NAMM opened with a bang…on the first night of the show, the place to be was Downtown Disney’s House of Blues at Digidesign’s party, where those of us lucky enough to be clutching a coveted VIP pass got our swerve on to the music of the Black Eyed Peas. The show, which was co-sponsored by M-Audio, Dell, Intel, A&M Records and the House of Blues, was recorded through Digi’s new Venue console, to a PC-based Pro Tools rig. Seven cameras captured the action for an upcoming DVD—I just hope none of them caught me doing my “Elaine” dance…
Star Sightings…At Mix, we all try to top each other in our NAMM star sightings, and this year was no exception. Of course the winners of the tally war are always the ladies staffing our show booth, which is conveniently located across from the Dean Markley booth—aka guitar god Mecca. It’s no surprise then, that they report a huge rocker turnout…while shredders Yngwie Malmsteen and Nuno Bettencourt and most of Dio signed autographs across the way for long lines of rabid fans, Dave Navarro wooed the crowds at Paul Reed Smith; Nikki Sixx, Steve Vai, Paul Gilbert and Jonathan Davis were spotted by our booth sleuths, and Rudy Sarzo even stopped by the booth to say hello. Jerry Cantrell was with Vinnie Paul down in Hall E at Krank Amplifiers, representing for the sorely missed Dimebag Darrell. On the softer side of NAMM, Kelly Clarkson was belting it out in the M-Audio booth, and Malcolm Jamal-Warner (yes, Theo Huxtable!) was seen prowling the halls.
Over the weekend, the halls were mobbed with both pros and those crazy L.A. convention groupies that we swear only come out late at night or for NAMM…The crowds hung in until the bitter end on Sunday, even though more than a few showgoers were lurking at the nearby Hilton and Marriott bars, glued to the big-screens for the AFC/NFC playoffs. We had a big crowd at the Mix booth on Sunday, though I can’t say whether it was due to our free magazines or our side Webcast of Superbowl.com. Go Pats!
