The Kanye West Glow in the Dark tour, featuring rapper Lupe Fiasco, Rihanna, and Virginia Beach group NERD, started its nine-week, 30-city run about a month ago. Since the start, Absolut 100—the spirits company's latest luxury vodka, packaged in a black bottle—has sponsored the official traveling after-parties (as we reported here), with looks taken from the rapper's concert setup. For the D.C. stop, the tour took over a private space at the massive four-level nightclub Love and even scored a late-night appearance from West and his crew.
"For the tour, we've pulled out five cities [including Washington] that will have the ultimate V.I.P. party," said Samantha Walker, vice president of special events for New York-based Strategic Group, which collaborated with Absolut events manager Ann Fryer on the event. "We worked with Absolut and Absolut worked with Kanye to make that glow-in-the-dark message come across."
"It's a 360-degree experience for the consumer," added Absolut public relations manager Sarah Bessette. "We really collaborated with him in terms of seeing what his plans for the tour would be, so we knew everything needed to be glow-in-the-dark and neon."The focus of each late-night event became the 24- by 12-foot DJ booth, which was outfitted by AG Light & Sound with computerized LED displays that beamed a series of light shows. "The booth is really the centerpiece, because that's what generates excitement and gets people on the dance floor," Bessette said. Although all of the staging traveled with the tour, Strategic Group hired a different local DJ in all five cities—though West had to approve each.
For D.C., one hiccup was actually getting past the massive crowds at the blocklong nightclub. (Virginia-born hip-hop artist Chris Brown was also having his birthday party there.) Once inside, and after receiving several identifying wristbands, the 400-plus guests walked through a stairway lit by LED tubing. Inside the lounge, blue and green liquid-encased panels (from Newport Beach-based Jockimo) lined the floor, while go-go dancers performed on six illuminated boxes with the Absolut 100 logo. The brand's logo was ubiquitous, covering everything from the front of the DJ booth to the waitstaff's black getups.
Signature drinks were kept simple (Absolut Future paired the vodka with tonic water and lime) to show off the new 100 product, and Love provided the passed finger foods, such as ginger soy chicken skewers and vegetable samosas, until the party wrapped at 4 a.m., with West holding court in the DJ booth, surveying the crowd.
"For the tour, we've pulled out five cities [including Washington] that will have the ultimate V.I.P. party," said Samantha Walker, vice president of special events for New York-based Strategic Group, which collaborated with Absolut events manager Ann Fryer on the event. "We worked with Absolut and Absolut worked with Kanye to make that glow-in-the-dark message come across."
"It's a 360-degree experience for the consumer," added Absolut public relations manager Sarah Bessette. "We really collaborated with him in terms of seeing what his plans for the tour would be, so we knew everything needed to be glow-in-the-dark and neon."The focus of each late-night event became the 24- by 12-foot DJ booth, which was outfitted by AG Light & Sound with computerized LED displays that beamed a series of light shows. "The booth is really the centerpiece, because that's what generates excitement and gets people on the dance floor," Bessette said. Although all of the staging traveled with the tour, Strategic Group hired a different local DJ in all five cities—though West had to approve each.
For D.C., one hiccup was actually getting past the massive crowds at the blocklong nightclub. (Virginia-born hip-hop artist Chris Brown was also having his birthday party there.) Once inside, and after receiving several identifying wristbands, the 400-plus guests walked through a stairway lit by LED tubing. Inside the lounge, blue and green liquid-encased panels (from Newport Beach-based Jockimo) lined the floor, while go-go dancers performed on six illuminated boxes with the Absolut 100 logo. The brand's logo was ubiquitous, covering everything from the front of the DJ booth to the waitstaff's black getups.
Signature drinks were kept simple (Absolut Future paired the vodka with tonic water and lime) to show off the new 100 product, and Love provided the passed finger foods, such as ginger soy chicken skewers and vegetable samosas, until the party wrapped at 4 a.m., with West holding court in the DJ booth, surveying the crowd.
The official Absolut 100 Kanye West after-party at Washington's Love nightclub included go-go dancers on glow boxes in Absolut-emblazed getups.
Photo: Jonah Koch for BizBash
The entrance to the party featured custom-made blue and green liquid-encased flooring, made in 40-inch tiles from Jockimo.
Photo: Jonah Koch for BizBash
Love provided the lounge furniture, including red, gray, and black sofas and metal coffee tables on a raised platform.
Photo: Jonah Koch for BizBash
The Absolut brand could be seen from all angles, glowing on the DJ booth, dancer boxes, and on the venue's flat-screen TVs.
Photo: Jonah Koch for BizBash
Dancers and staffers sported the Venetian-blind-style sunglasses West has been known to wear.
Photo: Jonah Koch for BizBash
