October 13, 2009
An 'Epic' move: Boston's undisputed gay nightlife champ relocates to House of Blues on Sat., Oct. 17
Rick Dunn READ TIME: 3 MIN.
In a joint venture with event production juggernaut Live Nation, party promoters Chris Harris and Raphael Sanchez earlier this week announced plans to relocate their weekly GLBT dance party 'Epic Saturdays' to the newly-christened House of Blues on Lansdowne Street beginning October 17.
The undisputed champ of Boston gay night life, Harris & Sanchez's Epic Saturdays have attracted weekly crowds of 1000+ since the party's October 2007 debut at the Roxy/Boston.
The final Epic Saturday at The Roxy this past weekend.
The gays reclaim Lansdowne Street
The move from Roxy to the three-story Lansdowne Street venue is a homecoming for Boston's gay club culture. House of Blues stands in the spot once occupied by Avalon, the legendary super-club once considered the epi-center of Boston's gay nightlife scene.
"For years, the slogan for Lansdowne Street was 'America dances here,' and we're ready to revive that tradition," says Harris, who co-promoted events at Avalon prior to its closing with Gay Mafia Boston's Raphael Sanchez.
When Avalon and its neighboring clubs were shuttered two years ago, almost 30 years of continuous Sunday gay club nights sadly ended. Even though Sundays were languishing, the party didn't end on a sour note. Lyons Group drafted promoters Harris and Sanchez to produce and promote a gay Saturday night party in Avalon, which had never hosted a dance party exclusively for the GLBT community. Those three months proved Boston gay nightlife was not on decline, but in search of upscale experience with top-notch talent and performers.
"I personally think that being asked to return to this amazing space is huge for the gay community. The customer really benefits because our increased capacity allows us to charge less at the door and now we can book big name talent with the kind of performance fees that were once out of reach for us. It's a win-win situation," says Harris.
Abel on tap for opening night; Tony Moran, DJ Paulo in coming weeks
Headlining opening night is triple-threat DJ/Producer/Re-mixer Abel, a resident at Ric Sena's internationally-acclaimed Alegria events (NY, Miami and Brazil) and one of the most in-demand DJs on the gay circuit. As one-half of the production duo Rosabel, Abel has repeatedly topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart with original productions ("Cha Cha Heels," "Rhythm Intoxication") and re-mixes for superstars Madonna and Jennifer Lopez. His most recent full-length CD is Alegria: Universo (Silver Label, 2008).
Upcoming guest DJs include heavy-hitters Tony Moran (Oct. 24), Richie LaDue (Oct. 31), Brett Henrichsen (Nov. 7) and DJ Paulo (Nov. 14).
An EDGE Founding Editor, Rick Dunn's writing has appeared in Bay Windows, The Windy City Times, Washington Blade, among many others. He also initiated The Boston Globe's very first (and last) gay column, Out & About in 2001. He was the editor of In Newsweekly from 1996 to 2003.
