Don't Sleep Orlando: 2012

Dear recent Orlando transplant:

Ok, so you just moved to Orlando from New York / Philly / Chicago / San Francisco / et al. You feel lost, uprooted, misplaced -- you're starting to think Orlando might suck. Eager to find some nightlife in this town, you go to Lattitudes on Church Street, Slingapour's on Wall Street and that mega-club on Orange Avenue owned by one of those Backstreet Boys (Orlando's finest celebrities). Maybe you even think International Drive, Citywalk or Downtown Disney is where everyone hangs out in this town. Now you really think Orlando sucks.

Well, you're wrong. There is more to this city than theme park "nightlife" and crappy clubs with guys wearing shiny shirts, but you have to know where to look. Instead of complaining about how lame Orlando is compared to your city of origin, why not get out there and support your new scene -- it's a lot better than you think! After all, you moved here for a reason, right? (I'm guessing to escape the cold weather.) So you can do one of two things: either 1) move back to the city you think is sooooo much more awesome or 2) quit bitchin', check the events below and DON'T SLEEP on the shit that is happening!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Next Weekend: (Free!) Downtown Concert Series with Kenny Loggins

My mom was a huge Kenny Loggins fan, so I spent several years in the backseat of her car belting out Highway to the Danger Zone, Heart to Heart and Footloose with reckless abandon. Yes, there was a phase where this transitioned into that whole weird Return to Pooh Corner weirdness, but I’ve since powered through and Footloose remains at the top of my ‘Songs to Karaoke at Colonial Lanes on Friday Night’ rotation.

In my head, Kenny Loggins still looks like this:

In reality, Kenny Loggins now actually looks like this:

But, if you drink enough before heading to the WMMO Downtown Concert Series next Saturday, Kenny Loggins can be whatever Kenny you want him to be.

This edition of the concert series (which just brought Huey Lewis & the News to town) is moving locations – it’ll be on the corner of Orange and Amelia in front of the courthouse. The show starts at 9 p.m.. It’s free, but if you want to avoid the masses and have a reserved VIP seat, those are $46.