Love Factory New Year's Eve (12.31.11)

First, welcome to 2012! Still no flying cars yet, as far as I can tell (though I haven't looked outside today, so perhaps they are there after all).

When I was in my teens and 20s, New Year's Eve was the most acceptable time of year to get silly drunk and be a complete idiot. This fact was dampened by the reality that at the time, I spent much of the rest of the year getting intoxicated on various substances and being a complete idiot, making New Year's just another night for the most part. Anyway, for the last 15 years or so, my New Year's Eves have been very sedate compared to my youthful experiences. During this millennium, it's been difficult for me to even stay awake until midnight to ring in the new year.

Rocking the New Year, Zak-style. Photo by Kat.

A happy crowd ready for some fun and good tunes. Photo by Kat.

However, I do enjoy performing live music on New Year's, and have done so on a good number of occasions, both in the flesh and in Second Life. When my manager Maali Beck let me know that the folks at Love Factory in SL wanted to bring me back to play at their event (which celebrated New Year's as well as the 2-year anniversary of Love Factory and its owner Violet), I was quite happy to do so. Making matters even cooler was the fact that since the organizers were based in a location 10 hours ahead of me, I could play from 1-2PM local time, which would be the hour leading into the new year for them.

My view from the stage. Photo by Kat.

Good times at Love Factory. I'll be glad to play there again. Photo by Kat.

The show itself was very fun, as most New Year's shows are. Folks were in a festive mood, and they had a good crowd at Love Factory when we got rolling. As I tend to do at special events, I put together a set list that was appropriate for the party mood, avoiding most of my gloomy repertoire and staying with stuff that had high energy.

On a side note, later that evening, Kat and I managed to stay up long enough to give each other a kiss to start 2012... and then headed immediately to sleep. Being old may be boring, but at least I start the new year feeling happy and not hungover and miserable!

Love Factory Anniversary/New Year's Eve Set List...
Free Man in Paris (Joni Mitchell)
You're Like a Cloud (Zak Claxton)
Bertha (Grateful Dead)
Comes a Time (Neil Young)
Ziggy Stardust (David Bowie)
This Afternoon (Zak Claxton)
She's Always a Woman (Billy Joel)
Fuck You (Cee-Lo Green)
Shiny Happy People (R.E.M.)
Daniel (Elton John)
One (U2)

That was fun! Thanks to Love Factory and all the folks who came out to the show... happy new year to all!