EVENT REVIEW ((( November 19 & 20 )))

In celebration of the 11 year Stereo anniversary, I attended both events on the weekend of November 19th and 20th: 1) Maher Daniel, Gaiser, Richie Hawtin, Layo & Bushwaka; 2) Stephan Grondin, DJ Vibe. With such great bookings, I could not choose one or the other ~ so off to Montreal for another adventure filled weekend. Memories I will cherish forever ~


Friday November 19:

            Tech is not really my forte when it comes to electronic dance music, but I can certainly appreciate it!  So once again I put my party pants on and got ready for another (((Stereo))) night; I was curious to see what Maher Daniel, Gaiser, Richie Hawtin, Layo & Bushwaka would bring to my fav club. To be honest, I was primarily going for Richie Hawtin - Canadian tech God, but was impressed by them all. Throughout the night, I went on small missions...ended up meeting Richie, meeting some new interesting people, finding some money, smiling and being rather silly. Overall, it was a fantastic night – sick beats & good company. I was happy to step out of my regular Stereo element to experience this all. 

Saturday November 20:

            At the beginning of the month, my mom Nicole declared that she was serious about coming to Stereo with me; she wanted to see what this place was & why it meant so much to me. We chose a date – DJ Vibe, she invited some friends – Michelle and Donna, they bought their tickets, they booked their hotel – and they were prepped and ready for this new adventure.  At around 1 am, we gathered, and by the way the ladies looked fabulous, and we made our way over to Stereo.



Donna, Me, Mom & Michelle

Upon arrival, there were not too many people in the club, so it gave them time to relax & take it all in. We introduced them to a lot of the staff & gave them a grand tour.  At first, they felt most comfortable in the VIP area so they could look over the club and adjust to the scene – it was adorable to see them bobbing to the music! Stephan Grondin was playing a lot of upbeat vocals – even a Madonna remix, so in that sense the music was perfect.  Thankfully, it had been suggested to us to bring earplugs – so we were all happy to have had them since it seemed louder than usual.  Once the club was more in party mode, we thought it would be better for them to experience Stereo on the main level; we chose a good spot at the back on the second level where we could have our space, dance and/or sit comfortably. This is where we spent the next few hours with the ladies…To our surprise, they stayed until 6 am! After all, they wanted to stay long enough to see Dj Vibe in full swing. 

          



The ladies with their Stereo tickets



      At first, I was worried that Stereo would not be "Mom friendly" in certain ways, but I found that people were really welcoming to these newcomers. Of course there were some sketcho's that added to the nights excitment, but what can you do about it...just laugh. In the end, the ladies adapted beautifully & I was SO incredibly proud! A few times, I escorted my Mom to the smoking section – and found myself saying “It’s okay, I’ll wait for my mom here” – and everyone looked over to see if I was serious, or what I was talking about. This is certainly not something you find yourself saying every time at Stereo. People were applauding the ladies for their efforts, and also curious to know the story behind it. 

the ladies dancing the night away

So why bring Mom Nicole, Michelle and Donna to Stereo afterhours?

I wanted them to see this place that I love – this place that is tattooed to me; I wanted them to see me in my element – with the music, lights, atmosphere and energy; and, I wanted them to experience this with me…the #1 club in North America, but really in my heart, the #1 club in the world. I think about this experience that I got to share with Mom, Donna, Michelle and Audrey – and it warms me from top to bottom - smile from ear to ear. I am extremely lucky to have a Mom that is so open minded, who stepped out of her comfort zone to try this. And while they are not electronic dance music fans, I think they could appreciate it, understand it, and somewhat grasp why this place holds a special place in my heart. AMAZING ~ these ladies would be welcome to join me at Stereo anytime ! 

* * * Thank you Mom, Michelle, Donna, Blake & Audrey for a really memorable weekend ! * * *

Quote from my Mom Nicole :

What could possibly possess 3 mature women between the ages of 47 and 54 to go to Stereo on a Saturday night? Simple – an out of this world music and dance experience that just had to get crossed off our “To Do” list! Yes, we were the oldest there – Yes, this was totally out of our element – and Yes, we even enjoyed ourselves! Not once, did any of the younger crowd make us feel out of place. Quite the opposite in fact: many young dance and music revellers gave us the thumbs up for being there.

Overall, we struggled with two things: the concept of going out at 1:30 am even though we managed to stay out until 6am; and, the loudness of the music – thank goodness, we had brought earplugs to filter the constant thumping of the beat.

All in all, a great adventure that at first seemed rather “risqué” but now brings a smile to my face when I think back on that night.

Stereo welcomed us and made us feel like we belonged ~ Thank you all!