PARTIES: Zune Hip Hop BBQ

So with a timely RSVP you too could have gotten a ticket for the Zune's excuse for direct in-your-face advertisements: the Zune Hip Hop BBQ at the Tobacco Warehouse in DUMBO. This being my second (third?)musical festival for the summer, I know what to expect by now: overpriced food, the smell of sunscreen mixed with beer and P. Diddy's newest cologne, more fashion atrocities than there are teeth in Flavor Flav's mouth, and a super-secret surprise guest. And all of that came to fruition...However, Zune made it a little different by sticking faithfully to the BBQ theme. There was soul food (I had an oxtail dinner with mac & cheese and collard greens), bubbles, and board games. I won Chutes & Ladders! But I do have to say that between four adults we continually played the game incorrectly.

Now I could go through all the musical guests, et cetera, but I think by now everyone (my two, three readers?) knows I am not a musical reviewer. I read my book (engrossing Victorian novella that it was) most of the day, laid out, watched Megan blow bubbles. I didn't really get into it until the surprise guest came to the stage. It was LL Cool J, I'm not good at building suspense. Somehow my companions and I all guessed it was him beforehand so it wasn't much of a surprise. He rapped all of his old standard favorites, didn't try to work in a lot of new shit, which is what performers of his legendary status often try to do. It was all quite enjoyable and ended promptly enough for us to get back to Park Slope in time for some Los Pollitos.