When Gloria Estefan released her 1987 chart topper “Rhythm is gonna get you”, she was on to something. Nearly 20 years later she still has the crowd dancing in the aisles, or “partying on out” as she put it – even when that crowd is attending a swanky mid-week benefit dinner on Wall Street.
The event was the first of a series of Cipriani/Deutsche Bank Wall Street private concerts that will take place through the year, and the evening was packed with celebs and model types. Past guests have included Kevin Bacon, Jay-Z, Naomi Campbell and Jennifer Lopez. Cipriani’s PR people say this is “reminiscent of an earlier time when New York society dressed elegantly for an evening of dinner, dancing and live entertainment.”
Nevertheless, the elegance and propriety of the occasion did not stop a sort of mosh pit forming in front of the stage as soon as Gloria and the 14-piece Miami Sound Machine came on, despite the fact that everyone was seated for dinner. During a rousing rendition of “Get on your feet”, some diners did just that; some danced on their chairs. One party got so carried away that there was a napkin-over-a-candle incident, setting fire to their table.