Let me begin by saying I had an amazing experience at D.C. Carnival this weekend. From fetes to performances I had a good time from Fri back to Sun. Before I give you my detailed experience, BIG BIG SHOUT OUT to MR DEUCE holding it down in every fete this weekend! I need to be VIP like you Deuce…..I’ll just give you my experiences on fetes and on the road. I will also tell you about my friend’s experiences who attended DV8…
Friday...Half of my friends attended DV8 and of course I along with three of my friends attended Flags till morning. My experience in Flags till morning was very nice. The venue was nice and had plenty of room to party. I went with the 40 dollar all inclusive option which consisted of unlimited drinks, and trust me i received my money’s worth. The bar was stocked with Top shelf liquor ranging from Hennessey, baileys, JW, and a couple more I can’t name off the top. However it was well worth it, because you were able to get beer selections like Corona, Smirnoff ice, and other drinks to quench the alcoholic thirst; Unlike DV8 who was serving Becks (I’ll get to that in a minute). The performances were okay; I finally got to see Lyrical perform my song Hold Dem. The rest of the performances were very good and energetic ranging from Tizzy, Kerwin, and Patch. Only downside was they stop serving liquor at a certain time, so all inclusive or not we were limited to Soda and water. I just got to a point where I brought the whole cranberry juice bottle with some cups onto the dancefloor and danced the night away. The DJ was on point and we got a good Jump up in that ignited the crowd to GET ON BAD! Flags was the place to be and for 40 dollars; i got more drinks and entertainment than I expected. With energy still left to dance it was back to the Hotel to rest for Carnival morning.
According to my friends who attended DV8, they said it was horrendous. The venue was at the same place. I guess they never wanted people parking on the premises or traffic reasons. As for the transportation situation, my friends got there at around twelve something and waited till around 2 for a shuttle. The all inclusive was not worth no 65 dollars. They had Becks beer and they ran out of liquor. Then they said they made a mistake and had more liquor at around minutes after 4. It’s funny how organized people are in collecting their money, but when it’s time to be organized with providing their service something goes wrong. Very unprofessional of Gresham to try and cut cost and rob people of their money in these times by providing poor service. Their probably laughing all the way to the bank but their name is tarnished this year and they lost a lot of loyal partygoers.
Saturday…Now why didn’t anybody tell me the Carnival route is soooooooooo Long. Last Year I parked close to the beginning and walked up to catch up to the Carnival. This Year I parked by the park and walked to the beginning which in actuality makes more sense but sheesh! That walk is a killer, anyways ofcourse we walked and walked and walked until we seen masses of people covered in brown from a distance; UREKA! It was the MUD BAND. Before we got to them I spotted a tiny crew of people covered in black with a little pan truck. Puzzled trying to figure out if that was the mud band or I thought that was the mud bands idea of going green; or should I say TAR. Well the Vibes was excellent, everyone covered in mud whining up and having a time amongst friends. I was shocked to see what some MEN were dressed in! I couldn’t believe men were wearing thongs, actual THONGS and G-Strings. That’s the real definition of going BRAVE! Nevertheless people were freeing up themselves and requesting pictures with fellow band members to landmark the bacchanal. The Highlight of the road is when the DJ played the Late Michael Jackson’s Rock with you on a Soca beat. (I need that on CD, Julian 182 please try to get that) Even the judges were dancing and everybody loved it. That was all I needed for the road. We chipped, dance, and jumped up down the road till they ushered everyone off by Mcdonald’s; cutting off the music telling people to move along to the park. I was satisfied and yet another year the Mudd Band outdid itself attracting many more people to actually GO MUD!
Soca in Motion….Got to the venue around 1:20 and the line was just absurd and unorganized. Then there was a VIP line which even if you had a ticket you pay 20 to cut the line (Greedy Promoters).
Now my vibe immediately as I walked up to the club was disturbed by one of the security guards who told people “CLEAR MY DRIVEWAY! I looked at him an laughed, because I’m such a trouble maker when it comes to idiots who take their job to another level of cockiness. After looking at the line and seeing how long it was, I just cut right in and texted my friends to come to the front. I got in around 2:00 or a little after. When we got in around 30 minutes after that, it was show time. The vibes was great and of course KMC tore the place down with a string of hits. Patch and Hunter also did their thing with rum and roti and jip sting. Bunji, Fayanne, and Benjai have officially become my favorite artists. They put on excellent show although it was a little time consuming with all of the antics and crowd participation, however it displays that their in the works of trying to put together a great show for the fans and cater to their fans. It was very nice and supportive to see how Fayanne sang back up for Bunji looking like a true back up singer in the wing. It was also nice to hear how Bunji introduced his wife as the lovely road march queen. During the show did anyone notice the dumbass security guard standing on stage profiling like he was untouchable…..Now being that time was against them, Trini Jacobs, and Saucy were rushed through their set to try and leave time for Fayanne to close with “get on” and “super blue”. As she came up to the middle of the stage and explained that she can’t leave without doing this song; they cut off her mic. The dumbass bouncer on the stage was disrespectful saying it’s over. What Fayanne did next is truly why I LOVE THIS LADY. The song was written for moments like this. Without microphone and the crowd looking to see what was next; Fayanne stood at the edge of the stage and said “THEY TRYING TO FLAP ME” then the crowd chimed in as she began to sing SUPER BLUE Acappella. With No mic and No band, Fayanne Lyons stood her ground over security catering to all her fans. When she did that the crowd went wild and I was not leaving because truthfully I was ready to brawl with security off of the appreciation Fayanne extended to her fans with all of the madness going on. She did not have to do that, she could of simply apologize and walk off the stage and call it a night. She gave me a night to remember and I cannot wait to see her in Houston. Bunji, Fayanne, and Benjai are true artists who cater to their fans no matter what circumstances may arise; and it was evident on this night to remember.
Sunday…Rise and Shine! Time to pack up and checkout, today is the last day and how else to end the perfect weekend with one of the biggest parties on the planet. Off to the Lux Lounge to take in Shine 2. Parking was easy to find but finding the venue was a little confusing. Well I knew once we arrived at the party it was going to be a nonstop cardio workout. I arrived at 2:00 and I didn’t stop dancing till about 5:30 or 6. The music was on point and ofcourse the place was packed! The club had three levels and the top 2 were jammed to capacity. The floor felt like it was about to cave in a couple of times. They played that Michael Jackson Rock with you soca mix again. That song is sooooo hot and it’s a must have for Miami. Everybody seemed to enjoy themselves especially me and my friends getting on bad in the back for each jump up tune. Big up Mr. Deuce again, you’re at every party! I would have stayed longer but I thought I lost my Drivers license which caused me to panic. I kept back tracking my steps and just felt uneasy so I said we have to go back to the hotel. Me and my paranoid self all along didn’t even bring it to the club; it was in my bag.
I could of stayed longer. According to Back to Basics they said it was extended till everyone went home. Damn if I never felt so uneasy about losing my license, they would have had to call the police to get me out of there the way the vibes were so sweet. I can’t wait to do it again next year. Well that was my experience, post yours! Next stop Houston Caribfest!
