that read this are going in August and I don’t want to spoil anything, but I will say it’s the best show I’ve ever seen em do. I will say this though, you’re not gonna get to see Tom Green make a guest apperrance at the end of the night and bust out a freestyle rap that blew the roof off the building. That kinda stuff only happens in Hollywood baby.

So thanks to Erica (aka Miss Sin) for the tickets, the tour, and even better company, thanks to J5 for an awesome show, and thanks to House of Blues for letting me into the Foundation Room. See you again soon, I have a feeling Miss Sin and I are going to be unleashing trouble on the clubs very, very soon.

I don’t know what all the braclets mean but I needed everyone of them