The Juice Box

Getting back to reality this week took a bit more time than I expected, but finally after everything has been cleaned up, wiped down and put away, I have the reviews for Magnitude and REAL BAD XXI. I was unable to secure reviews for Bearracuda Magnum, but from the friends that went they said it was a great party. Additionally, I heard that Industry and Blow Off on Saturday night were a lot of fun too. So it sounds like San Francisco pulled off an amazing weekend of parties and events in grand style. I want to offer special thanks to Leif Wauters for capturing Magnitude and for Steve Klein for providing a guest review on REAL BAD XXI. But first a public service announcement about partying responsibly.

Party Responsibly

by Jim JuicyFruit Hauck

I saw more familiar faces this weekend in the grasp of convulsions and torment due to the use of GHB at the dance parties than I’ve seen a long time. It was a scary thing to watch, especially as friends tried to hold on to them, or watching the guy who beat his head against objects while biting the paramedics and security who were trying to help.

Are we in such a state as individuals making sure we have fun, that as a community we cannot think about the implications of this behavior on these valued institutions? Our dance spaces are precious, yet under attack from the over-use and misuse of substances. This situation results in a visual element outside the clubs that threatens to shut down our night life scene. Every person who ends up on the street with friends trying to recover from a dosage issue can ultimately jeopardize the event altogether. Club space owners can yank an event and say no more if it gets out of hand and the security teams say enough is enough.

I rarely like to get up on a soap box like this, and I am not asking folks to stop. That would be silly. However, I am challenging every person in our dance community to consider their actions VERY carefully. Look at your size versus your friends when ingesting a substance, and perhaps think twice about partaking as often or taking as much. Consider how recently you consumed, how hot the club is, how hot you area – then act responsibly, drink plenty of water or Gatorade, and take appropriate dance breaks. Also, tell your friends what you’re doing and consider the consequences on their night if you should end up in a bad state. I believe it to be very selfish when someone ends up in a state where you need someone else to leave the event, and their friends, because you could not be responsible – it’s just not right to wreck your friends good times on your account, not to mention the stress caused on the promoter, club owner, paramedics, and the onlooker who thought you were cute before you were carried away.

I want to see all of you here for many more years of parties and events under the disco ball. We deserve the right to celebrate the hard lives we lead together with our hands in the air, dancing as if nothing really matters, and feeling the love and warmth of our brothers and sisters. Celebrate life as you see fit, but remember that we’re all in celebration together and it can only continue if we do it responsibly.

Magnitude

4 Out of 5 Bottles of Water

by Leif Wauters

I haven’t missed a Magnitude in 12 years. There are lots of reasons why I keep going back. For many years it was because Neil was the star of the show, laying down an epic journey year after year. Then after his passing it was because my friends with Folsom Street Events took it over and were keeping it fresh with exciting performances and the addition of a raucous lounge of inhibition. Not to mention it’s the largest, ongoing party San Francisco has to offer the circuit and the outrageous abundance of beauty is dumbfounding.

All those reasons were in full force this year when my partner and I climbed the stairs on Van Ness into the Regency Ballroom that had been transformed once again into a fantastic playground. We arrived around 11 PM and the line around the corner to get in was a good sign of what was ahead. The giant dance floor was already starting to fill with gorgeous men kinked-out to varying degrees. DJ Paul Goodyear was pumping the early energy with subtle, but chunky beats, pulling out of the station slowly towards what I was sure to be an exciting trip through a signature set of tribal and progressive hits, many of them his own creations.

We knew we weren’t long for the night as we wanted to catch the fair and REAL BAD after, but before grabbing a few dances out with our friends we went up to give our love to the DJ and the lighting gods for the evening, William Brown and Kyle Garner. William had refined his game from the previous year’s foray into the Ballroom, which was all the more potent when blended with Kyle’s masterful technique with the lasers. The impact was impressive and worthy of the epic and sexy tale played out down below.

The bars were well staffed and friendly, the bathrooms seemed fluid (the one I tried), and although the party was sold out it never really felt overwhelming. I was sorry to turn away from the event at 1 AM as the excitement was building, but with a long day ahead (and hot as it turned out) departing when we did was the best thing we could have done. I’m just glad this magnificent event continues to draw the crowds, both local and international, and that Franco and his fantastic team continue to keep this treasured leather event alive and healthy.

Real Bad XXI

5 Out of 5 Bottles of Water

by Steve Kleine

As many of you know Real Bad is a unique and special party on the circuit that has been bringing friends together on the dance floor for 21 years. The majority of the tickets are available only through a “Circle of Friends,” a group of hosts who completely underwrite the party. 100% of the ticket proceeds go to in need, San Francisco Bay Area charities. Last year’s event raised $160,000. Very few non-profit dance events can come close to that figure from one night. This year’s event will put the total money donated to over $1 million. Reaching that milestone set the stage for an amazing party.

The event was held at 1015 Folsom, one of the last big room clubs in San Francisco. I arrived at the club around 8:30PM refreshed by a short disco nap after wandering the Folsom Street Fair earlier in the day. There was a little bit of a line for regular ticket holders. With my VIP host ticket I was lightly searched and whisked into the club with an official Real Bad dog tag as my VIP ID. I entered into a front lounge area that already had boys grooving and yakking it up with friends. I went straight to the dance floor and was surprised that it was already wall-to-wall MEN. It would remain so for the rest of the night. I dove right on in and started dancing. With the exception of a few short breaks, I did not stop for the next six hours.

The music was a sonic treat. Rather than relying on dropping uber-heavy beats over stripped down remixes, DJ Phillip Mezzatesta artfully wove between uplifting vocals and trance…yes TRANCE…with enough hard beats to keep the boys happy. It was a refreshing sound that kept your body moving without being pummeled by ear splitting low bass beats. There were a few times I was hoping for some bigger, more dramatic climaxes, but this journey was about a lush set of melodic music and beats that successfully put smiles on everyone’s faces. It seemed he played something for everyone. And to add to the fun he had great in booth theatrics. During Lady Gaga’s Love Game he popped up in drag with a modified Disco Stick. While this happened volunteers broke open flame glow sticks and passed out popsicles. The crowd LOVED IT!

The crowd is one reason we keep coming back year after year. It truly is like dancing with 2000 of your best friends. There is zero attitude, lots of friskiness and someone for everyone, from young twinks to furry, daddy bears. People actually said excuse me when sliding through the packed floor, which to me is a sign of a great party.

Guy Smith and Kyle Garner teamed up to create visual effects that were simply stunning. As Jim pointed out in an earlier post, 1015 had upgraded their lighting system so the majority of them are in the ceiling. This gives the space a bigger, taller feel. Guy took advantage of this layout to create different “scenes” if you will. At times he would take the lights all the way down and leave us in the dark for a few seconds and then build them back up to a dramatic burst of color. Guy and Kyle have worked together for many years and Kyle’s lasers were completely in-sync with the lights. I use the plural form “lasers” because there were a lot of them, bouncing a myriad of light off all four walls of the space and the disco ball. We were showered with amazing visuals. And then there were the Cyro blasts. That box gets hot with all those boys dancing up a storm and carrying on. Blasting the dance floor from a couple angles really helped keep things cool and the total loss of vision and sense of space created an unreal feel. Guy and Kyle knew exactly what to do with the lighting. You can’t over strobe a floor that is in a white out. It has to be subtle, but strong enough to reach through the thick fog. A couple times I was, apparently, right by the hoses and it felt like cold snow was covering my body…at first it was a bit of a shock, but like jumping from a hot tub into a snow bank it gave a full body tingle that was just fabulous.

Down stairs was a great chill space. DJ Brian Peek laid down a mellow groove for those that wanted to get away from the energy upstairs. Massage tables were set up for those looking to relax those aching muscles after a long weekend.

The VIP room upstairs was nicely done as well. The free water was very helpful and the table filled with fresh fruit a real treat. This was where I spent the latter part of the evening as I was winding down and tiring of the still packed dance floor.

I wanted to stay to the end, but my body was giving out and I had a late afternoon meeting the next day. When I left at around quarter to three the place was still full of happy dancers basking in the glow of a great party. From what I understand most stayed until the end and even the great encores.

Perhaps the most important aspect of the event is the dedication of the volunteers. Most of them put in 12 hour shifts to set up, manage and tear down the party. They were courteous, helpful and there to make sure everyone had a good time. Harm reduction posters were strategically placed to help those that were not quite sure how to do what they were “doing.” The message was clear that if you did not feel well for ANY reason, help was available.

Real Bad is a party that you just cannot compare to any other. The community vibe, fresh music and spot on production combine to create a singularly top notch event. I was worried I should not give out the coveted five water bottle rating on my first post here on The Juice Box, but Real Bad has set such a high bar for other parties to reach it really does deserve it. The only real issue is the overcrowding on the dance floor, which actually did not bother me much since one could easily escape the crowd by heading to one of the other rooms. Maybe I should take a 1/1000 point deduction for this and give the party a 4.999 water bottle rating……Naw, It truly deserves a Five! Great job guys!