Me and the ANB played our first Christmas party last night. We played the "Holiday Hoedown" at the Fox Racing Headquarters in Irvine CA. Fox Racing his a hip, young company that makes motocross and mountain biking gear and apparel.
I ventured deep into the OC to the business district that is Irvine. My old office used to be down this way as well as the old Crazy Horse where me and lots of folks used to play back in the day.
The front door of Fox Racing reminds me of the Time Tunnel. (Does anyone remember that TV show?)
I see Arnie's truck and Jason's car already parked and unloaded. I toss my gear on my handy-dandy Rock-n-Roller cart and cut in on the setup dance.
Being the hip, young company that it is, the workspace is open, friendly, almost homey. The party is being held here the the main hall. This is the view from the stage as I toss my gear up.
That red cube at the top of the stairs is one of the conference rooms. I had to go have a look see.
From the top of the stairs I take a shot of the stage during setup.
I can also see employee areas to my left and right. There are still a few people working. This is not the cubicle farm that I'm used to at my day job.
As I continue my self-guided tour of the facility I found a mechanical bull to add fun to the festivities tonight.
I also found troughs of beer. Beers and bulls can be a potent combination.
And just in case you forgot your western getup, the company provided hats and bandanas so everyone fit right in.
We finished our setup and sound check just before doors opened at 6pm.
To begin the festivities the employees and guests listened to a few speeches.
A couple of the company officers talk about the sponsored racers. These are the guys who make those crazy videos while riding their bikes down the mountain.
During the speeches I sip my beer and have a look at the showroom out front.
It looks like the speeches are done and we are about to begin the Holiday Hoedown.
During our first few songs the crowd was helping themselves to the beans, BBQ, and beer.
But pretty soon our line dance instructor, Coral, got folks on the floor having fun.
As the dance instructor entertained and instructed the dancers the band took a quick break to hit the buffet.
I fixed myself a burger with a beef pattie and a BBQ chicken breast, with a side of tri tip, sausages, and beans. It's a protein plate!
Amanda leads us in a "holler and a swaller". We let out a "Yeehaw!" and have a drink, then we're back to making noise and having fun.
Jason has a swallow and looks a little mottled against the projection.
John is on the far side of the stage because we used our "Disney" setup. We played two long sets with one short meal break. We were having a lot of fun.
Here's Amanda singing one of her sassy girl songs. The girls in the crowd enjoyed singing along.
It's a girls' night out. Honey, there ain't no doubt.
Another quick line dance lesson. This younger crowd was having a good time. This is not at all like the last corporate event I played.
As I said, this is a pretty hip place. It's like those offices on TV where you see the skinny jeans and beards riding around on skate boards.
I'm here for the party. I ain't leaving til they throw me out.
These are Amanda's people. She had them eating out of her hand.
The Fox Racing team had fun. We played up to our contracted time but they wouldn't let us leave. We ended up playing three encores before we could start the load out dance.
This was a great Tuesday night gig. We were supposed to play at Downtown Disney tonight (Wednesday night) but it got cancelled due to weather. We don't mind. It's a contracted gig so we get paid anyway. The Mouse honors his contracts. So now I get to go home and learn tunes for our big show at the House of Blues coming up on the 20th. But don't you worry, we'll be playing a few honky tonks between now and then. Thanks for looking! Merry Christmas!
Thank you for your indulgence,
BassCliff
No comments:
Post a Comment