Austin360 blogs > Out & About > Archives > 2008 > September > 28 > Entry
Michael’s Improbable Late-Night Adventure, Part 1
Very late and very unexpectedly, Saturday night turned wild. I violated three personal taboos: Partook in bottle service. Rode in a limo. Patronized a “gentlemen’s club.”
I know what you are thinking: What a hopelessly egalitarian, Catholic-school priss you are, Michael Barnes. You waited until you were 53, almost 54, to break those taboos.
Well, I just didn’t see the point of the excess. And, to tell truth, the opportunity rarely arose.
Deanne Laursen, Danielle Smith, Janise Boyd, Shandell Markle enjoy the Envy party at Speakeasy
So back to Saturday. I spent the early part of the evening on my hunt for “Not ACL” stories. At three hotel lobbies, I got bupkiss. A few noisy, jubilant Horns fans at the Four Seasons, not even that at the Driskill or the Stephen F. Austin. The biggest thrill was the Four Seasons security guy watching me nervously as I tweeted the non-events into my iPhone.
Almost no ACL action. A few flutters of reports about David Byrne or Bill Murray. All three hotels were more fixated on wedding parties than the festival or the game.
Jason Hadfield, Nicole Zaza, Jeff Lusk, also at the Envy party
So over to Speakeasy for the Envy party. This slick, youth-directed magazine already covers Houston and Dallas culture. Now it’s moved into magazine-thick Austin. Its inaugural ACL issue featured Erykah Badu on the cover; she was scheduled to sing at the party, then canceled, then recommitted.
A third Envy grouping: Kali Sellias, Nia Davis, Roni Williams
When I arrived, the terrace was already percolating. Downstairs, a few people swayed to the up-to-date sounds of DJ Chicken George. Yet it was clear, after winding conversations with several guests, that we weren’t going to hear Erykah until the last possible minute, perhaps not until 1 a.m.
I was already bushed from Pre-ACL and Side-ACL events so, I crossed the alley to Pangaea to check out the Paper party. That’s when it started.
To be continued…
Comments
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By Caroline Wallace
September 29, 2008 12:58 PM | Link to this
I saw Bill Murray at the Conor Oberst/ Jenny Lewis show at La Zona Rosa last night. He was off to the side of the stage watching... eventually dancing.
By Jeff Cleven
September 29, 2008 10:53 AM | Link to this
She was there and she was incredible! Of course she was late as always. She got on the mic upstairs and downstairs and then hung out at a table for a while.