Fresh 8th Anniversary
Posted 15-Feb-2010 to ReviewsRating: 4.5 out of 5 bottles of water
Ah, Presidents Day weekend. In addition to Valentines Day, IBR, and Chinese New Year, it was also the 8th birthday of Fresh, the monthly dance party put on by Mike Lane and Janine Shiota at Ruby Skye. And for this birthday party, Mike and Janine pulled out all the stops. They brought in not just one, but two great DJs to spin. Wayne G (London) took turns at the tables with SF’s own Phil B. Despite having broken my ankle (at last month’s Fresh, of all places) and not being able to dance, I definitely wanted to hear two of my favorite DJs spinning together.
We were greeted at the door by friends from EQCA, this month’s beneficiary, who were handing out Mardi Gras beads and masks – the first hint of the theme for the night. The club was indeed decorated in a very festive Mardi Gras theme, with giant masks hung on the walls, and even New Orleans-style street lamps on the corners of the dance floor. Huge purple, green and gold banners were draped between the balconies and the lighting structure, which when moved up and down gave a sense of kinetics to the party. The beads and masks on the go-go dancers and crowd gave the party a celebratory feel. EQCA Marriage Equality banners were everywhere, which seemed a little distracting from the Mardi Gras theme, but certainly not an unwelcome message. Once the party got going, the street lamps went out and the lighting got more serious as the energy picked up.
The music was typically Fresh – upbeat, fun tea dance music with a touch of both Wayne’s and Phil’s unique sounds. I unfortunately didn’t get the full dance experience, sidelined by my disco injury, but the crowd was loving it. Wayne and Phil seemed to be having fun taking turns spinning rather than each play a set. The music included Wayne’s own fantastic remix of Bad Romance, Sing by Wynonna, Nobody’s Supposed To Be Here, Music, Million Dollar Bill, A Little Respect. The highlight of the evening was definitely when the music peaked and TONS and TONS of confetti rained down from above. It was so overwhelming that I can’t remember what song was playing, and it seemed like the confetti went on forever, dropping for several minutes. A very fun, festive moment indeed.
It was an energetic, happy crowd for sure, but one thing I noticed is that it seemed a little more on the twinkish side than usual. While there is usually a good mix of people at Fresh, the contingent of bears seemed absent this time. I suspect that with IBR going on, most of them had gone to Play.
Overall, Fresh had a very fun 8th Birthday party, with a festive theme, good music and great energy. Well done!
Tags: Craig Cochran, Fresh, Phil B, Wayne G