Now this has nothing to do with the Congress Party of India (INC), the Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), or the United States Congress ("Congress"). It's about the Malaysia World Salsa Congress Beach Party event at Sunway Lagoon on the evening of Saturday, 2 May 2009.
Ticket says 7pm so I arrived around 7:15pm and found out that I was too early. Apparently the sound system and stage setup could only begin after the last daytime customer of Sunway Lagoon has left the place. Water park closes at 6pm, people need to shower and change clothes so it's usually around 6:45pm when the last customer leaves. That being the case, methinks that 8:30pm would be a more accurate time to print on the ticket, allowing an hour and a half for setup.
Anyway we were allowed in at 7:45pm, and there was still a little twilight before the sky darkened completely. Sunway Lagoon's normally closed at night save for special events like this one, so I took the opportunity to experience the nighttime atmosphere in a man-made resort setting.
Lepaked around, chatted with friends and acquaintances, got a primer on the locker system from a friendly Sunway staff and walked the length of the Surf Beach. Checked out the pergolas, giant trampoline and waterfront pavilions.
Thought of taking a dip in the water, cos the air felt so hot and humid, but swimming wasn't allowed cos there's no lifeguard at night and no one wants to get tangled up with liability issues. Nevermind lah, can still wet our feet in the shallow section where sand meets tile and water.
Sand and salsa dance aren't the best of friends. Your dance shoes' suede soles will die faster from the abrasive effects of sand. Sand will scratch the wooden floorboards and spoil them in no time, plus make the floor dangerous for high-powered stunts. That's why the organisers had dedicated sweepers to clear the stage after every performance. Thumbs up to the cleaning crew for ensuring safety!
For the party people, there was a makeshift wooden platform raised several inches above the sand. Of course sand kept getting on it. It sloped a little but having a platform's better than nothing. At least the performance stage was level despite the sloping ground below.
After what seemed like an eternity, the show started. The emcee Jamie Jesus did an excellent job of getting everyone into the party mood, you can learn a lot from watching how he speaks. Some warm-ups, bringing on the cheer and giving encouragement to the performers who worked very hard and practised wholeheartedly for showtime.
Time passed so fast when the performances came up one by one. Impressive, power-packed, great performances! I can't recall the exact sequence of performances now, but rest assured that I truly enjoyed each and every one of them.
After all the performances concluded, 'twas supposed to be party time with live band, live music. But, the party pooper just had to happen. Potong stim when the music went dead like a blackout struck the system dumb. There were police and enforcement officers from the local authorities in the midst of talking to the organisers.
What happened? 究竟乜嘢事发生呀？ Apa dah jadi ni? என்ன ஆச்சு?
Apparently there were some unresolved issues with the local authorities. No idea what those issues were. As time passed by it became apparent that the party's over. No more. 收档啦。 Dah tutup kedai dah. எல்லாம் இல்லை. There ain't gonna be any dancing tonight. Not that there was any announcement or pengumuman along the lines of "Para hadirin sekalian, harap maklum, majlis ini telah dibatalkan, semua boleh bersurai sekarang, terima kasih," we sorta kinda figured that out ourselves.
For an hour or so after the music died, everybody just lepaked around in groups of friends, chatting and lingering before dispersing. Haiya, buat apa tunggu lagi, tak boleh buat apa-apa, balik rumah saja lah. Oh well. At least we got to see the performances and enjoy lepaking at the beach at night. But kesian those who came late or bought tickets at the door.
Fortunately, those who bought tickets specifically for the beach party were compensated by free entry to the Sunday night party. At least I was fortunate enough to be notified, but seems that not everyone got the message.
Verdict: Was wokay but could have been better. Communication, communication, communication!
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