Shakers Bar – Photo: Ward Morrision / Metro Weekly
It was just before 11:30 on a sultry Saturday night when we rolled up to Shakers, D.C.’s new queer bar on the scene, to find a line snaking up Ninth Street.
We weren’t mad about the brief wait, but rather glad to see so many folks out enthusiastically, safely getting their life, packing bars, clubs, and restaurants up and down the U Street Corridor.
The buzz of late-summer sexiness circulated among throngs pouring into nearby Kiki, Nellie’s, and the Dirty Goose, and crowding into every straight-catering spot along the strip.
Knowing what nightlife looked like two and three summers ago, it appears going out has made a fierce comeback — which might not be true in every U.S. city.
“I think D.C. is kind of unique,” says Shakers co-owner Justin Parker. “I feel during the pandemic, and as it was winding down, across the country we kind of saw in other cities there were spots that were closing. I feel D.C. saw the LGBTQ bar scene [expand] — I mean, we’ve had, what, four or five spots added within the last 2 to 3 years.”
Daniel Honeycutt, Parker’s partner in life and raising their one-year-old baby, as well as running both Shakers and the Dirty Goose, agrees that while, nationally, LGBTQ spaces “are really struggling, and we continue to see them struggle…post-pandemic,” that the Capital has been bucking the trend. “It just seems like D.C. is hopefully headed in the right direction, where we have more spaces available for us.”
Shakers — located in the single-floor space formerly occupied by Whitlow’s — sprawls temptingly from a front bar area with a cozy dance floor and stage, back through a well-lit lounge into a rear patio, all of which were comfortably crowded as I swirled through sipping a tasty Mezcal margarita.
Elsewhere, but not too far away, Beyoncé was wrapping up that night’s Renaissance World Tour gig, so, of course, DJ Glen Coco kept Bey in rotation, and the dance floor on their toes.
An excited roar went up for “America Has a Problem,” and queens jumped onstage to let everybody know, “You won’t break my soul,” but the dance floor really threw down to Tiësto and Charli’s “Hot in It.” Proof there’s room for every queen at the club.
And it was hot to revel with the diverse crowd, from dancing twinks and pre-gaming Kiki daddies, Howard and Gallaudet queers to tourists, and, later in the night, the bedazzled Beyhive rolling in dripped in merch and full of tales to tell.
Shakers — Photo: Ward Morrison / Metro Weekly
Three voluminous rooms of strangers felt like one party — and that’s part of the concept of Shakers, which also will include nights for drag entertainers, cabaret, industry movie nights, and space for community meetings and family days.
“I think people five, eight years ago were questioning, do we actually need gay bars anymore,” Honeycutt says. “And I feel like, where you sit today, the resounding answer is, ‘Yeah, yeah, we need LGBT, queer spaces that are community.’ It’s more than just a place where you drink.”
Shakers is located at 2014 9th St. NW, between U and V Streets. Visit www.shakersdc.com. Follow Shakers on Instagram @Shakers.Bar.
Two men were stabbed by a woman wielding scissors outside a gay bar that has long been a fixture in the LGBTQ community and the city's West End neighborhood.
According to a news release from the Metropolitan Police Department, police arrested 35-year-old Mary Kennedy, who has no fixed address, for allegedly assaulting the two men after they stepped out of The Fireplace, at 22nd and P Streets NW. The neighborhood venue is popular among members of Washington's Black LGBTQ community.
According to a police incident report, one of the victims was walking in the 2100 block of P Street, near the Z-Burger carryout restaurant just a few storefronts down from The Fireplace, around 7:30 p.m. on August 18.
Troye Sivan is back with another taste of his forthcoming album, and it seems like the pop star might have one of the best releases of his career on his hands.
The singer-songwriter has unleashed his new single "Got Me Started," a laidback and chill number. The tune doesn't force people to the dance floor like its predecessor, the high-energy anthem "Rush." This time around, Sivan is hoping to cater to those headed to the afterparty, rather than the club itself.
"Got Me Started" serves as the second single from Sivan's forthcoming album Something To Give Each Other. That project is expected to arrive on October 13, so fans only need to hold on for a little less than a month before they can hear the set in its entirety.
In a spectacular end to the third and final show of Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour residency at Los Angeles's SoFi Stadium, fans were treated to an unforgettable moment as legendary singer Diana Ross made a surprise appearance to celebrate the headliner's 42nd birthday.
Speculation had been rife regarding a surprise throughout the day of the concert, but the excitement turned to sheer astonishment when Ross graced the stage in Inglewood, California.
Rumors are rumors, but when a legend like Diana Ross shows up, everyone is thrilled -- even if they were expecting her to show up.
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