NYC PRIDE: Matinee North America
Every time I go to New York, it’s an experience. I’ve been robbed in New York, I’ve found love in New York, I’ve experienced the madness of New Years in Times Square, and a plethora of memories that are impossible to forget because they are so extreme. However, even though I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve visited the great city, I’ve never experienced Pride in New York. I’ve heard innumerable stories about pride weekend, all of which were intense, but I must say, even those unbelievable stories are no comparison to New York City during Pride weekend.
First on my Pride weekend itinerary was Matinee. After getting lost en route to the ferry (which is commonplace if you are not a local) it was safe to assume I was at the correct location as I began to see circuit queens with high tops, mini Gatorade bottles full of "water," oversized calves and torsos, and Chinese fans skipping frantically towards the docking station. My female companion (and ordained “fag-hag”) was in awe, as I struggled to not stare at the copious amount of “meat” that was surrounding me in line. Upon boarding, it was quite surreal to be on a ferry with a couple hundred gay men, heading to an island, while waving goodbye to the Manhattan skyline. I’ve been to many circuit parties, but I knew I was in for something different. Pre-boarding, I had envisioned quite the comical scene in my mind, that as I approached the island I would see hundreds of gay men dancing on an island to the “untz untz” of Billy Lace or Hector Fonseca. I broke into laughter and said to myself “are you serious?” as we docked at Governor’s Island, and my comical prediction was not only accurate, but even more exaggerated in person. Something about all of this seemed sinful, it was giving me Sodom & Gomorrah I told my female friend, chuckling.
After wiggling through gay TSA, I was introduced to a big gay playground. A big blowup slide, illuminated multicolor palm trees, a sand pit, and giddy gays greeted me. There was no shortage of eye candy, as muscle queens, porn stars, random women, and boys in scuba gear and other miscellaneous gear danced vigorously against the Manhattan skyline. Billy Lace was delivering a high energy set, setting the tone for the evening. As the sun began to set, a bigger crowd began to accumulate. After socializing in the sand for quite sometime, I decided to venture to the dance floor, which was packed like a can of sardines –muscled, tattooed, and sweaty sardines.
Hector Fonseca’s immaculate set screamed heart attack, as the BPM on every track forced you to dance. After working up a nice sweat myself, the music ceased and out comes Natasha Bedingfield. Decked out in jewels from head to toe, Ms. Bedingfield made her entrance looking like the gay tooth fairy meets the fairy godmother from the Wizard of Oz. She began with her hit tracks “Unwritten” and “Pocket Full of Sunshine.” She slayed (that's good) the tracks vocally, which most female artist can't do very well on stage, so I was impressed while not being impressed (I just wanted to dance.) Although cute and campy, it was random. Kudos for showing love to the gays though, girl.
The night continued predictably, as the music progressively got more intense and the crowd got increasingly sketchier. I had a great time; it was definitely one of the most interesting venues I’ve been to for a circuit party. However, the production of the event fell flat. Marketed as a "WATERPARK EXPERIENCE in the LARGEST outdoor venue in NY" was quite the exaggeration. Aside from the kiddy slide that was later deflated, and a big beach ball pouncing atop heads on the dance floor, there was nothing reminiscent of a water park (or an experience for that matter.) Matinee North America has always had this problem though, major productions in Europe, mediocre productions in the States.
Although I had an amazing time, I think I’ll save my circuit dollars for another circuit event until Matinee Group amps up the production. I could have created a better “water park experience” in my bathtub. I'll leave it at this, my female companion (avid circuit queen & Alegria fan) left Matinee with one major highlight/memory - a Bratwurtz sausage. #KABOOM.