Tool in 1996 right when Aenima came out (as other poster descibed...Maynard painted half blue & half white...performance art like modern Kabuki--he looked like static or was on fire when they hit him with certain lights...and I wasn't tripping lol...so fricking cool)

Many many Free Bass Society raves thrown by Disco Donnie (LSU alum), who also was partly responsible for the giant Halloween block parties on Chimes Street that were epic in the mid to late 90s. Just like his raves, the cops had enough and shut them down.

Vampire Stripper Sluts from Outerspace (Halloween)
Zoolu
Freakfest
Hong Kong Phooey
The DJ is God
The DJ is the Devil
etc. etc.

Some of the biggest/best DJs on the planet ran through there until the Feds broke it up and went after Donnie under "Crackhouse Law". No clue How he pulled it off. I heard he treated the DJs well when they flew in to play for him. I'm guessing he paid well too.

Carl Cox, Sasha, John Digweed, Paul Oakenfold, Crystal Method, Paul Van Dyke, Green Velvet, Rabbit in the Moon, Keoki, Josh Wink, Frankie Bones (all huge in the late 90s) played...tore the roof off in there. Carl Cox is still a top headliner 30 years later. Some of the others still get big $$$.

Used to have a reset session about once every 2-3 months there. Great, great times. Still blown away and have vivid memories of sets by Sasha, LTJ Bukem, Big Bud, Dara, Madd Wicked, AK 1200.

Rolling balls at Zoolu one year and met (through mutual friend) and hung with a dealer from NYC who was in town to do business in New Orleans for Mardi Gras and the Zoolu party (was all weekend). He sold all he drove down with (two large suitcases supposedly) in a day and a half and stayed to party. I told him I had never been to NYC and the parties there must be epic. He said yeah, they are cool, but we don't have shite like this in NY. I was like really?? Twilo, Limelight, all these place I heard about...sounds systems designed by famous sound engineers including the engineer who did Studio 54. He said this is a legal drug party man. This is a giant drug party out the open. We don't have shite like this in NYC. I was like wow...ok then

It was very out in the open. Smelled like plastic in there sometimes.

Went to Donnie's 50th Bday party in NOLA in December 2019. Mark Farina on the decks. Wow...he is so so good. Says alot that that is who Donnie wanted for his 50th. He and Derrick Carter are so talented/skilled with vinyl. Saw Derrick Carter mixing vinyl with three turn tables at dingy Club 504 (think that was name) further down Bourbon one night. Best live vinyl mixing I have ever seen.

This post was edited on 10/11/23 at 4:48 pm