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Productions & Events
December 9th: Laugh Out Loud
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As yet another boatload of exuberant party boyz disembarked on Governors Island, two guys on bikes, waiting to return to Manhattan, watched in gawking amazement-until finally one turned to the other and said, “What? Did we not get the memo?”
And it was right then, as the sun set behind Jersey, that opening DJ Corey Craig broke into a remix of that contagious chestnut, Patrice Rushen’s “Haven’t You Heard?”
Maybe those two bike boys missed the memo about Saint at Large’s 30th season opener, Freemasons at Governors Island, but hundreds of other wayward party boyz got the word-and happy they were to romp carefree through the night.
First of all, the setting: think Pinocchio at Pleasure Island, a haven for incorrigible party boyz-with multi-colored neon palm trees, and smoke machines and concessionaires selling confections and intoxicating liquids. No school, no rules-nothing but sand in the shoes and summer fun.
And it was the summer anthem, “When Love Takes Over,” that really got the kidz going-and the flaggers on the floor, while onstage, Corey Craig got ready to cede the house to Freemasons-when suddenly someone grabbed the mike and yelled, “I’mma let you finish, but Beyonce had one of the best videos of all time.”
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Bouncing all over the asphalt
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Insane! The boyz went crazy-and stayed that way! With smoke billowing and red lights flashing, Freemasons took over-and right from the start, the boyz were whooping it up and bouncing all over the asphalt, working it out, shaking it down, so that when Freemasons really hit their stride with remixes of “Love on My Mind,” “Sexual Healing,” “Déjà Vu,” “Just Can’t Get Enough,” “Lola’s Theme,” “When Doves Cry,” “Rain Down Love,” “If I Were A Boy,” and “Ring the Alarm,” the floor was filled with boyz who were dancing, really dancing-and we’re not talking about that shuffle/shuffle/back-and-forth sometimes found on packed dance floors-and sometimes mistaken for dance. No, these boyz were truly feeling the music, absorbing the beat, screaming the words, shouting out love, as if they’d been plugged directly into an electric socket, with the current shooting out from their every extremity. To look around the floor, to see these kidz hollering out happiness while they shook down the house was to recognize anew the exultancy of music and dance.
After all, dance is as old as humanity itself, with the first dance in history born around the campfires of hunters-as an expression of joy. And last night, Freemasons had a direct link to that tradition, a high-speed connection to primeval joy that reached its apex with their remix of Whitney’s new “Million Dollar Bill,” a song so vibrant and ecstatic that both arms-and feet-were in the air, simultaneously, the whole crowd over.
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A love-filled summer send-off
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Who was there? A houseful of hotties, from Manhattan, Brooklyn, Fire Island, South Beach, Brazil, and Montreal, and loads of Saint family members, including Alan (particularly ebullient) and Joey, and Armando, and Michael South Beach, and Alex B. and James C., and Jaker and Billy (and Jackson), and Marc Berkley (w/hand puppy)-and a delighted Steve Pevner, who, with his Saint at Large crew (with help from Highline Ballroom) created both a love-filled summer send-off-and a welcome to autumn.
Thirty Septembers ago, the very first Saint invite arrived in the mail, heralding the opening on September 20, 1980 of what would become the most fabulous and unsurpassable gay club of all time, the Saint-and in the ensuing thirty years, legions of Saintheads have joined an ever-expanding family connected by music and dance. Last night’s celebratory and soulful crowd was a testament to Saint founder Bruce Mailman’s groundbreaking vision-and particularly fitting for the opening of the Saint at Large’s 30th season.
RELATED LINKS
Freemasons Governor’s Island Photo-Album
THEATERMANIA: Enter PURGATORIO
2009-09-20 | Posted in Buzz • Productions & Events | By Vance
Halloween-Themed Purgatorio to Play Times Square
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| Purgatorio |
The interactive Halloween experience Purgatorio will play the Times Square area, taking over a tri-level, 15,000 square foot nightclub space at 268 W. 47th Street, October 15-31.
Produced by Simon Hammerstein and Randy Weiner, founding partners of downtown hotspot The Box, Purgatorio will offer an adults-only immersion in a multi-level world of macabre fantasy complete with interactive variety acts and installations, all set in a dynamic environment that aims to be at once frightening, erotic, and whimsical.
The creative team will include David Korins (production/scenic design), Emilio Sosa (costume design), and Evan Morris (lighting design).
For more information, visit enterpurgatorio.com.
EDGE: Freemasons Ferry Ferry Big NYC Concert
| Posted in Buzz • Productions & Events | By Vance
Freemasons Ferry Ferry Big NYC Concert
by Steve Weinstein
EDGE Editor-In-Chief
Tuesday Sep 15, 2009
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If you have ever lost yourself in the best goddam mind-blowing mash-up remix of the ’00s (at least in this writer’s not-so-humble opinion), “Love on My Mind,” get set for the dance event of the summer, as Britain’s Freemasons storm the Battery for their first-ever New York City appearance.
Yes, it’s a British invasion of Lower Manhattan. The red coats will be based on Governor’s Island, an urban paradise between Manhattan and Staten Island. Mercifully untouched since the Coast Guard abandoned it several years ago (please, Mayor Bloomberg and Gov. Patterson, do not develop this property!), Governor’s Island has been a little-noticed jewel until a spate of articles in the New York Times and other publications have revealed its splendors.
The concert space on the island is being managed by the good folks at the High Line Ballroom (the site of all those way-cool Blowoff parties). Toffer Christensen, the lead booker for Water Taxi Beach, as the venue is known, explains that High Line’s association came about through New York Water Taxi, which runs those beach parties in Long Island City.
“They wanted this to be live music space,” he explains. “They do DJs. So we put together a deal with them to do shows. We did a few shows on Governor’s Island, so we did have experience getting bands on and off the ferries–so it was logical to work with them.”
Christensen acknowledges a little resistance on some concertgoers’ parts to take a subway to a ferry, but “this year, there’s been an awakening about Governor’s Island,” he says, referring to the spate of media attention. “People are discovering this place. Once they’re there, they can’t believe it’s here. It’s more of an education process for concertgoers than an obstacle.”
A state-of-the-art sound and light system is already in place, as is a large stage. Of course, this will be a DJ event. What makes it unique is that it will bring together the two disparate dance communities of straight folks and gay boys (and gals). The event is being presented by the Saint-at-Large, those bad, bad boys who put on the annual international flesh fest the Black Party, as well as other parties and concerts.
So yes, this will be a mixed crowd. But we’ve mixed berfore, most notably anyplace where the platter spinner is named Victor Calderone (who, BTW, did a concert earlier this summer on the island) or Junior Vasquez. Just remember that they like to face the stage for some odd reason; and they don’t take their shirts off (which, considering how hunky some of them are, is a real shame).
They also: drink less water, more beer; smoke on the dance floor; and spend a lot of time walking to and fro. Oh, and a lot of them are way better dancers than we are (sorry, truth hurts).
The real reason that is a-cap-E Event, however, is not because you will be witnessing Non-Homo Americanus, but the Freemasons. Trust me, if you’ve been on a dance floor anytime over the past five years, you’ve heard them.
They’ve produced or remixed for every single-named diva on the planet, from Shakira to Beyoncé, Kylie to Kelly. But its their work with the husky-voice Amanda Wilson for which they may be best known. Word on the street is that a Freemasons concert features their own music exclusively, and there’s a party in the DJ booth.
It’s almost weird to imagine that this super-DJ duo, possibly the most sought-after in the world right now, has never played Gotham. But that’s what makes this concert so special.
The Freemasons will be mixing it up from 6 p.m. until midnight on Sunday, Sept. 20. Tickets include water taxi to and from Lower Manhattan. Go to the Saint at Large for tickets and more information.
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