Another amazing Pride weekend in San Francisco has come and gone, and I have to say, while at first I was not really feeling the Pride this year, I was swept up into the frenzy of fun by the time things got rolling on Saturday night. I will say that I am truly blessed to live in this amazing City by the Bay, with so many choices, so many great people, and being such a fun Pride destination. With that however, far too many events to have attended them all, and save my pocket book from going broke, so working with my esteemed collaborator Leif, here are the reviews of the weekend.
The Disco
Rating: 5 out of 5 Bottles of Water
Many years ago my buddy Joe taught me the elements to rate a party by. It starts with the space, the box we build the party in. Then there’s the decor/ambience, which includes the lighting, decorations, and landscape created by the promoter. Of course the music (including any entertainment) is a major ingredient. That’s then followed by the beauty factor, and in San Francisco’s case, the community factor. And finally there’s the overall experience, that can include anything from how long the wait is for a drink to how clean the bathrooms are, etc.
With five elements to consider, a bottle of water for each, The Disco gets all five.
I’ve always liked Mezzanine. Steps away from MUNI and the flow of cabs, it’s a breeze to get to and home from. Not to mention the stylish entrance through the alley (we do like our alleys, don’t we?). It’s a healthy size inside, with well-kept, modern bathrooms, exceptional nooks upstairs, lots of bars, and a substantial smoking area (in yet another alley!). It’s just an all around clean and earnest space from which to build an event.
The twisted minds that envisioned the theme for The Disco executed it flawlessly. By flawless I mean the theme was to be fun and frisky and they hit both nails dead on. Coming in through the upstairs area the first thing I had to laugh at was the aged Hot House video mixed in with shots of Julia Child (R.I.P.). She’d be turning in her Port bottle if she only knew. Making our way through the giant colored balloons (one of which would re-enact a scene on the dance floor from The Prisoner later in the night) and the camped-out Drag Lounge, we took in the view of what Billy and Kyle, creators of The Disco, had brought to life. The lighting was subdued but festive, if there can be such a blend. The club doesn’t have a lot of flashy lights, but this party didn’t really need that. What it benefited HUGELY from was the masterful touch of Kyle Garner and his four, multi-colored lasers that wove together beautifully all night. Of course the giant Crisco-ized DJ platform returned from last year, and please put your hands together for your Facebook friend, and mine, the Disco Cherry mirror ball, twirling above the crowd (and almost the victim of an early-morning Fruision with a giant grape-looking balloon). Any one of these additions to the landscape would be a hit, but together they made something greater than their sum.
It’s no secret who my favorite DJs are, and I thought two of them gave us an amazing ride. Paul Goodyear’s pumped-up sometimes disco, sometimes tribal, sometimes progressive journey had me gagging for the next great track while I was still laughing about the one before. Whatever you think of his style of music, there’s no denying it’s wrapped in many layers of history and meat. He’ll never let you forget our clubbing heritage, nor allow you to miss the fact that you’re in a turbine under his complete control. After we honored him with applause at 3 AM, Powerhouse star Bud Chism took over with what, for me, was a surprising treat. A deep and sexy late night trip brought the fire down to a simmer, but it was a sound we RARELY get to hear outside the cruisiness of a bar. It was a sultry, progressive set that I personally yearn to hear more often. Sadly, many in the crowd weren’t as attached to it, but a few friends and I gladly rode it out to the last beat.
To polish of the entertainment, there was the return of the Twister Boys, looking as sexy as last year, followed a bit later by Snow White and her seven delicious bears. Thank you to Suzan, Snatch, and your jock-strapped hotties for the silly and engaging show, something that’s become a signature of The Disco.
Now I don’t know who went to the other parties that night, but all the hotness I could handle was in the house at The Disco, which includes a horde of friends it was great to spend the night with. A frisky mix of visitors and locals merged to fill the club; a crowd at least three time as large as last year’s premier installment of this event. What a major testament to Billy and Kyle’s creativity and the sometimes over-zealous viral marketing. It’ll be something to tweak next year, but it worked.
The sprinkles on the sunday were all the little things that made the general Disco experience shine. It was easy to get in, easy to get a drink, and easy to get around the club, despite the size of the crowd. The bathrooms were accessible and clean all night, all the employees were friendly, and it never got too hot (the bane of many ”successful” events). Unless I wasn’t paying attention, or wasn’t able to, all the “little” negatives that could be stuck in our minds were missing. It was all good, all fun, and all Disco until we stepped out into the Prideful, pre-dawn streets. I am truly happy this sophomore edition of our new Pride tradition was such a success. With Freedom and ReUnion behind us, The Disco is clearly the future of Saturday night Pride in San Francisco. Keep all those party elements shining, guys, and thanks for making my cherry spin.
Unity
Rating: 3 out of 5 Bottles of Water
After an amazing Saturday night at The Disco, it was time to strap up the boots, put the better fitting clothes back on, and head out for a final night of PRIDE revelry. With two choices for the post-parade T-Dance, I made the decision that my select would be UNITY, knowing this would be a smaller crowd and a different vibe than the mega T-Dance happening at Fresh.
The setting for this edition of UNITY was DNA Lounge, a favorite spot of mine for dancing. This club ranks as the perfect setting for a small to medium crowd, in a darker sexier club vibe, but still with the great balcony view to see what is taking shape on the dance floor. DNA is also a club I strongly support because it remains one of the few clubs left on the 11th Street corridor, catering to everything from goth crowds, live bands, hip-hop and the occasional Gay T-Dance, and they are currently in a fight to maintain their licensing over the next year. One thing I will give DNA, the bar and security staff are also very friendly and accommodating, making you feel like a guest in their club and not just a patron.
Two DJs were lined up for the night, with Jamie J Sanchez opening the set, playing a number of new productions he has been working on, followed by David Knapp, rounding out the journey through the evening. While the music was all-in-all good and very danceable, the one thing I felt was missing was the “hands in the air” happy, vocal, diva-driven anthems that really scream PRIDE. I found myself longing for some Debra Cox, Kristine W, Freemasons, or any other number of great vocal numbers to be tossed in and stress test my vocal chords. After all what is pride without a good set of holy anthems sung from the dance floor until the rafter shake and you just burst out with total PRIDE at being who you are.
My thanks to Luke and Jamie for creating an alternative party for the Pride weekend. I for one, was grateful that I could be with a group of hot men, not jam packed to the edges of the dance floor, and able to get a great warm up act before heading to points forward in the evening.
Sanctuary
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Bottles of Water
Amazingly, I realized as I entered Club 1015 for Sanctuary, that I had not actually been to a Sanctuary dance since The Sound Factory closed and this party was forced to relocate to Club 1015. Now the old Sanctuary was a darker, seedier, night club, with all kinds of nooks and crannies to get lost around, and the dance floor was a darker space, that just seemed to lend itself to the sexier vibe expected at the Sanctuary parties. Club 1015 on the other hand is a gem, with beautiful lighting, modernized decorations, mirrored walls, and a entirely more upbeat vibe. Thankfully the two worlds of Sanctuary and Club 1015 met and formed an alliance that delivers a great dance, a sexy vibe, and the space for a larger crowd.
As we arrived at the club, there were no lines yet – we were early, but that was planned. We wanted to beat the rush and not be caught up on the mass migration from UNITY or FRESH that would soon be arriving. We quickly got into the club, after a brief social session with 1015 security and a welcoming by Gus himself. Now, while security made it easy for us to get into the club, I did notice what seemed to be an excessive amount of frisking and checking later when I stepped out for a bit of fresh air. I know 1015 tends to err on the side of caution, but really, do we need to be so aggressive and pat down, empty pockets, run fingers around shoes, etc? I know this protects everyone, but sometimes it just seems like a little too much.
As we entered the club, I liked that the front room had rows of banquets set up, encouraging you to lounge a bit, while the music was just getting going. After all, this was the long haul party of the weekend, and for many, the end of a long day in the sun, dancing, partying, dancing some more, and then working to squeeze out that one last drop of Pride. The lounge feeling at the front was perfectly matched to what would be the special treats of Twisted Dee and Phil B, working in tag team for the night.
Phil and Dee were working the magic from the start, driving a sultry, jazzy, luring sound, that gave you a chance to breathe, get aligned and ready for the road ahead. The music slowly built, calling you out to the main room dance floor, and then as if the damn burst, the guys pushed into the floor and the room began to swell with a sea of hot bears, muscle, boys, twinks, and just about everything in between. Dee and Phil continued to drive the sea of flesh into a dancing frenzy, but somewhere along the lines someone forgot to close the flood gates and before you knew it you were shoulder to shoulder on a very crowded, very hot dance floor. As the temperatures rose, and the shirts came off, and the buttons on pants were undone, I longer for a quick burst from Nitro tanks the club has, and it was not until almost 1AM before that blast of cool, very much needed air hit. Sadly, I was already on pressure cook mode, and by 2AM made a decision to dig out of the crowd.
Overall, this was a satisfying end to a great Pride weekend, with the right amount of energy, great music, hospitality and fun. I have couple items that I think stick in my mind however as negatives, not necessarily reflective of the producers and promoters of the party but of the club itself. First and foremost, the club just gets too hot, and something needs to be done about that, it’s just dangerous – please 1015 install some fans that can move the air and get the cool air from outside circulated around. Secondly, the bathrooms were a disaster, early in the evening – and I have two things to say here – first guys, learn to aim, or lift the damned seat, it’s just disgusting that you can not get the pee in the toilet and secondly, the club needs to get into the restrooms and do a little clean up once in a while too, if for nothing more than good sanitation.
My thanks go out to Gus and Edgar and the team of Gus Presents for bringing us some different talents for the Sanctuary music sets, for giving us a play space to work out that last bit of Pride, and for helping me to loose another five pounds just sweating it off through the night.