PI Update: Adventurers Club

©2009 SHAWN T.
The black film that covered the windows of the Adventurers Club has been stripped off allowing passersby to peer inside. Save Pleasure Island reader Shawn T. sent this photo to me showing what it looks like in there 2-months post the final Congaloosh. As you can see, nearly everything has now been stripped off the walls. AC is definitely not returning....to this location. I hear the Colonel has a one-way ticket on Cathay Pacific!

Meanwhile the Congaloosh Society is planning Congaloosh 2010 during the weekend of October 8-10, 2010. Registration is supposed to begin today (December 1st). If you're an AC fan, don't miss out on this because this WILL be a sellout again. My understanding is that nearly the entire AC cast will be appearing, performing a specially made script. Obviously this event will not be taking place in our Adventurers Club itself but at a venue to be announced. Details and registration at: www.congaloosh.org

New Techno Night: First Thursday at Roxy

Except for Saturdays, House & Dance music has been very limited around O-town since Mannequins closed. Well this Thursday, December 3rd Roxy is beginning I Love House Music Night featuring DJ Mickey Bono! The event will be held only on the first Thursday night of each month. Most of you know Mickey Bono from his hour long dance music show Friday nights on Radiodanz.com or from his Saturday night sessions at Bliss Ultra Lounge. Open bar until midnight. Unknown cover charge; I'll give a report this Friday. Come on out and help support this new night and perhaps it will become a weekly event! 740 Bennett Road at E. Colonial Drive near Orlando Executive Airport.

PI Update: Demolition Continues

It was a beautiful fall afternoon in the mid-70's at Orlando today so what a better place to spend some time than Pleasure Island and Downtown Disney. Someone I know will be receiving some little mismatched socks for Christmas this year!

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Demolition continues on the island. At Mannequins the stairs to the 2nd floor have been completely removed and only the landing remains. At the former PI Live booth the exterior has also been completely removed leaving just the framework. There has been no additional demolition to the towers that hold the Harley Davidson signs. We await how that gets resolved.

Over on another internet discussion board someone asked to see the inspirational signs placed on the demolition walls. I posted one of them last week and here is the other. There is also new directional signage at the Hub.

Over on the West Side, the Princess Di exhibit thankfully and mercifully closes on schedule tomorrow, November 30th. Located in the former home of Virgin Megastore, sources say the run will not be extended through the holidays as I previously speculated that it might. Adult tickets have been reduced to $10 so don't miss out! Doing much better is the $16 tethered balloon ride. Today was a great day for it and you can see the line of people waiting their turn.

Club Report: Backstage

When you reach your 60's, this is probably where you'll be hanging out. So prepare yourself. I hadn't been to Backstage in years and certainly not since it reopened following renovations. The venue is quite contemporary if not futuristic looking but it still boils down to a band on the stage and a glass-enclosed DJ booth in the corner. Last night cover band Generation E had that stage and while the pretty 36-yr old Ensley Allan can sing a wide range of music genres, the whole vibe was just too much like a bad night at Rock'n'Roll Beach Club. Did spot an 8TRAX girl in there. Located in the Rosen Plaza Hotel, I guess the place might fill up when a convention is in town. But not last night. Ugg.

The Mouse - He's Everywhere, He's Everywhere!

On climb-out from MCO a couple weeks ago, noticed this mysterious tree formation near Winter Garden/Windermere. Talk about hidden Mickeys!!

Service Industry & Ladies Nights

The Orlando Sentinel's Kelly Fitzpatrick has a good article in today's paper about Service Industry Nights around Orlando. It mostly focuses on House of Blues which she describes as "blows most clubs out of the water." She then lists some of the better SIN's. Elsewhere is an excellent listing of Orlando-area Ladies Nights. All in Friday editions of the Sentinel.

Club Report: Tabu (Aahz Reunion)

Oh my God! I have just returned from the MOST INCREDIBLE house music concert I have ever seen. Yes, I've seen Paul Oakenfold, Tiesto, Ferry Corsten and even Sandra Collins multiple times. But this was beyond all of that. DJ's Dave Cannalte and Kimball Collins (both USA) returned to Orlando this evening to recreate their 90's "Wizards of Aahz" routine at Tabu. Cannalte was most recently the Thursday night DJ at Mannequins.

The event officially began at 9pm yet the club was already crowded when I arrived fashionably late at 10:30pm. And it only got more crowded! Canalte's set was more subdued with easy to get along with Dance and House music. He played approximately the first 3 hours. His last song at the switch over ironically was Everybody's Free (to Feel Good). He told me he appreciated me recognizing it for what it was, the final song ever at Mannequins.

With that he turned it over to Kimball Collins. Although I must admit not recognizing 95% of what he played, it was an incredible mix of music that got the increasingly crowded dance floor into a frenzy. DJ Baby Anne (USA) came off the stage and danced next to me 3 different times. Last month I described her as "cute as a button". Well, she's smokin' hot! The crowd was overwhelmingly 35+, many probably original Aahz night fans. I ran into at least a dozen Mannequins people in the crowd too including a former Mannequins manager. The night far exceeded my expectations. All I can say to those of you who missed this: WOW!