The Juice Box

Rating: 3.75 out of 5 bottles of water!

by Joanna Parks

Full Throttle was a really fun party. I got there early with my two out of town guests from Salt Lake City to hear DJ Craig Gaibler’s set. Once again that boy didn’t disappoint. His sound was darker and sexier than I’ve heard from him before and it really fit the party. Whenever I see Craig he always has the perfect mood music for the party. He obviously does his homework and puts together a great set for a particular party. He had people dancing on the floor the whole time. Playing great dance floor music with the undercurrent of sexy darkness. One of my favorites was the “Hey” mix he played. The energy and music slowed a bit towards the end of the set, right before Frank Wild came on, but it worked out well because it set a tone for Frank Wild to bring the crowd and energy right back up with his dark and dirty beats. Frank also nailed the tone of the party with the music he was playing. The crowd love it.

So the dj were great. The concept of the party was fantastic. There was a throw down tent where one could wrestle and Graig Cooper took down more than a few. There was a tent for massages but I didn’t see the tables there for long. There was a maze in the back that was billed as a play room although apparently security kept going back there to make sure the play didn’t get really dirty – and security is part of my problem with the End Up. Security was tight and everywhere. It sorta knocked the play out of parts of the party. I completely understand that the End Up crew needs to do everything they can to keep the place open and not in violation of anything but why have a “back room” if it’s not a proper back room.

The crowd was way fun, if a bit sparse at times. I’m guessing being the beginning of Dore Alley (Up Your Alley Weekend) a lot of boys stayed home to rest up for the action packed weekend. It’s too bad because it was a party definitely worth missing some sleep for. I mean, I had no intention staying past Frank Wild’s set but I did because DJ Hawthorne came on and played the house music I so love. Once it hit 3AM I was done. We had been there since 8:30PM, had a lot of fun, so I called it a night. The Salt Lake boys were still have a great time, doing what they do best, and decided to stay until 4:30AM.

I’d give it 4 bottles but the sparse (at times) crowd, the omnipresent security, the noise issue (Frank’s set was so much louder than everyone else (I had to go outside more than once because my ears hurt) and the fact the coat check attendant left for more than the 15 minutes the sign said it would be closed.

Congrats to Randy Scorpio and his crew for being so dedicated to the theme and throwing a really great party. I think at a different, more play friendly space, that party will take off. All the elements were there, just not all at once.I’ve gotta back to licking my wounds from such an insanely fun and action packed weekend.

3.5 out of 5 water bottles

by Steve Kleine

The legendary SD Pride Zoo Party has been chugging along for over a decade and I have been fortunate enough to attend the last ten. I have enjoyed each one and this year was no exception.

We arrived at The Zoo at 5PM under sunny skies and perfect temperatures. There was a small line, but it was a bit bigger than last year. Gone was the drag queen in the nurse outfit from previous years yelling out “friends don’t let friends drop!” I missed her. Also gone were the “Gods Hates Fags” protesters. They, of course, were not missed. While in line we enjoyed watching the reaction of the straight families when they realized there were an inordinately large number of in-shape men headed across the parking lot toward the convention space.

They did a cursory pat down at the gate and handed us our lunch coupons. With the price of admission you can also tour the Zoo and they give you a free sandwich. It is a nice touch, but as one can imagine very few people took advantage of it. Once through the gates you are in a very large rectangular outside space covered in astro-turf which makes for a surprisingly good surface to dance/stand on. The dance floor and stage, which were surrounded with a lighting rig, are on the end as you enter. The DJ booth, done tiki style, is in the left corner of the dance floor. Bars lined each side of the rest of the space, which had plenty of room to mingle and chat if you wanted to get away from the music a bit. At the far end of the space is a path that takes you to a picnic area and bathrooms. There are also port-o-potties in a separate area on the left side of the space.

Phil B was at the decks playing some very light, bouncy, trancey grooves. The sounds were a perfect way warm us up. At 5:30 we hit the somewhat empty dance floor. Phil waved at me and gave me a thumbs up. It was nice touch, however, it did not excuse what I can only say is a mortal DJ sin: He went TRIBAL at a Tea Dance!

I saw a friend in the DJ booth and I sent a text telling him to do ANYTHING (like hit Phil in the head with his water bottle) to get him into his world famous tea dance sound. By now it was after 6 and the dance floor was still empty. I have it from a good source that Phil is STILL trying to shake his tea dance image. The answer to that, in this reviewers opinion, is to play more night time parties (which I must say he does do VERY well), not to torture us with droning beats while the sun is still out. I have to say it was not even “good” tribal music. Someone must have said something, because Phil soon switched gears and played “Perfect Day” which brought the masses to the floor and the party took off from there.

Around 6:45 Brooke Wilkes did a short performance. They mixed in and out of it nicely and it did not disrupt the energy. Moto Blanco came on after the show…well I should say Blanco came on, Moto was apparently at home mixing a dub step album. Much like the White Party Tea Dance he threw down a perfect daytime party set. On tracks like Mary J. Blige’s “Fine” he would cut the sound out as the crowd sang along and threw their hand in the air. I do like that audience participation aspect. It truly does connect the DJ with the dancers. He flawlessly mixed from one joyful song to the next with just the right amount of “track teasing” thrown in to keep us interested.

The crowd was a wonderful cross section muscle boys, bears, daddies, fierce straight chicks and even a few twinks. The were very friendly and filled with smiles. While I am sure the event was not free of any messy incidents, I am happy to report the few times I went by the MedEvent tent it was empty save for guys looking for some sunscreen. It should be noted that the tent is always placed by the bathrooms so everyone knows where to find it if they need it.

Kimberly Locke came on at 9. Phil B was going to come back after the show and I was worried he would get all tribally on us again now that the sun had set. Plus my man was fading so we took that as our signal to leave.

I had to knock off a few water bottle since Phil B had the audacity to play tribal at a tea dance, but overall this year’s Zoo party was still it fun, wonderful self.