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SXSW scene report: Perez Hilton party
Photos: Scenes from the Perez Hilton party at ACL Live
Although his night of curated performances was not listed as an official showcase, web star Perez Hilton’s now-annual SXSW bash took on a sense of legitimacy this year, booking the ACL Live venue on a Saturday night.
Badges were not required (but allowed) for the party that had people who RSVP’d online queued up hours before the doors opened at 6 p.m. The flow of people reached a standstill at 10 p.m., as people were made to wait before being let in at 20-minute intervals, according to organizers. By midnight, the wait had died, they said.
Inside, DJs alternated sets with five bands introduced personally by Perez — including New Zealand acts Kids of 88 and Zowie and a rockin’ set from ’90s star Liz Phair — before “Gossip Girl” star Taylor Momsen and her band Pretty Reckless took the stage.
Momsen, who is surprisingly better than expected with her take on angsty rock, had fans on the floor in a bit of a frenzy. Those in the balcony, however, were less active, falling prey to the easy trap of voyeurism set by the unique proximity of upper-deck seats to the stage.
A peek backstage revealed that Vince Young’s Steakhouse was catering the VIP areas. More eye-popping than the grub was Jessie and the Toy Boys, a band that had played several shows during SXSW and was busy garnering attention backstage, the singer draped in a leopard-print robe and sidled by retro-futurist nerds.
Approaching 1 a.m., Dirty Vegas had the party jumping with its decade-old hit “Days Go By” while many audience members engaged in the now-obligatory discussion of whether there would be a surprise drop-in from a big-name artist.
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Permalink | Comments (1) | Categories: SXSW 2011
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By Huh?
March 20, 2011 1:30 PM | Link to this
It was totally listed as an official showcase. It was on sxsw.com and everything. How could you mess this up? That was the big deal was that this year his party was an official showcase. Nice research. I do find it ironic that he gets the worst lineup so far for his first official showcase.