Photo by Jonas Grabarnick/The Opium Group
Someone whispered "Common's around the corner" into my ear and disappeared into the winsome mob at Louis. I had been so thrown off by the sensation of an 18th century soldier sweeping party debris across my feet, I hadn't even realized that I had wandered into the phantasm of celebrity and the night's guest of honor. Blame it on the vodka tonics. Or maybe the fact that the Gansevoort's VIP lounge and newest addition to the Opium Group's nightlife empire was so live that I didn't give a fuuuck. The crowd was rife with beauty, bodies, and burly bank accounts, all partying in what felt like a cakeless (but candy-full) scene from Marie Antoinette.
It seems that I was the only one who missed the memo that this was just
a listening party and not a full-on concert. Doh. So when Com invaded
the DJ booth at around 1 in the morning and grabbed the mic, I was
ready for a show. Rocking a button-down cardigan he went through hits
such as Universal Mind Control, Testify, and Go as the crowd sang
along. Sweat dripped from his bald head to his neck as he controlled
the crowd with each lyric and even found time to plug the night's
sponsor, "I like that Pepsi logo." He performed The People and called
it a night, heading back to his throne at the corner booth.
-- Raina McLeod
