John Varvatos' Funhouse Blog

New York Fashion Week usually means Bryant Park filled with white tents and the worlds' most beautiful people who are escorted from their cars to the their seats...trying not to get any remaining slush from the winter storms on their trendiest footwear.  Well, that may be a typical day for the rest of NY's fashion seekers...but for us, it was a bit different.  It was a night filled with a live  performance by Alberta Cross and a surprise set by Guns n' Roses.  There wasn't much room to be had at 315 Bowery on Thursday, February 11th....but no one seemed to mind as they pushed towards the stage to get a glimpse of the infamous Axl Rose -  in his element!!

To quote the man himself, "This was the best F***ING show of our tour!!"  Enough said.

After much anticipation....the crowd waited a near two hours after Alberta Cross performed to see Guns n' Roses.  But Axl didn't disappoint when he arrived,  making a b-line  straight from his ride to the stage. The crowd cheered and moved closer to hear the opening song - "You're Crazy".

The hit list continued for two sweaty hours with songs including "Welcome to the Jungle", "Paradise City", "Mr. Brownstone", "Sweet Child O' Mine", and "Nighttrain".  But don't think for a minute that Alberta Cross didn't bring their A game - cause they did and I've never heard them better.  It looks like Petter's been taking some notes...because he captured the audience like an old pro!

I was asked to design the exclusive t-shirt for the 52nd Grammy Awards. The inspiration was "We're All Fans" which was a no-brainer for me because I am such a music junkie. On top of that, 100% of the sales goes to the charities MusiCares and the GRAMMY Foundation.

As a way to celebrate the Grammy's, I threw a party at my Los Angeles store and had my new favorite "it" band, Alberta Cross, perform. The turnout was amazing... I got to catch up with some old friends, have drinks, raise money for charity and most importantly - jam out to some live music.

Check out the red carpet line up.....

I first saw Alberta Cross perform at Austin City Limits and knew instantly that they had a shot at becoming the next big band. I was thrilled to have them perform at the party. Their look and sound, to me, really reflects the early roots of Rock N Roll. This ain't no glam rock band - they've got soul!

Alice has been a good friend for many years... it's always fantastic to have a fellow Detroit native come out and support us!

You know it's a party when Joel Madden from Good Charlotte shows up.

Two of the sweetest and most genuine people I know... Etty and Perry not only show up to support me - as they have in the past - they just chill with the crowd and enjoy themselves. Super down to earth and it's such a breath of fresh air... no egos here!!

The Man, The Myth, The Legend... Dave Matthews. Alberta Cross will begin touring with him soon and he came out to show his love.

I got the thumbs up from Common on the T-shirt design... he rocked it at the party... good thing we didn't get any shots together, as I was wearing it too!

Could you just throw up at these two? Not only are Rande Gerber & Cindy Crawford super attractive, they are amazingly kind and compassionate. My wife Joyce and I were happy to strike a pose with the former super model and her spouse.

I take it back... you know it's a party when Matt Sorum and Duff McKagan (who escaped the photographer) from Velvet Revolver show up!!!

John Legend is a class act from top to bottom. This guy is super talented. It looks like he'll be rocking it soon too.

As Alberta Cross took the stage, my man Petter lets it rip.
This shot says so much to me about Alberta Cross... dark, mysterious, magical and full of soul.

We packed them in... including the fire inspector!! In LA they actually follow the maximum capacity rules... can you believe it??

Part one of my interview with Peter Frampton:




Part 2:


Me and Peter Frampton at Sirius XM recording  an interview for my show "Born in Detroit".