Just as long as you break his heart and not mine: Pet Shop Boys live

Been taking a breather from blogging but I wanted to stop by and share some of the groovyness from Wednesday's Pet Shop Boys concert at the Hammerstein Ballroom in Manhattan.

Initially, I had resisted buying tickets to the show because I'd feared it would be nearly sold out and that I'd only find seats in the nosebleed section. But then I realized that it was at the Hammerstein and that the site had a general admission policy. So I got tickets.

I am so glad I did! The boyfriend and I found ourselves about eight feet from the stage and got a very intimate look at the show. Even better, I got to share the experience with one of my favorite bloggers out there, Joe Jervis who we bumped into (he blogs at Joe.My.God).

That's me looking up in the black t-shirt and Joe behind me with the grey an yellow 'Brooklyn' t-shirt (don't mind me. I was watching some stage technician butt).

It was the first time I saw the Pet Shop Boys live and I was thrilled. It's incredible to think of all the material they have out there and easy to appreciate how hard it must be to select which songs to play - and how to please the fans who want to hear a specific song or another.

I, for one, loved the show. I had already read some preliminary reviews of this year's tour from fans in Europe panning the staging of the show. I, on the other hand, rather enjoyed the basic lego block look to the dozens of bricks that were used as background and I didn't mind that you could see all the strings attached to them. Or the stage technicians pulling those strings.

Instead, as I have done in recent concerts, I found myself feeling a bit detached from the experience and feeling as if I was observing it from afar. Part of the disconnect was due, perhaps, to the fact I was trying to film some songs on my digital camera to share on YouTube.

Even as I filmed, I found myself trying not to look too much through the viewfinder and trying to look directly at the stage and the performers. On the other hand, I am glad I captured some of the songs on camera, as I've found increased appreciation for some of the songs on repeat view, even if the sound is shoddy and the framing jittery.

Take for example the show closer, West End Girls (link here). It sent the crowd out on a high but it was only after I got home that it dawned on me that it was FUCKIN.WEST.END.GIRLS, if you know what I mean. The song that launched a million gay boy's appreciation for dance music, as well as part of the soundtrack to our childhood.

The highlight of the show for me, unexpectedly, came half-way through the set in the form of a couple of songs that I hadn't necessarily paid much attention in the past. "Do I Have To?" paired with "King's Cross", which I've posted above. And that's what happens to me with the Pet Shop Boys: Even though I probably have all their albums, you sometimes discover gems that were probably disregarded in the past ("E-Mail" anyone?).

For others, the highlight was Being Boring, an ode to all those gay men lost to HIV/AIDS (link available here).

If you wanna see more you can check out my videos of the show here or my photos here. We also ran into our friends Edmundo and Rodrigo (that's his photo of Joe and me above). Rodrigo has his own set of videos from the show here.

Related:

• The Pandemonium Tour (Modern Fabulousity)
• Pet Shop Boys @ Hammerstein Ballroom (Brooklyn Vegan)

And I leave you with Love, Inc.



...and "Left to My Own Devices" (apologies about the sound)...

Citizen Raul

For those of you who don't know, Raul is my hubby of 12 years (pictured above at a diner this morning). No. We haven't gotten officially married, and our partnership might be unconventional by other people's standards, but we have stood strong all these years, through thick and thin, through the good times and the bad times. And for far longer than many straight married couples, although the intent is not to rub it in their faces.

So there we were, William, Raul and I, at a diner outside the Brooklyn Immigration Court, feeling a little nervous and waiting for the time to go to the citizenship ceremony. We had our cameras and our cam-enhanced cell-phones. Unfortunately, when we made the security line, we found out that phones and cameras were banned and, worse yet, that we would only be allowed to watch the procedures from a separate room through an internal televised feed.

No. It wasn't like the pretty, pretty US citizenship ceremonies shown on movies and TV, with the US national anthem played for effect, and people pledging allegiance to the United States of America. It was more like what you would expect at a Brooklyn federal office: Bureaucracy, bored officials, a packed court, and little citizenship pride.

And still, when we were finally allowed inside court for the citizenship oath, I couldn't feel but moved: I was in the presence of hundreds of people who, like my hubby, had struggled to reach this one moment, and I was in awe of their perseverance.

As a matter of fact, when the judge ordered everyone to stand up and recite the oath, I couldn't help but look around the room and feel overwhelmed by emotion. Anti-immigrant folk always claim that they are not against immigrants, just 'illegal' immigration, but they rarely talk about how difficult it is to gain immigration rights in this country. Nothing farther from the truth. It's difficult as hell!

But there was Raul, looking a bit anxious but also a bit happy. And me, looking at him across the room and finally realizing what a momentous occasion this was. And then tears.

Damn, Raulito! You are finally a citizen, after all these years. And still very much part of me. I could not be prouder of you! Congratulations, bubby! Hugs! El Blabbeador.

The last word on Obama, before Super Tuesday

Pictured: Mike Vrabel of the New England Patriots (courtesy of patriotworld)

So the hubby calls me the pessimist because, unlike Monthy Python, I don't always look on the bright side of life. I always fight against perceptions of a surge or the hope that someone will beat odds so daunting that the world will shake on its axis.

So excuse me if last night I kept being amazed by the New York Giants' defense throughout the NFL Super Bowl but still found myself unable to get worked up enough to believe that they would win. Until, of course, those last three minutes.

And now: Super Tuesday. Polls. Blogs. Leads. Speculation. None of it will matter 'til tomorrow night so I'll assume the worst and celebrate if there's reason to do so. Specially in New York where the Democratic machinery is working the Hillary angle and seems to have provided an unsurmountable lead for her.

Then again... The rest of the Super Tuesday states might just make the world shake on its axis anyway and continue to make this one of the most exciting and important election campaigns in decades.

I will wait until tomorrow night to pass judgement. If you are in a Super Tuesday state of mind (including New York), help me shake the world on its axis by voting for Barack Obama in the primaries tomorrow!

In the meantime, help me make sure that the Patriots' Mike Vrabel (above) is a-ok despite the loss. The hubby certainly appreciates football so much more because of #50 last night. And, in some ways, the world is better for it.

So in Obama's spirit of reconciliation, Mike Vrabel, I am sorry the Patriots lost! Hope you vote for Obama tomorrow. I definitely think it will make you feel so much better.

Colombia Dispatch: Bogota

Bogota is all about....
Sudden downpours in the middle of a sunny day...
Kids in the playground celebrating the Independence Day - July 20th - by channeling their favorite historical figure (so cute)...
Anime grafitti artists who one day might make it to New York City and be utterly disappointed by the blah grafitti work on the walls of the Big Apple (they might do much better if they visit Spain). BTW: What is it with all the young men in Bogota sporting a Speed Racer spiky hairdo?
The hubby walking through a quaint but colorful neighborhood with his mom...
Pesky if somewhat domesticated waterbugs (remember the sudden tropical downpours?)...
The hubby and I posing in front of butterflies that light up with the colors of the Colombian flag...

Colombia Dispatch: Horsing around

Original it is not. I still remember the 2000 ¨CowParade¨ charity event which brought a herd of fiberglass cows - each painted by a different artist - to the streets of New York.

Calling themselves "the world´s largest public art event," the organizers have since set up similar outdoor exhibits throughout the world, auctioning different cows at the end of each exhibit as a fundraiser for different local charities in the host cities.

Enter Equus Arte in Bogota. Walking around the 93rd Street Park in Bogota over the weekend, the hubby and I ran upon several fiberglass horses that had been set up onthe periphery, each with a different design and look, some of them sorta `blah´but some actually quite stunning (the exhibit actually runs through September at various public sites throughout the city and features 74 different horses).

The event, set up by Fundacion Corazon Verde (Green Heart Foundation), seeks to raise money "to improve the quality of life of the widows and orphans of Colombian policemen."

On Thursday, El Tiempo profiled some of the artists, including Maria de la Paz Jaramillo who did "Azul," the blue horse below (next to the hubby). Sorry to say I didn´t take note of the other artists´ names.

Still, in the photo above you can also see how one of the artists took the opportunity to pose the question "Do kidnapped gays have the right to liberty?"

This is an allusion to the outpouring of emotion that erupted earlier this month through the streets of Bogota in reaction to the death of 11 politicians that were being held by the left-wing FARC guerrillas, who had kidnapped them a few months ago.

Tragically, the guerrilla still hold dozens of kidnapped individuals, some whom have been held for a decade or longer, some whom have a lower public profile than the various political leaders that still remain in their hands (including cause celebre Ingrid Betacourt) and some whom were kidnapped when they were very young. Among them a number of small town policemen who, in this country, usually come from the poorest regions and neighborhoods in the country.

The organizers have said that some of the funds raised throug Equus Arte will also go towards helping the families of those kidnapped policemen.

My New York: The 25th Annual Mermaid Parade

On my birthday a few weeks ago, hubby Raul and William tried to get me to Coney Island on time for the sunset. Instead we ended up stuck in traffic and taking an early exit out in Brooklyn where we had some delicious birthday grub along with my BLFFE (best lesbian friend for-evah) Diana.

With a series of officially announced "impending" renovations at Coney Island's famed amusement parks (home to the world renowned Cyclone roller-coaster and the Wonder-Wheel ferris wheel, above) our fears that it would never be the same took over and we decided to check-out the annual Mermaid Parade on Saturday. And, by golly!, we made it!

It could not have been a better day weatherwise. So, without further ado, the 25th annual Mermaid Parade in images!
The Mermaid Parade is all about... Red (hairy) Lobsters!
The Mermaid Parade is all about... "I wouldn't f*ck you for practice" Pooh Bear bikers...
The Mermaid Parade is all about... Some scary ass rides...
The Mermaid Parade is all about... Cute kids watching the parade go by...
The Mermaid Parade is all about... Ironically and cynically (?) hip topless redneck girls...

There were mermaids too but it would be unoriginal to post pics here, don't you think?

Hm, more pics of everything here. Also, seems I'm not the only one in the gay blogosphere to have made it to the parade for the first time this year?

Latino LGBT pride in NYC: 2003

Continuing our look at Latino LGBT organizing in New York through some of the photos I've taken through the years...

copyrighted photo - to post, please ask for permission: blabbeando@gmail.com

Queens pride parade, June 1, 2003: This week's great news that my home country of Colombia is set to become the first Latin American nation to grant some partnership rights to same-sex couples on a national level (other Latin American cities such as Buenos Aires and municipalities had done so before on a local level) came after several attempts to pass such a bill.

In 2003, the Colombian Lesbian and Gay Association (COLEGA) decided to stage a wedding reception and dance in support of a bill that was being sponsored by Colombian Senator Piedad Cordoba at the time. That we did it outdoors and at the Queens pride parade won us the "Simply the Best" award at that year's parade (yay!).

And, yes, before you ask that is the boyfriend (first guy on the left) dancing with another man.

Just a moment...

Snowy weekend

Spent the weekend upstate New York with the mom, the brother (the one who is living in the US) and friends. Got my first taste of winter snow (yeepee!!) - Just beautiful.

By the way, that's the boyfriend trying to catch a snowflake in his tongue as he shovels the white stuff out of the driveway.

Oh yeah, the food was great too! (Nothing like my mom's ajiaco soup!)

Queens... and other alternative lifestyles*

Today, the Queens Tribune has a special edition out focusing on the borough's LGBT community (they've covered the community through the years but I believe this is the first time that they have dedicated one of their special issues to the community).

My partner Raul and I were interviewed for a piece titled Latino Queens. You never know how an interview is going to turn out once it goes to press but I though editor Josh Parish did a pretty good job (though "Columbia" is actually spelled Colombia and "Medajin" is spelled Medellin). I am also glad that he was able to reach some of the referrals I gave him: Eddie Valentin and Casimiro Villa, owners of Club Altantis, Friends Tavern and the Music Box; and Fernanda Mendez, owner of Chueca Bar (we were, in turn, referred by my good friend Jimmy Van Bramer).

Now, about those puns on 'Queens' and that asterisk on the cover title? After being interviewed I received a message from Josh in which he asked several of the community's gay leaders to give some feed-back on the terminology that was being used ("Mary!" was one of the terms - hehe). Aparently, some people in the community expressed being offended by some of the wording being used in the interviews. But, inardvertedly, he raised even more issues by disclosing that the issue's title would be "Queens... and other alternative lifestyles." So even I got offended and expressed concern about the term 'lifestyle' (as I am damn certain that my sexuality is not a lifestyle, even if it's my choice to mostly vege-out on weekends is). The Tribune went as far as asking for recommendations for alternative titles. Ultimately I even had a cigar wager going on a change of title so when no cigar came, I knew that the title would stay. All's good though, that asterisk? Read on:

• * Watch Your Asterisk

You can read all the artricles here, but these stand out:

• Out and About in Queens
• What a Drag (I am so glad that Oswaldo Gomez a/k/a Miss Colombia a/k/a La Paisa gets some attention, that appearance on VH1's Best Week Ever must have helped).

The Return

I survived the yello-cab taxi stampede on Monday. That's good because I had to go to Newark airport to welcome back my papito. Nice smile on his face. No?