Hello I'm Rich Brown and this is my personal website and blog. I'm just your simple, average, down to earth, professional, out gay man and aspiring circuit boy, living in Phoenix, Arizona with a few things to say while trying to find my place among all the scary, conservative, religious nuts in this sick and twisted world.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Labor Day in NYC Review
Yes, so even though Labor Day Alegria was cancelled, my friends and I still made the cross-continent trek to NYC from the left coast and we had an absolutely amazing weekend. We’ve all been to NYC before so the typical hetro-touristy things were left off the agenda for this trip, it was all about getting out, dancing and having one hell of a fantabulous time.
Friday was spent shopping, relaxing and having cocktails in various restaurants and bars all over Chelsea ending up at G-Lounge and then closing the night out at Splash. Except for a super cute boy from Dallas who decided he wanted to make out with both Justin and I at Splash, it wasn’t a night to write home about, but just great getting out in NYC and spending time with my friends.
On Saturday evening, after an early dinner at a delightful restaurant in the lower east side called The Stanton Social, Justin, my friends and I headed over to Stereo and after arriving it was apparent that something was terribly wrong. As we walked towards the back of the line we noticed there were more girls than boys in line and the handful of boys were dressed in their nicely starched and best striped/funky/paisley/trendy button down shirts with dress pants. Immediately we began to question everything we embrace about the gay dance culture and had to ask ourselves “Do gay boys dress up in NYC?” Had it not been for the other two gay boys in tank tops who walked up behind us also aghast and in dismay we might of actually convinced ourselves that the girls were simply a bunch of over eager alternate lifestyle companions and attempted to go into this establishment only to be denied at the door because the dim-witted blonde with the clipboard would clearly inform us that tank tops and jeans were not proper attire for this club.
My friend Philip finally decided to walk up to the door and ask the dim-witted blonde what event this was tonight. She most promptly replied that she was just there to manage the ‘list’ and had no idea what was going on inside this venue. But in a moment of great wisdom she did manage to blurt out the most intelligent thing she’s probably ever said … “um, I think there might be another club called Stereo somewhere else” Philip walked back to let us know we might be at the wrong place. In a race to the death my two friends pulled out their fancy new iPhones to look up the correct address on the Work@Stereo myspace page. Apparently ATT needs to work on their network because after about 5 minutes of waiting impatiently Justin pulled out his Sprint Treo, browsed to the page and found the correct address. Hmpf, who knew there were two Stereo’s.
We grabbed the other two gay boys who came in from Miami and DC for Alegria as well and walked over to 33rd to find the other Stereo. Our hearts warmed as we saw the line of gay, club-clothed, muscled, party boys of all ages with no alternate lifestyle companions in sight. This surely was the right place, so we hopped into line. After only about an hour wait we were inside and checking the place out. I immediately ran into a prominent NYC club figure and fellow CircuitList member, the well-known Mr. Joe Caro. At that moment I knew it was going to be a very good night. Peter Rauhofer came on sometime around 2 AM. Peter cranked the sound and had the club spinning and the boys swirling out of control. I haven’t actually heard Peter live since some years ago in San Francisco so I was very excited to see him spin again, and he was outstanding. Maya came on around 5 AM to sing 3 songs, which were I believe were “For Your Love”, “Perfect Love”, and “Be My Boyfriend.” I say believe because, well I’ll just leave it at that, you all know what it’s like in the club at 5 AM. Maya’s performance was unobtrusive to the party, it flowed very well and was a nice addition to the evening. Overall Saturday night was so much better that I ever expected, the music was exactly what I wanted and needed to hear at that moment. I danced my ass off until Justin and I left at 7:30 AM on Sunday morning. The club was jam packed, the guys were super smoking hot, everyone was having a blast and we met some really great new people.
After a little sleep, some lunch and shopping on Sunday, we took a quick disco nap and headed back over to Stereo around 11 PM. The club was already getting pretty full. Offer Nissim entered the DJ booth to a clapping and cheering crowd of eager boys around 2 AM. One thing you can always say about Offer Nissim is that he knows how to put on a show. He’s not just a DJ, but he’s an entertainer. Everyone faced the DJ booth has he got ready. Offer put on the headset, looked at the crowd and then quickly slid the crossover and threw his hands in the air while the boys went absolutely crazy. I don’t know what it is about Offer Nissim but he sure knows how to send the crowd into a frenzy. The music was good, it was pretty typical Offer Nissim. I love seeing Offer perform live but after about the first hour or two it all pretty much sounds the same. Suzanne Palmer came on around 5 AM and frankly I don’t even remember what she sang because I was busy babysitting someone who was falling out. Offer stayed on and played until almost 6 AM when Eddie Elias took over the booth. For me this is when the night really kicked into full gear. This was the first time I’ve heard Eddie spin and he was absolutely phenomenal. I watched him for a bit in complete awe at his uber awareness of the mood and the crowd. Without even looking at his hands he would look out into the crowd, layer in another song, watch the boys go crazy, and then just smile. For me this is what it’s all about, the music, the mood, the energy of the crowd, all the hot and sweaty guys dancing like it’s the last song. It doesn’t get any better than that. I was really surprised at how many people remained for the afterhours. I ran into and was talking to Mr. Joe Caro again for a bit and then another CircuitList member, Jonathan, recognized Justin and came up and introduced himself to us. It’s certainly nice to go out and meet other fellow CircuitBoard members on the dance floor, sort of like having our own little fraternity. I’ve always said that one of the best part of these parties is meeting new people and gaining new friends all over the county. Jonathan, Justin and I closed the club out at 11 AM when the event finally came to an end. It was a really great night and we all had an absolute blast.
It was certainly a memorable trip to NYC even though most of it was spent inside of Stereo. Before I left on this trip I told myself I was going to NYC to dance and that I did. I danced my ass off for no less than 25 hours over the course of the entire weekend and I enjoyed every damn minute of it. I’m looking forward to another trip back to NYC next year so that maybe I can finally make it to an Alegria.
