 |
| Come cross this bridge one more time with us to beautiful Pleasure Island, searching for signs of Christmas! |
 |
| The search need not take long as all of the Island's light poles are decorated for the holiday! |
 |
| You'll get in the spirit of the season even going to piss! |
 |
| Wreaths adorn the shops along Hill Street. |
 |
| Poinsettias decorate the Lily Pad at Riverboat Square on the Island. |
 |
| A few more behind STK's kitchen brighten-up this otherwise boring stretch of walkway. |
 |
| A Christmas tree decorates the lobby of |
 |
| At Jock Lindsay's Hangar Bar, a few more holiday touches. We've always appreciated that Disney has never downplayed Christmas and has never seemingly worried that it would offend non-Christians. |
 |
| One surprise this year though; no Christmas tree at the Waterview Stage. |
 |
| Here's a file photo of last year's tree located there. But don't fret! There is a great Disney-themed Christmas tree tour over in Disney Springs Marketplace this year and on Thursday we'll show it to you! |
 |
| Taking advantage of lifted travel restrictions for Americans and new nonstop airline routes, the Blog traveled to Cuba yesterday to check out local clubs in Varadero. The beach resort town has long been popular with Europeans & Canadians but until now generally off-limits to us. |
 |
| Staying at the Melia Varadero, an all-inclusive resort owned by a Spain-based company. |
 |
| Hanging out at the hotel's Las Palmas Bar, located near the lobby. |
 |
| The plan was to pregame at the hotel's Tropicana-style show and then venture out to some of the numerous dance clubs that operate in town or at neighboring resorts. Sadly, the death of Fidel Castro a few hours before my flight departed to Varadero meant the imposition of 9-days of official mourning across Cuba and all entertainment activities were suspended! In other words, all the clubs were closed! |
 |
| However, the hotel bar stayed open and all-inclusive means all-inclusive so bring on the drinks and bring on the refills! |
 |
| A troupe of human statutes slowly worked their way through the bar. It was a great first visit to Cuba but a disappointment for my reason for going in the first place. My plan is to check out Havana clubs in a few months. |
 |
| And yes, there really are a LOT of these old American cars driving around the streets of Cuba! |
 |
| Arrived just before 10:30PM and the club was already packed! |
 |
| In the booth when I arrived, DJ Andy Hughes (USA). |
 |
| Going back-to-back in the early time slot with DJ Stylus (USA). |
 |
| And within 30-minutes you could hardly move about the place! |
 |
| The early soundtrack of the night, the Breaks that made up so many of the hits of that era! |
 |
| At 11PM, DJ Scratch-D (USA) of Dynamix II taking over! |
 |
| And he would continue the Old Skool theme of the night! |
 |
| The series of more-or-less annual AAHZ Reunions began in November, 2009, just over a year after Pleasure Island closed its clubs. |
 |
| And during that time when Hip Hop dominated what was being played in Orlando's clubs, AAHZ was the perfect prescription for what ailed me without my Mannequins! |
 |
| AAHZ brings out the older crowd that used to rave back then; the music and the vibe brings out the nostalgia each time! |
 |
| And such euphoria! |
 |
| The Beacham was absolutely jammed! |
 |
| Shortly after midnight, DJ Icey (USA) taking control! |
 |
| And he delivered hit after hit from back in the day! |
 |
| Including a short segment of my favorite Mannequins song, "Everyday". |
 |
| Crowd bouncing to his set! |
 |
| Lasers exploding! |
 |
| View from VIP! |
 | |
Glow sticks are back! |
| Spotted in the press box: Amanda |
 |
| Spotted on the dance floor: DJ Kay Kay & DJ Def Jeff |
 |
| Spotted by the stage: Kimball's #1 fan Donna with William |
 |
| Spotted by the entrance: Ashley, CJ & Leah |
 |
| Spotted on the dance floor: Stacie, Chrissy & Crystal |
 |
| Spotted on the dance floor: Stacey with friend |
 |
| Spotted in the lighting tech booth: Former Mannequins DJ Dominick Morrison & crew. Barely over one month until we see him perform at EPCOT: China on NYE! |
 | |
| Spotted on stage: Dance singer Rachel & Planet Hollywood Observatory's Ashleigh. |
 |
| Spotted on stage: Another Mannequins classic, DJ Dave Cannalte with DJ Jerry "The Reverend" Johnson. |
 |
| Spotted on stage: Dana with DJ Smilin' Dan |
 |
Spotted by the bar: DJ Parry & Renee |
 |
| Spotted on the dance floor: Trish |
 |
| Spotted on stage: Event official photographer Brian Miller who actually knows how to use a camera! Check his website here for real photos soon. |
 |
| Spotted by the booth: DJ Icey with Marlon |
 |
| Spotted in the foyer: DJ Versa-Style (USA) with friend. |
 |
| Also spotted in the foyer: DJ Geebo with Jen. |
 |
| Spotted by the stairs: illDJ ChrisB (USA) |
 |
Spotted on the dance floor: Lynette & Adam |
 |
| Spotted at the barrier: Angela |
 |
| Spotted in VIP: Christa, East Side Angie & Aubrey |
 |
| Spotted on stage: DJ AK1200 (USA) |
 |
| Spotted on the dance floor: Mauricio of the band Prophecy. |
 |
| Spotted on the dance floor: DJ Sandra Cruz and George |
 |
| Getting ready for the final set of the night, DJ's Dave Cannalte (USA) & Kimball Collins (USA) better known as AAHZ! |
 |
| And wavering away from the Breaks that had dominated the night up until now, Kimball went Old School Progressive House on us! |
 |
| Playing songs that people recognized from the original AAHZ era! |
 |
| Still based in Thailand, my "one night in Bangkok" tour in 2013 included seeing Kimball at Q-Bar at one of his then-residencies. Link. |
 |
| Dave & Kimball were taking turns to round out the night. |
 |
| A night full of musical memories! |
 |
| As 2:30AM approached, no one was leaving! |
 |
| A good time was had by all! |