this is a STORY.
Eleven years of magic took place inside this club.
I remember the opening night, November 2012, a few weeks before Art Basel. I approached the new club by myself. I had been a frequenter of Amnesia nightclub before that, and was excited to see the new space.
A young woman, she must have been 19, was working as a hostess at what used to be a restaurant adjacent to Story. I saw the busy ropes, and I guess I lingered because it looked too intense to jump right into by myself. So I was scoping out the restaurant, which hadn’t been there in Amnesia days. The hostess spots me and prompts me that I should meet someone.
Segway Brazilian Dan, who was hosting a dinner party before going into the club. The promoter who would see me grow up, from Story to Mansion to Shore Club Sundays. I still see him around through friends today. So quite seriously, the opening night of Story has shaped my life forevermore.
Highlights of the club: well, let me first start with some highlights of Amnesia:
- I loved the space of Amnesia, it was like a Greek Amphitheater, and the fighting stage was the dance floor. So many places to sit. It was great.
- falling asleep in Amnesia, mid-seating area, because despite my pleas to go home, my posse wouldn’t.
- going to MMW 2011 to see Kaskade and Seb Ingrosso play with my boyfriend. They wayyyy oversold tickets. It was so packed for such a large club. AND THE A/C BROKE. Omg, I have never been so hot in a club in my entire life. We had just come from Ultra. We were standing all the way in the back, squashed like sardines, but at least had some air/space due to the exit being right behind us. We stayed the entire time. No one was leaving, even with the broken A/C. That was a crazy time.
Alright, now we go to Story:
- Listening to Million by Otto Knows on the dance-floor. This is one of my all-time favorite songs. It’s just a life song for me. Captures a place in time of complete rapture. Opens my heart and lets me shine from the inside-out. It also helps when club lights are shining right on you in the middle of the dance-floor. Adds to the glow, you know?
- Seeing Dirty South kill a set in 2014, when house music was crumbling all around me. There was so much bad music at the time, and he was like a saving grace to my ears, my body, my soul. I remember locking eyes with him, smiling at him. He’s my spirit DJ. What can I say?
- Lots of Kaskade.
- Oh, apparently I’ve fallen asleep twice in this club. NYE 2013, open bar for Kaskade. Yeah, I go to the toilet, and apparently fall asleep for 2 hours. My friends at 3am, hey! where were you? i’m like, omg.. imagine waking up, head in hands, and being like, wtf. That was a morning that lasted til 2pm at Nikki Beach, so I’m grateful I got some zzz’s. (That was the first year that Foxhole was open and it stayed open hush-hush til 9am…so cool).
- I stopped clubbing for a period of my life. OH 2014, my first Tinder date. I go on a date with a young man who’s won a radio contest from San Francisco, to do a meet-and-greet with David Guetta and see the show at Story afterwards. I got a pic. Yeah, all other app dates have been blah. lol
- I know I’ve been in the VIP area behind the DJ booth, but I can’t tell you when.
- This MMW for SHM, having Laidback Luke less than 4 feet away from me, and me being in awe of my maturity, when eight years ago, I covertly snuck into the DJ booth of LIV past the security guard, waiting for my moment to get a picture, i’m crying because the security guard has caught me, and i’m begging, please let me just get a photo. LOL I got the photo. And then, my last big party of Story, he’s right there, and I’m talking to someone in his posse, retelling the tale, laughing about it. How times change.
- Dancing in VIP mid stage at my promoter’s table.
- Oh, dancing VIP front right stage with a bachelor party.
- Dancing VIP left stage with Dan and his wife, Lauren, with a group.
- Upstairs. Downstairs. All around. Loop Loop Loop.
- Drink tickets from my friend.
I mean, I guess that does it for memories. I definitely had the “best spots” in the club picked out. I remember so many times being right in front of the DJ, you couldn’t even see him. That strategy eventually moved to side stage, then further back, then upstairs. There used to be a nook and cranny on the bottom left side that would be a good spot. Just good feels in this place.
Ok, Story. That was a good one. I hope you come back. We like our stories here.
xoxo Victoria
