Last night was quite the bizarre to say the least. My evening actually started off rather mellow. The weather was beautiful and there were two events going on that were both less then 3 miles away, so I decided to take my bike out. Yes bicycle not motorcycle. First, I rode up to the Lizard Lounge to check out Benny Bennasi. I’m not a huge fan, but a DJ like that brings out an enormous crowd and the people watching is usually interesting. I arrived just before doors opened and all my friend that work there were way too busy and stressed to talk…so I ventured on.
My next stop was the warehouse. Someone was throwing a party and a few of the Diablocrats were going, so I decided to stop by for a bit. It was about 9:30 at this point and I think doors were at 11. Warren, Mark and Taboo were all there helping them setup, so I pitched in and helped out a bit. The main goal was to get the hot tub working but sadly the pump was dead…or at least that was the consensus …electrical has never been any of our strengths 
So here’s the deal with this warehouse party. It was an 80’s night that was sponsored by Three Olives Vodka. $20 to get in and all the liquor you could drink….and there was a LOT of liquor. HOLY CRAP Anyway, I hung out there til about 11:30 and although the party was getting off to a slow start it had a great vibe and seemed to have plenty of potential. I got word back from Don that Benny was going on between 11:30 or 12, so I was back on my bike to check out the festivities over there. Talk about Mad House…that place was insane.
I ran inside briefly to grab a water and use the bathroom, but mainly I sat outside on my bike and talked to the crew. Like I said, I love to people watch and talking to the Lizard Lounge staff usually makes for a good evening. Unfortunately the guys were busy and super stressed, so after about an hour I decided to roll back over to the warehouse.
To my dismay the place was crawling with police and the TABC. I was always under the impression that giving out free booze didn’t require a liquor license, but obviously that isn’t the case. At this point it was almost one in the morning, so everyone was scrambling to buy beer. (In Texas you can buy beer til midnight every day except Saturday, on the that night sales go til 1am…weird hunh?) People started returning with alcohol and were promptly invited into Mark and Lex’s loft that is right next door to the warehouse. Now lets see if I can explain this part to everyone. We were all standing in the courtyard in front of the loft. It is gated and private property. The cops walked in and started hassling people about having open beers outside. A few people tried to calmly explain that this "our front yard." Mark on the other hand was drunk and belligerent and was bitching at the officers. So, I grabbed him by the back of his shirt and drug his giggling little self back inside until the po-po were gone.
OK, here is where things got interesting. The cops were gone, the warehouse was empty except for the staff, but people were still hanging around outside and no one was ready to go home. We decided to venture back into the warehouse and soon found out that the police had poured out every drop of alcohol and one of the organizers was practically in tears. Warren, the smooth talker he is, stepped in and came up with a solution. He explained that the party didn’t need to end. He had GALLONS of vodka at his house that he had purchased for his Memorial day party that he could bring to the event. This seemed to brighten up spirits a bit, but I think most of the other organizers were done and packing up. Hmmmm…we had people there and liquor coming back. What else did we need? Music!
The DJ and the high end sound system might be gone, but I had my ipod and the warehouse is wired for sound. It took about 2 minutes of rigging to get everything hooked up and I chose Flock of Seagulls – I Ran to get the party started again. Still not sure if the DJ came back or if there was another sound system in the back, but about 5 minutes later a louder and better sound started up and I turned mine off. It wasn’t long before the place started filling back up and Warren arrived with booze in hand. From here everything just seemed to fall into place. Taboo and I suddenly became the event bartenders and the drinks started flowing. After a bit there were 3 of us tending bar, and the place was packed. At some point the liquor ran out, but Warren the night in shining armor was back in a flash with even more of the liquid evil and the bar staff increased to 4.
Now that I think about it, it was at least 3am before the liquor officially ran out. April, the girl in tears a while back, was now smiling and having a blast with the rest of the folks. At some point the bartenders took a vote and decided to give all the tip money to her. I have no clue how much money she lost, but heck we weren’t tending bar for the money and she needed it more than us. We were all doing it for the party and yeah the fun of pouring.
I know I switched to water at some point because I had to ride my bike home, but sadly it wasn’t soon enough. It’s 3pm and I’m still laying in bad while I type this. I’m sure there are plenty of stories to be told by the other participants, but from my perch behind the bar the event seemed to be a blast. In fact, most of my time there I was hugging people, thanking people and being thanked. You know I remember several "I love you man" moments, especially from Mark AKA Mr Delabooze.
Warren, Taboo, Mark, Lex, the Capoeira guys, the organizers and everyone else that came out, it was a blast! Not sure where or when it will happen but next time there is a RIOT! event, please invite me again for more drunken shenanigans!
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