EVENT REVIEW: Cahoots.com SFNYE Superior Bash, San Francisco,
December 31, 1999-January 1, 2000
- Joann D. Ball
California knows how to party!
It was an around the Bay extravaganza at the Cahoots.com SFNYE Superior Bash held at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium in downtown San Francisco. Presented by Bill Graham Presents and local party kings Martel & Nabiel, and sponsored by Internet powersite Cahoots.com the San Francisco New Year's Eve (SFNYE) Superior Bash ran from 8PM December 31, 1999 until 3AM January 1, 2000. With maximum quality entertainment, minimal snob attitude, no velvet rope, and no need to take a cab to party hop, the ninety-nine dollar ticket price was a real bargain. Extremely well organized and executed, the SFNYE Superior Bash brought together some 10,000 attendees for a fun-filled night of great music and madness under one roof and several tents.
A major bigtime party on a grand scale, SFNYE featured a main stage plus nine party rooms, each offering a multitude of sonic and visual pleasures. New Year's revelers roamed from room to room throughout the night, and were always well rewarded. None of the themed stages and rooms could be missed, from Club Release featuring the Bay Area's best House music DJs and the Disco Palace, to the Shagalicious Shack with live swing from the Chazz Cats and sixties a-go-go music from Casino Royale, and the spectacular World Beat Experience showcased the incredible live sounds of the West African High Life Band along with Hip-Hop DJs Tom Thump and Mind Motion. For those "in the know" who procured the much-sought after shiny red wristbands, the Level 4 VIP Room sponsored by bayarea.citysearch.com was all about the good stuff. And when it came time to celebrate on the down low, a high priority given the occasion, the Rat Pack Room with its martini bars, the Bubbly Lounge and The Make-Out Den were the perfect hiding places.
But Party Central amid this New Year's Eve festival was definitely the Millennium Ballroom. Cuba's Los Van Van, formed in 1969 by vocalist, bassist and songwriter Juan Formell, entertained the crowd with REAL Latin dance music. The first of the three acts on the Millennium Ballroom stage, they immediately established the ground rules: that this was a night for incredible music and serious partying. With a distinguished history that includes 23 albums and three decades of shaking bon-bons, Los Van Van has perfected a mesmerizing sound and performance style. Their hour-plus set was completely relished by those who immersed themselves in all that the world's foremost Latin dance band had to offer.
Headliners the Pretenders had the awesome responsibility of ushering out the old year and bringing in the new one. With a sense of purpose, energy and determination to rock the house, the Pretenders kickstarted their performance with the no holds barred "Night in My Veins" that was the night's anthem. The band blistered through a killer 20-song set that only slowed down because it had to - when lead singer Chrissie Hynde led the packed Ballroom in the traditional New Year's countdown. And the indoor fireworks and explosions were the perfect segue into "Middle of the Road," as power drummer Martin Chambers continued the festive bombast throughout the song. With guitarist Adam Seymour's burning solos soaring and sizzling throughout the night, and bassist Andy Hobson keeping the band's musical pulse strong and steady, it's clear that the Pretenders are fueled and ready for their US theater tour, which begins in Florida in late January.
With the New Year just barely underway, it was time to groove to the electronic sounds of the Crystal Method. Only an act of this caliber could keep the mainstage crowd going after midnight at a New Year's Eve bash that had already overflowed with bubbly and intensity. Even before the set began, Crystal Method fans were poised and ready, having quickly staked out the necessary space required for the reckless abandon letting go that the group inspires. Without missing a beat, underground club culture experts the Crystal Method transported that spirit and energy to the Bill Graham Auditorium, keeping the party going until the wee hours with their trademark rock, funk, big-beat hip-hop sonic assault.
Throughout the world, Y2K fears were proven false. But in San Francisco, one thing was for sure: the predictions and forecasts proved true. The Cahoots.com SFNYE Superior Bash was everything that the good folks at Glodow Nead Communications promised. It was without a doubt "the ultimate New Year's Eve millennium blowout!"
