Friday night, my friend Ed and I made our way to a little joint called The Dark Room in San Francisco to see Ian Harvie and Selene Luna. They were in town with Margaret Cho for the GayVN Awards.
I have to say it's the first time I've seen a show at a place that was BYOB. People brought in 6-packs (not the kind WE wanted to see!), tall cans of beer, etc. Anyhoo, it was a very enthusiastic crowd.
Before the show, I had to tinkle, so I went looking for the restroom. Keep in mind this is a very small place. I was directed past a certain curtain, and I see Selene heading for the can. So I'm standing there looking around, I turn to my right, and there are Margaret and Ian in the "green room," if you want to call it that.
Margaret quickly greeted me, introducing me to her guitarist friend Mike. "Blake's a big fan. He's been coming to see me for 25 years, since he was little!" I felt a bit like Diana Ross when she says, "I've been singing for 45 years, and I'm only 46!"
I chatted up Margaret and Ian about last Monday's Fingerbang show in LA. Taylor Dayne was among the audience who went to see them. Apparently, she really did Tell It To Their Hearts!
Then Selene entered the room and walked right past me. I said, "Hi Selene!" She turned and said, "Oh, hi! I didn't see you. I guess I should look up!!" They were all ready to rehearse a song, so I ducked out and went back to my seat.
The Dark Room really is just that. It was like someone's cozy living room, and being right in the front row, Ed and I were almost onstage with the gang! For a few moments, we were even part of the show!
Ian and Selene sang (in character) and each performed standup as well. It was the first time I'd seen either of them do a full show. Their extended sets allowed both of them to really settle comfortably into their performances, sliding on the routines like an old pair of shoes.
Then, as an added bonus, Margaret came onstage, doing about 30 minutes of songs and comedy with the audience in preparation for the next night's hosting gig. We got much more than the $10 show we paid for.
To top it off, I found out that "do-it-yourself" photos taken from above are very flattering!
