Reef and Fieldtrip Entertainment Deliver Perfect Post-ASR Bash at the San Diego House of Blues

San Diego ASR after-parties rarely disappoint. Beautiful people invariably seem to flock to them like the salmon of San Juan Capistrano, and nary a shindig expires without the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol and visual stimuli.

The Reef / Fieldtrip Entertainment party held at the San Diego House of Blues on Friday, September 7, 2007 fell right in line with ASR post-parties of yesteryear, even exhibiting moments of transcendence in the form of a live art show, performances by Moving Units and Shark Attack, and of course, a fashion show unveiling the company's new apparel/swimsuit line.

By 9pm, the party's official kick-off time, the line of hopeful attendees already snaked around the corner of the 5th and C entrance. Scantily-clad women and industry reps sporting hair styles more expensive than most blue-collar wardrobes eagerly awaited entry into one of the most highly-anticipated parties of the weekend.

The live art show added a particularly creative vibe to an already-well-rounded event. In keeping with the theme of exhibiting active design as showcased in the 'Green Room' of the ASR expo itself, Fieldtrip and Reef brought in a team of six artists to infuse a mural wall with their respective talents.

With backgrounds running the gamut from graffiti to giclee, Ian Morris, Alexis Griffith, Dave "DVice" Weidetz, Kylie Berharz, Richard Arthur and of course, SPFKR, a touring artist brought down from Los Angeles, each took to the blank wall with their weapon of choice, and when the dust settled, a beautiful conglomeration of stencil, acrylic and enamel emerged.

"Theming our wall around girls, it was the best artist collaboration on the mural wall and coolest event we have done to date," remarked Dave Weidetz of Fieldtrip Entertainment. "Working with Reef is amazing. We are all friends and that makes it insane, besides the fact that with us putting out networks together for an event, it really blows up. . . best ASR party of the night."

The VIP room was a hubbub of activity, understandably enhanced by the open bar, which doled out beverages gratis until the fashion show commenced around 10:45pm. Local San Diego DJs Craig Smoove and Kipper manned the decks all night long, keeping 250 of Reef's finest clients moving and in good spirits. The already-legendary surfer Rob Machado milled about, rapping with friends and posing for a few photographs before heading downstairs to check out the evening's main event.

The floor adjacent to the venue's main stage was choked with party-goers jockeying for position at the catwalk; however, all irritability was quelled when the lights dimmed and the first model made her way out amongst the crowd. Strutting to the sounds of hip-hop, house, rock and mash-up, the girls made short work of the 15 to 20 minute showcase, and no sooner than the models did their victory lap, were the bars once again packed with partiers looking to resume their inebriation endeavors.

Local band Moving Units took the stage at 11:30 and laid down a solid foundation for the DJ Duo of Patrick Heaney and Mike Delgado -- otherwise known as Shark Attack -- to finish off the night.

And finish they did, in grand fashion. By the end of their set, the sweaty, drunk crowd was left wondering what the hell they'd just witnessed. While the House of Blues security staff was busily occupied keeping partiers off the stage, Shark Attack's entourage (including members of Moving Units) continued to provoke the raucous mob by running about the stage shirtless and throwing drinks on the crowd below. Eventually, the venue endured more debauchery than it cared to tolerate for one evening, and the House of Blues promptly ixnayed the beats and closed the curtain on Shark Attack's performance.

Mike Delgado, however, had other intentions; and tried in vain to keep the party going, forcing security to ultimately escort him off stage.

"It turned out to be the best event that Reef and Fieldtrip have partnered up on," exclaimed Brett Fischer of Fieldtrip. "Getting the diverse crowd to all dance and enjoy an event like this takes a lot of planning. It's hard work to put on this kind of production. You have to be fresh and innovative."

Incorporating elements of art, fashion, and music, the Reef / Fieldtrip Entertainment party included all of the necessary ingredients for a phenomenal night. Needless to say, it was indeed fresh and innovative.

Photos by: Bradley Schweit and Jennifer Zee