Showing posts with label 1999. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 1999. Show all posts
1999 April 24
At the newly opened System Sound Bar near the corner of Peter & Richmond, Roy Davis Jr. was spinning. The sound system was o.k.. Lighting was minimal and the decor was rather cheap. The crowd was mainly the more mature ravers mixed with some suit-wearers. There was obviously more men than women.
Just after Gabriel and Armand Van Heldon's Flowerz have been played, an early twentyish boy in a Mariner baseball top (cute and well built) came rushing to me with the corny opening line so corny that it's funny especially delivered with his innocence, "Sorry I tripped." referring to his being a wee bit close. He's cute, young and slender; right height too. Instinctively, I went along.
In no time we went from exchanging names to dancing close to kissing. Terrific dancer. He asked me a few times if I wanted to get comfortable in the sofa nearby. Again I was left with the decision to sacrifice the music which was what I came for or to go along with my luck. I wasn't horny that night. So I told him no. He walked away.
Soon he came back. Now Roy Davis Jr. was spinning You Don't Know Me. We danced a bit more. I was undecided. Then he asked me if I needed water. Again I told him to go ahead if he needed some. He kissed me and asked me to wait I was worried for a while if I should just leave. Then P. suggested we went to what seemed like the VIP room. We sat down, chatted a bit and felt it was time to go home. Just when we were getting close to the exit, my sweet lover boy came in with a petite young girl, looking all serious and proper. I thought it was truly amusing and it just suited me SOO well. The situation has resolved itself.
Just after Gabriel and Armand Van Heldon's Flowerz have been played, an early twentyish boy in a Mariner baseball top (cute and well built) came rushing to me with the corny opening line so corny that it's funny especially delivered with his innocence, "Sorry I tripped." referring to his being a wee bit close. He's cute, young and slender; right height too. Instinctively, I went along.
In no time we went from exchanging names to dancing close to kissing. Terrific dancer. He asked me a few times if I wanted to get comfortable in the sofa nearby. Again I was left with the decision to sacrifice the music which was what I came for or to go along with my luck. I wasn't horny that night. So I told him no. He walked away.
Soon he came back. Now Roy Davis Jr. was spinning You Don't Know Me. We danced a bit more. I was undecided. Then he asked me if I needed water. Again I told him to go ahead if he needed some. He kissed me and asked me to wait I was worried for a while if I should just leave. Then P. suggested we went to what seemed like the VIP room. We sat down, chatted a bit and felt it was time to go home. Just when we were getting close to the exit, my sweet lover boy came in with a petite young girl, looking all serious and proper. I thought it was truly amusing and it just suited me SOO well. The situation has resolved itself.
1999 May 29
DAY
Organizer: Clublife magazine
Venue: Temperance Street right in front of the Cloud Garden
Crowd:
Mixed - rarely seen cultured types, John Lennon lookalike, the young guy from Buzz, hippies, Anglo-Saxon, pensive types, Jamaican accented, Italian stallion with mane, beautiful bodies, men & women.
Music:
Good house. As P. says, felt like N.Y.. It was a life-affirming experience to see all those hot bodies, men and women. Suddenly it made me wonder why anyone should get hung up on one guy or gal. There's a whole big world out there with good-looking people of all sorts. The idea itself satiated me. The only thing missing is alcohol to loosen me up. The smell of pot all around is soothing.
It's most promising to see an event like this, in a nice street with a garden, where people are so into it. So together, so urban, so real.
NIGHT
Venue:
International Centre at Mississauga (close to the Airport)
Suburban sports centre, minimal construction, totally functional. Set up that day with minimal design, a big tent for the techno room plus a house and jungle room. High security, clean and numerous washrooms.
DJs:
Jeff Mills - too mechanical and steady in beat, Bob Sinclar - house, French funk, hip hop mix, special but the venue is not right for his kind of music.
Crowd:
Ravers and suburban boys, some very young. The girl in the washroom recognized who Mao Tze Tung was (I had that T-shirt on). Impressed. But not in the mood to talk.
Organizer: Clublife magazine
Venue: Temperance Street right in front of the Cloud Garden
Crowd:
Mixed - rarely seen cultured types, John Lennon lookalike, the young guy from Buzz, hippies, Anglo-Saxon, pensive types, Jamaican accented, Italian stallion with mane, beautiful bodies, men & women.
Music:
Good house. As P. says, felt like N.Y.. It was a life-affirming experience to see all those hot bodies, men and women. Suddenly it made me wonder why anyone should get hung up on one guy or gal. There's a whole big world out there with good-looking people of all sorts. The idea itself satiated me. The only thing missing is alcohol to loosen me up. The smell of pot all around is soothing.
It's most promising to see an event like this, in a nice street with a garden, where people are so into it. So together, so urban, so real.
NIGHT
Venue:
International Centre at Mississauga (close to the Airport)
Suburban sports centre, minimal construction, totally functional. Set up that day with minimal design, a big tent for the techno room plus a house and jungle room. High security, clean and numerous washrooms.
DJs:
Jeff Mills - too mechanical and steady in beat, Bob Sinclar - house, French funk, hip hop mix, special but the venue is not right for his kind of music.
Crowd:
Ravers and suburban boys, some very young. The girl in the washroom recognized who Mao Tze Tung was (I had that T-shirt on). Impressed. But not in the mood to talk.
1999 June12
DJ: Paul Van Dyke
Venue: Industry
Music: Unimaginative old-fashion trance/ techno
Crowd:
Ugly. We left within an hour.
The best healing for sadness is to be able to buy the things you like. The Jean Colonna trench coat was 70% off. They took my bargain for 1/2 price. Then there was a Helmut Lang long slit-sleeve flesh tone splash (Jackson Pollock reference) top. Ultra cool.
2nd Venue: F oundation on Brant & King. 2 rooms and 2 separate clean washroom facilities.
DJs: JK, Dino & Terry
Music: O.K. house, gospel, jazz etc.
Crowd: O.K. but of course comparatively much better than the Industry crowd these days.
Bear is now called Phat Black Pussy Cat
Venue: Industry
Music: Unimaginative old-fashion trance/ techno
Crowd:
Ugly. We left within an hour.
The best healing for sadness is to be able to buy the things you like. The Jean Colonna trench coat was 70% off. They took my bargain for 1/2 price. Then there was a Helmut Lang long slit-sleeve flesh tone splash (Jackson Pollock reference) top. Ultra cool.
2nd Venue: F oundation on Brant & King. 2 rooms and 2 separate clean washroom facilities.
DJs: JK, Dino & Terry
Music: O.K. house, gospel, jazz etc.
Crowd: O.K. but of course comparatively much better than the Industry crowd these days.
Bear is now called Phat Black Pussy Cat
1999 June 18
Norman Jay at Bauhaus, saw Ivana Santilli, nice crowd, rarely encountered, cultured, African-Canadian women. Very special and very rare groove
1999 August 21
I was quite energetic, having rested for weeks. The night air was nice, almost fragrant. Arrived at Industry by taxi as usual. Women in the line-up seemed quite dressed-up for the party. But as we got to the dance floor, the obnoxious dancers, older ravers and body-builders became irritating. Then we discovered everyone was dead drunk. From the moment we went to the bar, the guy next to me already seemed to have lost control of his body, then the women (big, tall ones) on the dance floor elbowed their way in & out, plus the topless sweaty undefinable gay imposter walked round and round in circle and rubbed past me. At one point this hideous big blop of sweat, despite my stare, returned to "rub" against my arm; right after that, this other guy pressed me from behind. They actually pushed you if you didn't move. Then this big drop of condensation from the ceiling fell on my forehead for the umteenth time. I just had to say to myself, "that's it!" I'm leaving the dance floor at least and should think twice next time if I should show up at all at Industry. But that was not the end, when I got to the platform where the sofas were, all the kids were hyper and bumpy also.
Although there were some boys who were well behave, and some said sorry after bumping into you, the frequency of being hit, I mean literally, (1/3 of my drink was spilled, while the busboy also spilled drinks into my banana bag) was way too high. I left earlier than P., just like the recent past few times.
Graeme Parker's music was competent. The beginning few songs were good vibe, good groove. The atmosphere throughout was disco, a bit of funk, some soul vocals mixed with dance beat. P. said the ending was quite special. If I was given space, I would've danced all night. But I could not even find a spot where I would not be bothered.
P. saw Alx L. leaving the same time he did, by himself. Though he did see him with his black girl friend earlier. She must have got fed up like I had and left early. Such a bummer.
There were all kinds of topless men, bums and a few party girls but not many Anglos like there used to be. What's happened to the scene?
Although there were some boys who were well behave, and some said sorry after bumping into you, the frequency of being hit, I mean literally, (1/3 of my drink was spilled, while the busboy also spilled drinks into my banana bag) was way too high. I left earlier than P., just like the recent past few times.
Graeme Parker's music was competent. The beginning few songs were good vibe, good groove. The atmosphere throughout was disco, a bit of funk, some soul vocals mixed with dance beat. P. said the ending was quite special. If I was given space, I would've danced all night. But I could not even find a spot where I would not be bothered.
P. saw Alx L. leaving the same time he did, by himself. Though he did see him with his black girl friend earlier. She must have got fed up like I had and left early. Such a bummer.
There were all kinds of topless men, bums and a few party girls but not many Anglos like there used to be. What's happened to the scene?
1999 August 28
Organizer: RNB Production
DJ: Frankie Feliciano from NYC who has worked with the Masters at Work
Music: Garage sound
Venue:
Sunnyside Pavilion - built in 1925 next to the beach but the entrance to it was blocked. The Venetian garden was slightly disappointing. Its decor seemed over-simplified and fake. Felt more like a film set than an authentic Twenties' construction. At night, it was not lit well enough for the guests to admire its beauty.
Crowd:
A nice, decent crowd, a few ethnic mix, and the Roxy Blue, Movement crowd. Some women dressed more progressively in a blouse with Nehru collar, silver & long-sleeves matching a maxi dress. Another one in a blouse with a longer flap at the front and a utility skirt . Too bad it was made from cheap material. P. joked about the body size of the men being noticeably smaller than the Industry crowd last week.
The degree of drunkenness, and lack of consideration i.e. walking across the dancefloor, bumping into you, topless man of dubious sexual orientation sliding by you with sweat and dripping ceiling are comparably less.
Memorability:
Competent but terrible mixing. At one point he just let Aretha Franklin's voice die without giving it a pump. Some unusual mixing of fusion guitar solos with dance beat. A summary of House hits this and last summer - the elephant chant number, etc.
Almost full moon. Seemingly the last hot day in 1999, the temperature was 29degrees Celcius by day but gradually dropped to 22 at night. Still to be considered one of the best parties in '99 considering the unusual venue.
DJ: Frankie Feliciano from NYC who has worked with the Masters at Work
Music: Garage sound
Venue:
Sunnyside Pavilion - built in 1925 next to the beach but the entrance to it was blocked. The Venetian garden was slightly disappointing. Its decor seemed over-simplified and fake. Felt more like a film set than an authentic Twenties' construction. At night, it was not lit well enough for the guests to admire its beauty.
Crowd:
A nice, decent crowd, a few ethnic mix, and the Roxy Blue, Movement crowd. Some women dressed more progressively in a blouse with Nehru collar, silver & long-sleeves matching a maxi dress. Another one in a blouse with a longer flap at the front and a utility skirt . Too bad it was made from cheap material. P. joked about the body size of the men being noticeably smaller than the Industry crowd last week.
The degree of drunkenness, and lack of consideration i.e. walking across the dancefloor, bumping into you, topless man of dubious sexual orientation sliding by you with sweat and dripping ceiling are comparably less.
Memorability:
Competent but terrible mixing. At one point he just let Aretha Franklin's voice die without giving it a pump. Some unusual mixing of fusion guitar solos with dance beat. A summary of House hits this and last summer - the elephant chant number, etc.
Almost full moon. Seemingly the last hot day in 1999, the temperature was 29degrees Celcius by day but gradually dropped to 22 at night. Still to be considered one of the best parties in '99 considering the unusual venue.
1999 September 4
We went to see the Beta Band at the Opera House. They did a real fine performance. Fresh, pure, at times dancey, like a stripped down Low Fidelity All Star, at other times their existential streak comes out. Their backdrop slide projection fits in with the music perfectly. Very artsy - the whole band dressed like Air, in what seemed like space-suits.
We went home at 1:00 a.m. I was so tired and my eyes were so dry I fell asleep and woke up at around 2:00 a.m.. Then got ready to go to see Daft Punk. The warm weather helped. Especially since this is already September but with the humidity, it actually feels very much like summer still.
Organizer: Syrous and Clublife etc.
Theme: 6th Anniversary
DJs: Josh Wink & Daft Punk
Venue:
Toronto Congress Centre, 650 Dixon Rd., minutes from the Airport
Never-used venue. A bit like the International Centre, huge space, but better ventilation.
Very professional lighting systems. It's like 3 concerts going on at the same time in interconnected yet sufficiently apart space. The light and the energy in the jungle area was like fireworks. Rows of portable toilets, not too stinky. Minimal decor but professionally done. Security minimal (real police) and less aggressive than that time at the International centre (with Bob Sinclar).
Crowd:
Mainly young teenagers but also quite mixed. People are surprisingly trying to revive that original rave spirit - 3 people shook hands with P. .Some are polite about knocking me at the shoulder. Some women did try to dress up a bit - the Mandarin top...But still... something to lament about the way ravers/ party-goers are these days - their lack of style, the men taking their tops off, the way they walk across the dance floor. Lovers swinging each other at the people around them, obnoxious dancers, starers. The half-naked sweaty arms wiping their body fluid against yours and their constant moving around within the confine of the dance floor is a major problem. I thought it was just Industry or some poorly organized raves but nowadays, it's become a common phenomenon.
This is the Labour Day weekend, truly the last summer rave of 1999 for us. Another rave will be the one with Green Velvet and Derrick Carter.
Josh Wink was pleasant. Mainly lively house.
Daft Punk (the skinnier, and darker one) started with a slow soulful tune and moved immediately to a funky house beat. Every tune is slightly different. He played some rock guitar solo mixed with house beat and that most talked about Celebration (Madonna's) remix. He also played some Eighties funk, their Daft Punk signature scratchy sound, some progressive house with sirens (climatic!). Towards the end, one of the duel even did what seemed like a live number, twisting the knobs alongside DJ Sneak. Their performance consists mainly of pounding beats of different bpm which did not come to much. Then they left the stage with a re-mix of the Madonna hit, Holiday. Highlight of the morning was their introduction to one of the summer house anthems of 1999. Unfortunately I do not know the name of the song. (not the elephant sound,...) The whole event was a delightful surprise considering the fact that I've been very tired the entire week and during the day.
We went home at 1:00 a.m. I was so tired and my eyes were so dry I fell asleep and woke up at around 2:00 a.m.. Then got ready to go to see Daft Punk. The warm weather helped. Especially since this is already September but with the humidity, it actually feels very much like summer still.
Organizer: Syrous and Clublife etc.
Theme: 6th Anniversary
DJs: Josh Wink & Daft Punk
Venue:
Toronto Congress Centre, 650 Dixon Rd., minutes from the Airport
Never-used venue. A bit like the International Centre, huge space, but better ventilation.
Very professional lighting systems. It's like 3 concerts going on at the same time in interconnected yet sufficiently apart space. The light and the energy in the jungle area was like fireworks. Rows of portable toilets, not too stinky. Minimal decor but professionally done. Security minimal (real police) and less aggressive than that time at the International centre (with Bob Sinclar).
Crowd:
Mainly young teenagers but also quite mixed. People are surprisingly trying to revive that original rave spirit - 3 people shook hands with P. .Some are polite about knocking me at the shoulder. Some women did try to dress up a bit - the Mandarin top...But still... something to lament about the way ravers/ party-goers are these days - their lack of style, the men taking their tops off, the way they walk across the dance floor. Lovers swinging each other at the people around them, obnoxious dancers, starers. The half-naked sweaty arms wiping their body fluid against yours and their constant moving around within the confine of the dance floor is a major problem. I thought it was just Industry or some poorly organized raves but nowadays, it's become a common phenomenon.
This is the Labour Day weekend, truly the last summer rave of 1999 for us. Another rave will be the one with Green Velvet and Derrick Carter.
Josh Wink was pleasant. Mainly lively house.
Daft Punk (the skinnier, and darker one) started with a slow soulful tune and moved immediately to a funky house beat. Every tune is slightly different. He played some rock guitar solo mixed with house beat and that most talked about Celebration (Madonna's) remix. He also played some Eighties funk, their Daft Punk signature scratchy sound, some progressive house with sirens (climatic!). Towards the end, one of the duel even did what seemed like a live number, twisting the knobs alongside DJ Sneak. Their performance consists mainly of pounding beats of different bpm which did not come to much. Then they left the stage with a re-mix of the Madonna hit, Holiday. Highlight of the morning was their introduction to one of the summer house anthems of 1999. Unfortunately I do not know the name of the song. (not the elephant sound,...) The whole event was a delightful surprise considering the fact that I've been very tired the entire week and during the day.
1999 September 18, Sat
Unusually mild for a Sept., 22 degrees Celcius. Sunny all day.
Was a bit down after seeing Pas de Scandale by Benoit Jacquot and then Peter Greenaway's 8 1/2 Women. Felt the need for some strong musical vibration.
The moment we entered the door of Industry, we could feel a surge of steam. Even the entrance was foggy. Industry has packed a full capacity of people if not over. The crowd was mixed, more women than usual and slightly less gangster type. Same mix of ravers, half naked men. P. said tickets didn't seem to sell well. Industry must have packed their members in to fill in the room. There was some visuals (slides) and of course the dripping ceiling but the steaminess (not smoke from the smoke machine) was more severe than anything I've ever experienced there. I dared not venture in the back room/ the fountain room despite P's urge lest I might faint. (A girl almost did). There was not much oxygen in there.
But the music was great. The Basement Jaxx's brand of house hits this summer, treated and mixed with their own hits was refreshing. What's most impressive was the crowd. Everyone, women and men were enthusiastic despite the humidity. Everyone was drenched with sweat. The men who took off their clothes were hideous. People were also quite friendly and I got used to the ever moving crowd.
This whole week had been like a dream - the film festival, J's excitement over the Nick Drake CD I lent him, the Friday DJ Deep party with the cool crowd and Basement Jaxx plus my taking Monday off...
Was a bit down after seeing Pas de Scandale by Benoit Jacquot and then Peter Greenaway's 8 1/2 Women. Felt the need for some strong musical vibration.
The moment we entered the door of Industry, we could feel a surge of steam. Even the entrance was foggy. Industry has packed a full capacity of people if not over. The crowd was mixed, more women than usual and slightly less gangster type. Same mix of ravers, half naked men. P. said tickets didn't seem to sell well. Industry must have packed their members in to fill in the room. There was some visuals (slides) and of course the dripping ceiling but the steaminess (not smoke from the smoke machine) was more severe than anything I've ever experienced there. I dared not venture in the back room/ the fountain room despite P's urge lest I might faint. (A girl almost did). There was not much oxygen in there.
But the music was great. The Basement Jaxx's brand of house hits this summer, treated and mixed with their own hits was refreshing. What's most impressive was the crowd. Everyone, women and men were enthusiastic despite the humidity. Everyone was drenched with sweat. The men who took off their clothes were hideous. People were also quite friendly and I got used to the ever moving crowd.
This whole week had been like a dream - the film festival, J's excitement over the Nick Drake CD I lent him, the Friday DJ Deep party with the cool crowd and Basement Jaxx plus my taking Monday off...
1999 November 7
Andrea Parker span at the B-side next to Fez Batik. It was a very cozy place. Small but big enough for the show-ups. Like a nice student type party. Warm, chatty, ethnic and no attitude. Just like Andrea Parker's mix. Hip hop, electro, funk. Had a fun time.
1999 December
Organizer: Fukhouse
Venue: Industry
DJ: DJ Slam of Scotland
Music: Techno, trance, house, very pleasant and danceable
Industry has changed it's decor and interior with a bar counter surrounding the dance floor making it more orderly. I sat nearby. Had a nice view of the action and feeling comfortable. There were lots of humorous things going on. Never had I had so much fun watching --- two big tall Eastern Europeans with two rather good looking women kept looking my way . They also kissed and hug each other (the two men looked alike); A skinny Anglo looking rather funky sometimes danced in a funny way shaking his bum; two guys, one good -looking danced with two Japanese girls who were so energetic that they ignore one of the guys' softer touch. The two girls danced really amusingly - like these silly Japanese commercial, childlike and very well synchronized.
Venue: Industry
DJ: DJ Slam of Scotland
Music: Techno, trance, house, very pleasant and danceable
Industry has changed it's decor and interior with a bar counter surrounding the dance floor making it more orderly. I sat nearby. Had a nice view of the action and feeling comfortable. There were lots of humorous things going on. Never had I had so much fun watching --- two big tall Eastern Europeans with two rather good looking women kept looking my way . They also kissed and hug each other (the two men looked alike); A skinny Anglo looking rather funky sometimes danced in a funny way shaking his bum; two guys, one good -looking danced with two Japanese girls who were so energetic that they ignore one of the guys' softer touch. The two girls danced really amusingly - like these silly Japanese commercial, childlike and very well synchronized.
1999 Dec 31
RNB Millennium party at the Irish Rover
All that anticipation and excitement about the end of a Millennium during the year was tainted by more hype about the Y2K Bug and its possible disaster-inducing ability. By December, all I heard was the Y2K bug and what to do when it happened. There was little talk about what big name DJs to arrive on our soil. Yes, I've seen flyers saying how the organizer has been preparing for this end-of-Millennium bash since whenever but when New Year's Eve actually comes, there really isn't that many interesting choices to choose from. At the office, most people prefer to stay home when New Year comes. I do understand that there is a kind of uncertainty in the air that kind of make one cautious of what might happen; a kind of catastrophic vibration lurking behind, with all those people waiting in Times Square in New York and Harbour Front, Lakeshore. There could be riots, accidents, terrorist attacks, kidnapping, looting, crowd stomping, swarming...
By the evening, I almost wanted to stay home but the thought that there could and hopefully would be only one end-of-millennium New Year's eve in my life, made me decide to go see the fireworks by the waterfront.
When P. and I board the TTC, people inside were all excited but not THAT excited. In fact, I didn't see people behaving any more animated than any other New Year's eve. They were not that dressed-up either. We got off at Union Station and followed the crowd. There was that fear of being trampled if anything unexpected happened and the crowd turned hysterical . But people were quite orderly amidst the whistling and shouting. There was also less people than I expected.
We walked over towards the East where the stages were but the fireworks seemed very far away. The amplifiers were either cheap stuffs or there was not enough. We could hardly hear the tacky techno, classical and What a Wonderful World that were played. What's worse was we didn't even know New Year had arrived until we saw the first sparkle in the sky above . There was no count down! And worst of all, was this panhandler, who was quite neatly dressed (for the occasion?) , who stood in front of P., turned around at the very moment the first sparkle was seen in the sky, and asked P. for money. I was worried he was more than just a panhandler and stared at him until he walked away. P. did not give him anything and that was understandable. With the crowd being around, he could easily be a robber if we pulled out our wallets. After he left, we struggled to concentrate on the sporadic fireworks above us. With a lame soundtrack, and an
ordinary line up of firework tricks, we were completely disappointed. There was hardly any sense of awe as we watched. In fact, the people around us were not that interested either. Many looked around as if wondering if there was anything more interesting to do. Some talked a great deal. Some lovers kissed but the New Year spirit was simply not there.
As the firework died down, we walked further east to the Irish Rover pub where the RNB party was held. The short walk from Lakeshore east to the pub was a deserted, industrial, run-down, abandoned strip of land. This really wasn't the sight I had in mind for the year 2000's dawning. P. and I was quiet all the way. We both wished we were somewhere else.
But then, once we entered the Irish Rover, things seemed a bit more tolerable. The Irish Rover is a house built in the middle of nowhere, among the highways and by the side of a short bridge going towards the industrial shore of the lake. There were only a few people at the door and once I walked in, I could hardly recognize it as a pub --- a huge tent was set up outside the pub to accommodate for the crowd. Regardless, it was a warm and welcoming atmosphere. One dance floor was indoors and the other one was on sandy ground inside the tent where the music was special. We even heard YMO remixed which was a delightful surprise. There we danced a bit and we moved to the indoor dance floor and had a pretty good time.
A girl approached us and we kissed and hugged like people should during New Year's Eve. We chatted politely for a bit and left not too long
All that anticipation and excitement about the end of a Millennium during the year was tainted by more hype about the Y2K Bug and its possible disaster-inducing ability. By December, all I heard was the Y2K bug and what to do when it happened. There was little talk about what big name DJs to arrive on our soil. Yes, I've seen flyers saying how the organizer has been preparing for this end-of-Millennium bash since whenever but when New Year's Eve actually comes, there really isn't that many interesting choices to choose from. At the office, most people prefer to stay home when New Year comes. I do understand that there is a kind of uncertainty in the air that kind of make one cautious of what might happen; a kind of catastrophic vibration lurking behind, with all those people waiting in Times Square in New York and Harbour Front, Lakeshore. There could be riots, accidents, terrorist attacks, kidnapping, looting, crowd stomping, swarming...
By the evening, I almost wanted to stay home but the thought that there could and hopefully would be only one end-of-millennium New Year's eve in my life, made me decide to go see the fireworks by the waterfront.
When P. and I board the TTC, people inside were all excited but not THAT excited. In fact, I didn't see people behaving any more animated than any other New Year's eve. They were not that dressed-up either. We got off at Union Station and followed the crowd. There was that fear of being trampled if anything unexpected happened and the crowd turned hysterical . But people were quite orderly amidst the whistling and shouting. There was also less people than I expected.
We walked over towards the East where the stages were but the fireworks seemed very far away. The amplifiers were either cheap stuffs or there was not enough. We could hardly hear the tacky techno, classical and What a Wonderful World that were played. What's worse was we didn't even know New Year had arrived until we saw the first sparkle in the sky above . There was no count down! And worst of all, was this panhandler, who was quite neatly dressed (for the occasion?) , who stood in front of P., turned around at the very moment the first sparkle was seen in the sky, and asked P. for money. I was worried he was more than just a panhandler and stared at him until he walked away. P. did not give him anything and that was understandable. With the crowd being around, he could easily be a robber if we pulled out our wallets. After he left, we struggled to concentrate on the sporadic fireworks above us. With a lame soundtrack, and an
ordinary line up of firework tricks, we were completely disappointed. There was hardly any sense of awe as we watched. In fact, the people around us were not that interested either. Many looked around as if wondering if there was anything more interesting to do. Some talked a great deal. Some lovers kissed but the New Year spirit was simply not there.
As the firework died down, we walked further east to the Irish Rover pub where the RNB party was held. The short walk from Lakeshore east to the pub was a deserted, industrial, run-down, abandoned strip of land. This really wasn't the sight I had in mind for the year 2000's dawning. P. and I was quiet all the way. We both wished we were somewhere else.
But then, once we entered the Irish Rover, things seemed a bit more tolerable. The Irish Rover is a house built in the middle of nowhere, among the highways and by the side of a short bridge going towards the industrial shore of the lake. There were only a few people at the door and once I walked in, I could hardly recognize it as a pub --- a huge tent was set up outside the pub to accommodate for the crowd. Regardless, it was a warm and welcoming atmosphere. One dance floor was indoors and the other one was on sandy ground inside the tent where the music was special. We even heard YMO remixed which was a delightful surprise. There we danced a bit and we moved to the indoor dance floor and had a pretty good time.
A girl approached us and we kissed and hugged like people should during New Year's Eve. We chatted politely for a bit and left not too long
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