by , 10:00 AM EST, January 9th, 2004

Wow. Wednesday night was so hoppin', it took us a full day to prep this story. We're talking about Party 1.0, of course, TMO's first Macworld party. It was held at the fabulous Chi Chi club in downtown San Francisco on Wednesday night. The event was co-hosted by TMO, Mactivity, and Dr. Mac Direct. Better yet, the party featured the one and only Macworld All-Star Band.

The All-Stars include Paul Kent (the boss at Mactivity), Bob LeVitus, Chris Breen, Chuck La Tournous of RandomMacess, Duane Straub, and TMO's own Dave Hamilton and Bryan Chaffin (the same "Bryan Chaffin" that wrote this report). You can also occasionally find other Mac folks who manage to sheen their way into the show, but the point is that this ain't your father's geek band.

The All-Stars were formed to play the remnants of the Mac the Knife party series, then moved on to the Your Mac Life party for the last couple of years. This year, the band entertained the crowds at Party 1.0. The show was invitation-only, featured a clown and henna tattoo artists (look around on the show floor today for a few folks who might not have known that henna tattoos last a few days), and it was packed. That was rather gratifying, considering the fact that it was our first party, but it's hard not to get a big Mac audience during Macworld when Chris Breen, Bob LeVitus, and even Andy Ihnatko are providing the entertainment.

Without further ado, we offer you an entire passel of photos from the party. If you are lucky, you might be able to score a ticket for our next party (which is tentatively titled Party 1.5, Party 2.0, or maybe Party X).

Lastly, there are a lot of pics below, but it's just that there were so many darned balloons...

Party 1.0 Photo Gallery

(Click on the thumbnails to see larger images)

"I don't know *how* these things got on our heads!"	"With my magic headgear, I am safe from all alien incursions!"	Bryan Chaffin, Darla Sasaki, Dave Hamilton, and Bob LeVitus of TMO (we don't know who the guy is with his back to the camera)
Andy Ihnatko sings *The Star Spangled Banner*	Chris Breen on keys, Bob LeVitus on the Explorer, Duane Straub on bass, and Paul Kent on lead guitar. Dave Hamilton's on drums, but you can't see him.	White man sings the blues
"What key was that in again?"	Chuck La Tournous (RandomMaccess) sings "Time won't let me," with Duane and Paul playing	Chris Breen is a great keyboard player. You should have been there.
Bob is a *great* writer!	"Get ready, 'cause here I come!"	"What key was that again?"
Speaking of great players, Dave Hamilton bangs a great set of skins.	The place was packed. That's Chuck Joiner from the MUG Center in the red shirt, with Lesa Snider next to him.	"Now I will shoot them with my Lazerabacus!"
That's Peter Cohen from MacCentral with the sultry woman on his shirt. His attempts to psyche us out WERE NOT EFFECTIVE!	"HOLY CRAP! That woman is going to shoot us with her Lazerabacus!"	Paul Kent is the other ringer that makes this band sound great. Check out his San Jose band called "The Silicon Valley Houserockers." He's also the president of Mactivity.
Bob LeVitus is a *great* writer!	The band's synchronized two-stepping is also *not* to be missed.	Dave Hamilton practices his spitting.
With our magic "MusicBoost�" control box on the floor, we sound great!	Our plan to hypnotize the audience with balloons was obviously effective.	He's getting a henna tattoo, not shooting up. What some people might not have known is that henna tattoos last for several days...
Peter Cohen, Greg Snyder, and Darla Sasaki!	John F. Braun and Darla Sasaki. They're pointing.	James dancing away.
Bryan: "Ouch! I stubbed my toe!" Bob: "Whatever, you should have let me sing this one."	Geepers, why is he smiling?	The clown was responsible for the balloons, and was great fun.
Did we mention that the place was hopping?	Bob, Chuck, and Paul.	Hopping
I included this one because I could. :-)	"Damnit: I am shamed by the quality of her balloon hat."	You really have no idea how many balloon hats there were.
And there's the blond again. Her friend (peeking from behind the white balloon) was just as well received.	Again, the place was packed.	"Let me make this last adjustment for you, sir."
Is that Chuck J. dancing? w00t!	Like sardines, we tell you...	"The Hokey Pokey" might have been the most popular number.
Dave on drums.	We love that shirt!	Play that funky music, Bob!
At one point, we had to put Dave in the corner.	John is pointing again. This time, it's at his hat. He's fancy.	Andy Ihnatko explains that his heart can be found in the Bay Area.
"So I says to the guy, 'Not if I see him coming first!'"	Our own John F. Braun with Peter Cohen. Peter is also fancy.	Though Bob looks like he is going to clock Duane with that maraca, we're actually doing "The tighten up."
Love that shirt!!!	"Cigars? Candy? Cigarettes?"	The clown apparently kept his excess inventory in his pants.
Wow, that's just freakin' elaborate.	Andy attempts to chug the microphone.	Sir David Attenborough: "The male Mac Geek often uses his forward appendages as bait to attract the female of the species."
Dave sings the lead on this one.

All photos by John F. Braun.
Captions by Bryan Chaffin.