Many of the reports I've read so far on CPI (CircuitPartyInsanity.com)
about Cherry 7 have focused on the remarkable spirit of camaraderie
and overall friendliness so prevalent in Washington, DC this
past weekend. I couldn't agree more. Although I really enjoyed
certain aspects of each of the individual parties on different
levels, it is the many wonderful new people I met and great
friends I spent time with that really made the weekend so
memorable. Although I lived in DC for 2 1/2 years before moving
to New York and helped produce several previous Cherry events
in varying capacities, I can't recall ever feeling more "at
home" than I did this past weekend.
I left work early on Friday to meet up
with my "blind date"/travel partner, Phillip - a
friend of a friend named Scott(y) who lives in Los Angeles
(yes, it's rather convoluted, I know!). Anyway, Phillip is
in New York temporarily taking care of a sick friend, so Scott(y)
hooked us up so neither of us would have to travel alone.
As anticipated, we both hit it off very well and had a great
time on the trip down to DC (he's as crazy as me, if not more
so!).
Upon our arrival, we stopped by the welcome
center at the Rouge Hotel to pick up our passes and then made
our way to our respective hosts' apartments to settle in.
It was a little odd for me at first staying in my old apartment
in Dupont Circle - my friend Martin moved in when I left for
New York - exactly one year ago to the day! But it worked
out perfectly as Martin ended up staying at the host hotel
so I had the place all to myself for the weekend. I later
met up with Anthony and Tom from New York to attend a pre-party
hosted by Patrick & Joe, two of the Cherry board members,
and then we all made our way to Club K29. Several people have
commented negatively on certain aspects of the club, but I
didn't really notice so much since I didn't spend much time
dancing (Joe Gauthreaux's music sounded great, but I was really
in more of a social mood that night and wanted to conserve
my energy for the 4-5 other parties to follow). I definitely
thought the energy level was much higher than any Friday night
welcome party I had attended in the past, though, and it looked
to me like most everyone was having a pretty damn good time.
Moody's
birthday party on Saturday (theme: Moodonna) was just over the top. Touched
for the very first time
indeed! Cherry may coincide with my birthday
as well, but Moody's Metropolis Fund benefit at Club Five (or whatever the
heck that club's calling itself these days) epitomizes the ultimate birthday
celebration and I was honored to take part in the festivities. Rick Mitchell
spun his customary high-energy concoction of vocal-heavy selections vigorously
mixed in his own unique style for a highly diverse and enthusiastic crowd.
The shows were all fun and campy with the exception of Power who never ceases
to amaze me with the most brilliant and visually stunning performance art
imaginable.
After a
little downtime back at the apartment, I made my way over to the Old Post
Office Pavilion before the main event started to see if the guys needed
any help with set-up and to avoid what could possibly have been a nightmare
entry (extra security, threat of rain, etc.). This also gave me a chance
to chat with Roland Belmares and his boyfriend Ken, Ross Berger, and a few
of the Cherry crew members before all the craziness began. The party got
off to a rather slow start (the music didn't start until about 10:00 - about
20-30 minutes after guests started entering the venue - and the dance floor
didn't fill up until after 11:00), but once the party kicked into high gear,
it never let up. We found a great vantage point on one of the balconies
to watch Circuit Mom's show, but as others have pointed out, something just
wasn't right with the show. The elaborate concept was interesting, but there
appeared to be too many unavoidable factors working against the performers,
not the least of which was the sound level at the top of the staircase where
the performance took place - the music was barely audible!
Down of
the dance floor, however, the sound was fine and my friends and I never
once had trouble finding room to dance. Sure, it got really crowded at times,
and making our way through the crowds and around the perimeter presented
its own challenges, but I have yet to attend any major circuit party where
that is not the case. As beautiful and dramatic as the venue is, I actually
hope that this really is the last year they hold the main event at the Old
Post Office Pavilion. It's just too damn bright in there (the mgmt continues
to refuse to turn off the hall lights on the upper levels) and security
really was unnecessarily excessive this year (damn federal buildings!).
The other show by Rainbow Warriors was captivating, but as others have pointed
out, seemed a little too short. Overall, I had a lot of fun and enjoyed
most of Roland's set, but again, it was the friends I was with and the many
new people I met (including countless CPI members) that provided most of
the fun.
Luckily I brought an umbrella to the event
because when I left at 3:30 to head over to after-hours, it
was raining. I finally ran into Phillip and his friends outside
who were glad to take refuge under my umbrella (at least those
who could fit). We had to wait a little while to enter the
club as the after-hours party wasn't scheduled to start until
4am. But Platinum was in full swing by the time we made it
inside (we were still dry, unlike most people, but that wouldn't
last for long!). A few people have also commented about the
A/C being turned off - well, they're right! Not only did the
same thing happen last year, but when the club was renovated
a few years ago and the name changed to Platinum, I read a
story in one of the local magazines wherein the owner was
quoted as saying he had installed a state-of-the-art air conditioning
system that would keep the entire club cool regardless of
the number of people inside. I even experienced its capability
myself during one of their regular Saturday night parties.
It really is outrageous at best and criminal at worst that
they would shut it off during our one gay event held there
each year. That being said, it was perhaps one of the best
sets I've ever heard Susan Morabito play and the crowd was
just incredibly friendly and frisky! I lasted until about
7am before heading home for some much needed sleep.
I actually made it up on time on Sunday
to catch the boat cruise on the Potomac with DJ Ra. The weather,
which had been pretty crappy for the past 15 hours or so,
finally let up and we were all able to enjoy clear skies and
temperatures in the mid-70s - just perfect for our three-hour
cruise. A special surprise was an appearance by Kevin Aviance
who not only took command of the carpeted staircase and dance
floor (in heels and a smart sequined pant-suit, no less) with
a few numbers, but who also served up a rather witty monologue
that worked beautifully in the intimate setting. It was perhaps
the best performance of Kevin's I've seen to date. Ra did
the best he could with the sub-par sound system, but I spent
most of my time out on the ship's decks enjoying the beautiful
weather and scenery (both on board and on shore). It was also
the first opportunity I got to catch up with Martin who was
so incredibly busy all weekend overseeing each of the events.
After a few more hours of sleep, I made
my way down to Nation for the closing party with Abel. We
had planned to stop in at the stripper bar Wet beforehand,
but were disappointed to find that it was closed. So we went
directly to Nation around midnight and immediately hit the
dance floor. Abel was in top form all night and my friends
and I were thrilled that he opted to play on the circuit end
of the spectrum (i.e., lots of high-energy vocals) as opposed
to the tribal end (i.e., incessant non-vocal tracks that are
often difficult to distinguish from one another). The main
show was simply breathtaking - a written description couldn't
possibly do it justice. Let's just say it was very trippy,
very bizarre (in a good way), and extremely well executed.
The white fabric that was draped over the entire dance floor
as the performance troupe made its way to the main stage from
the rear of the club was a particularly nice touch, and the
mélange of musical snippets that culminated with Madonna's
"Impressive Instant" was absolutely flawless. The
abrupt 6am closing was unfortunate (we were all under the
impression that the party would last until at least 8am),
but we still all left with very big smiles on our faces.
A brief stopover at Paul Richards' festive
after-hours house party and lunch at my favorite Mexican restaurant,
Lauriol Plaza, concluded the weekend's festivities before
we made the journey back to New York. Cherry is one of the
few all-volunteer circuit weekends left wherein 100% of the
proceeds benefit the gay and lesbian community, so it was
especially gratifying to witness such immense success. It's
also good to see that the committee was able to produce such
amazing events even without my assistance! I can't wait to
see what the boys have in store for us at Cherry 8 next year!
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