Admit it: the traditional club scene seems a little smaller. Here’s a guide to big fun.
While prepping the “Nightlife” issue, we couldn’t help noting how that term has been redefined. Once upon a time (or at least, in the ’90s), the word immediately brought to mind a flood of obvious associations: the sight of flashing lights and fog effects, the sweet smell of dance floor sweat, the sound of unabashedly peppy music (probably produced by a small army of Scandinavian masterminds), and the taste of 3 a.m. Chinese take-out.
But in the ’00 era, “nightlife” has seemingly been pared down to humbler, albeit more refined, qualities. Nationwide, shuttered super-clubs were replaced by cozier ultra-lounges, and a lot of those banging Euro dance tracks were abandoned for the comparatively low-key grooves of Buddha Bar compilations. The landscape changed enough that when Tiesto, one of the world’s most prominent DJs, made a recent local stop on his new world tour, the only venue deemed fit to house a party that massive was Lowell’s Tsongas Arena. Boston, we should be a little beet-faced.
Blame a flimsier economy, a post-9/11 Bush-era malaise, or just our city’s pesky early closing times, but for a while it seemed we weren’t dancing the way we once did. Yet those of us who would rather dance the hours away than meekly sip martinis in a corner booth can still find some spaces that capture those big boogie nights of yore. Venu (100 Warrenton Street, Boston, 617.338.8061) and Rumor (100 Warrenton Street, Boston, 617.422.0045) have catered consistently well to the international crowds, and Gypsy Bar (116 Boylston Street, Boston, 617.482.3399) entertains enough high-profile out-of-towners to let it make a claim to VIP status (next up: celebutante Kim Kardashian headlines Gypsy’s anniversary party on November 13).
The Roxy (279 Tremont Street, Boston, 617.338.7699) is definitely ensconced as a stalwart piece of the club scene’s Old Guard. Its massive dance floor and proscenium stage are regal reminders that sometimes bigger is indeed better, as is its reputation as a go-to venue for DJs with marquee names and mainstream appeal. In the next month alone, there’s Sasha (November 5), Sander Kleinenberg (November 19), Deadmau5 (November 24) and David Guetta (November 25). One longstanding favorite that’s ending is the club’s popular Saturday gay night. Starting October 17, that night’s promoter moves EPIC Saturdays over to House of Blues (15 Lansdowne Street, Boston, 888.693.2583), a homecoming to the old location of Avalon, where Boston’s gay community partied hard until Lansdowne’s recent PG-13 makeover. But as last month’s Moby concert proved, HoB’s 53,000 square feet of space still make it a versatile venue for both live shows and traditional dance parties.
It’s easy to overlook Underbar (275 Tremont Street, Boston, 617.292.0080), tucked away in its subterranean locale. Stepping downstairs, there’s a sense that one has just discovered the Lost Atlantean Continent of Cool: blue walls, low white seating, and pillars adorned with seashells make the 400-person space feel like an underwater paradise. In a vote of confidence for techies, its sound system was designed for DJs by DJ Angel Moraes. Come up for air at RISE (306 Stuart Street, Boston, 617.423.7473), Boston’s only after-hours nightclub, where the weekend parties run from 1 a.m. to 6 or 7 a.m. Though there’s no booze, you may not care: the crowd here sees fewer casual clubber types and more in-the-know, true-blue dance devotees who can name drop international legends and cutting-edge ingénues with equal aplomb. On October 30 (or rather, the early morning of October 31), get spooked with Haunted Porterhouse, a Halloween party with resident DJ Steve Porter, who cut his teeth at RISE before going global and, most recently, taking over YouTube with that remixed “Slap Chop” viral video. File under: boogie fever.
