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Whoa! Well, good
heavens! Just when half of us were struggling back to the Beach
after a gargantuan New York Pride, and you might have imagined that
we had little energy left to spare—along comes Edison Farrow’s
Amnesia Reunion 10 to prove yet again that South Beach always has
the last word in celebration. And just what exactly were we
celebrating again? The Fourth of July? Gay Pride? Or was it Amnesia,
the club that more or less defined a certain era in South Beach’s
hedonism? Answer: all of the above. And woe to any poor soul who
decided to curl up with a good book on this Sunday of all Sundays,
because everyone else dusted off her do-rag and grabbed a new pair
of shades and headed out the door.
For a minute, the skies looked worrisome—but everyone marching their
way down the Beach to 1st and Collins must’ve shaken their shades at
the sky—and before you knew it, Amnesia @ Opium Garden was packed to
the gills and hot, hot, hot, with nearly a thousand of us milling
through Opium Garden’s Mediterranean fantasy foliage. We’re talking
almost the entire delectable membership of Equinox South Beach, and
also a bodacious Alegria contingent, as well as the comely CLICK
clique, and also that South Beach harem comprising Daisy D, Adora,
Shelly Novak and Chyna, as well as the entire news team from Channel
7, including Craig Stevens, and also producer Ric Sena and Kevin
Taylor, and lighting maestro Ross Berger, and Omar Gonzalez and
Dustin Reffca, and the Pennyback Boys, and Flavio Nisti (D’OH!), and
Dale Stine, and Jason Tamanini and Chad Richter, and Merle and Leo
and Matt and Carlos, and—oh, puhleeze—it’s probably easier to list
the very few who weren’t there.
And up in the booth, there was David Knapp, looking as pleased and
sweet as punch to be back where he’d celebrated so many New Year’s
Days and Winter Party post-parties. Which was, in fact, what many
people were feeling: a kind of return to Xanadu. There was the guy
who’d traveled from Chicago, just because he used to party at
Amnesia back in the day. And the two gay brothers from the Honduras
who were sixteen when Amnesia was first happening. And there were
the newbies who’d never been to Amnesia—only heard the stories—until
now.
And once more as before, the banquettes around the floor were packed
with dancing boyz and flaggers on the platforms as David Knapp
plated a mélange of delicious medleys such as “Don’t Lose the
Magic.” Everyone was happy, smiling wide and laughing loud. And
slowly, as a profusion of Chinese lanterns glowed pink and gold
above the dance floor, the sun set behind the skyline on a perfect
day in paradise.
Happy Fourth, Happy Pride—and snaps to all of us who werked it out
on the floor—and most especially to Edison Farrow for having the
wherewithal to pull this party together and get David Knapp back to
what was once Amnesia and make the magic happen again. Here’s to the
Beach and here’s to the bunch of us! Don’t we know just how to LIVE
and LIVE AGAIN!
Best always,
Mark and Robert
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