Pete Tong tour: Mexico and Los Angeles

Pete Tong tour: Mexico and Los Angeles

2 November, 2009 | 5.07AM

• Written by: tongy
• Filed under: Music News:

Bad weather forced Pete Tong to make an unscheduled stop in San Antonio, Texas, this weekend, but he still managed to make it to Mexico for a Day of the Dead party, and to Los Angeles for the 12th annual Monster Massive Halloween bash.

Click through to read how his Halloween weekend went.

Mexico

After cancelling the show at Beta in Denver because of the heaviest snow the region has seen in 12 years, we turned a negative into a positive by heading to Mexico (as I have never been) a day early.

Texas had better ideas and our flight had to make an unscheduled stop in San Antonio because of tornados in Houston. After a farcical session with the Continental staff who couldn’t make their minds up who, how, or if we would ever get out of Texas, we ended up at the airport Sheraton in Houston in the twilight hours and still managed to miss the flight to Mexico in the morning. My tour manager decided it would be more fun that way!

However these tribulations often have a silver lining and I got to meet Jamie Jones and share a ride into the swish Polanco neighbourhood, getting the lowdown on what’s what in this vast metropolis in the process.

The party at Roots Magic Club was a Cookie promotion and our host has a reputation for putting on some fierce events. Day of The Dead is a holiday celebrated in Mexico around Halloween and focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray and remember friends and family members who have died.

The weather determined to take a staring role on this tour whipped up another storm hitting the area just as the doors were opening, which delayed the programme a little…but it takes more than a few inches to dampen the Latin spirit and the night was truly rocking, almost on an Ibizan scale!

For my debut I played alongside Berlin brothers Ali and Basti Tiefschwarz (do you know that name means deep black?!) and the young wizard fingers James Zabiela together with Damian Lazarus and Jamie Jones, all regulars to Central America. I’m coming back!

Los Angeles

Pleased to say the only scary thing we encountered on the way to the City of Angels was a premature Christmas tree in the Aero Mexico lounge!

I was back in my favorite American city to play the 12th annual Monster Massive, an event that attracts around 50,000 people to the LA Sports Arena.

This year they had switched things around and moved my crew (Crystal Castles / Felix / James Zabiela) inside to the huge main arena, and moved Armin Van Burren / Sasha / Hernan Cattaneo, to the outdoor area where I played last year.

At first I didn’t think our sound would be as suitable to the vast dome of the indoor space but it worked, BIG TIME as the photos [see top image] suggest.

James Z was playing on the new CDJ 2000s with the Pioneer entourage close at hand as they continue to refine the operating system. They certainly look the part but they are not cheap and I think the biggest challenge will be getting all the major clubs on the world circuit to make the investment so DJs can count on them being in place so they can all travel around with memory sticks in their hand luggage!

Thanks to all for making it a mad and memorable Halloween experience. Never have so many bonkers costumes gathered in such close proximity! A couple of rest days now before Vancouver, so I’m off for some Californification!

Next week I also visit Las Vegas, Chicago, Toronto, and Washington DC. And don’t forget, if you are making music had it to me at one of my shows for Tong Factor!

3 big tunes for Mexico & LA

1. Mendo ‘Everybody I Got Him’ (2009 Mix)

2. Egbert Vette ‘Sounds’

3. Calvin Harris ‘Flashback’ (Eric Prydz Mix)

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