Purple Party
Blues Brothers light up the Long Center at biggest party of the year
The Blues Brothers, as played by former Saturday Night Live cast members Dan Aykroyd and Jim Belushi, headlined the Long Center’s Purple Party 7, celebrating music and the performing arts, on Saturday.
Before the concert VIP guests dined on the City Terrace, sipped lavender-hued cocktails, and donned free black fedoras and sunglasses to get into the spirit of the evening. Up for live auction during the dinner, which was co-chaired by Kathy Taylor and Leslie Ward, were items like SXSW badges and tickets to a Jimmy Kimmel Live! taping. The silent auction, held inside the lobby, was open all evening with goods like spa treatments and dinners.
The Blues Brothers, backed by the mostly-Texan-born band the Sacred Hearts, were lively as they sang, danced and bantered. Belushi went into the audience to dance with several women, brought audience members on stage to sing, and even exposed his stomach for the sake of a song. The crowd at the show wore a mix of formal and dressed-down attire. Before the show, the Long Center’s president and CEO Jamie Grant encouraged guests to text $10 donations to the center.
At the after party, long lines formed for free beer and wine from sponsor Total Wine & More. Austin’s T Bird and the Breaks kept the energy up with a live show for the dancing lot.