noizemagazine - Index

noizemagazine - noiZe Magazine Issue 57 August 2008 - Index

PaRTy REvIEw:
aLEgRIa PRIDE
DJs Rosabel (Ralphi Rosario/abel), Eddie Elias, Dudu Marquez
webster Hall, 125 East 11 th Street, New york City Saturday 28 June 2008
Text and photos by Mark Thompson
With massive air-conditioning ductwork
snaking up the facade of
Webster Hall from the street below,
anyone on the outside could see
that the scene inside the soldout
Alegria Pride 2008 would be
Stygian—and it was: steamy hot,
dark, and hard. With three DJs
working three separate rooms and
boyz from around the globe overflowing
the labyrinthine dance
floors, staircases, and hallways,
Alegria Pride 2008 was another
gargantuan affair—and a testament
to producer Ric Sena’s bold vision
in the face of Manhattan’s nightlife
meltdowns. Alegria has found a
new home.
For the second time, Sena’s Alegria
installations were mired in labor
strikes—but fortunately, Sena had
contingency décor at the ready.
Recent changes inside Webster
Hall made it clear that Sena knows
what he is doing. Although parts of
the club still resembled a construction
project, there was evidence of
improvement in nearly every nook
and cranny of the recently designated
New York City landmark.
The renovation is bringing historic
Webster Hall up to date as one of
the city’s major dance venues.
The closing of Pacha by the NYPD
the night before (since reopened)
was on everyone’s mind. It must
have been on Rosabel's mind when
they whipped out Madonna’s “They say
that a good thing never lasts, and that it
has to fall/ Those are the people that did
not amount to much at all.”
It quickly became evident, however, that
whatever drama was going on around
town, Alegria just got better at Webster
Hall. Or as Madge had it, “Give it to me/
No one’s gonna stop me now.”
That’s pretty much how the night went:
unstoppable. Perhaps it was the brandnew
mirror ball, the words ALEGRIA
UNIVERSO outlined in blue neon, or
a dozen brand-new tufted red velvet
banquettes scattered here and there.
More likely, it was the new sound systems,
downstairs in the newly tessellated
Marlin Room and upstairs on the Main
Ballroom, making every beat sound fresh
and sweet.
Above the floor, a constellation of celestial
galaxies shined, the contingency
décor illuminated by a battalion of
lasers. Ross Berger on lights, assisted
by Kyle Garner on lasers, completely
reanimated the venerable space. With
Rosabel holding down the stage and
Berger on the Mezzanine, the two forces
worked together to create an unparalleled
fusion of light and sound.
Maybe it was working with Ralphi again,
but Abel seemed even more on fire than
usual—and his sound became even
more percussive and persuasive, as if he
were shifting into a new realm where he
68
Healthy Am I! Happy Am I! holy Am I!