The VMworld conference, this week, turned back the San Francisco clock 10 years. It felt like the boom again. It was a sentiment I heard a lot at the show, and it's one that was echoed back at Google I/O, earlier this year. Both conferences felt as though they were lavish spectacles; semi-working vacations to decadance for their attendees. Google handed out free phones and offered up lavish meals for its attendees. VMware went another route: the massive party route.

Last night, the better part of the 12,500 attendees of VMworld mashed into the area around the Moscone conference center for an over-the-top party. There were bouncy castles, pool tables in the park, two rock climbing walls, bowling, miniature golf, ice skating, DJ's, flashy light toys, and original Nintendo Entertainment Systems. Also, Foreigner played.

It was the sort of party you only saw back in the late 90's, early naughts. The kind of event where you could hear the cash registers spitting out gobs of money each time a patron left the risotto bar with fresh shrimp in a plastic martini glass.

Clearly, VMware has the money to spend right now. I think that what we should all learn from this event, however, is that Foreigner is still touring.