On Saturday, March 8th Deloitte, one of the largest consulting firms in the world threw one of the biggest parties of the night during the interactive portion of SXSW. Not only is Deloitte featured during panels about redesigning the workplace and how women are leading the way in tech, they are also connecting with festival attendees on the ground floor of the convention center. They are even an official sponsor of SXSW. When they are not speaking about augmented reality, they are using 3D printers to make candy!
Thankfully, PopBytes was invited to Saturday night’s bash at Hangar Lounge in downtown Austin to mingle and network with Deloitte and other like-minded folk. The venue reached capacity within the first hour of the party, with three floors of people sipping cocktails and enjoying free food. Despite the inclement weather, a huge line of Eventbrite RSVPers was wrapped around the block of West 4th Street, waiting for entry. Deliotte was kicking off Interactive in the biggest way possible by booking up-and-coming artists Betty Who and Sir Sly, with Melissa Etheridge headlining the night.
Betty Who is no stranger to PopBytes. She has been on our radar since her song “Somebody Loves You” was featured in the Home Depot marriage proposal YouTube video that went viral last year. She even chatted with our very own Alex Nagorski.
So, it was wonderful to catch another set from the beautiful pop songstress who performed her new single “Heartbreak Dream” to a few hundred onlookers.
After Betty Who, Los Angeles trio Sir Sly took the stage on the rooftop of the Hangar Lounge and altered the mood of the crowd. The pensive-electro rockers had the crowd moving during their entire set. I wouldn’t be surprised if they garnered a few more fans with after their dynamic performance.
Closing out the night was a performance by legendary rock singer-songwriter Melissa Etheridge. From the moment she stepped on stage you could tell she was elated to be part of Deloitte’s festivities that evening. Her lighthearted between song banter was super endearing. With only an acoustic guitar strapped around her shoulder, she carried her entire set with an effortless ease one would expect from someone of her iconic status.
She wasn’t completely alone because the crowd was singing along to her lyrics and hanging on her every word. She captivated the audience performing classic hits like “I’m the Only One,” “Come to My Window” and “Like the Way I Do.” It’s easy to forget the scope and depth of her cultural influence, but hearing her live, I was reminded of just how much she has affected both pop culture and the musical landscape over the past 25 years.
After the Deloitte party Melissa took to Twitter to applaud Deloitte and the city of Austin by tweeting, “Deloitte, I like what you do! […] Whew what a rockin’ town and the music part hasn’t even started!” If that is not a good testament of what kind of fun was had than I’m not sure what is.