Melba Moore At NYC's Trippin' Party

Last night I attended Trippin' On The Moon, the recurring disco oldies party for the members and performers of NYC's legendary Saint disco. The featured entertainer was Tony winner and four-time Grammy nominee Melba Moore, who looked and sounded so amazing that I had to whip out my phone to confirm that it was, in fact, 42 years ago that she won the Tony for Purlie.

Miss Moore only pulled a few numbers out of her lengthy pop-disco catalog, including Standing Right Here and You Steppin Into My Life. That's a good thing, because if she'd done 1976's This Is It, I'd have probably exploded into a cloud of glitter and rainbows. But how cool is it to share an entire dance floor with gay men who know every word to a 35 year-old disco record? Fantastic party.

Melba Moore performs at Carnegie Hall this Thursday.

TRIVIA: Moore got her Broadway start in the original production of Hair, the show whose cast included several stars of the early disco era. Others: Paul Jabara, Vicki Sue Robinson, and Ben Vereen. Donna Summer's career launched in the first German production of Hair.

UPDATE: Melba responds. Squee!

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the promoters, today's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to Trippin' On The Moon, the next installment of the reunion of the members and performers of NYC's legendary Saint disco. The party takes place on Sunday, January 22nd at Cielo in the Meatpacking District. Starring DJs Robbie Leslie and Mark Thomas, the evening will feature a special performance by Tony winner and disco/R&B star, Melba Moore. [JMG: Squee!]

ADMISSION: $30 by presenting your SAINT membership card to the cashier (this price is only available night of event at the club) $50 advanced "will call" tickets via PayPay available until Friday January 20th, 2012 at 11:59pm (note: "will call" means your name will be with the cashier as paid. You will not receive a ticket in the mail. Please bring proper ID. $60 night of event if available.

Enter to win by commenting on this post. Only comment once and please leave your email address in the text of your comment. If you cannot be in NYC for Trippin' On The Moon, your winning entry is transferable to another party. Entries close on Thursday at midnight, west coast time. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

VIDEOS: Moore's 1976 smash Lean On Me challenged many a drag queen in the late 70s. Because it's HARD to hold your mouth open long enough for that final note.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the promoter, today's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to this Saturday's installment of Trippin' On The Moon, the reunion of the performers and patrons of NYC's legendary Saint disco. Original Saint DJs Warren Gluck and Robbie Leslie will perform. Doors open at Manhattan's Santos Party House at 9pm and the dancing continues until 4am. Advance tickets here. Discounted admission will be available at the door to those presenting an original Saint membership card.

Enter to win by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your entry. If you cannot be in Manhattan on Saturday, your winning entry is transferable to your favorite disco lover. Entries close at midnight on Thursday, west coast time. Publicists: If you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the promoters, today's Swag Tuesday booty is a ticket to this Sunday's 30th anniversary reunion of the patrons and performers of NYC's legendary Saint disco. Trippin' On The Moon: Dancing Under The Dome begins at 4pm at Santos Party House in Soho. Facebook event page.

Seven DJ’s, all who graced the turntables at one of the most spectacular clubs in the world will come together for one very special evening. Not since the closing party in 1988 have they all been under one roof. Please join us for what will sure to be a monumental event as we celebrate 30 years of music, dancing, friendship and memories. Music of (in alphabetical order): Michael Cavallone, Michael Fierman, Warren Gluck, Robbie Leslie, Terry Sherman, Mark Thomas, Sharon White. Lights: Richard Tucker. Special guest performer!

Advance tickets $60, tickets at the door (if available) $75. Get a special discounted admission of $40 by presenting your original Saint membership card. Advance tickets here. Enter to win a ticket by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the the text of your comment. Entries close at midnight on Thursday, west coast time. If you cannot be in Manhattan on Sunday, your winning entry is transferable to your favorite Saint fan.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the promoters, this week's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to Trippin' On The Moon 4, the fourth installment of the reunion of the members and performers of NYC's legendary Saint disco. The party takes place Saturday, April 10th at Santos Party House in Manhattan's Tribeca. (This is the very first Saturday night event for Trippin'!) Original Saint DJs Michael Fierman and Robbie Leslie will perform, spinning the classics of the most vaunted gay nightclub in history. Tickets are $45 at the door. Bring your original Saint membership card for a discounted admission of $20. Facebook event page here. My review of the first Trippin' party, including a photo slideshow and videos, is here. My review of the most recent party is here.

Enter to win two tickets by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your comment. If you cannot be in NYC on the day of the event, your winning entry is transferable to another person. Entries close at midnight on Wednesday, west coast time. Publicists, if you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

VIDEO: Here's a clip from the January party.

Trippin' To The Oldies

Flags, fans, tambourines, claves, cowbells, and baby powder. Sunday's third installment of the Saint reunion party, Trippin' On The Moon, was an end-to-end delight. I walked in to Linda Clifford's sultry 1978 classic Runaway Love and left about seven hours later shortly after the Love Unlimited Orchestra's My Sweet Summer Suite. Perfection. The clip below has some seriously borked audio as I spun around the room too damn close to the speakers at times, so turn it down. But starting around the middle keep an eye out for some JMG regulars, including Charlie, who gives us a short dance floor castanet performance. Congrats to promoter Christine Visca and DJs Micheal Fierman and Robbie Leslie for another fantastic night. The next Trippin' will be in April. Can't wait.

Swag Tuesday

Courtesy of the promoters, this week's Swag Tuesday prize is two tickets to Trippin' On The Moon III, the third installment of the reunion of the members and performers of NYC's legendary Saint disco. The party takes place this Sunday, President's Day eve, at Santos Party House in Manhattan's Tribeca. Original Saint DJs Michael Fierman and Robbie Leslie will perform, spinning the classics of the most vaunted gay nightclub in history, with a special appearance by Cut Glass vocalist Ortheia Barnes. Advance tickets are $35, tickets at the door, if available, are $50. Bring your original Saint membership card for a discounted admission of $20. Facebook event page here. My review of the first Trippin' party, including a photo slideshow and videos, is here.

Enter to win two tickets by commenting on this post. Only enter once and please remember to leave your email address in the text of your comment. If you cannot be in NYC on the day of the event, your winning entry is transferable to another person. Entries close at midnight on Wednesday, west coast time. Publicists, if you'd like to take part in Swag Tuesday on JMG, please email me.

Trippin' III - January 17th!

The third installment of Trippin' On The Moon, a reunion of Saint members and performers, takes place in NYC on January 17th. Facebook event page here. Advance tickets $35, available here. The first one was amazing, one of my best nights of 2009. (I missed the second one because I was in SF for my birthday.) The coming party will feature a performance by Ortheia Barnes of Cut Glass disco fame. Here's a recent clip of Barnes performing the Cut Glass classic, Without Your Love. The 1980 original is here.