MIKE JEKNAVORIAN Local Events

BAREBACK FOLLIES

The old school met the new this Thursday, in Suzanne Bartsch’s Art Basal edition of the Bareback Follies

SHADE-O-METER RATING

4 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “SHE GAVE GOOD FACE – SHE SERVED IT”

What’s Bareback Follies?  It’s a burlesque/drag show at El Tucan.  It’s hosted by long-time New York club promoter Suzanne Bartsch.  What’s El Tucan?  It’s a cabaret/nightclub in downtown Miami.  Specifically, it’s in the Brickell area.  The venue offers a dinner and a show.

How was the venue?  It’s beautiful and classy.  It’s also the perfect size (for you size queens).  How was the parking?  There’s a parking lot right around the corner.  It costs $10 to park in it.  The venue has valet as well.  Does the venue serve liquor?  Of course.

How were the drinks?  Now, here’s where things went wrong.  If you’re going to advertise “luxe libations,” then you better have bartenders that know what a sidecar is.  Methinks The Fine Art of Mixing Cocktails would be mandatory reading for their bartenders.  Other than this faux pas, the drinks were well-made.  However, even for Miami, they’re a bit pricey.  Wine was $17, and a Manhattan was $15.  Girls, this ain’t the Four Seasons.

Does the venue serve food?  Yes.  However, we didn’t do the dinner and show—just the show.  The regular prix-fixe is $55, and the seasonal one is $85.  How much were the tickets?  $25.  Was the show sold out?  No.  How was the crowd?  At times, in competition with the performers for the spotlight.

How was the show?  The inheritors of Warhol’s “Silver” Factor crowd, and a group that could be considered one of the earliest media whores, the club kids of the 1980s and early 1990s would even rival today’s most Instagram-obsessed individuals for attention.  The show featured some notable figures from that era, some modern burlesque acts, and some performers from RuPaul’s Drag Race.  Standout numbers were Shequida singing “Whatever Lola Wants” (re-done as “Whatever Shequida Wants”), where she fluctuated between a baritone voice and a contralto, Brent Ray Fraser painting with his penis, Amanda Lepore (billed as “having a body that costs a million dollars”), and Adora, who cleverly channeled the history of the area with an exaggerated “cha-cha” number.

What could have improved the show?  Although all of the performances were professional and adept, some of them didn’t necessarily stand out.  To quote “Mama Ru,” some of them should probably be “up for elimination” in order to elevate the bar.

What could have improved the venue?  Um, the AC wasn’t really working.  It must have been 1,000 degrees in there.  If you’re going to have a dress code, and you want people to come in “cocktail attire” or “formal wear,” please appropriately chill the customers (or change the dress code to clothing-optional).

What was surprising about the show?  That it left you wanting more.  Each performer only did one number, so they gave you their best.

El Tucan is located at 1111 Southwest 1st Ave., in Miami, Florida.  It open Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

 

MIKE JEKNAVORIAN National Events

LADY GAGA

Amidst much anticipation, Lady Gaga rolled into Tampa on December 1st with her Joanne World Tour

SHADE-O-METER RATING

4 OUTTA 5 WERKS: “SHE GAVE GOOD FACE – SHE SERVED IT”

Who’s Lady Gaga?  No introduction’s needed; the bitch’s reputation precedes herself.  What’s the Amalie Arena?  It’s the major indoor arena in Tampa, Florida.  It was originally called the Ice Palace, and it opened in 1996.  It holds about 15,000, and it’s in the Channelside area.

How was the venue?  It’s a nice arena, and it’s a little more intimate than the 20,000 to 25,000 seat arenas that are out there.  How was the parking?  The arena has its own parking.  However, to avoid the crowds, park in the Channelside cruise-ship parking lot, which is only about a five-minute walk from the venue.

Does the venue serve liquor?  Yes.  How were the drinks?  We only got one.  They’re what you would expect.  Well drinks and shots, etc.  Nothing fancy (except the prices).  Does the venue serve food?  Yes, but we didn’t get any.

How much were the tickets?  $86.  The seats were the front row of the section directly on the side of the stage.  The stage was about 50 feet away.  Was the show sold out?  The advertising said that it was, but there were definitely some open seats.  Strangely, it didn’t feel sold out.

Who was the opening act?  There was no opening act, only ambient music, which was rather weird and sounded like a hypnotic trance was being induced.

How was the show?  I’m sorry to rain on everyone’s parade, but I wasn’t blown away by the show.  For starters, she needs to cut down on the kumbaya/Mr. Rogers “love one another” proselytizing and preaching.  It’s also apparent that—based on the response from the audience, as well as the way that she interacts with them—Gaga’s persona is changing from a rock star fashion icon to just a regular person—she’s just like you or me, in other words.  But how many of us walk on elevated platforms over thousands of people every day, and doesn’t Taylor Swift already have a corner on the market as the “average girl”?  Despite this, there were moments when the show was transcended, as only a star of her caliber can deliver, such as with Gaga’s solo numbers on the piano (“Come to Mama” comes to mind) or the guitar, or, for example, with “Bad Romance” (the synthesizers’ laser sounds contained an exciting homage to Klaus Nomi).  Gaga also did, at times, what the best artists do in a live show, which is present musical sagacity.  This was no more obvious than with her solo and reduced-tempo rendition of “Edge of Glory.”  However, there were also moments when the show was derivative or the musical-momentum dragged.  With themes that ran the gamut from a Pink Floyd laser show, to various Jane Fonda exercise routines, to an imitation of a Madonna song (“Born This Way”), to Cirque du Soleil antics, and to choreography that seemed like it came right out of Janet Jackson’s Rhythm Nation tour, it was sometimes hard to tell where Gaga-the-artist began, and where Gaga-the-interpreter-of-other-performers ended.

How was the crowd?  There was plenty of worshipping going on, and the audience predominately imitated Gaga’s looks.  But for the previous tour, the audience wore outfits that were merely inspired by her.  And it’s this single difference that makes all the difference.

What could have improved the show?  As it happens with just about everyone, Gaga will eventually fall out of favor as a contemporary figure—or, at least partially so.  And when she does, she’ll be free of the trappings of circumstance to be able to concentrate mainly on the music the way, for example, Bruce Springsteen or Billy Joel does.  For, it seems that this is really what she was “born” to do, and not the former.

What was surprising about the show?  That the band played heavy metal interludes when Gaga was off the stage for her various costume changes.  

The Amalie Arena is located at 401 Channelside Drive, in Tampa, Florida.