Friday at Safari
Safari Steakhouse, 9430 Annapolis Road Lanham MD 20706

Since Monday, they finally repainted the very faded traffic lines on Annapolis road. When I walked in, DJ Flava (aka GoGo Rudy) stood by the entrance and greeted me. In the lounge, a couple of guys played with women beginners, patiently teaching them how to play pool. After Doc arrived, I talked with him a little. A woman next to me said that "That's my baby daddy". I asked which one, she said, "Doc and Packy. Packy's my husband." The woman next to her, (I later learned her name is Netty), said, "Donnell's my husband." I asked, "Do they know that?" I then went to the bar and ate.

Familiar Faces
I missed the very opening - as I went to where I normally stand, I noticed Pooh sat in the lounge next to Packy. I told Packy what the girl said, he said he isn't even married, which Pooh said wasn't true. I sat down and talked with Pooh for a while. He told me he was looking for a new gig and he had been working in Atlanta all last month. He also said that his cousin had picked up PA's of Familiar Faces that they had not released. He didn't know where his cousin got them. I asked him about the nickname D-Train in Evolution, he said that Donnell called him that a couple of times. Mike came in; I asked him why he didn't sing on Wednesday. He said he was sick. When Pooh and I finished talking, I went to the side where I normally watch them perform (they had a full line up, with Jacques arriving during the first set, and Charlie not coming tonight). Donnell Jr. was there, along with Footz's daughter, who said hello. I asked her what her first name since I didn't hear it on Sunday - Renee (spelling?). For many parts of this show, I got so into the music that I zoned out.

I talked with Dwayne during the break for a bit. We talked about his producing/engineering work coming up, including Y2K. Actually, Dollar Bill and manager Kelvin Robinson of Y2K were there and said hello to both of us. They told Dwayne that on Fridays, China Boogie's wife won't even let him answer the phone, much less go out. I also talked with him about a PFunk video from their performance at the Capital Centre on February 1, 1979 and PFunk's influence on GoGo. I talked about the use of congas and roto-toms by PFunk in the concert. He talked about how congas were prevalent in major Funk bands at the time and influenced GoGo, but that GoGo has its own beat to it. He said that Chuck Brown's early albums don't sound like GoGo, more like regular Funk. He would have the percussion section play during the breaks and he would talk to the audience. He discovered they liked that more than the songs themselves. Dwayne also talked about how at the time of GoGo's formation, that the bands would be like L!ssen, trying to perform the hits they way they sound on the radio. We also discussed the joking in rehearsals of him versus Donnell. He said that when he first joined the band, the band played a little tense. He lets Donnell know he has more GoGo experience, he starting playing in 1981, Donnell in 1983. The other band members thought their arguments were serious at first, but they are just kidding.

I talked with BJ about how until I actually got Evolution, I didn't recognize the picture of him from the photo session as being him.

During the second set, they did many of their regular set, including Snoop's Drop It Like It's Hot. James guest sang. There were also three guest rappers during Terror Squad's Lean Back: Catch-22 (I caught her name when Donnell said goodbye to her at the end of the performance), Kay Kay (Chuck Brown's daughter) who wore a bright red wig, and Jay Gotti. Mike also sang John Legend's Ordinary People.

The third set as usual was the best. There was a birthday party, and Kato and other people wore party hats. Kay Kay guest rapped in this set as well. Donnell did his three song medley. A group of guys cheered on Smoke, yelling "Go-Go Smoke-Ay". Godfather asked if he provided me with a camera that I would take pictures.