Last weekend, we partied with rock stars.
Denim titans Diesel, in a stroke of cross-marketing genius, celebrated their thirtieth anniversary on October 11th, 2008 by hosting seventeen elaborate, invite-only parties around the globe, with all major style metropolises enjoying their very own special über-fiesta. In what surely qualifies as a breakthrough feat for event-planning, the mega-bash drew together thousands of media, fashion, and music jet-setters simultaneously across eight time zones. We here at Sassybella had the good fortune to attend the most hotly publicized XXX party of all: the alluringly secretive Brooklyn bash.
Leaked details (and rumors) of this special event quickly spread all over New York City, as anyone who witnessed the mobscene accompanying the Dirty Thirty jeans & ticket giveaway at Diesel’s Union Square location will attest. The party’s core appeal rested within its impressive concert roster: multi-national artists like Franz Ferdinand, Hot Chip, M.I.A., N.E.R.D., the legendary Chaka Khan, and America’s rapper-of-the-moment, T.I. were all scheduled to perform. The event’s status had escalated into Attendance Mandatory territory. On Saturday night — our own invitations (thankfully) secured long ago — we were among the Rock ‘N Roll Circus’s five thousand attendees.
Festivities kicked off at nine in a cavernous circus tent on the East River. In keeping with the prescribed Rock ‘N Roll Circus theme, contortionists, fire-breathers, and trapeze artists performed, while DJ Pelle Almqvist (of The Hives) dee-jayed. Towards the end of their set, Chaka Khan joined British electropop act Hot Chip onstage, prompting the crowd to pogo along. But it was with T.I.’s performance that the true hedonism began. His command of the stage reflected his current reign of the charts.
Terminally cool Franz Ferdinand, the act we were (not so) secretly most eager to see, managed to work the crowd into a frenzy with their millenial classic “Take Me Out”, and treated hardcore fans to early sneak peeks of the stately, swaggering rock featured on their next album, Tonight. For what it’s worth, there’s no doubt that Franz were the most fashion-forward performers of the evening, even if the crowd were irksomely delayed in dispaying their enthusiasm. M.I.A., on the other hand, immediately proved to be the evening’s popular favorite. Her closing set drove the evening to its crescendo. While shocking the front row with her very pregnant belly, Maya reveled in her incipient mainstream status and, with the help of sidekick Cherry and friends N.E.R.D., she delivered a knockout performance.
Diesel events tend to be celebrity magnets, and naturally, this particular Rock ‘N Roll Circus was the hottest ticket in town. Lindsay Lohan appeared, as did actress Emma Roberts and “Gossip Girl” hotties Chase Crawford and Taylor Momsen. Fashion A-listers also were spotted: most notable of all was the appearance of Diesel founder Renzo Rosso himself. Media hype preceding the event bore many rumors, the most sensational one involving the prospect of a surprise visit from none other than Britney Spears. Sadly, that was just a rumor. But little did it matter. N.E.R.D.‘s final, smashing, roof-raising performance of The White Stripes’ “Seven Nation Army”, proved that nothing — not even the recurrent presence of fire marshals — would dampen the party’s spirits.
For, on that evening, media, fashionistas, rock stars, and those very lucky fans alike would agree: there was simply no better place to see or be seen.
Header image,by Diesel for exclusive use for SASSYBELLA.com. Body images by Colleen Nika for SASSYBELLA.com. To see Diesel’s own coverage of this very special event, check out www.diesel.com
