This weekend, Harlem of the North celebrated 50 Years of Hip Hop with a weekend of festivities. On Saturday there was a giant block party that spanned the course of the day featuring many performances from key figures in the Montreal scene. I ended up not going to this event but the pictures show it was flooded with people and looked like a huge success.
On Sunday morning there was a panel where industry people discussed things. It looked nice and I’m sure the content was informative. As you may have guessed from my tone, I did not attend that talk.
Sunday evening there was a Celebrity Dinner Gala event. This one I did attend, and it was big fun. I was in a room where I did not know many people and the vibe and ambiance were unlike most things I’ve attended in the last few years.
Side note, I know a whole lot of people helped throw this event, but we in a clickbait era, so I titled it as such. Shoutout to everyone involved.
Taigenz told me to find new rooms
One of my missions for the year is to expand my PRSPCTVS by attending events where I don’t know anyone. The theory is that if you keep going to places where you don’t know people, you will inevitably expand your network, finding new ways to Bridge the Gap.
If your whole life revolves around Blue Dog and Belmont (which for a while mine did) then your exposure to new people is going to be those willing to go to those venues and events. All love to Blue Dog and Belmont, I plan on going back to both many times in the future. There isn’t anything inherently wrong with this, but if like me you aren’t necessarily finding “your people” at these locations, then experiencing new vibes becomes necessary.
When I interviewed Taigenz, he made it clear that the best path to evolving your career is to constantly be where strangers are. Most of us are throttled by not having “insert key position” in our lives. The real deal situation is that if you go to the same type of event 100 times and that key person hasn’t appeared, going for that 101st time may not be the key to success.
For some it works out. If for you it did not, then maybe there are other avenues to explore.
Kevin Calixte shared an event
I was scrolling around Facebook one day and Kevin “Keke” Calixte shared this Celebrity Dinner event. It looked fancy and I had that Taigenz advice fresh on my mind. I clicked on the Eventbrite link and saw that the cheapest ticket was $86.
Then there was this hard pitch to upgrade to various packages. The main benefit was you’d go from pleb food to T-Bone steak and other stuff (it was seafood, so I didn’t care that much). I vividly remember that part, it even came up on Our PRSPCTVS last week as we discussed what we would do this weekend.
I figured this looked like the kind of event I wanted to attend. The price point alone would change the demographic drastically. Instead of a concert or showcase it was a GALA dinner with special performances.
You also had to dress up for this. It was suits and fancy dresses. Kevin even made sure to make a post giving a standard for what the expectation was.
I tried to find people to go with, but no one was down. So, I bought my ticket and decided I was going to ride solo. Either way, at this phase of my life it’s important I learn how to better mingle with strangers.
I’m very awkward to those who don’t know me. I’m working on meeting y’all halfway with better emoting. Chances are I am having fun despite my face.
The start of the Celebrity Dinner Gala
The doors open time was 5:00 PM. This was the “red carpet”, schmooze with people, cocktail portion. The dinner was scheduled to be at 6:30 PM. I wasn’t sure how much cocktail time I really wanted so I arrived around 6:00 PM.
I wasn’t planning on entering right away, there is an activity some of us enjoy that requires being outside, I parked my bike and did that. I noticed a lot of people in front of the spot chilling and proceeded to also just chill. When I see a lot of people out front, I don’t always feel the need to rush into the spot.
Turns out things were delayed. I know no one reading about their event likes this section, but alas, a man must tell the story as it happened. The weather was great, and the wait was not long. I started talking to some folk and suddenly we were ushered in.
We walked into the place, and I went to show my ticket. I was given a red bracelet. There were also green bracelets, I’m still not sure the difference between the two, but this turned out to be a real blessing.
There was a cool photo booth near the door and a super clean bar lining one side of the room, followed by hors d’oeuvres. The bar had a bunch of champagne ready to go. Then they busted out these Courvoisier mixed with lemonade soda drinks that were super delicious. Snacks and booze primed us for lubricated socializing.
Everything was fancy
The first thing that really stood out is that everyone had dressed up. There were suits and dresses galore. There was a formal energy of class and sophistication in the air. I’m sure a lot of these folk are just as comfortable dressed down and turning up, but this was like the grown up “we made it” version. Fancy and celebration go well together.
A lot of care and consideration went into the aesthetic. There was even a Tesla with suicide doors in the back area just being a Tesla.
At a certain point we get ushered into the main reception area with its well-organized rows of tables with candles on them. The stage was set up with smoke machines. It’s the kind of event where if you bring your lady, you are definitely getting some nookie points.
Even the bathrooms had some fancy. There were wet wipes and thread available. Like thread so you can sew your button back onto your suit, in a bunch of colours to match what you need.
At the tables there were complimentary candles. Maybe they weren’t complimentary, but they were branded, and we all took one. They smell nice.
The overall reception hall had the feel of a wedding. The red-carpet free booze entry way, followed by gorgeous people dressed up fancy, followed by the super nice dining area is an experience I will remember. The ticket price feels 100% worth it.
The dinner was delightful
As we entered the dining area, we were separated by wristband colour. As specified earlier there were two tiers of food coming. I ended up with Sebastien Stewart and Monk.E (who also have red wristbands) and move our way over to a table.
As we sit down I notice this table is advertising the previously mentioned T-Bone steak. I had this whole moment of, wait, does that mean I get the fancy food after all? I know Flacko and I joked about paying for the privilege, but then here I was at this table. For the life of me I don’t know what a red bracelet means, but I am glad it put me at a table with the fancy food.
It started when the oxtail samosas appeared on the table. They were fantastic and I know I ate like 3 of them. I like oxtail and I like samosas. This was a very good combination.
The food is made by Drée's cooking. Now, dinners of this magnitude take a long time. So, inevitably I go outside. I chose the worst time to go out because I missed the arrival of the T-Bone steak, lobster and shrimps and sides. I still get steak and mac & cheese but alas big mistake on my end.
Thankfully the staff brought out some more mac & cheese after and I devoured that. I got a good amount of the steak, and it was one of the nicest steaks I’ve had ever. Big recommend.
Someone at our table bought a bottle and kindly shared. The rum cake I had for dessert is one of the tastiest cakes I’ve had with a perfect dense texture. I didn’t know I could like cake like that. This was a good time.
It was a celebrity dinner and a show
SLM and Goofy hosted the event. Goofy came out on an electric scooter vehicle thing to Lil Uzi Vert’s I Just Wanna Rock and rode around the room. It was fun.
They started out the night describing what Hip Hop meant to them. They paid love and respect to the importance of Little Burgundy. Highlighting facts like how until the 1920s this neighbourhood is where most black people lived on the island of Montreal. This resulted in Little Burgundy being so musically significant that Nina Simone did a 2-month residency in Little Burgundy.
They honoured DJ Shadow and his contributions. They had this cool violinist perform where she freestyled a melody that would match classic Hip Hop songs. Four separate DJs performed throughout the night spinning great tunes.
There was at least one comic that went up and did his thing. They all were entertaining. When I was younger dinners like this would make me anxious, and while I can’t say I was super social at the table, I felt comfortable.
After the dinner portion ended they moved some of the tables and the concert portion of the night picked up. This did happen at 11:00 PM or so on a Sunday, so people had started to leave at this point. I know the music being performed was very danceable and the vibe was nice, but I also knew I had to go too.
Leaving an event like this takes awhile because you end up talking to so many people. This is proof of a well thrown party.
I am left wanting more of this vibe
Maybe I’m just getting older, but I had way more fun at this Gala dinner than I’ve had at many of the events I’ve been too. In all fairness, being at stuff to perform is super different than being at something to eat and drink.
I find myself at a point in life where I want to understand what I think is fun. Fancy dinners with people dressing up for the sake of being the best versions of themselves is inspiring. The only thing I would have done different is pushed harder to get Bonnie to come. I big time recommend bringing a date to this kind of event.
I’m sure you can find someone at the event too. There were plenty of single folk mingling and mixing. When everyone is greeted with free alcohol, it helps get that process started.
I think Kevin and his people did a great job throwing this event. The block party looked like it was off the hook. I’m really proud our city can create culturally significant moments like this.
I look forward to coming to the next one. Would you spend 100$ for a cool Gala dinner? Have you had T-Bone steak before?
Live Long and Prosper Everyone
P.S. Hit Me Up if you need event coverage
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