Baton Show Lounge, The (Chicago)
From TSade
Some of my girl friends dragged me out to see The Baton in Chicago. The Baton is a revue of female impersonators for a fancy word for men who became women and sing and dance. This was my first time, so I had no idea of what to expect, but I was happily surprised.
The first part about it is that I haven't been to a bar in years. And I mean years. The last time I was in a bar was when I was sixteen and a friend of my mother's offered to get me with another cute girl dancing. Being shy, I said no, but it was very tempting. So, I was in a bar and it was filled with that low haze of smoke that seems to be everywhere. The line to the woman's room was packed and the men's room was empty.
The other thing I noticed was the wedding parties. There were a lot of bachelorette parties being held there, at least a dozen when Ginger Grant called them out. And mixed in with this hundred or so semi-drunk women were the few men... including one from our party.
We got by-the-stage seats which was a very nice surprise for our friends who have been there and for me, who was completely clueless of what to expect. I got my first hint when one friend asked if I was a "big tipper." So, I naturally said "huh?" but the bar was so loud I never got it explained.
It didn't take long. By the first song was over, I saw Ginger, a big-looking woman with a nice sense of humor, being handed dollar after dollar. I've never been to a strip-club but I get the feeling that it is much like that. Next time, I'll bring a couple hundred dollars or at least a couple of twenties in ones.
There were five women, I choose to use the assumed gender instead of their "original" because I believe you are what you want to be be, in the show. Two of them were enough to make my mouth... okay something else, water. They had a wonderful sense of energy and they really put their heart into the dancing and songs. I wish I remember their names, but they stole my heart... and I wish I realized I needed cash when I came there. Tipping is part of the culture and I was an outsider, someone who just stood there in awe, wishing I could do something. I wanted to make them happy, to see that smile in their eyes.
Chilli Pepper was very nice too, even if she singled me out to make fun of me, there was a wonderful sense of playfulness that I wish I could have rewarded. She is an older woman but that didn't stop that dark sense of humor that she poured into the words.
I enjoyed the show very much. They have a 22:00 and a 00:00 show and I think a 20:00 show. From what I heard, the later the show the better, but I was enjoying myself so much, I had to write about it. So, I would recommend it to any one who doesn't mind seeing hot-looking women dancing around and having a wonderful, energetic good time.
This is one of those things I'll probably be going, back again and again. At least once a year.
