Parties You Will Never Get Into

Technophiles everywhere turned out for the party heralding the release of Microsoft Office 2008, the specially designed version for Macintosh software. New wave sensation Devo entertained participants at the corporate bash in San Francisco’s The Warfield, their first gig in the venue since January 1981.

Sheridan Jones, manager of Microsoft’s Mac marketing team and an overt Devo fan, booked them for the party. A year before, Devo vocalist Mark Mothersbaugh, who is also a painter, tried to wheedle her into staging an exhibition at the 2008 Macworld Expo, of which the party is part. Instead, Jones lined up his band for a performance at the party on January 15, 2008.

Devo delivered a 16-song set that night, including such cuts as “Whip It” and “Beautiful World.” As expected, the band entered the stage wearing HAZMAT suits and their iconic red hats called “energy domes.” Many in the audience were wearing energy domes too, courtesy of Microsoft. As the gig wore on, the band swapped suits and headgear for a darker ensemble of shorts, knee-length socks, knee pads, and t-shirts.

Wild applauses aside, the loudest sounds to puncture the performance were the band’s signature ramblings about “devolution.” At the end of the show, Mark Mothersbaugh, putting on a Booji Boy mask, prodded the otherwise tech-savvy crowd to throw their laptops out the window.

Surely there were fans in the audience who understood. Earlier in the week, Microsoft had the foresight to make some tickets available to hardcore Devo fans for $40 apiece.

On the night of the event itself, Microsoft distributed gift bags containing freebies like card sets of DEVO imagery and t-shirts to the earliest 500 attendees. Before Devo left, fans and Microsoft employees alike were able to meet and greet the band and get autographs.

Limited-edition M&M candies with the Office insignia were passed around. The organizers even gave free iMacs.

Mac Blast! was part of a longer line of affairs in the 2008 Macworld Expo, where Steve Jobs unveiled laptop Mac Air.

Think of spending a New Year’s Eve on a yacht packed with an A-list of stars and distinguished figures. For Paul Allen, this is nothing new. Allen, who is the co-founder of Microsoft and the founder and chairman of the private asset management company Vulcan Inc., is known for throwing huge and luxurious parties attended by famous celebrities and friends.

One impressive bash that this billionaire entrepreneur hosted was the New Year’s Eve Party in 2005, as he and his eminent guests welcomed a new year with a big bang aboard Octopus, his mega yacht, at St. Bart’s in the Caribbean.

Prominent guests who were visible at the event included singer-actress Eve, Star Wars and Indiana Jones creator George Lucas, entrepreneur and TV host Martha Stewart, Duran Duran lead singer Simon LeBon, actor Owen Wilson, model Stephanie Seymour and publisher husband Peter Brant, IAC/InterActiveCorp CEO and Chairman Barry Diller and fashion designer wife Diane Von Furstenberg, billionaire businessman Ron Perelman and his then wife Ellen Barkin, music and fashion mogul Russel Simmons and his then wife Kimora Lee Simmons, and film producer Harvey Weinstein and his fashion designer wife Georgina Chapman.

Allen performed alongside his band the whole night while the people sang and danced. At around three in the morning, R&B performer Usher joined Allen and the band as he performed Ray Charles and Johnny Cash songs.

Paul Allen’s $200 million-worth Mega Yacht Octopus was indeed the ideal venue for a New Year’s Eve party considering that the ship could offer all the amenities that guests needed to have fun. Being one of the largest yachts in the world, this 414-foot, 7-decked vessel has a permanent crew of 60 and it has a swimming pool, a private theater, an infirmary, a basketball court, a recording studio, two helipads, two submarines, and a remote controlled vehicle that can crawl on the ocean floor.

Microsoft’s “other big guy”, co-founder Paul Allen, drew in a slew of A-list personalities when he sponsored an exclusive invitations-only yacht party at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival in May. Allen’s guests were ferried to his 301-foot yacht, Tatoosh, the other half of his mega yacht collection. The party was held to usher in the start of the prestigious festival which gathers some of the movie industry’s best and brightest as well as serious filmmakers from around the world.

The affair was so exclusive that guests were provided with a list of “unenforced” party instructions that included a photo ID, a hard copy of the non-transferable invitation, and flat “non-marking” shoes. In addition, guests were also reminded not to take interior shots of the yacht.

Allen’s party gathered virtually the festival’s cream of the crop topped by Sean Penn, who is the jury president. Brad Pitt, U2’s Bono, Edward Norton, jury member Natalie Portman, Salma Hayek, Woody Harrelson, Dennis Hopper, Adrian Brody, and Supermodel Petra Nemcova were also spotted enjoying the celebration.

Lasting till the wee hours of the morning, the party saw guests enjoy music performed by Allen and his band. As he rocked out with Neil Young’s “Rockin’ in the Free World,” Allen’s celebrity guests had fun mingling with each other while enjoying the luxurious comforts of the yacht like the bottom-raised lap pool filled with roses. The yacht also has its own mini-cinema.

Aside from big-name stars, Allen’s Cannes kick-off party was also attended by some of the most prominent industry personalities like Stacey Snider, Brad Grey, Barry Diller, Brian Grazer and girlfriend Chosan Nguyen, and Paramount executives Rob Moore, John Lesher, and Brad Weston who were at the festival to attend the premiere screening of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.

Read more about mega yachts owned by billionaires.