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Scandal’s hosted their first turnabout, since re-opening last October under new owners. Bar manager Alex Amarosa emceed the event, which featured a mix of live singing and lip syncing. The turnabout, which saw perfect weather under the night sky of Fort Lauderdale, took place in the outdoor area of the venue. It went from 8:00 p.m. to approximately 10:30 p.m.
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Scandals in Wilton Manors hosted the annual Leather Masked Ball XIII last night. The event—which was sponsored by the charitable organization, the Lambda Men’s Brotherhood—brought out many members of the leather community. The event also featured several licentious demonstrations in the venue’s outdoor area, along with a $100 contest for the best mask. The event went from 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m., with the heaviest crowds between 11:00 p.m. to 1:00 a.m.
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The South Florida LGBTQ community came together at The Pride Center in Wilton Manors last Thursday to mourn the passing of one of its brightest stars, photographer “Pompano” Bill Calcaterra. The memorial, which was co-hosted by former nightclub owner Toni Barone and Hot Spots owner Peter Clark, featured testimonial videos from people who were closest to Calcaterra. Speaking on video, nightclub owner Paul Hugo quipped that Calcaterra “touched” everyone that he came into contact with. Another amusing comment came from Michael Connell, co-owner of The Pub, who said that the “first time that he met Pompano Bill was at a high, upscale bar called the Ramrod.” The most outlandish commentary came from longtime-friend Joe Posa, and dressed as Joan Rivers, when he reassured the crowd that he met Pompano Bill at the “pearly gates,” but that he figured that Calcaterra would be “down there given all the people that he slept with.” Posa also impressed upon the crowd that we’re “waiting for all you old farts from Wilton Manors to hurry up and get here.” Despite the humor that came from some memorializers, Pomapano Bill was repeatedly characterized as an “incredibly generous” person whose lasting contribution was that he chronicled virtually the entire LGBTQ community in Broward County—from the 1990s to present—with his photography.
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The Synergy Twins performed at Yule Holiday Lounge last Saturday to a packed house. The twins gave a dynamic performance—which consisted of them moving around the venue at times, including standing on the bar—that was over two hours long. Considering that the musicians probably weren’t contracted for a two-hour show, the show’s length underscored their obvious love for performing. Local singer Jennifer McClain, who was just named by the South Florida Gay News as the best artist/musician in Broward County for the fourth year in a row, made an unadvertised appearance and sung several numbers with the duo as well.
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New York-based drag performers, Sherry Vine and Jackie Beat, performed a special Halloween show, Battle of the Witches, at The Pub last Sunday. Vine and Beat first matched raunch-for-raunch in several solo numbers, before culminating with a reading battle in the song “I Got You Bitch,” set to the tune of the Sonny and Cher’s, “I Got You Babe.” The show was at 9:00 p.m., and it was precipitated by Lady Fancy’s monthly Gospel Jubilee.
Who’s Bob Dylan? I’m sure that we all know who he is. What’s the Au-Rene Theater? It’s the main theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts. It holds about 2,600 people, and it has three levels. How was the venue? It’s first-rate. How was the parking? They have valet, or you can park in the garage for $12. The garage is about a block away. Does the venue serve liquor? Yes, and there are multiple bars. We got one double chardonnay for $19. How was the drink? Fine.
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Does the venue serve food? They have some snacks. How was the food? We got a chocolate bar. It was good; it costs about $3. Where were the seats? At the back of the mezzanine, a.k.a., the second level. How much were the tickets? About $110 each, including those annoying Ticketmaster fees. The flat price was $93.75 each (how did they come up with 75 cents?). Was the show sold out? Yes, completely. They even had a standing-room-only area. Was there an opening act? No.
How was the show? I’ve seen him several times before, and, concerning the sound of the whole band, there’s no one that sounds quite like them. The closest comparison I can think of is The Stones. The reason that The Stones sound different than everyone else is that the songs are driven by Richards on the guitar, as opposed to just about what everyone else does, where the rhythm section (the drums and bass) drives the song. It’s said that this is a dangerous way to play, but, if one can do it right, there’s nothing that sounds like it. The same thing is going on here with the Dylan band—He’s leading the songs from the piano. Regarding the songs, it’s common knowledge that Dylan’s not going to perform them as written, and this show was no exception. The set consisted of a mix of standards and the obscure. Standards consisted of “It Ain’t Me, Babe” (a fabulous subverted version of it), “Highway 61 Revisited,” “Like A Rolling Stone” (this one really got the crowd jazzed up), and “Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright.” The band consisted of either four or five members (I couldn’t quite tell because of the distance) and, particularly with the lighting, came off like the house band from a David Lynch film.
How was the crowd? Here’s where it gets interesting. No photography was permitted, and the ushers were swirling around like hawks over this one. The crowd mostly consisted of baby boomers, and we all know how they are when it comes to cell phones—those fingers had to of been itching like mad to satisfy the Facebook beast. And satisfy it they would, for they started with the phones during the last few songs. The ushers tried to stop it, but there was just too many at once. I can guess why Dylan prohibits the phones, but one wonders if it would be less distracting to just let them do it than to try to hold them back, because, ultimately, there’s really no stopping them. You also had a fair amount of ones who left halfway through the show, no doubt, because they weren’t getting the typical “rock concert” experience. Have they watched one live video of Dylan’s that was recorded over the past 30 years?
What could have improved the show? Really, nothing. Either you like him or you don’t, but the music was on point. And for those who are critical about Dylan’s voice, it is what it is. They should know what they’re getting into by now. Regarding the abundance of merchandise, I’m not sure that that aligns with Dylan’s no-nonsense image. What was surprising about the show? The way that Dylan interacts with the crowd. I thought that I remembered him at least greeting the audience in the past. There was none of that here. He never addressed the audience (not once), he either stayed behind the piano or very far upstage the entire time, there were no spotlights or video screens of him, and his exit consisted of one brief bow with the rest of the band. I can’t think of anyone in the history of show business who’s at this level that did something like this. Even Elvis and Michael Jackson—both were known for having little interaction with the audience—said at least a few words to them.
The Broward Center for the Performing Arts is located at 201 S.W. 5thAve., in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
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The Stonewall Museum debuted Michael Fazakerley’s first solo photography show, Nightbirds, last Thursday. Twenty-five years in the making, the show featured photos of New York’s prominent nightlife personalities from the 1980s and 1990s, including club kids, drag queens and go-go boys. At the show, Fazakerly talked for about 15 minutes about his experiences photographing the subjects, as well as the challenges of having a solo show in a museum or gallery. The show also featured vintage designs from one of the original club kids, Ernie Glam, who attended the event as well. Nightbirds runs to January 20.
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Like a wilder and more realistic version of the nightclub scenes in The Birdcage—and with a queen always at arm’s reach no matter where you went in the club—the House of Condeghi hosted their Turnabout Ball at The Pub, to celebrate the venue’s first anniversary. The ball, which was hosted by local drag performer Sharde Ross, went from 9:00 p.m. to midnight and featured many of The Pub’s staff in the competition. The tips were donated to The Smart Ride.
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Rumors hosted Renica J. Justrenica’s The Dirty Game Show last Saturday. The game show, a sort of bawdy twist on The Price Is Right, featured an oscillating potpori of both raunchy and tongue-in-cheek questions. Many audience members in the bar played along with the show, with “guess the song” questions getting the most enthusiastic response. The show started at 9:00 p.m., and it lasted about two hours. The DJ was Joshua Atom.
