Walking in, there wasn’t a line, which was very surprising to me considering how many people RSVPed to the event and the notoriety of the west coast music label around the Denver area. This lack of a line didn’t translate at all to the lawn where the barbecue was being held. Mobbing together under a smallish tent; one big enough to cover the decks and the surrounding equipment, the ladies and gentleman from San Francisco handle the fame differently than most.
Being so used to having limitations on where the general public are “allowed” and the rest, including photographers and VIP’s being allotted specific passes has been commonplace for decades. Those rules were thrown out the window here. From the get go, the message was to go where you please. Obviously, the DJing booth was marked off to most due to the complications of unruly fans accidentally tripping on wires and other possible scenarios that could put a halt to the music, but the overall vibe was that of inclusion.
The special guest, Too $hort, gave some added flare to an otherwise booty bass driven event; which is never a bad thing. Mark Starr, Justin Jay, J.Phlip, Worthy, Justin Martin and Claude vonStroke all did their thing by provide an excellent soundtrack to a beautiful late summer afternoon. Always a smiling face wherever I went on the artist or the fan. There should be more events that are this “family” driven. These barbecues started off as a free event for a group to express themselves, to get their music out and to just have a good time and they’ve succeeded beyond their wildest expectations. While not free anymore due to permits, the vibe still emitted from this block party of sorts is that of inclusion.
While the barbecue ended at 9pm, the party continued long into the night with Yolanda Be Cool, Worthy, Justin Jay and option4 going b2b at a local club in the Denver area. Madness ensued as could be expected.
