“Are you ready to party?” Patrick Chung, James Wu, and Soren Mills on stage at the House of Blues
“Are you ready to party?” yelled James Wu, Soren Mills, and Patrick Chung to a packed dance floor. “Yeah!” the crowd screamed in response, their excitement almost tangible. All eyes were pinned on the three gentlemen in eager anticipation. In a surreal blend of party and techy, Newegg threw its second annual “We Own the Night” BlizzCon after-party at the House of Blues in Anaheim on Friday night.
“We Own the Night” is Newegg’s way of celebrating the vendors and valued customers that make Newegg as successful as it is today. The party was thrown on the first night of BlizzCon, so that BlizzCon attendees could participate in the festivities after their day at the convention. Attendees from all over competed in Titanfall and League of Legends tournaments, won prizes in the raffle giveaways, and danced the night away to performances by Far East Movement, Dev, and DJ Missy B.
”I got to meet a lot of cool people and everyone was super friendly. I think I’ll be coming to more Newegg events in the future!”
– Victor from Las Vegas
Downtown Disney, which is usually already animated on a Friday night, was especially rowdy as the party at the House of Blues shifted into gear. The energy even reached the line outside, where attendees got to meet one another, swap stories from BlizzCon, and share their excitement over the announcement of Overwatch and Legacy of the Void. Victor from Las Vegas, for example, says about his wait in line, “I got to meet a lot of cool people and everyone was super friendly. I think I’ll be coming to more Newegg events in the future!”
Once inside the venue, attendees explored an outdoor area where many vendors set up booths. Over 15 vendors attended the event to show their support for Newegg, including: MSI, Roccat, EVGA, Acer, WD, HP, Coolermaster, Ttesports, Samsung, Corsair, Logitech, Mad Catz, ASUS, Seagate, G.Skill and XYZprinting. Some booths prominently displayed their top-of-the-line hardware for attendees to test. Others had mountains of swag laid out on their tables to hand out to the crowd of fans that seemed to only grow. The House of Blues quickly became packed with people holding giant inflatable hammers and wearing flashing LED stunner shades.
Also in attendance was Team Dignitas. Easily distinguished by their unique motorcycle outfits emblazoned with the logos of their many sponsors, they happily talked with their fans and signed autographs for them.
Computer stations loaded with several games were set up throughout the venue
The gaming stations throughout the venue gave attendees the opportunity try out new games and compete in the several gaming tournaments that were being run by the HSL (High School Star League). Of the games played, Titanfall and League of Legends were the most popular, with their tournaments drawing large crowds of spectators as the teams duked it out in game. Some of the other games being played include Borderlands: Pre-Sequel, Civ: Beyond Earth, and Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.
Upstairs on the Rose Terrace, attendees mingled and shared stories over drinks. Some snapped selfies in front of GameCrate’s backdrop, while others took photos with a model at Acer’s photo booth. All of this was happening to the thumping of the bass from the music coming from inside.
“You can never go wrong with music and video games. Perfect combo!”
– Cassandra from San Francisco
Once inside the doors to House of Blues, things started to get even crazier. On the bottom floor of the dance hall, computers lined the bars and walkways, the glow of monitors adding to the flashing lights of the nearby dance floor. Upstairs, gaming stations were set up along the balconies, allowing attendees to play Watchdogs without missing a beat from the music. The whole setup was effectively a LAN party, with a huge emphasis on the “party.”
Dev performing on stage
While gaming tournaments and demos were running throughout the venue, the dance hall started to get a little energetic. Up on stage, Dev opened up the night with her amazing vocals. She quickly got the crowd moving to the beat as she sang. After a short intermission, Far East Movement came in and rocked the House with its heavy beats and energetic raps, reminding everyone how it is to “feel fly like a G6.” Far East Movement gave a very dynamic performance, using most of the space available to them on the stage, and even crowd-surfed towards the end. After Far East Movement’s performance, the music shifted outdoors to where DJ Missy B played dance music, maintaining the energy well into the night.
Far East Movement rocking the stage at the House of Blues
“We Own the Night” brought together vendors and Newegg customers to celebrate their continued support for Newegg. Along with all the swag and raffle prizes, however, Newegg wanted to make sure the customers took home one important message. Newegg is known for working hard, but wants to show that they can play hard, too. As the night drew to a close and people started trickling out of the venue, I overheard a couple talking about the event. “That was actually a pretty good party,” said one of them with a big smile on her face. “I’m surprised it was Newegg’s.”
Did you attend “Newegg Owns the Night?” What was your favorite moment?
