I had my first club experience at South Beach in Montrose with Willam Belli and nothing will ever compare, I mean unless I meet Alaska or something. Dancing and having fun with my closest friends and girlfriend in a club for the first time was the absolute best. Even though I couldn’t drink because I’m underage, I still had a great time. There were a few hiccups in being a first timer – like showing up a little too early and actually trusting the advertisement, but the overall experience was one I’ll always remember.
The club I went to was South Beach in Montrose. Montrose is a predominately gay area in Houston so going to a club here made me feel safe in a way. Immediately after entering I felt a sense of relief. I knew I wasn’t going to be judged for who I am, how I dance, how I was dressed, or what I was doing. There were so many different kinds of people here dancing to the beat of their own drum, like no one else was in the room. It was an insane experience that I’ll honestly hold close to my heart for a long time. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that care free and happy in a public place before. There were no feelings of anxiety or nervousness in my body whatsoever.
There were only two downfalls about the club itself that particular night, one being the music. The DJ was playing an odd mix of EDM type music with top 40’s songs remixed into it. At one point “Love on the Brain” by Rihanna somehow was remixed into dance music. The other downfall was the pricing of the drinks. Like I said, I am underage so I couldn’t drink at the club, but my girlfriend and two of my friends are 21 and over. My friends paid $9.75 for a shot that night that is usually around five dollars. That being said, we spent entirely way too much money this night, but it was all for a good experience.
Showing up too early was definitely a rookie mistake, but the worst part was having to wait for Willam. The advertisement stated that Willam would be at the club from 10PM-4AM so we got in at about 10:45, but she didn’t actually arrive on stage until 1AM. The advertisement also said the cover charge would be five dollars but to our surprise was fifteen when we got to the door. Their reasoning was that Willam was in the building, but that was also false because at around midnight we heard a waitress telling another, “When Willam gets here…,” meaning that she was not in the building. Even with all the false advertisement, I was determined to stay, have a good time and see Willam.
Finally, when Willam arrived she went on stage and started singing and greeting everyone. She was hilarious with her remake of the song “Hello” by Adele. People were waving money at her for tips all over the place. Eventually she made her way out into the crowd and I was within touching distance of her. I was actually star struck, like I could not believe I was that close to someone who is not only famous herself, but knows Ru Paul personally. Willam only sang three songs than had a sort of meet and greet afterwards that cost extra money. Although her performance was short, it was still 100% worth it waiting and being there for four hours.
I hope to attend many more drag shows in the future and even just go to have fun. This first experience definitely will not be my last!