DJ MomJeans, a.k.a. Danny Masterson, and DJ Skeet Skeet at RiNo on Thursday, July 31
There are after-parties, and then there are industry parties. Just about every club worth its cover was touting its own "official" Lollapalooza after-party last weekend. The Underground sent out mass emails and text messages bragging that Lindsay Lohan and waify gal pal Samantha Ronson were in the house—they were hanging out while Sammie’s Grammy Award-winning brother (and Sunday Lollapalooza act) DJ Mark Ronson spun at the club.
DJ MomJeans, a.k.a. That ’70s Show‘s Danny Masterson, was as ubiquitous as sweat: He was spinning and partying everywhere from The Underground, Manor and RiNo to the Hard Rock Hotel’s VIP Music Lounge, and was scheduled to make an appearance at Perry Farrell’s on-again-off-again-on-again-and-yet-off-again Lollapalooza satellite party at Golan Studios.
Maybe it was a gut feeling—or my professional intuition—but a party that calls itself "exclusive" usually isn’t. I think the real tip-off was when I received an Evite for the Farrell event (always a bad sign). Instead, we headed to Angels & Kings, where the music industry came to play on Saturday night. At around 11 p.m., Pete Wentz (wife Ashlee was resting her ever-expanding baby bump in a quiet corner of the bar) played host to Cobra Starship, a New York alt-rock band fresh off the Warped Tour in Tinley Park. Starship performed onstage for MTV cameras while veejay John Norris watched with a couple hundred other sweaty Lolla-goers. MTV was filming an episode for FNMTV, which is hosted by Wentz. You can see some of that footage here.
Others who stopped by A&K over the weekend included Chuck Inglish from the Cool Kids, Girl Talk, Danny Masterson (of course!), the guys from Human Giant, and members of The Academy Is….
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Bar News
The much-anticipated opening of Bull & Bear by the boys behind Stone Lotus—Luke Stoioff, David Rekhson, and Brandon Zisman—is slated for October. A River North spot aimed at the financial crowd—with free Wi-Fi and stock tickers—the 5,300-square-foot Bull & Bear accommodates 400 people inside and an additional 100 on the outdoor patio. Let’s hope their opening date stays on target because we can hardly wait for the self-serve personal beer tap on each table featuring eight varieties. These guys know nightlife, so expect Bull & Bear to turn into a popular late-night spot, with DJs spinning rock and hip-hop mash-ups.
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The Casino Beat
Friday is the grand opening bash for the mammoth, $500-million-dollar Horseshoe Casino in Hammond, Indiana. The second-floor VIP festivities, including Josh Kelley’s performance at 10 p.m., are invite only, but the rest of the casino is open to the public. Concerts by Bette Midler and Smashing Pumpkins (Friday and Saturday, respectively) are sold out, but you can still get tickets to see James Blunt on Monday. Tune into LGS next Thursday for a full report on the 350,000-square-foot casino and the celebrities who came out to play opening weekend.