by Zhaun Ortega
THIS summer has truly been an eventful one for the Dabawenyo partyphile. We have obviously had our share of hot events plus we saw some of our favorite bars close down, albeit temporarily, which somehow changed the partyscape of the city. No matter what we have to say about the current party scene, we have to admit that change, yet again is coming. We are approaching the end of summer. And to help us end it with a bang, Pearl Farm Beach Resort threw a summer-ender dubbed Summer Chill 2010. Just like their past events it had all the elements of a really good, chill-out party.
Food
Pearl Farm parties always have the best food. On this particular event, they definitely did not disappoint as they dished out some of the most mouth-watering grilled fare. They had some grilled chicken, grilled pork, fish skewers, sausages, cold cuts, mini pizzas, and desserts galore! This seemed to be the perfect summer menu- light, easy to eat, and savory to a hilt.
Booze
With the ticket you paid for the event you got to enjoy free food and drinks all night so getting your booze fill was definitely not a problem. They had so many drinks to choose from as well. They served up some sodas from Zest-O including some of my favorites, Dad’s Rootbeer and Calamansi Soda; Products from San Miguel Beer; the best Tanduay Cocktails; and of course, the excitingly sexy drinks from the Coca-Cola Black Bar. With all these choices it seemed like I had just died and landed in an alcoholic’s version of heaven.
Crowd
The crowd was an interesting mix of vacationers, little children, and older people, but the bulk of the guests were about my age. That is, in the early twenties to early thirties age group. And this was pretty understandable since the up-and-coming band was fairly young. Obviously this crowd was into dancing and boozing up, and they did it n a way that only young people can do: crazily, sexily, hilariously, sometimes stupidly, fun.
Beat-Master, Bubbles, Fire and Grava
This summer party also featured DJ Yancy as a prelude to the featured band’s performance. As always, he was on point with the heat of the crowd as he dished out current favorites while accompanying videos played on a huge screen; Yancy’s trademark. The crowd of twenty-somethings went wild as they brought themselves in the middle of the dance floor without much prodding. They willing set the floor on fire as they danced the night away.
Before the beat master, Yancy, took center stage however, some interesting forms of entertainment took place as the party also featured an audibly gorgeous percussion band, Jammin’ Grava, a sizzling fire-dance exhibition, and a bubble show, complete with uberly-flexible ladies.
Eevee
However the night’s main performers were an up-and-coming band Eevee. Fresh from their win at the recently concluded Nescafe Soundskool band competition, this band had come back home to Davao to give us a little taste of their album produced by Sony Records. This was a very special treat for Pearl Farm guests as they got to enjoy, first-hand, the music of a local band who making it big in the Manila music-scape. And although their songs were currently relative-unknowns, except for their hit-in-the-making “Girlfriend” which is always LSS-worthy, they had a flair for performing that made all the guests at the party feel like they were part of the group. Their signature pop-rock, alternative style with jazz infusions seemed to sit well with their guests as everyone bobbed their head in agreement. One performance from the band and understood why they won the competition, why they managed to bag a record label while only a year old, and why they are being tagged as the next big thing in the local music industry.
All in all Summer Chill 2010 allowed us to do just that, chill. It had some of the best party food ever, they had really great entertainment, the weather was perfect, the breeze was cool, the crowd was willing to let go and succumb to the call of the dance floor, and the band was a hit. This event only left us wanting for more Pearl Farm parties, and I hope they graciously give us that.
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