Friday, January 22, 2010
La Quinta Resort & Club
La Quinta, California

Story and photos by Pat Krause

For more Pat Krause photos of the Hope Celebrity Party, click here.

The Bob Hope Classic is all about golf, but it is also about the parties for the celebrities and amateurs who participate. There is the Pairings Party, VIP Dinner, plus many others each night. The one everyone likes is the Friday night party where the celebrities entertain the Players and their wives and guests. The party was held at La Quinta Resort & Club on Friday, Jan. 22. The Flores Ballroom is large enough to accommodate all the players, wives, guests, celebrities and sponsors.

The evening started with valet service and because it was raining, was necessary. A buffet of various foods served by 11 of the area’s finest restaurants. Food stations were setup by these businesses from the valley. Bing Crosby’s, Fleming’s, Arnold Palmer’s Restaurant, Cliffhouse, PF Chang’s, Morgan’s, Roy’s, Adobe Grill, Amore Ristorante Italiano served the main courses. All types of food were served from salads, steak, pasta and pizza. The Cheesecake Factory served up desserts, Luna Vineyards provided the wine for the evening. Drinks were made at several bar areas throughout the food stations and the ballroom.

A band provided music while all the guests mingled and talked of the day’s golf. A promise of good weather for Saturday and Sunday was the best news. John Foster told everyone how the rest of the tournament would be handled and how the prizes would be given to the winners in several categories.

Celebrity host for entertainment, John O’Hurley, got the program started by bringing on stage Don Felder from the Eagles. Felder sang Eagles hits like, "Take it Easy." He got the crowd going for five songs before they introduced another legend, Robbie Kreiger from The Doors. Kreiger can really play that guitar. He said he wasn’t a singer then took to the microphone to sing a few songs. Nobody could stand still after those two were on stage. Kreiger asked Alice Cooper to join them on stage with him for a couple sets.

John O’Hurley was said to have a good voice so they asked him to show the audience. He sang “Unchained Melody” with a beautiful baritone voice.

New country star Steve Azar wowed the audience with his new sound and special renditions of country music. Friend Gary Valentine came on stage to accompany him on one of his songs.

Next came actor and singer Alphonso Rubeiro who sang and danced. “My Girl” and “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down” had the guests singing along. Then he sang a Michael Jackson hit, “Billy Jean,” and emulated his style of dance even with a moonwalk.

The founder of Shock Rock, Alice Cooper, came up on stage again this time with Tommy Thayer from KISS as his guitarist. The guests crowded around the stage on the dance floor to take photos with small cameras and cell phones. Some were even taking short videos of them. The Triple Threat of music got going when Robbie Kreiger added his expertise.

WOW! These three icons of rock on the same stage was a fan’s dream. I don’t know where you could get to see this anywhere. Money would not be able to pay for this fantastic show.

This evening will stay in the minds of all the guests for many years to come. Cooper told the band that accompanied them they were great to work with. All the guitarists would get together to play akin to a guitar fight and their fingers would just fly over the strings. It shows just how great these musicians are when there is no sheet music to be seen anywhere. There were thunderous ovations by the guests after each performance.

The band continued to play for the guests that wanted to dance. Kreiger and Thayer stayed on the stage to play with the band. Very few guests left early, as no one wanted to miss this fabulous event. Knowing they had to get up early to play golf in the morning was not a deterrent for this great party. The party ended about 10 p.m. so the players could get a good night’s rest for the tournament the next day.

Celebrity host Yogi Berra made many of the guests extremely happy by signing a few autographs after the party ended. Some were thrilled to get their photo taken with this Baseball Hall of Famer. He graciously smiled as each person came up to shake his hand.

For more Pat Krause photos of the Hope Celebrity Party, click here.

For more about the Bob Hope Classic, click here.

For more about the La Quinta Resort & Club, click here.