SUNDAYZ – Kick Off Party
Posted 24-Oct-2011 to ReviewsRating: 4 out of 5 bottles of water!
Rating: 4 out of 5 bottles of water!
by David Shearer Pedersen
I’ve had a roller-coaster of a relationship with BeatBox since it opened a few months ago. I look at the space like a child of mine that shows so much potential, but tends to misbehave instead. BeatBox has all of the right elements to make a fantastic club, but somehow the events held in this space tend to often miss the mark. I’ve continued to return to BeatBox quite often – I landed there three nights in a row during Folsom week – in hopes that this gorgeous, amazing space will finally hit the right note.
On Sunday, I attended Sundayz, BeatBox’s new weekly t-dance. There were a couple major factors that drew me to the event: the DJs, Past Curfew, and seeing Beatbox in literally a completely different light. Past Curfew has a solid reputation of nailing events – Play during Dore Alley weekend was one of the best parties I’ve been to in San Francisco – and P Tyrone Smith often comes up with creative ideas that make Past Curfew events stand out from the rest. Hiring five DJ’s was a smart move, as each one had something different to bring to the table, but the music never felt disjointed. Once guests started flowing in around 4:15pm, DJ Christopher B was on deck, playing some fun, light tracks that helped set a great mood while getting the crowd warmed up. By the time one of my personal favorites, DJ Russ Rich, hit the stage, everyone was ready to dance. I tend to cut out of events an hour or two before the scheduled end time, but I found myself having so much fun that I stayed until closing DJ Byron Bonsall’s last note.
Without a doubt, this was by a landslide the best event held at BeatBox. When I arrived, I was nervous that the skylights would provide an uncomfortable level of heat. As if my thoughts were heard, as I was paying for my beer bust wristband, one of the Past Curfew crew members flew inside with a half dozen fans that were quickly set up around the room. The temperature remained comfortable throughout the course of the afternoon/evening, and it’s small details like this one that made Sundayz stand out from the rest. However, despite several of my friends hilariously turning the tie-dyed curtains hanging from the ceiling in to hats and other accessories, the curtains proved to be more of a nuisance than anything else. I kept having to flick them out of my face, and eventually moved to another part of the dance floor.
The beer/liquor bust idea proved to be smart one, as $15 for unlimited beer OR margaritas/cosmos was quite reasonable and certainly helped loosen the crowd up. I’m not a huge beer drinker, so having the option of bottomless liquor was fantastic. The bartenders were hot, quick and friendly, never taking more than a few seconds to refill your drink. The timing of the event was also smart – ending the event at 8pm allowed guests to take off at an early hour to get home and recover before Monday morning.
Sundayz proved that when BeatBox can hit the right note, it’s golden. I’ve become increasingly worried that the space would continue to misfire, but Past Curfew finally steered it on to the right path. I hope that future events held at BeatBox will take their cue from Sundayz and will understand how to use all of the wonderful potential this space has to offer. I’m disappointed I won’t be able to attend next week, as the Freemasons/Jamie J/Russ Rich are all combining their flawless pop powers together at Ceremony, directly conflicting with Sundayz. However, I have no doubt that Sundayz will prove to be one of my weekly staples that I will look forward to attending each week.
