PI Update: Our Clubs: What You Are Now Is What You Were When

Pleasure Island, the place where one admission price got you 5 dance clubs & 2 comedy clubs. So where are our beloved clubs today?

CLUB: Motion   FORMAT: Top 40 Hits   STATUS: Demolished

TODAY: The Boathouse  MUSIC: Acoustic Singer  DANCING: lol

CLUB: Rock'n'Roll Beach Club  FORMAT: Rock bands  STATUS: Demolished

TODAY: Hangar Bar  MUSIC: Background  DANCING: None

CLUB: Mannequins  FORMAT: Electronic Dance  STATUS: Renovated

TODAY: Morimoto Asia  MUSIC: Coming Soon  DANCING: None

CLUB: 8TRAX  FORMAT: 70's & 80's  STATUS: Renovated

Lower door view of 8TRAX.

TODAY: Part of Morimoto  MUSIC: None  DANCING: None

CLUB: BET Soundstage  MUSIC: Hip Hop, R&B  STATUS: Demolished

TODAY: Walt's Place  MUSIC: Unknown  DANCING: Unknown

CLUB: Adventurers Club  FORMAT: Outrageous Comedy  STATUS: Renovations

TODAY: The Edison  MUSIC: DJ's/Other  DANCING: Unknown

CLUB: Comedy Warehouse  FORMAT: Improv Comedy  STATUS: Demolished

TODAY: STK  MUSIC: DJ's  DANCING: Has Potential

This Weekend In Techno Town

TONIGHT JUN 29
Torque celebrates its 17th anniversary tonight at The Social with The Prototypes (GB).  D&B.

THURSDAY JUN 30
Steve Aoki (USA) brings his Bounce House show to House of Blues in Disney Springs tomorrow night. Dance singer Bebe Rexha (USA) opens along with others.  EDM.

FRIDAY JUL 1
Check out DJ duo Chocolate Puma (NL) performing Friday night at The Attic Nightclub downtown!  House.

What a treat!  Montreal-based DJ Maus (CDN) is playing at Sandwich Bar this Friday night.  This small-club has a great vibe and you can't get closer to your favorite DJ's than here!

SATURDAY JUL 2 
this Saturday night Gilt Nightclub has the super-talented DJ Audien (USA).  His hit "Insomnia" went to #1 last year!  Progressive House/EDM.

Back at Sandwich Bar, former Winter Springs High grad and now Berlin-based DJ Chad Andrew (USA) will be performing! House.

Finally on Saturday night, don't miss those great House & Dance hits from the late 90's and early 00's.  Taking place at Peek Downtown with multiple DJ's performing!  Old Skool Dance.

Hyperion Wharf vs Disney Springs

Rock'n'Roll Beach Club closed on February 3, 2008 and was the first club closing to be announced. Because it was reportedly quickly leased by a 3rd party operator for another purpose, Disney allegedly got the idea that they could close all the clubs, lease them out and not have to worry about them anymore.  That was the plan which led to the remaining club closures on September 27, 2008.  But then nothing. The economy tanked and no one wanted to lease anything, not even RRBC.  It would be over 2 years more before the replacement for Pleasure Island was finally announced: Hyperion Wharf.  The plan would die a quick death amid a lack of details and concerns from a very similar concept at Disney's Boardwalk.  But some concept art did get released and today we'll look at what stuck.....and what didn't.

 This piece of concept art displayed "The Hub" section of Hyperion Wharf.  The amphitheater did get built along the water for Disney Springs although it ended-up a bit more to the east. There is no refreshments kiosk as we see here.  We didn't get a "Disney Springs" sign atop Mannequins/Morimoto, instead we got a "Springs Bottling Co." sign.  The Fuego triangular building at the left got razed.

Zooming in, Hyperion Wharf promised us round pillar signs surrounding the amphitheater that would light-up with advertising and other features.  Those never got built.  Hyperion Wharf also had that large lighted Mickey Mouse sign that did not arrive with Disney Springs. The former Orlando Harley Davidson/Apricot Lane building got demolished and we didn't get a corner Zach Divine lounge with the glass second floor overlooking The Hub.  But we did get Jock Lindsey's which was not contemplated here plus a similar glass Coca Cola lounge is coming soon elsewhere!

This released concept art projected the view walking eastbound down off Hill Street passing Paradiso 37 and approaching the amphitheater on the left.  At the end, where Motion used to stand, was the "lighthouse" restaurant which was one of the earliest rumors published here on the Blog. It turned out to be right as The Boathouse, which ended up there, does have a lighthouse building. 

Lastly, the Hyperion Wharf plans called for the demolition of Motion and Rock'n'Roll Beach Club to allow construction of this pedestrian cut-through between Raglan Road and Portobello.  Those two clubs would become the first two to be demolished to make way for the "Motion Corridor" which today is where Chapel Hats and Havaianas shops are located. This passageway was needed at the time to address pedestrian backups traversing between the Marketplace and West Side.  Ironically, with the much larger Disney Springs concept and multiple new ways to travel back and forth, this was no longer needed but two dance clubs lost their life because of it.

PI Update: Bombshell Announcement 8 Years Ago Today!

Eight years ago today, Friday June 27, 2008, Disney dropped the bombshell! Pleasure Island comedy and dance clubs would be closing forever in exactly 3 months.....September 27, 2008.  The announcement was made late enough in the day such that Disney thought it wouldn't lead to much "bad press".  But the internet era had already begun and DisBoards posted the news immediately followed by the Orlando Sentinel. Here is a link to that Saturday's Orlando Sentinel article entitled "The Party's Over At Pleasure Island".  Long live Pleasure Island!

Club Reports: Peek Downtown, Independent Bar

Enhanced security is the norm now in all the larger downtown facilities. The Beacham has always used handheld metal detectors and this has now been expanded to Beacham-owned clubs such as The Patio and, as shown above, Aero Bar.

Longer lines will be the norm but these are the times we live in.  All of us would rather accept a longer wait to get inside in exchange for not having to worry about a wacko with a weapon. Pictured above is one of the lines for Wall Street Plaza.

Likewise, a line last night for Sideshow.

Peek Downtown was on my list on this Saturday night.

DJ's Donnie Lowe & Michael Gin were tag-teaming during my visit!

Both are from Miami and the music was House!

The bar had a decent crowd but the dance floor did not.

Spotted: Famous denizens of the night, Mellymel & Lady V

The dance floor at its peak. Sharaz will be playing here in July!

Independent Bar on a Saturday night is pure comfort!

In the booth, Lighting Tech Ernie with DJ Mickey!

Saturday nights are all about the 80's!

Crowds on the dance floor ebbed and flowed but generally stayed crowded!

Spotted by the bar: I-Bar & Stardust resident DJ Smilin' Dan

Spotted on the dance platform: Well, come to think of it, I don't know his name. But he's here every Saturday night!

A good time was had by all!

Concert Report: DJ Baby Anne (The Social)

Friday night at The Social for Baby Anne's "last dance" retirement finale!

Arrived just in time to see the last part of illDJ Chris B's (USA) set!

And close to 11PM, the club was filling-in but the dance floor still had vacancies.

The amazing DJ Supernaut (USA) taking over the controls!

And the dance floor quickly filled-up!

Breakbeats all night long!

Playing the DJ Icey Breaks remix of Chainsmoker's "Don't Let Me Down"!

And he whipped the crowd into a frenzy!

Anybody who is anybody was there last night!

DJ Baby Anne (USA) taking over at midnight!

Officially retiring from the DJ business!

Super jammed now both on the dance floor and up in the mezzanine!

The music mostly Old Skool Breaks from back in the day!

You can never go wrong with Go Go girls!  Boston's Kriss Reign back in town for this special event!

Spotted on the danced floor: Trish

Spotted on the dance floor: Abe

Spotted in the center wearing light blue: Ken Storey from the Orlando Tourism Report.

Spotted showing some love: Dinielle, Leah & CJ

Spotted on the mezzanine: Lady V & DJ The Reverend

Spotted on the dance floor: Mannequins being represented

Spotted in VIP: DJ's Fixx & Jimmy Joslin

Spotted on the mezzanine: DJ Prophet 808

Spotted at the bar: A Rabbit In The Moon fanatic.

I asked Kriss whether they have Breaks in Boston?  "Not at all!"

Great turn-out for the Bassqueen!

No laptop, no memory stick, no SD card!  Everything off CD's.

Baby Anne has been doing "last dance" shows throughout the state and last night Orlando finally got its turn to say goodbye!

But the music business is kind of like the Mafia. You really can't quit. So we hope she will return sometime in the future for a reunion show!

Biggest roar of the night came when she played La Rissa track "I Do Both Jay And Jane"!

Just a great night all around!

And a good time was had by all!  #orlandounited