The Long Goodbye - Live at Re:Love Aloha (01/06/2019)
I have been in Hawaii exactly one month as I write this. What a crazy adventure this has been. When I announced, in the middle of December, that I was leaving Los Angeles and moving to Hawaii it didn’t quite seem real. As the days went on in December and I started preparing to move by purging, packing and shipping, it became more and more real. My last gigs in LA were so much fun but there was a hint of sadness at each one. It all came to a head at the special going away re:love park party on 01/06/19. I actually got there early to bring my XDJ decks for use at the party. I dropped them off and then grabbed some brunch with my friends Koko and Bernard Thomas in the valley. I went home, downloaded some tracks and thought of how I wanted to end this party. I was hoping I could make it somewhat special and memorable.
When I got to the party DJ Dan was wrecking things. I was so happy that DJ Dan came out and provided his skills and talent for the festivities. Having him there just really set the right tone for me personally. DJ Dan was first DJ that I spun with at my first gig in LA back in 1992. Fitting that he be the one to help me say goodbye to LA. Even for a bit.
When I drove in, I just couldn’t believe how many came out to say goodbye to me. Walking around the party, I kept running into friends everywhere I turned. People I haven’t seen in years came out of the woodworks to give a hug and a hope to see you again. It felt amazing. I was overwhelmed. I wanted to have a group photo taken so that I could display it in Hawaii. The professional photographer wasn’t there yet but we got some good group shots before I went on.
After the group shot, I went on and although I DJed 2 hours, it went by so very quickly. I played new stuff and old stuff and things in between. I was just feeling it. The love in that canopy was real. I never wanted the feeling to end. At one point my wife came up to me and asked, “Is there anything you need?”, my reply was, “For this to never end”. Bret Wallace told me I could play past my allotted 2 hours but I felt I had the right way to close this party and I wanted to get most of the crowd to be a part of it. After the last song of my set, I played “Somewhere Over The Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole and I couldn’t help but to start to cry. It felt like there wasn’t a dry eye in the house. It is a moment that will live with me forever. Thank you LA. Thank you for that. I needed it.
It was such a beautiful way to end this long chapter of my DJing in Los Angeles. I have been blessed to be a part of so many LA events over the past 27 years. Being an LA DJ is such a huge part of my identity that it is very hard to let go. But I took this opportunity to live in Hawaii as a challenge to myself. I just thought I would always be in LA. Maybe retire in the central coast one day. I never thought I would be given the opportunity to try something like this out. I just had to do it. It may not be forever, I might be back in a couple of years. Who knows? I just know that I would always regret this if I missed out on this chance to try something new. But LA I miss you. I really do. I am sure I will come out in a couple of months and drop a set or two and I really hope you are there to say hello.