Janet Jackson Album Party Hits the Tune of $400,000

Well, what do you get for $400,000 these days?

Not that much if Janet Jackson’s $400,000 premiere party for her new A&M; Records album “Rhythm Nation” is any indication. This is not to imply that Jackson’s bash at the sort-of-converted Vertigo nightclub on Boylston Street just west of downtown last Thursday night was anything but festive, anything but stupendous, anything but star-caressed; in short, anything less than what one would expect from one of the Jackson family.

But for $400,000, one expects a visual circus.

Jackson opted for subtlety and tastefulness.

How disappointing.

30-Minute Film

Vance Lorenzini, the party’s designer and the production designer of Jackson’s “tele-musical,” a $1.6-million, 30-minute film that accompanies the album, chose to re-create the environment of the film and the message of the album: hope against hopelessness.

For more than 2 1/2 days with a production crew of 34, Lorenzini added signs, scrims, sound equipment, lighting equipment and a large black panther into the already startling Vertigo interior. Over the front door of the club, an added sign read “1814.” No one, including A&M; records president Gil Friesen, had any idea what the numbers--a prominent icon in the tele-musical--signified. An unidentified A&M; spokeswoman suggested a reference to slave revolts in the Caribbean in 1814. Jackson herself, when asked, just shrugged her shoulders. For $400,000, you get mystery.

For $400,000 you also get 10,000 black cocktail napkins, 95 waiters and 24 security guards in “industrial contempo” costume; three different caterers (Vertigo doing Italian, Meals on Wheels offering soul food, Cha Cha Cha presenting Caribbean cuisine); 7,500 glasses, 500 pounds of shrimp, 3,200 slices of pizza; a gaggle of “metro-tech”-style buffet tables, 50 TV monitors to show the tele-musical, a beefed-up lighting system that would serve Dodger Stadium well; an added sound system that could blow Rhode Island away, and, of course, the Lorenzini stage designs. But no partridge in a pear tree.

Because Vertigo itself is very “metro-tech” looking, the overall effect of Jackson’s “metro-tech” affair was not overwhelmingly different. For $400,000, you don’t get overwhelmed anymore.

“Why do these publicity agents have to make this seem like the Second Coming?” complained Rene Elizondo, Jackson’s executive producer/collaborator. “It’s not.” Indeed. “Janet just wanted something a little different,” Elizondo continued, “not one of those album listening parties.” Elizondo was somewhat shocked to learn that the party cost more than $400,000, and that A&M; was paying for it. “I think it (the cost) is ridiculous.”

For $400,000, you do get controversy.

PIBs Are the Norm

And you get 1,000 PIBs (persons-in-black). PIB-ness has become so blatant that the invitations to Jackson’s soiree advised the guests to “wear black.” As though guests to a party that began at 9 p.m. would wear anything else these days.

Major PIBs included George Lucas, Quincy Jones, Sugar Ray Leonard, Mike Tyson, River Phoenix, Donny Osmond, photograSTARs Matthew Rolston and Greg Gorman, Robert Townsend, Rappers Heavy D. and Big Daddy, and Rob Lowe. Also PIB-bing were older rockers Anne Jeffreys and Cesar Romero.

The $1.6-million tele-musical, in which Jackson smiles, dances, smiles, sings and smiles a great deal, was extremely well-received by the audience as were the dancers, who nearly tore Lorenzini’s stage up with their enthusiasm.

Dancing, dining, PIB-bing went on until the wee hours. For $400,000, you do get quite a nice party. Quite nice.