It's Showtime!

The crowds at Brown Sugar have become larger since the doors opened a couple of weeks ago. Word is getting around and there is an inside cover spread about the grand opening on Friday in one of the largest magazines in Shanghai. The top brass has sent out invitations to the 'who's who' in the city. This place will make its mark in Xintaindi...for sure.

It's my first night out to actually see an entire show. The club looks elegant. The aroma from the kitchen is mouth watering. Oh boy! County girl gets another view. Brown Sugar is a jazz restaurant and bar, so the band kicks off the evening with some Miles Davis and David Sanborn. Awesome. Indeya does her set first and I am totally blown away. Dwayne had already shared his view of her singing ability with me...all good. Now I saw what he was talking about. This sistah came to party and did she ever! She's a gorgeous queen with a diva attitude to match. All I could say was..."I wanna be like her when I grow up"...lol. Meachie takes the second set to another level. R&B had taken the spotlight. He also came to party and capture the hearts of us lovely ladies. The third set featured both vocalists doing duets and showing off individual talents of the Brown Sugar All Stars. This is where the oldies but goodies start flowing. Everybody shouted and sang along if they recognized a tune. Dwayne was in his zone and nobody could touch him! He had those Shanghainese in the palm of his hand!! By the end of the night, I was speechless. I had witnessed profound professionalism among a group of musicians and vocalists who had become a family right before my eyes. It was pure pleasure.

The rest of the week went by quickly. With Friday finally here, I found myself getting dolled up for this big event. Dwayne and Brannen had to reserve seats for me and Sarah. This was huge! Of course Dwayne has to be at work about an hour before show time. This night would be a little different. When we arrived, I had to compose myself as we walked up the stairs. There were people EVERYWHERE!! Oh my! You know it has two floors and there was standing room only. The band wasn't due to go on for another 45 minutes or so. WOW!! Dwayne couldn't believe all the hustle and bustle around him. We had to almost fight our way to the green room for him to settle in. My goodness! I found our table without incident...praise God...and was ready for the complimentary champagne being poured. This place was a fire hazard...if you ask me...lol...lol. Nobody cared. These people came to party hearty and eat like kings and queens. This was one night where they were dressed to the nines and money was no object. TV cameras were rolling and the spotlights were busy. Country girl didn't miss a thing! The show was a success and Shanghai had officially welcomed Brown Sugar and family to Xintaindi.