B-LIVE - TAKE 1

Coming off of the first round of B-LIVE events....

From Seattle To Kansas City....
We've had the best time checking out some of the B-LIVE shows!  The beautifully curated talent pool has proven to be nothing short of awesome, and each venue & city has provided the shows with unique settings and experiences.

From BACARDI B-LIVE

(Photo: Crowd at Neuomos)

In Seattle at Neuomos, we danced the night away, listening to the music of Drop The Lime, DJ AM and the adorable Matt & Kim, who hypnotized the crowd with their sweet sensibility, happy quirkiness (think Ben Folds), and charming interludes.  To finish off their fun set, the duo played their hit single, 'Daylight'...also featured in the newest Bacardi Mojito spot:



(Photo: Ghostland Observatory - Laser Extravaganza!)

Mezzanine in San Francisco saw the amazing Ghostland Observatory, complete with a full suite of lasers (!!) and an energy packed performance beyond anyone's expectations.  An iTunes review describes the duo as "...peculiar mashup of electronic dance-funk tunes and '80s hair metal vocal...unexpectedly compelling blend of two retro fashion statements..."  And that's pretty accurate.  Daft Punk meets Prince with a touch of Freddy Mercury perhaps?  However you describe it, the crowd went NUTS for these guys.  The San Fran show also featured the unique DJ magic of Zandland fave, Drop The Lime, who delivered an extraordinary & eclectic set with a touch of doo-wop, a bite of house and more...  Check out Drop The Lime's ongoing B-LIVE video travel mini-doc on Spin.com!

From BACARDI B-LIVE

(Photo: Drop The Lime does his thing in San Francisco)

Next, we packed up our bags (and sunscreen) and headed to the dessert for BACARDI B-LIVE Phoenix @ Myst, featuring Drop The Lime, Steve Porter (who's set later inspired a pretty fierce breakdancing circle) and DJ Jazzy Jeff.  Prior to the show, we had a chance to talk it up with Steve Porter about his YouTube hit, "Rap Chop," a play on the 'Slap Chop' infomercial.  Turns out the viral sensation was just a casual joke he developed for a friend's simple amusement...and before he knew it, the clip had over 2 million views!  And while the 'Rap Chop' isn't fully representative of all of Steve Porter's expansive and impressive library of work, it certainly highlights his smart sense of humor.

From BACARDI B-LIVE

(Photo: DJ Jazzy Jeff wows crowd with hit-laden set)

DJ Jazzy Jeff BLEW the Phoenix/Scottsdale crowd away with a set chock-full of popular hits dancing back to the late 80s/early 90s.  With retro Top 40 faves like Montel Jordan's 'This Is How We Do It', Biz Markie's 'Just A Friend' and a little Nirvana with 'Smells Like Teen Spirit,' his long set inspired partygoers to dance themselves silly until 2:30AM!  He even threw in come classic Jazzy: the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme. It's no wonder this Grammy-award winning dj is still going strong.  He's got the goods.

The following weekend, we headed off to Kansas City...KC Live! was the venue and we couldn't have been more awed by the setup.  The venue holds about 20,000, and includes a large courtyard area (which held the giant boom box stage and massive video screens) surrounded by a series of 'themed' clubs/bars. Partiers can bring their drinks from spot to spot - moving from the B-LIVE arena to the rock-themed bar for a quick dance on the table, over to the cowboy/rodeo themed venue to ride the bull and then back again.  They even fit Lucky Strike, a bowling alley/bar into the mix!  The massive, multi-faceted venue caters to a wide array of partygoers, and the B-LIVE performers played to the expansive and eclectic crowd beautifully.  First off, we had Z-Trip...A highlight from his inspired set was a mash up of Ton Loc's, 'Wild Thing' alongside Radiohead ('Packt Like Sardines in a Crushed Tin Box')! Odd perfection.

The closing set of MSTRKRFT was out of control, keeping the crowd dancing strong through the late shift. The duo has such a beautiful demeanor on stage, sharing the turntable, working in perfect harmony with each other – it’s hard to not just stop cold and stare at the two charismatic DJs spinning away, heads bopping in unison.  Not surprisingly, they hit it big with the crowd during their hit single, 'Bounce'. They ended their set with an eerie tweak on Queen's 'Bohemian Rhapsody', almost in it's entirety.  Pretty awesome.
 
 
The B-LIVE Experience
While the talent has been pretty brilliant across the board, there's a lot more to the BACARDI B-LIVE program.

From BACARDI B-LIVE

(Photo: Z-Trip performs on B-LIVE boom box stage, Kansas City)

The B-LIVE stage can be seen as the unnamed headliner for the entire tour.  It's set up as a massive boom box, with giant video screens as speakers and streaming text along the top.  The whole effect is beyond amazing, resonating in conversations days past, city by city.  One partygoer said the massive structure was 'all the talk of LA for days!' after the party passed through in May (with performances by James Murphy (LCD Soundsystem) and Tiga).


(Photo: Video art on old-school tvs and screens)

The events also sport some hot video art, presented on screens (large and small) throughout each venue.  Featuring 80s/90s styles, fun dancing and nu-retro patterns and designs, these vignettes fit beautifully in to the cool, old-school vibe of the BACARDI B-LIVE program.

From BACARDI B-LIVE

And while each show has Bacardi's signature Mojitos available throughout the venue, partygoers can indulge in a unique adventure at the Bespoke Bar.  A master mixologist works with you and bartenders to create a custom cocktail using the freshest array of fruit, herbs and spices (and of course Bacardi Rum).  We tried out a ginger-strawberry cocktail and also a nutmeg, basil, watermelon concoction that set our taste buds abuzz!


We hit up the retro-style B-LIVE photo booth at a couple of the shows which seems to be a huge hit with the crowds. Seriously, who doesn’t like a good photo booth pic?  The best part is they’re all available online at www.going.com/blive so you can check out everyone else’s, get ideas for your next “photo shoot,” or upload yours to Facebook.

The merch table has some pretty cool offerings as well and all for free (or with Bacardi coins - get them as you enter)!  Swag includes cassette tape printed messenger bags, lightening bolt earrings (fave), retro-style USB sticks, cassette tape shaped pendants, cool buttons and screen-printed tees (handmade at the shows!). They have vending machines stocked up with merchandise as well!

From BACARDI B-LIVE

(Photo: Merchandise Vending Machine)

From BACARDI B-LIVE

(Photo: Limited Edition Poster Series)

The shows also come complete with a limited edition poster series.  The curated collection boasts the work of several of the hottest poster designers around, including So Me (art director of Ed Banger Records), Matt Goldman (MFG/Dance Right), Ryan Nole (Kangaroo Press), Aesthetic Apparatus, Amy Jo, Dan Stiles, Ian Flemming - and even a Zandl Group design (yours, truly).  Get them free at the shows, or check out www.bacardi.com/blive to enter to win!
 
 
And the beat goes on..
There’s plenty more to enjoy at the future events!  We're looking forward to continuing our adventures along the B-LIVE path.  The show is heading to our home turf, NYC next week with A-Trak, DJ AM, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Drop The Lime, Auto Erotique (with whispers of some special surprises as well).  Also can't wait to see Major Lazer (featuring Diplo & Switch) on the heel of their big album release, 'Guns Don't Kill People, Lazers Do,' which drops Tuesday June 16 (B-LIVE show in Philadelphia @ the Electric Factory next Friday night).  Gonna be serious.

Check out our ongoing B-LIVE photo album on Picasa and soon to come...Zandland's YouTube Channel!

www.bacardi.com/blive

-jmd (p!n, nb)