They started rolling in at midnight, when the switchover happened
from
Serge Duchesne to
Junior, and
the command was given “Everybody Dance (Now).” Within minutes, it
seemed the floor of
Parking
reached critical mass. The boys had arrived. As had Junior,
complete with entourage. As Woody Allen once said, showing up is
ninety percent of life. Our first time to PYarking, one of the
local’s favorites. For years,
Mark Anthony
ran the fabled after-hours from the downstairs booth. This club has
history. Sex and music in its bones. A perfect-sized club for a
Friday night party. This was the other Leather Party, the smaller
of the two, but equally a part of the Black and Blue line-up. With
two staircases leading up to a mezzanine above the floor, Parking
has great sightlines, and a linoleum-covered floor easy on the
feet. Like dancing in your kitchen. Junior seemed happy to be
here, and the crowd happy to have him, and particularly
Kat Coric,
the lone female allowed into this men’s-only event. Girl worked her
leather chaps and a killer do. And there was Jae Aviance,
performance artist and upcoming star of Main Event on Sunday who
said, “I just wanna dance with somebody who loves me. I mean,
doesn’t everybody?” Indeed. And after Sunday’s performance, they’ll
be no question about it. Meanwhile Junior’s messing with “Nasty
Girl” and mashing it with something and the floor’s got the
geographical bases covered: Doug and Josh of
Sobe
Gay Info and Gen-Y style mavens
John and Tim from Manhattan, and party photog
Adam Tanner
from Boston, and circuit historian Mickey Weems from Ohio. The
crowd has that combination of New York ambitious energy mitigated by
Montreal’s sense of chill.
Earlier, we’d spoken to Mark Anthony and asked him a few questions
about Montreal, and why this town works well for people who love
music and dance, and he said, “Fierce dance floors. Montreal has a
history of fierce dance floors.” And last night at Parking was an
example. Junior brought that New York intensity and mixed it with
Montreal cool, and it wasn’t long before we were all moving with
“This Joy.” This joy in Montreal is liberating us. Here’s to more
joy tonight with Military and Manny at Metropolis – in Montreal for
Black and Blue. Too much joy? Not possible – not in Montreal.
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