Queer people know how to throw a party. That’s just a fact. I think it’s in the bible somewhere.
So when Cadillac, Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter teamed up for the after party to their first-annual Pride Summit, I knew I had to be there. Thank god I was.
It all went down at The Peppermint Club, the swiftly-becoming-iconic West Hollywood club that hosts both legends and swiftly rising talent. The crowd swelled quickly, the bar got busy and we all sort of whoosah’d from a day spent plotting our queer takeover of the entertainment industry.
Daya took the stage first, looking every bit the androgynous TLC stan the world needs. She has macho stage presence and powerful, perfectly tuned chops, and tore through three bangers culminating in her big ass hit, ‘Don’t Let Me Down.’ I have to show the band some love, cause her drummer was tearing the skins off that snare, so good. And her keyboardist and track master was effervescent as all hell, playing these beautiful falling-down-a-staircase-arpeggios, dancing and grinning uncontrollably. She was infectious!
Trixie Mattel was our next big-hitter, and hit she did. It’s tough to slang a guitar and folk songs in a club full of horny, dance music loving gays, but she used her formidable wit and pure talent to win us over in the first few bars. Like, it was that fast. She played two original songs and a funny as hell rendition of ‘Anaconda.’ I mean, it was literally just the song, but when white people play rap on guitar, it tickles people. And also, like, she did it real good. I know Trixie has big plans for the rest of the year, and after this performance I’m even more excited to see those roll out. I’ve followed her for years, but I’ve never seen her live. I felt it.
Listen, though. So Big Freedia never, ever half steps. She brings it every rip, every time. I thought maybe because this was an abridged, industry set, that maybe she would take it easy on us. But naw.
Backed by two powerhouse dancers and a dynamic DJ, she tore through song after song, creative interpolations of pop hits made into bounce anthems. It all culminated in a bacchanal, booty-filled twerk off with audacious audience members. Some were drunk, some were stunning, all were entertaining as hell, the perfect finale to a night I never wanted to end.
