New DJs, New Dancefloor, New Boots in Right Direction!
- April 4, 2008
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Sclub77 from Edmonton, Alberta
Even 5 years ago, Boots was relegated to "that bar you don't go to" for the hip young gay clubgoer in the city. But with the demise of The Roost (which came around in 1977, just 2 years before Boots) and the gradual going-to-pot of Buddys, Boots 'N Saddle seems to have re-emerged as a downtown hot spot.
It's still intimate and in need of a coat of paint and remodel, but you don't go to a gay club for the decor. You go for the history, the people, the music. And Boots is exceeding where Buddys has failed.
Within the last month, the tables and chairs that once occupied the massive floorspace near the tiny stage are removed on Friday and Saturday nights, and now you have a dancefloor larger than even the one downstairs at The Roost. You can still dance on the stage as well. Room for TONS! Drag shows and other events still happen, and there's a definite buzz back in the bar.
2 DJs have been brought in as well, both young, pretty and talented beyond belief; Sexxxy Sean spent 4 years between Buddys and The Roost, Jazzy Geoff was a Roost mainstay for more than 10 years, and they play Friday and Saturday, respectively, from 10 until close.
Now we have big dance anthems and remixes, Top 40, rock, pop, disco, techno, hip-hop and r&b where there was once a lack of any of that, or indeed a space to groove to it at all. Thank you for recognizing that the atmosphere--lights, strobes, fog, etc--make the music that much better. And I hear there are more additions to the space to come!
The owners have installed gorgeous and totally unique dance lighting that makes you feel like its "Saturday Night Fever" 2008 style; the walls and floor light up in rotating patterns of red, blue and green; these are some intelligent lights!
The staff, as ever, is friendly, unassuming, professional. The laissez-faire attitude makes you feel welcome, regardless of age, gender or orientation. Indeed, Boots now attracts more younger lesbians and gay men than it ever has, and straight ppl seem to like it's casual, no-pretense atmosphere and crowd as well.
Never any cover or coatcheck. Located right downtown next to Garage Burger--which Boots owns--whose kitchen is famous for winning The Best Burger in Edmonton award every year.
It may not be the hippest or prettiest bar in town, but The Roost shutting down has, for some business owners at least, opened the door to take a serious look at their bar and make improvements, entice new clientele while encouraging the regulars to keep coming back nearly 30 years later.
It may only seem like lights and live DJs, but to turn your pub into a club on the weekends is a huge deal. It gives people a new space to fill on Fri's and Sat's; it reminds us of the glory days when Boots was THE gay bar to be in, and that its edge and purpose are back; it's a place of comfort for gay youth; it breathes new life for the owners, staff and surrounding businesses. A little effort here pays off big there.
For Boots 'N Saddle, the changes are welcome, much-needed, and shows a slowly-but-surely level of commitment and moxie that most bars, gay or str8, haven't bothered to pick up on in the last year.