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Hello, hope that you are doing great!
Last week, Offline [ [link removed] ] went to Brooklyn, Chicago, SF and Los Angeles. We were throwing phone-free afterparties for the Pivot Podcast Tour with Scott Galloway; yes, I traipsed around the country hosting dance parties all week.
Over a thousand people came out to the Offline [ [link removed] ] events last week. I partied more on this tour than I have in quite some time. I saw some old friends and people from the campaign. Also - a LOT of young people. A consistent exchange for me was “Ohmigosh, you were my favorite candidate in 2020 when I was a senior in high school / freshman in college!” Doing the math, that meant that they were 18 back in 2019, which would make them 24 today. I guess that’s about the sweet spot for going to a late night no-phones dance party.
Also a very common sentiment – “Thank you for doing this!” People had a lot of fun. They appreciated that everyone’s phone was in a bag and you had no choice but to talk to each other, dance, or maybe head to the bar and get a drink.
In my experience there are 3 kinds of parties:
There might be music, but no one is actually going to dance;
There’s music and a vibe, and a few people are going to rhythmically sway back and forth; and
There’s a dance floor. The DJ is aggressive about it. People are actually on the dance floor getting down.
Most of the Offline parties this week fell into Category 3, mainly because we brought international DJ Conrad Taylor [ [link removed] ] with us and Conrad finds not dancing unacceptable. Also, dancing is somewhat positively correlated with a crowd, and a lot of people came out.
Other questions I got: “Are you going to DJ?” No. No I’m not.
Also common: “Why are you doing this?” It was totally fair; why throw these parties?
Part of it is that we’ve launched Noble Mobile [ [link removed] ], a wireless carrier that pays you to use your phone less. Early Noble users are using 17% less data in their second month – it turns out that people don’t doomscroll as much when they are getting money not to. Noble Mobile [ [link removed] ] is sponsoring Offline events to make them free and accessible.
But of course, there are a million types of events Noble could sponsor - a yoga class for example. So why dance parties?
I wrote a little while ago that Americans are partying [ [link removed] ] 50% less than we did when I was coming up. That’s messed up. I may not be able to solve every problem, but I at least can get some people together for a good time to make some memories.
I spent a lot of time in my twenties going to clubs. I enjoyed dancing. Did I practice my moves at home in front of a mirror? Maybe. I wasn’t a heavy drinker – I never had money for a table or bottle or whatever – but those evenings still comprise some of my fondest memories. There was always a chance you’d meet someone. Even coming home alone late at night, I felt alive, like I’d done something magical.
When Evelyn and I started dating, one of our first dates was to a hip-hop club called Bob Bar on the Lower East Side. It was a small, cramped club with one room, but everyone there got down. We had a blast. And here we are, happily married almost twenty years later. I’m not saying that one led to the other, but maybe it did?
I was also influenced by my friend Dave Chappelle; I was hanging out with him one cold weeknight in Ohio last year, and he said, “Let’s go to the clubhouse.” He sent a text, we went down the road to one of his buildings, and then dozens of people showed up and started partying. Out of nowhere. He has a DJ on call who pulls up and plays his favorite music. It was the most impressive thing ever. Just about everywhere that guy goes a party breaks out. He has a magic power that way.
I’d like that kind of magic. Wouldn’t you?
I’m a party promoter in more ways than one. Again, if you can bring people together for some festivity in your own life or home, please do so. Help people have a good time, whether it’s just them coming over to watch a game or grab a drink or eat an apple pie. It’s needed more than ever.
We had a phenomenal time – so much so that we are doing it on the regular! Next up on the Offline [ [link removed] ] Tour are Boston, Baltimore, and back to NYC. To see what Forward is doing in your area, click here [ [link removed] ]. Email [email protected] [ mailto:[email protected] ] if you want a few months off from your wireless bill and want to be rewarded with Noble Mobile [ [link removed] ]. Remember to look up, and to spend time with other people.

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