Club Report: Studio 54 (New York City)

Sirius/XM Satellite Radio has added new channel Studio 54 Radio and to help celebrate and publicize it, they hosted a grand opening "One Night Only" party in the original Studio 54 location on 54th Street in Manhattan. And because of my Blog, I was an invited guest!

I arrived around 8PM last night to find a long line waiting to get inside!

Just like in the 70's when Studio 54 was thee place to see and be seen, there was a large group of wanna-be's standing across the street. I got to chit-chat with original club doorman Marc Benecke who said that after all invited guests had entered, he would go over there like in the old days and pick some "chosen ones" who would get to come inside.

Finally inside, one encountered the white room in the theater's lobby.

Original Studio 54 DJ Nicky Siano (USA) was working the boards, although the boards nowadays includes laptop computers! Siano was on from 9pm to midnight putting out classic Disco.

My only disappointment was that many of the fun Disco classics typically heard at 70's Nights elsewhere were not played. But it was great music nonetheless and Siano was having a great time up there!

All drinks were free, compliments of Sirius/XM!

The dance floor was on the stage and it stayed packed the entire night. Many in the crowd wore their retro threads.

These two New Jersey girls on the left told me they used to party at Studio 54 back when they were in their late teens!

The dance floor actually got larger as various curtains and facades were pulled up over time to expose new dancing territories to the rear.

It was crazy up there!

Some of the original lighting effects were in use and they would drop down from time to time.

Even though it was a Tuesday night in NYC, free liquor and great vibes fueled the night!

Another Studio 54 original!

Acrobats performed as people danced below, just like back in the day!

Macho Macho Man!

Do It To You Satisfied.

A live band marched right through!

Balloons fell!

A huge surprise! At midnight and without any warning, DJ Avicci (S) came on and performed an hour EDM set!

Opening with his megahit "Levels"!  No one cared that it had nothing to do with the original Studio 54.

The entire club went crazy!

Even those seated in the upper deck finally stood up and danced in place!

And there was an appearance from the original club's iconic Moon snorting coke sign! Another original DJ Leroy Washington closed out the night with more Disco. 

When he played "New York, New York" people knew it was time to head home. An incredible night at Studio 54. Big thanks to Sirius/XM for inviting me!! Besides myself, other A-List celebrities attending are pictured here:
http://www.nypost.com/p/pagesix/celebrity_photos/studio_one_night_only_JNXenSXIKAUWMmmLNfzMVM
Good summary video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKj4KIgKvK0&feature=related
Article and pics from Vogue: http://www.vogue.com/parties/studio-54-reopens/
Article and pics from TMZ:
Avicii opens his set with "Levels": 

Studio 54 Disco Reopens Tonight For One Night Only

The famed disco Studio 54 reopens tonight for "One Night Only" and KingBob has been invited by Sirius/XM Satellite Radio to attend! So I'll be flying to NYC this morning to participate in this incredible event. The building at 254 W. 54th Street currently houses a theater but it's been reconfigured to look like the original club including the iconic entry sign. The original doorman will be working the velvet ropes; original DJ's will be playing those famous Disco songs from the late 70's!  Be sure to listen to Studio 54 Radio, Sirius/XM's new Disco channel 15 from 9pm to 1am ET for live coverage. I'll post pictures sometime Wednesday.

Where Are They Now: Mannequins Resident DJ's

DOMINICK MORRISON: When PI closed, Dominick was the Monday - Wednesday resident DJ at Mannequins. You can currently find him playing House, Dance and Top 40 at Vixen on Friday nights and Vintage on Saturday nights. Vixen is more Progressive, Vintage has music videos. He also has a Dubstep night at Sky60 on Thursday nights.  And don't forget his most incredible performance of the year takes place on New Years Eve at EPCOT when he plays EDM in the courtyard of China under the smoke-belching dragon!

DAVE CANNALTE: Dave was the Thursday night resident DJ at Mannequins which also happened to be Cast Member night at the club. Wall-to-wall partiers on the revolving dance floor were typical for that night. Like then, Dave is gainfully employed elsewhere but still does awesome DJ work. As a member of the original AAHZ club night at the old Beacham Theater, he participates in the annual AAHZ Reunion events, the next one taking place next month. We'll have a separate article about that in the coming days!

 

DJ PEAPOD: The weekend resident DJ at Mannequins (Friday - Sunday) was DJ Peapod. Because he had the weekend shift, he is probably the best known of the ending Mannequins DJ's. You can find him spinning Mannequins-style music on Thursday - Saturday nights at The Loft at Dillinger's in hometown Binghampton, New York. Peapod helped develop the Gothic-themed club which is located above an existing pub/restaurant called Dillinger's. Open for only a few weeks now, it's apparently meeting a pent-up demand for Dance music in the southern part of upstate New York. The Blog has thousands of readers from NY so hopefully some of you will make it over to see him!

Club Reports: Suite B Lounge, Zen Exotic Lounge, Church Street Station, Independent Bar

Absolutely beautiful evening in Orlando last night with no heat, no humidity.....and in the case of Suite B Lounge, no dancers. A good lineup of south Florida DJ's including DJ's Chris Martin (pictured), Prizm and Mark Ivan unfortunately did not bring out the crowd.

The music was mostly Progressive and what I would call Electronica and later even some Vocal House but the dance floor stayed empty during my visit. Next Saturday night local DJ favorites Chris Fortier and Andy Hughes should pack the place!

Over on Pine Street another club carcass has been added to the pile at this location. Zen Exotic Lounge has now bitten the dust. Let me count the other bodies in this pile: Blue Room, Red Velvet, Voyage, Deja Vu Ultra Lounge and now Zen. The Blog reported on Zen several times due to its incredible sound system and electronic dance music format (and scantily-clad dancing girls in the windows) but when walking by recently I had noticed Hip Hop blaring from the speakers which I interpreted to be a last desperate attempt for relevance. But it was more like a kiss of death. Cause of Death: Improper Marketing

Over on Church Street these drummers using overturned paint buckets try to make a buck or two off passersby but they're usually just ignored. But they became their own dance club last night as a crowd gathered.......

......and were dancing to the beat! Pretty cool spontaneous happening.

And a typical Saturday night at Independent Bar as lighting tech Ernie (left) worked with DJ Indie John put out early to mid-80's New Wave/Old Wave classics.

No shortage of dancers here.

With so much rain in town last Saturday night keeping people home, the pent-up demand brought everyone out to make up for lost time.

Club Report: 11/12 Lounge

One of the more fun Friday night venues is 11/12 Lounge located on Lee Road just west of I-4. Featuring bands and a sports bar the rest of the week, the club goes Goth on Friday nights.

DJ Paul Vaine (Visage, Lyrica) controls the mood from his perch above the dance floor. The music is a mix of 80's New Wave along with other music you would have heard at Visage back in the day as well as today if Visage was still around! There was a pirate-themed night last night that a lot of the people were dressed for.

There were a lot of patrons in the club congregating around the bar which offers 2 For 1's until midnight but the dance floor just did not get that crowded during my visit.

Admission is just $5 and wearing black is a good way to blend in.

Studio 54 To Reopen for "One Night Only" !!

On October 18, next Tuesday night, the world's most famous disco Studio 54 will reopen in its original location for one night only. Decades after the opening of one of the most celebrated discos in the world, SiriusXM Satellite Radio reunites with members of the original team that worked behind the scenes at the club during its 1977-1981 heyday. They will re-create what will be billed as One Night Only of the iconic ‘70s nightlife glamour inside the famed Studio 54 at 254 West 54th Street in NYC. Save Pleasure Island has scored passes to this highly coveted event and weather-permitting, the Blog will be providing full coverage.

PI Update: Is Anything Happening Inside?

Suppose just for a minute that you were Disney and you wanted to surprise Guests and Pleasure Island fans and reopen a couple clubs before the 2011 Holiday season kicks off. But you don't want anyone to know about it ahead of time because you want it to be a real surprise. How would you pull this off?

Well, for one thing you'd want to put coverings on all the public-facing windows so that no one could peak inside.

And you might want to add even more plants to really keep people away!

And of course you'd have to have crews working the 2am to 6am shift so that there would be no Guests on the Island to see anything happening. So is anything going on? There are rumors to that affect however I've seen no evidence of anything going on in any of the PI clubs. There are rumors that there were recent tryouts for CW-style Improv comedians. There are rumors of AC artifacts being refurbished. But there are also rumors that nothing is coming to Pleasure Island until 2014 at the soonest. We've seen rumors come and go these past three years so don't get your hopes up. But just in case, some of the chatter out there is being shared with you. There is no verification whatsoever. The minute is up. All we can do is wait...and watch.

This Week In Techno Town

TONIGHT
Lots of great music mid-week this week rather than on the weekend. And it begins tonight with DJ Porter Robinson (USA) returning to O-Town after a great show at EDC-Orlando. Roxy tonight.

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 12th
Dash Berlin (NL) comes to Orlando tomorrow night at The Beacham for a night of mostly Trance. $15

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 13th
Speaking of German cities, Wednesday night it was Berlin and on Thursday night it's Dresden....as in DJ's Gabriel & Dresden (USA), spinning Trance, Progressive & House at Vain. $15

PI Update: Island Memories

Ahhh, the memories. Reader ClubMaster wanted you to remember the Colonel so he sent this to us. Who can forget the Colonel! Recently offered for sale at Disney Property Control, he was quickly pulled from the auction when that fact was posted here on the Blog. So where is he hiding nowadays? Disney offices? Pleasure Island? Hong Kong?

Last November we gave you a link to reader Frank Nosalek's website which has now been updated with even newer Pleasure Island club photos. Thought you'd like to see the new ones taken right before the club names were removed as well as the old ones taken post-closure but prior to RRBC and Motion being demolished: 
http://sidetrackers.com/PleasureIsland-Oct31-2010.htm

Club Report: Evolution (Disney Dream)

SPECIAL TO THE BLOG (EDITED): Blog reader DJ Mad Man Ray recently cruised on the new Disney Dream ship and sent us this report pertaining to 8TRAX Night on board. Thanks so much Mad Man Ray!!

Here's the first video: (8TRAX 70's Disco Night)


Then, After the "8 Trax" (70's) set of music at the club, the Evolution Dancers came out to do a show, and then the music changed back to today's Top 40 Dance Music. And that was it of 8 Trax night.


Then, yes, they even do the "Cupid Shuffle" on the Disney Dream "Right @ Midnight...just like @ Motion on Pleasure Island"...

Look what else they have taken from the Island and celebrate every night on the ship:

It's in the "Family" Club, but...Really?  They really need to reconsider what they have done to our beloved Island...   They can do it on the ship, but not on property?

Great cruise!  Great night time "Adult" entertainment!  Can't wait for our next cruise.....DJMadManRay

 

Club Reports: Status Night Club, Crush Lounge, Main Street Bar & Billiards, Market Street Pub, Sharab Lounge, Lillian's Music Store (Gainesville)

Quick trip to Gainesville where I used to live back in the day. Unfortunately no time to go clubbing last night but I did have some time today to check out the club options. Gainesville nightclub action is centered downtown and this block of Main Street contains what appear to be derelict buildings. And from Main Street they are. But go around back which is 1st Street and you'll find the rear of these buildings host a whole block of clubs including............

Status Night Club featuring DJ-driven Top 40, Dance and Hip Hop.

Costa Lounge. You never know how long a club is going to be around when their only sign is made of vinyl. Only thing I could find out about it was that they offer Latin nights on Fridays and Saturdays.

Crush Lounge is in a place formerly occupied by Plasma. Prior to Plasma I believe this is where Simon's used to be. Then-owner Simon Semrani used to bring in big name DJ's from all over; I can recall Paul van Dyk and Sasha & Digweed playing in here! This was the home of club kids, purple hair, pacifiers and and superflares. Ignore that vinyl sign. Simon's didn't even have a sign, it was that popular! When Orlando passed it's anti-rave law, the parties came here! I recall you had to go down a narrow alley to find the entrance.

Which is why I'm wondering if the entrance to Simon's used to be down this narrow alley that takes you to Moonshine. I guess since this is a college town, why invest in an actual lighted sign!

Over on the next block is Main Street Bar & Billiards. Apparently not a club anymore, back in the day this was home to Animal House which was a small dance club most famous for dwarf tossing.The Florida legislature made dwarf tossing illegal in 1989.

I was surprised to see that Market Street Pub had closed down about a month or so ago. The live music club had opened 22 years ago and was thus one of the oldest continuously open venues in Gainesville. Was also surprised to find the very new American Apparel store across the street from it already closed! If AA can't make money in a college town, how can they make it anywhere?

Sharab Lounge is one of the more upscale clubs in downtown Gainesville now, with it operating mostly as a restaurant but also opening the upstairs dance club on Th-F-Sa nites featuring Top 40 & Dance.

Finally, have to mention Lillian's Music Store which originally was a music store but converted to a bar/club back in 1974. They're still open and still catering to live Rock and Classic Rock music. Will try to make it back to Gatorland to check out the insides of these clubs asap!