Letter from LA

Partying VMA style with Tila Tequila, Pauly D & Perez Hilton: My Entouragemoment

Ellie has her Fatburger and invite to the big Video Music Awards party.
The Jersey Shore cast and the group LMAFO seemed to hit it off.
Photo by StarTraksPhoto
Lil Jon also made the scene.
Photo by StarTraksPhoto

While New York kicked off Fashion Week, Los Angeles was abuzz with the MTV Video Music Awards.

High above the Sunset Strip, "Music Box powered by Ustream" was an invitation-only celebration this weekend atop the London Hotel. The event streamed live on the free interactive social media site Ustream, but I was lucky enough to experience the party in person.

It was a celebrity-studded event. The guest list included train wreck Tila Tequila (who is threatening to parlay her 16th minute of fame into a film career), a trimmed-down Perez Hilton, a baby faced Sean Kingston, and tanorexic Pauly D.

I’ve never been a girl to pass up a free snack, so with a Wodka vodka soda in one hand and a Fatburger in the other, I cheered as the Jersey Shore crew joined Lil Jon and LMFAO onstage. It was LA-LA.

Often, I’m asked: Is living in Los Angles like it seems on HBO’s Entourage? No, living in LA is a lot like living in Houston, minus the parking spaces, air conditioning, and hurricane season. But, the Music Box event felt just like one of those wild party scenes out of Entourage — right down to the New Era hats they were handing out like the ones Turtle always rocks on the show.

Follow Ellie Knaus' blog at myprincipality.com and twitter @EllieInLa.

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jon pardi review

Jon Pardi’s rockin’ performance has RodeoHouston fans Head Over Boots

RodeoHouston/Facebook

Jon Pardi performed three new songs at RodeoHouston.

California cowboy Jon Pardi took Houstonians to the honky tonk on Thursday, March 13 at NRG Stadium, punctuating his 16-song set with enough pyrotechnics and fireworks to politely singe the pearl snap shirts and straw cowboy hats in the expensive seats.

This was Pardi’s third trip to RodeoHouston, following up his 2022 and 2023 appearances. He’s well on his way to becoming a rodeo season staple.

Pardi’s fifth studio album, Honkytonk Hollywood, drops on April 11. The lead singles build upon the ‘70s Sunset Strip country sound he began to tease on 2022’s Mr. Saturday Night, full of big drums, arena rock choruses, fuzzed-out fiddles, and steel guitars.

Kicking off the night with the “Honkytonk Hollywood,” Pardi offered fans a taste of the Tom Petty via Bakersfield Sound he’s laying down right now.

“Mr. Saturday Night” is a sturdy bar fly ballad that wouldn’t have been out of place on a late ‘70s Eagles album, like “Desperado” with a Red Bull chaser.

It may have been Thursday night, but the rodeo party crowd knows it’s just the unofficial kickoff to the weekend. Pardi understood the assignment, reminding the crowd that NRG’s bars were still open before launching into “Fill ‘Er Up.”

The brand-new “Friday Night Heartbreaker” features three Southern-rock guitars and a stuttering drum beat. Pardi injected “What I Can’t Put Down” with a splash of grunge, betraying his starched jeans and shirt. “Love The Lights Out” has a streak of textbook Conway Twitty raunch dressing but keeping things a tasteful Nashville PG-13.

The country dancehall staple “Head Over Boots” brought the biggest roars of the night, with fans casually two-stepping in the aisles and hoisting sweaty beer cans in the spotlights.

Easily the catchiest confection of Pardi’s decade-long career, the tune sent the crowd off into the night before he mounted his trusty horse Link for a trot around the stadium dirt.

Setlist

Honkytonk Hollywood (New)
Mr. Saturday Night
Last Night Lonely
Fill ‘Er Up
Your Heart Or Mine
Friday Night Heartbreak (New)
What I Can’t Put Down
Cowboy Hat
Love The Lights Out (New)
She Ain’t In It
Beer Can’t Fix
Dirt On My Boots
Heartache Medication
Heartache On The Dancefloor
Night Shift
Head Over Boots

rodeohouston concert review jon pardi