Last night, Los Angles played host to the kick-off of the 2011 Sneaker Pimps tour. From your fanciest customs, to the plain Converse Chuck Taylor that I had on, the sneaker heat was crazy. As soon as you walked in the Avalon Theater you were greeted by Jordan Gellar’s massive Air Jordan collections. I am talking dead stock Air Jordan from almost every era. While it is amazing to see his collection in videos and in pictures, it is another thing entirely to see the portion he brought to the event. Nearly everyone that walked into the building stopped for a moment to gaze upon the magnificent collection.
As you go to the left or right, you were greeted by the sneaker fences. Put together by the founders of Sneaker Pimps, the fences display a range of sneaker from general release version, to some of the most complex customizations I have ever seen. They even separate the fences into brands so you can feast your eyes upon the good and the bad from each company. Once you make it into the main room, there were plenty of vendors selling their wares, as well as sneaker collectors selling new and used sneakers.
Later in the evening we were treated to a few performances from a couple local artists and Game. Starting out with Blake Carrington, we were given a nice dose of underground hip-hop. After Blake, Thurz, formerly of the group U-N-I, gave us a quick preview of his album L.A. Riot, a healthy dosage of pure L.A. music. The next performer, Rich Hil, the son of Tommy Hilfiger, performed his drug lyric filled set to a mostly ecstatic crowd. Finally, rapper The Game, headlined the show with a quick two song set that included a pre-written freestyle.
Overall, sneaker fans were able to experience an eclectic mix of music and sneakers, a combination that we all love. Whether you were looking to cop the latest LeBron or check out the latest samples from your favorite sneaker brands, it was all there. Next stop is Houston on September 8 with performances by Black Star aka Mos Def and Talib Kweli.
