Last Thursday, the Peabody threw quite the party for their rooftop season opener. But I will get to that in a minute. As a precursor, I went to the first Third Thursday Block Party on Main Street. There were three live bands playing, so I stopped for a bit to hear each one. John Bragg was grilling free apps on the Circa patio, so of course I had to taste some of his chicken, shrimp, and beef skewers, yum! I met up with some friends, enjoyed the weather, had a drink, listened to more music, then headed to the Peabody.
Hanging out with the guys. Blue Fin grills out, too.
We got to the lobby right about 7pm. The lines were already really long for the elevators! We finally made it to the rooftop to find it already quite crowded. But what else can you expect for the first party of the season, with such a great lineup planned :-) Since a lot of my friends and I have VIP passes, we headed to that section to check it out. They have expanded it this year, so there is a lot more room. They had a special buffet in there with two kinds of jambalaya, crawfish tartlets, and shrimp shooters.
The elevator lines were LONG! There was a New Orleans theme for the party, cool mask! The rooftop had a great crowd.
Beer samples in the VIP, Steph and Frank enjoying the party, beer and jambalaya.
Then there was the music!! Unfortunately, I think we missed Ryan Peel, but I heard he was awesome! Kevin Rudolf next played a short acoustic set. And then….. Lord T and Eloise took the stage!!!! And what a show they put on. They are always good – “crunk rap” is what they call it I think? Rapping, singing, running around the stage, it was quite the spectacle. We ended up somehow making our way up to almost the front of the crowd and had a great time!
The crowd gets into it. Lord T & Eloise get into character.
When they finished playing, there was the usual mad rush to the elevators. Props to the Peabody for keeping the rooftop bars open an extra half hour, so those of us that decided to wait and chill instead of rushing down could relax with one last drink.
Chilling after the concert with Tyson and Patrick, waiting for the elevator rush to die down. Congratulating Jonathan, part of the Peabody PR team,on a great first party!
A bunch of us headed to the Flying Saucer for the after-party. After having one drink there and enjoying the band for a bit, it was time to go home. What a great time. Congratulations to the Peabody for an amazing first party! Can’t wait for the rest of the season! See you there TONIGHT, as the party continues with the hip hop sounds of Rhoney G.
hi Rebecca,
ReplyDeletethanks for the update on the first rooftop party - sounds amazing, hate i missed it. to be honest, i missed it intentionally though, waiting to hear feedback from people who went to see if things have improved since last year. everytime i went to a rooftop party last year, the drink lines were so crowded and slow that i ended up standing in line for most of the party. that pretty much takes away from the fun of being there, chatting with people, SEEING the band play, rather than just hearing them over my shoulder while i stood in the same spot, barely moving, waiting for the two drinks i would buy at once so that i didn't have to stand in line again for at least an hour.
anyway, the parties are fun and i really enjoy going, but if that part of it hasn't improved, i (and several other people i know) won't be attending again.
just looking for your opinion. thanks!
Jill, those things happen at uber popular parties--get over it, and yourself.
ReplyDeleteJill - The first week was definitely packed; they had a capacity crowd! It did prove for some longer lines and waiting for drinks. However, last week with a bit more manageable crowd, the lines were MUCH shorter and waiting time was not more than a few minutes. I think it will vary from week to week, depending on the popularity of the band and the size of the crowd. One good thing is you no longer have to wait in line for a ticket, then wait in another line for a drink. The bars take cash and credit now! Also, they have "express" elevators they are controlling to go straight from lobby to the roof and back. The Peabody staff is continually trying to improve each aspect. It is definitely worth checking out.
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