Deep Dish: Starship

Sat, June 29 @ Kool Haus

“Fag! You’re it!” Outing homos? No, silly, we’re playing a game of tag at this year’s Prism Matinee Starship main event. It’s the perfect spot. Lots of room to run around in The Guvernment, decorated only with eye-popping lighting effects, which shoot out and illuminate the half-naked crowd, turning them into Tron porn. Cutting through our playground is a large round stage that seems designed solely for the vanity of those who scramble up on it, eager to show off their pretty, plump packages and hump guys with brand-new gym bodies. But around 1am the platform empties and becomes centre stage for singer Vanessa Klein, who wows us with her vocals. Who is that? Adele? No, it’s Vanessa, who channels her voice so well we take a break from our game to marvel. Her energy continues as the main stage is overtaken by teams of dancers in hot red-and-black leather futuristic motorcycle gear, then huge white feathers, then skimpy silver shorts and glow-in-the-dark armbands, who surround DJs Micky Friedmann, Phil Romano and Ivan Gomez. And though I wasn’t feeling the Taylor Swift remix, I was appreciative of the Salt-n-Pepa throwback. As the night continues, our little game of tag becomes a frenzied game of gag. Is there really a lineup to get slutty on the stage?

Check out the slideshow at the top of the story for more photos!

Rolyn Chambers is a graphic designer and freelance writer. His first book, The Boy Who Brought Down a Bathhouse, was published in 2017.

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Culture, Opinion, Nightlife, Toronto

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