Human musical chairs, PLAY, Pure, and Afrobeta; what a weekend

Every weekend tends to be a new adventure, but this past weekend was just absolutely hilarious. It was full of surprises, disappointments, and exciting moments in between; it was absolutely exhausting.

Friday night I was ready for a much needed girls night out, my first destination was the Newport Beachside Resort in North Miami Beach to check out a PlayDate Miami event. From the looks of the flyer and event details I read, I expected a night where adults could play childhood games such as Jenga, Twister, Monopoly, etc. in a fun environment with food and drinks. The kid in me was super excited to have a random silly night; that is, until I got there.

To my surprise the event was actually a dating event similar to speed dating (but not really). As I walked in, I had to select an alter ego and go by that name for the rest of the night. Once inside, basically all I had to do was just go in and play. Let’s just say I was not in a “playing mood”. 

There was no real organization to the function, it was inside of a banquet room of the hotel, and it was extremely overcrowded. They did have tables with some games, such as an oversized Connect Four, Monopoly, Dominoes, and more; however people were already playing them and the rest were just standing around.

The AC was broken (or it was just plain hot), they had one tiny bar, and a sound system of two speakers that sounded like they were going to blow. The ratio of girls to guys was about 80% to 20% (pretty bad odds if you’re a girl trying to get a date), and the dress code was really mixed. You saw really dressed up people and then some in just a T-shirt and Jeans. Nothing like what the flyer seemed.

In the middle of the room there was a center dance floor where they were playing musical chairs (it wasn’t your ordinary musical chairs), instead of chairs you sat on the lap of the person you wanted to get to know (I didn’t understand the rules, but that was the main concept), they kept going around and at one point they began to give lap dances, things were getting hot in there. That was the hi-light of the night; I have to say it was pretty humorous.

The concept was great, but they needed more guys, more bars, and overall more organization. Within an hour I was over it and took off to my next destination. Next up was PLAY on South Beach. In the last few weeks PLAY nightclub, which used to be home the fabulous upscale parties of the 400 Club, has changed promotions companies;  their new events are now handled by Hush Entertainment.  I decided to pass by, check out the party, and scope out the new scene. Walking up to PLAY it did not seem promising.

I walked in with my girls around 12:30am and the club was empty. The few people inside seemed to be waiting for someone to make the first move to start dancing. I felt like I was at an 8th grade dance inside my school auditorium with everyone lining the walls drinking punch.

Finally by 2:00am the crowd started to pick up, bottles were popping, everyone started dancing; even Alonzo Mourning and Patrick Ewing showed up to party. I was having a fabulous time, but decided to head over to PURE nightclub (previously Snatch) and check out the new home of the 400 Club.

By this time it was 2:30am I walked in and my jaw dropped to the floor; it was D-E-A-D. I was completely disappointed. I am used to going to the 400 Club parties and having the time of my life, but this was ridiculous. I think there were less then 50 people in the whole venue. The music was great, but not what I expected from a 400 Life event. Maybe it’s the venue; that location just never seems to work out; whatever the case, the place was not happening.

I left within half an hour, returned to PLAY, and finished out my night there. By the time I left it was 5 am, I was happy to be going home after a long exhausting (and somewhat disappointing) night.

Saturday night, was a completely different story; I checked out Afrobeta at Grand Central– have to say I love, love, love that venue, Poplife is doing a fabulous job there. The music was great the atmosphere was electric, from the moment you walk in, it’s such a good vibe. The staff was friendly, the drink prices were great, and the music was fantastic. It reminded me of Studio A (the club that used to be downtown next to Nocturnal now called Kukaramakara), with all the free-spirited, music loving, laid-back, fashionistas, and hipsters dancing, having an amazing time getting lost in the electro beats.

Grand Central is a fairly new venue that opened its doors during WMC 2010 and has been bringing stellar acts to rock out each week. It’s a great live music venue with a New York loft feel. You don’t have to be decked out, but definitely come with your own style.

Saturday night Afrobeta took over the stage, I was surprised at the set-up. I felt like I was at Ultra, they went all out setting up the stage with plenty of  LED lights and a big screen backdrop for awesome visuals through out the show. It was very colorful and energetic. The place was packed, but not uncomfortably packed where you can’t walk; everyone i was with were having a blast.

Afrobeta really got in to the music and you could tell she was having a fabulous time on stage feeding off the energy of crowd. I danced all night and had no desire to leave. Finally the night ended; I left feeling extremely satisfied (and tired) from a very spectacular evening.  Saturday was a terrific night completely opposite of my very random Friday night.  By Sunday I was ready for a nice long day of relaxation on the beach. 

Next week, another adventure awaits.

This story was originally published June 8, 2010 at 12:06 AM.