There'll be long lines and annoyed customers. sure, welcome to New York, so get there early and pop a Xanax or something to keep yourself calm (cuz nobody likes a stressy party goer, no way, no how).
What am I talking about? Just tonight's much anticipated re-opening of XL nightclub inside the much talked about "Out" Hotel on W. 42nd Street. XL was a popular and well-run nightclub years ago which unexpectedly closed it's doors in late spring 2006. Considered one of the nicest and best designed clubs in the city, the old XL had many attractive features - some second level party spaces, one of the biggest DJ spaces ever created and, most importantly, a commitment to nighttime entertainment beyond the random drag queen lip synching the latest top 40 hit. One of the biggest feathers in the cap of the old XL was the weekly appearance of drag performer Jessye Normous, a performer who sang classically trained opera backed up by a small live band. You'd think that wouldn't go over so well but the bar was always packed on Jessye nights.
Now XL reopens with a full slate of performers that includes Jessye as well as Sherry Vine and Lady Bunny. You can check out the whole lineup by clicking here.
There was a thread on Gothamist a few weeks ago dismissing the new hotel/club complex as too tourist friendly although given the sad sack state of today's gay nightlife in New York, frankly the idea of this place couldn't come at a better time. And I'll never understand any hotel in New York that doesn't cater to the entertainment needs of it's customers. Sure, there are a million nightclubs in New York and yeah, we're not in Vegas, a destination location where people rarely actually travel far outside of the hotel they're staying in... but again, given the sorry state of dance clubs (well, there aren't any) giving your customers an opportunity to stay somewhere super gay and come 'home' at the end of a day of sightseeing to a place where they can then simply go downstairs and dance, see some of New York's finest gaytertainment and possibly pick up a local who's wandered in to the club to have some fun... well, it makes perfect business sense.
Tonight is the big grand opening and literally all of gay New York is talking about it and aiming to be there.
As with other recent openings such as Flaming Saddles, there's always the conversation - is there enough business to go around with such a plethora of gay bars/clubs opening in mid-town? My belief is like that old line, 'if you build it, they will come'. Not everyone wants to go to a mega club. Not everyone wants to go to a dive bar. But if you build both, people who have been missing 'their' kind of club will come out. Look, it's a city of 12 million people and about 11.5 of us are teh gayz... and the only reason that gay nightlife has been suffering, isn't the lack of teh gayz, but the lack of good places to go. At one point or another, people just stop going out because they are not finding what they want. And you can take that to the bank, cash it and live off it for a decade, that's how true that is.
Will be at the opening tonight and report back in the morning hopefully with pictures - if I don't end up in someone's hotel room (ok maybe especially IF I end up in someone's hotel room LOL). :)
