Despite endless technical difficulties and an increasingly impatient crowd, ?uestlove ducked a potentially catastrophic performance at The Bay Salone Friday with the help of some of his fellow and equally Mac-dependent DJs. He took to his Twitter account a few times to vent his frustrations:
– Shoutout to my man Darnell who is on his Mcguyverish tryna find a way to fix my effed up Mac
About an hour later, Questo was still on stage, surrounded by maybe 5 guys (including Samantha Ronson) and shaking his head woefully at the plague his laptop had unleashed upon him. The tweets continued:
– RT @SamanthaRonson: At a party in downtown where @ Questlove is spinning and DAYUM… If you’re not here, you’re not having fun.
– Moments like this is when I hate Macbookpros. Amazing I got every dj I love and respect tryna help me out here on stage
Finally, the snafus got worked out, and with the help of an amazing collage of Michael Jackson video clips and Afro-Sheen commercials, the crowd was on a Soul Train back in time to the 1970s, when Off the Wall was on the charts and The King of Pop was arguably at his best. Peanut Butter Wolf was there for a lead-in, and the show was only enhanced by its venue: 30-foot high ceilings, psychedelic slideshows, and L.A.’s finest artists, all contributing their respective visions to bring back Michael Jackson’s career at one of L.A.’s latest and greatest spots for clubbing. Vikter Duplaix’s KissNGrind, which sponsored the event, helped ensure a successful night was had.
And about that Bay Salone: Shrouded in the shadows of faceless, unmarked industrial buildings, it’s a veritable warehouse, nestled right where it’s least likely to be noticed — in an alleyway between parking lots and packaging plants, right in the heart of one of Los Angeles’ many industrial districts. We drove past the place 3 or 4 times before finally seeing what looked like a bouncer wandering about, and figured if anyone knew where it was, it had to be this guy.
“You gotta walk around,” he said, and by this he meant around.
So we covered another block or two of territory and splintered the cement road, stumbling through junkies and strip clubs, and began to get distracted in the awesomeness that is downtown Los Angeles. At last, we found ourselves in what is perhaps the greatest and longest alley in all of L.A.
It was like walking the Emerald Mile to meet the Wiz: glittering paintings of the King of Pop, dazzling graffiti along the walls, guys and gals dancing in the streets, and a Fried Chicken Truck that served its delicacies cheap. Soon we found ourselves wandering into a different kind of Neverland: the evolution of Michael Jackson’s face, a perfect accompaniment to Peanut Butter Wolf’s retrospective spin of MJ’s career — from Berry Gordy prodigy, to Thriller-era hitmaker, and finally the tortured persona that he morphed into during the 90s.
While Peanut Butter Wolf’s preference was for the entire discography, Questlove’s set focused mainly on the early-era stuff: From “I Want You Back” to “Dancing Machine” to “Don’t Stop Til You Get Enough,” he saved what threatened to become a disinterested crowd and inspired the ravenous MJ fans. An insane night, enhanced by a few good drinks and live art. If you’ve got a few bucks to throw around, The Bay Salone is highly recommended for any big club show, especially theme-nights like this one. Hopefully it turns into a regular thing, and they bring Questlove back with a working Mac next year.
Words by Jeff Nau. Photos by Dustin Downing.
