
|
NIGHTSPOTS
|
|
|
DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE: PRIDE, A NOT-SO-DEEPER LOVE
by Marc "Moose" Moder 2013-06-12
|
|
This article shared 3158 times since Wed Jun 12, 2013
|
|
Now that we're all over our initial confusion (and some anger) over the powers that be dividing the perfectly great Pride Weekend into two parts (Fest vs. Parade) we can take a step back and see what talent (or sometimes lack thereof) has been lined up. At first glance it seems to be the same tired straight diva acts that have ravaged our Pride events for years, but digging a bit deeper, it's a pretty impressive line-up. Let's take a look, shall we?
Pridefest consists of two stages, North and South, as always. The South stage is geared toward local talent and the North is reserved for more national touring acts. The first day on the South stage needs some extra loving for three fantastic gay non-profits: Chicago Gay Men's Chorus; Chicago Spirit Brigade; and Windy City Cowboys throughout the day. The big one to catch though is the always amazing Amy and Freddy, and the hang-onto-your-balls bombast that is Rock Candy. With the exception of '90s one-hit wonder, Blu Cantrell ("Hit 'Em Up Style"), the North stage is downright age-appropriate with Danity Kain/Celebrity Apprentice star Aubrey O'Day, Mimi Imfurst's "girl group" Xelle, and dance pop powerhouses Jessica Sutta ("Show Me") and Dev ("Dancing In the Dark"), the latter closing out the night.
Day one on the South stage is totally breezy fun, with appearance by up-and-coming pop rock quartet The Personnel and local cover favorites Sixteen Candles and their little (sexy) brothers, Rod Tuffcurls and the Bench Press. Up north, you have mostly a good solid selection of surprisingly (for Halsted) contemporary dance pop. I'd stay focused here unless you're a sassy gay man over 40, then the North stage is where it's at on Sunday. Interspersed with the drag shows, Sunday is a buffet of '90s dance divas who are probably thrilled they get to get booked one extra Pride weekend this year. The first big act of the day is vocal master Deborah Cox, hot off her turn in Broadway's Jekyll and Hyde, and she will surely blow your wig off. At 4 pm is when it gets challenging, with four of the five next acts all coming from the same genre and time period: Anaya Day; Ultra Nate; Sandy B. ("Make The World Go Round"); and Janice Robinson and Tameka Star, both of the one-hit band Living Joy. I'm pretty sure all five of these women could sing each other's singles and you'd be hard-pressed to remember who is who. All lovely and talented singers, but a bit too similar and specific to appeal to anyone outside a certain time and place.
The one final bright spot in that stew is the cute and fun Neon Hitch who had two big hits a couple years back with "Fuck U Betta" and "Ass Back Home" (with Gym Class Heroes). She'll hopefully be a welcome break from the parade of '90s divas we've come to expect from Pride. |
 |
|
 |
This article shared 3158 times since Wed Jun 12, 2013
|
ARTICLES YOU MIGHT LIKE |
---|
| 
|  | NATIONAL Missing student, Utah bill, Atlanta Pride, crime items, Castro bar 2023-01-29 - A New York City law student has been missing for weeksand his brother said his last known location was The Q, a gay bar in Manhattan's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, NBC News reported. Jordan Taylor, 29, a ...
| 
|  | WORLD Indian marches, delegation in Cuba, anti-LGBTQ+ investigation 2023-01-15 - Hundreds of people took part in the first Delhi Queer Pride march in three years as pressure grows for legal recognition of same-sex marriage in India, The Manila Times noted. In March, the South Asian's top ...
| 
|  | PrideArts, Chicago drag artists co-produce story of a drag family's tribulations 2022-12-22 -- From a press release - CHICAGO — PrideArts will celebrate the arrival of the year 2023 by teaming up with the Chicago drag performers Tirrany Reigns and Ramona Mirage to stage Reigns' original Queer Family Dramedy, set just after New Year's ...
| 
|  | Pride Journey: Oklahoma City 2022-12-08 - Since I began Pride Journeys 5 years ago, I have had the incredible opportunity to visit dozens of destinations around the world. Some destinations I visited once, while others left such an impression, that I was ...
| 
|  | Sydney WorldPride plans a celebration like no other 2022-11-08 Special to Windy City Times - WorldPride is heading Down Under in 2023. Sydney has been named the official location for WorldPride next year, and the cosmopolitan city is planning to go all-out to welcome LGBTQ+ guests from all over the world. ...
| 
|  | Washington DC to host WorldPride in 2025 2022-11-04 -- From a press release - Washington DC, November 4, 2022… InterPride, an international association of over 400 Pride organizations from over 70 countries, announced that the Capital Pride Alliance (CPA) has been selected to host WorldPride in 2025. "CPA is thrilled ...
| 
|  | NATIONAL Birth certificates, university items, drag-show standoff, 'Models of Pride' 2022-10-30 - Following a lawsuit from ACLU, ACLU of West Virginia and the Harvard Law School LGBTQ+ Advocacy Clinic, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources' Vital Registration Office has introduced more accessible and safer policies ...
| 
|  | Hundreds attend Plainfield Pride's 'Pride at PARC' 2022-10-19 - After encountering some resistance, "Pride at PARC" took place Oct. 16 in Plainfield, with hundreds of people attending. The event took place at the Plainfield Park District's Prairie Activity and Recreation Center (PARC). Among other things, ...
| 
|  | WORLD Brittney Griner, Montenegro Pride, Nobel Prize winners, Brazilian film 2022-10-16 Video below - (NOTE: This week's news contains some graphic details. Please be advised.) Former U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Bill Richardson said that lesbian WNBA star Brittney Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who are being ...
| 
|  | LGBTQ+ HISTORY MONTH Putting an end to the myths of Stonewall 2022-10-16 - For years, people have debated what actually happened that night in June 1969 when Stonewall was raided and a new, more militant struggle for equality was born. Due to the debates, and insistence of some to ...
| 
|  | Plainfield Pride event set to take place despite some opposition 2022-10-14 - Plainfield Pride is hosting its first official event, "Pride at PARC," on Sunday, Oct. 16, despite opposition from some, Patch reported. The organization will gather from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Plainfield Park District's ...
| 
|  | Philadelphia hosts street renaming ceremony for gay tourism expert 2022-10-11 - On Oct. 11, Philadelphia officials will honor the late civic pride booster, celebrated author and former Visit Philadelphia President/CEO Jeff Guaracino by renaming a portion of South 13th Street after the tourism marketer and LGBTQ+ trailblazer ...
| 
|  | Lakeside Pride members gather to celebrate 25 years of music 2022-10-10 - In June 2016, shortly after the Pulse nightclub shootings in Orlando, members of a Lakeside Pride musical ensemble took a photo of their spectators at a pride event; everyone in the photo was each formed hearts ...
| 
|  | NATIONAL Gay political contest, trans man killed, Kansas Pride, researcher dies 2022-10-02 - In New York, two gay candidates, Democrat Robert Zimmerman and Republican George Santos, are running to fill the seat vacated by Democrat Tom Suozzi in New York's 3rd Congressional Districtmarking the first time in U.S. history ...
| 
|  | City asks Bloomington LGBTQ+ bar to remove Pride artwork 2022-09-25 - The city of Bloomington, Illinois has asked an LGBTQ+ bar to remove its Pride decorations, according to Central Illinois Proud. Last month, The Bistro, hosted its annual downtown Pridefest with at least 6,000 attendees from all ...
| |
|
|
|
|