[PHOTO OF SCENE1--DONNY?]
Makeda at Friday's After-Concert Party
As I pulled up to City One Nightclub I couldn't tell which crowd was larger, the one inside the club
or the one outside the gate waiting to get in. It seemed like the whole concert audience had shifted
to this spot! After I manuveured my way onto the the dance floor I found myself side-by-side with Big
Lez, former MC Hammer dancer and popular BET host. I finally left the floor after being consistently
outdanced by Big Lez for the entire string of Hip-Hop hits. I cooled off with two drinks and called it
a night.
[PHOTO OF CITY1--DONNY?]
Greg at City1
Three empty pool tables lined the entrance, awaiting the onslaught of
soulful spirits from across the U.S. Thumping speakers shook the room as
bartenders and bouncers got ready for the party.
This is what an all-around soul groove is supposed to be. Two wall-sized bars surrounded the brightly lit dance floor. Outside of the club were a few drink stands and enough room to take the party's excess. At 9:45, a few "dressed to impress" ladies danced their way to the floor, not at all worried that they might have wasted their money because they were the only ones there. To them, they were the party and they were there to have fun.
No reason to worry, though. The crowd rolled in, and the dancefloor was like a magnet. As the night went on, the dance floor got more crowded and more hot. The dress-code varied as much as the dance styles, from mannered and conservative to wild and barely-there. By 10pm the party was one huge groove, from the bar to the dance floor to the outdoor-area. Everyone was happily living up to Aruba's motto: One Happy Island. It warmed the heart and the libido to see so many brothers and sisters smiling, sipping drinks, and having fun -- no shallowness, no animosity, and egos were checked at the door. When the party shut down at 3AM, the crowd dispersed back to the hotels ... but whether they were goin to their own hotel or someone else's was the biggest question of the night.
[PHOTO OF PARTY SCENE]
Kwesi
I asked a bunch of people why they're having such a good time here at the Festival.
Deneen
Hometown: LA
Deneen is here for the second time. She says she loves nothing more than the Beach
Parties! Away from work and responsibilities and getting her mack ON!
Sheila
Hometown:LA
(man a lot of LA folks here)
Sheila is a third-year veteran of the festival. I asked which one she thought was the best. She said, "The
inaugural at St. Martin"
Melinda & Nicole
Hometown: Los Angeles, CA
"We are really having a good time! This is the first night and people are already getting into the
spirit of the festival. Sinbad is the man!"
Sergio
Hometown: Brooklyn, NY
"This my first time coming to the Soul Festival and I have to say that Sinbad is definitely the way to
go!"
Sandra, Brawin, Shelly
Hometown: NJ and Chicago
"This is our second time. We went to Jamaica last year and just had to come back!!"
Susan
Hometown: Philly
Susan is a veteran of the Soul Music Festivals. She has been to all three
of the festivals. So I asked her: What is it that makes the festival so great that she keeps coming
back for more? "It's the people that come to the Music Festival. All black professionals from all over
the country and all walks of life. They all come here to have a good time. No one is talking business.
No one is frontin'. You can get your mack on and get macked! Its all good."
Since this is my first time at the Soul Music Festival, I was all too eager find out from Susan: What is the most fun and exciting thing to do at the festival? She said, "Listening to oldies music on the beach while getting a massage." (Whoa bwoy!!)
While I was sitting at a table getting caught up on my notes, I was approached by Danielle from Oakland, CA. After a brief introduction Danielle proceeded to tell me how she heard about Sinbad's big summer party. "My girlfriend went last year and she came back sooooo excited. She talked about the music festival 'til December. The only way I could get her to shut up was by deciding to join her in Aruba."
Most people I talked to told me that they would come again next year.