It has been so long, all of one weekend before the last time I ventured into the world of the late night hang. I guess I was due for some fun even after a slightly shorter workweek, for myself anyway, and I there I was stepping out into the night once again.

On Friday I headed over to the crowd that was SBNY. The place was very full of both in and out of towners and did a good job of packing them in for a non-holiday weekend. Our DJ for the evening was Max Rodriguez, always known for his high energy vocals and keeping the boys dancing well into the night. He kept it current and on point and the men out to dance responded. My favorite bartender Sir Brett of the back bar made sure the drinks kept coming and the night moved forward very nicely. From Beyonce to Britney, Missy to Madonna. We danced to it all and had a great time. Left the place at 4am. Made sure to rest up and hydrate for the next time.

Saturday night I checked my evenings options and decided to go out on the town once again. Although the majority of my group of friends was unable to attend I decided to head into the city and enter the realm of Rox. I replaced my Visine at the pharmacy and called for the car service. Although the first company was out of vehicles I was able to find another close by that got me into town in short order. I was able to give directions to a British tourist who was heading in the same direction and after saying hi to our favorite Domicis of the Door, Derek, it was once again inside to see what the boys were up to. Peter once again spun a musical journey for the boys to travel the room with and enjoy the beats. I found myself moved into various places at different times of the evening. Hanging at the front bar with Barman Barker, who worked so hard he broke his register. Then hanging in near the stage with the boys dancing. Dancing on the boxes near the wall across from the stage. Changing stages as the mood struck. I saw one poor boy take a tumble from a speaker to his his side on one of the boxes. Rule number one, Never party until injured. The party needs you. So don't try too hard. Not without the proper training anyway. So we stayed until after 4 and then made our way back home. Cab Drivers can be shady at even the happiest of times so I put on my out of town tourist attitude and snagged myself a ride home. Afterparty flyer in hand and walking from the club looking single-mindedly for a ride was definitely the move to get home most soonest.

Until the party starts again. Keep it up guys.

Yes I was there for the Black Party Weekend. (Of Course).
The first time I ever attended a circuit event was the Black Party 4 years ago in the year 2000. So I was definitely planning on going again for the 4th time.

I started off the Black Party Weekend going to SBNY for Friday night and checking out what DJ Billy Carroll had in store for the kickoff of the weekend. Billy definitely had the decks warmed up and moving for the crowd and I was definitely feeling the vibe he threw out to the crowd. The decor was dark, the place was packed, and the drinks were flowing as we danced away the evening until 4am. I was very happy they had picked Billy to start off the weekend as he truly is a DJ that can play a small space and make it feel like you are attending an event. I can definitely remember several musical peaks for the evening and was certainly put into the mood to look forward to all of the music I was to hear for the rest of the weekend.

Saturday was spent resting up staying hydrated and planning my arrival time for the Black Party. Since all of my friends were not going to the Black Party this year I actually made an appearance at two venues this year and went to the Roxy first. Since it was not to be my final stop for the evening I was not holding up high expectations for Peter Rauhofer. But I guess he must have used his extended stay away from the decks at The Rox well and definitely threw in some surprises for us. I was having a great time and very happy I came and saw and hung out with part of my crew but just as Peter was playing "Thats It" (great song with the Godzilla roar mixed in), it was time for us to move to the next party before we blew off our ticket price. Catching the taxi outside at 2:30am was not the easiest thing to do but we made it through the tough times and soldiered ahead. We waited in the rain a bit as the search at the door got rid of the bad element and then made our way inside. The coatcheck took forever (it always does) and I was finally ready to make my way onto the floor. I was happy to see an
energetic crowd and was immediately into the beats that DJ Paolo was playing for the men in black. I was very much looking forward to hearing how he was going to spin for such a long set and I was not disappointed. I enjoyed hearing him in 2002 and was even more impressed this time around. I was moved to make two appearances on the stage and the second time was there for his finale at 6:45am. I stayed to listen to some of Susan's set as well but me
and mine eventually had to leave the party and make my way home. It was a great time I got to have with my friends and saw a lot of people I had not seen in a long time. I also thank the Daddy who grabbed my while I was on the stage. I guess I was that bit of the party that he wanted to reach and out and hold onto for a while but alas I was not to be so easily contained. Its nice to see such a wide variety of boys in such a large space. Glad I stepped out into the black once again.

Of course that wasn't the end of my weekend. I also got myself booked up for the Alegria at Crobar for the Alegria Xtreme. I was not sure how crowded it would be for a non-holiday weekend but I definitely should have known better. The crowd once again coalesced and they all were there to shake it for DJ Abel. He was definitely on for this set as I was happy once again to dance with the boys for hours at a time. No rest for the wicked so I guess the wicked were all at the Alegria with me that overnight. I especially liked the mix Abel threw on called "Free My Ass" which I think included voice-over from Wanda Sykes. That, the Alegria Song and a couple of old favorites and even the impromptu birthday celebration in the DJ booth were some of the great moments of the weekend. Thanks to Brenda at the VIP area and the rest of the Alegria staff. Keep the party going and I guess I will see you again at Pride.
Now I guess the wicked do have to rest after all.
Peace.

Another week of work has passed. Allergy season has kicked up with both feet and made me a little more sluggish than usual. I have to stay hydrated and take the Sudafed. When I am truly desperate to breathe I take Extreme Congestion Relief Zicam - the stuff truly works, just follow the package directions closely. Of course the weekend cannot arrive fast enough. I was feeling kind of good, well rested, taking multivitamins and very looking forward to a great weekend.

Friday Night, March 5, I got off work, went home, worked out, showered, closet shopped, outfitted, status checked and then left the building. I tried on a new mix CD in the car but it was too mellow for a club night out. Ended up mostly fast forwarding. Anyway I arrived before midnight, checked the coats and was immediately into the mood of the rooms groove. The DJ of the evening was Alex Lauterstein and once again he played music geared more towards the New Yorker rather than the out-of-town visitor. From the beginning of the night until it was time to leave (around 3am) I proceeded to dance and dance again. I chatted it up with my friend Bartender Brett and discovered that he had been unable to logon to my blog. Maybe it was down. Hopefully I have been telling my friends the right address to log onto. The evening even premiered some new dancers at Splash who were a nice change of pace from the same old same (liked the tan lines) but enough of that. I enjoyed the scene, danced until I left and had a great time hanging with my friends. I made my speaker appearance around 2:30 and Alex kindly put on "Big Room Drama" so I could do my dance and leave happy. I did have to fight for speaker space with a drunk guy but these are the hazards of the club. Just gotta live with it.

The next day I found I had probably not gotten as much sleep as I should have. This was of course exacerbated by having my house painted. I thank my Saturday bartender for the 1 extra bottle of water I had in my refrigerator that I was able to procure for myself in the middle of my plastic sheet covered living room and kitchen before I passed out in my own house from the humidity and of course the smell of paint. But that which does not kill you makes the house look better and once that task was over with I was able to complete my recovery and catch a quick nap.

Saturday Night came quickly enough and despite the heat earlier in the day the forecast called for it to turn colder as the night progressed. I made sure I dressed for the inevitable wait on the line outside. Derek kept it moving however despite the onslaught of boys at the door. Even the the dunces who came to party without a wrap to keep them warm didn't die from exposure. I still relished the warmth once I stepped inside and quickly warmed up to the party too. Our DJ for the evening was Tony Moran, of Alegria fame. I was looking forward to hearing him at Roxy because I had not yet heard him spin and since he has done many a circuit party and a few mix CDs I wanted to know what he sounded like. I hit the bar for my signature Stoli Orange and Red Bull and proceeded to get the party shifted. (Thank You Barker for the great drinks). The party mood seemed to build as when I first arrived at 1am it was a laid back groove but Tony reached down and pulled up the beats, and I thoroughly understood the party as it spun its web over every boy in attendance. I was definitely not disappointed and was happy I finally heard his mix of "The Alegria Song". I enjoyed seeing several friends and felt that the party flowed like the truly good nights do. I even was one of the proud and the few that rushed the stage to pick up a Winter Party CD (It was a release party after all) I haven't gottent to hear the CD mixed by Tony yet and it definitely seems like a more Miami vibe than the New York flavored mix he spun for us that night. He certainly had something in the set for everybody and seemed to at moments touch on aspects of all of my favorite Roxy DJs (which is pretty much all of them anyway, since I usually know what to expect from my Roxy night anyway, a good time). I ended up leaving the place at 5:30. Another night made memory. Looking forward to the warmer weather and warmer parties ahead. See you at the dance.