Date: Thu, 28 May 1998 20:09:17 -0400 ********************************************* Party in Progress (PiP) Report LA One 1998 Special Edition Issue Co-Editors: John Self and Glenn Sigl ********************************************* No, it's not a mirage and you are not dreaming. You are actually reading a Party in Progress (PiP) report. Long time, huh? Well, it's not that we have stopped partying on the circuit (perish the thought); however, there just has been little to write about as of late. We would hate to bore you or waste your time with "cookie cutter" reports that basically say the same thing. So, we decided that we would keep our readers on a "need to know" basis: a circuit party executive summary, if you will. For those who are new to this report, the PiP is designed to give you a quick, easy, biased, opinionated, "don't mean to step on any DJ's toes," and sometimes jaded snapshot of the parties we attend throughout the U.S. We rate each party using the following categories and grading scale: CATEGORIES: The Place/The Space The Music The Boys GRADING SCALE: A - Excellent B - Very Good C - Average D - Below Average F - Failure L A ONE 1998 BACKGROUND INFORMATION: LA One started three years ago as an event to benefit Human Rights Campaign (HRC) organization. This party is hosted by sponsors which means you can only get a ticket if you knew a designated individual. We found this party had a different philosophy than the other sponsor parties out there: (1) pay one reasonable price ($45) (2) don't oversell the party, and (3) everyone's a VIP. In short, LA has set a new standard in sponsorship parties. The question remains: can other cities rise to the challenge? OVERALL RATING: A THE SPACE: A+ The Mayan Theatre. We love theatre spaces and this one is no exception. It possessed a huge dance floor with mammoth Aztec totem poles gracing each corner. The lights were phenomenal: a pyrotechnic "LA ONE" sign started off the evening, a circular steel beam of lights descended to the crowd like a space ship, and two towering air balloon men "danced" in the upper balcony. There was a showstopper: when Madonna's "Ray of Light" started playing, the dance floor darkened and about 800+ flashlights with multi-colored fiber optics at the end were passed through the crowd. Like a wave, the wands started from the stage and made their way to the front. After a minute or two, the whole dance floor glittered. Simply Spectacular! THE MUSIC: B- Mike Durretto. The evening started off great, but the energy lasted only a couple of hours and then declined steadily. Around 3 am, the crowd became subdued. We really wanted to dance our asses off but ended up doing the old "step, touch, step, touch, yawn (repeat)" routine. Our rating reflects Mike's terrific beginning that saved him from a C rating or worse. THE BOYS: A Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful crowd. No surprises here, after all, we were in Los Angeles for God's sake! The boys were from all over (NYC, Miami, San Francisco) and were quite playful. But, this was an evening for being with friends and not necessarily for finding a temporary husband. If you managed to find yourself a trick, consider yourself lucky. SPECIAL THANKS TO: Our hosts, Keith Kaplan and Mike Fitzgerald. You guys showed us a time we will not forget. We'll definitely be back! We would also like to acknowledge the efforts of the LA One planning committee: Stephen Botte, Freeman Fisher, Keith Kaplan, Don Nelson, and Michael Wegman. Your hard work really paid off. Excellence is in the details and you gave it to us in abundance. BRAVO, BRAVO, BRAVO!!! DID YOU KNOW? It seems a gym called CRUNCH has purchased the old Paragon/Icon space on Washington Avenue in South Beach. It seems we will no longer be able to dance in one of Miami's, no, the country's greatest clubs again. Get your bullets out - it's time to do a farewell bump. We will miss it! WHERE WE'LL BE NEXT: Amsterdam - Gay Games San Francisco - Hell Ball (Halloween) Miami - White Party & New Years As usual, your comments are always welcome. xxoo John and Glenn