Big Freedia & ass everywhere @ Mercury Lounge (pics, video)

photos by Chris La Putt

Big Freedia @ Mercury Lounge — 5/26/2011

After opener (technically co-headliner) Javelin played a set to a packed house last night at Mercury Lounge (pictures of their set coming soon), DJ Rusty Lazer took the stage solo briefly, to warm up the hot and sweaty, and soon to be much sweatier, room. After a grand entrance through the crowd from the back of the room (which is where all artists have no choice but to come from at Mercury Lounge), with dancers in tow, queen diva Big Freedia took the stage to loud cheers and applause. From there it was about 40 minutes of non-stop ass shaking to Freedia’s brand of New Orleans bounce.

It was hard to tell how many of the dancers on stage were there with Freedia, and how many he picked up in NYC, and how many were just coming up from the crowd (though lots fit the latter description on Freedia’s command at times). But I think Freedia had at least four official dancers with her this time, and most notably one official male addition (and I don’t mean the popping man that she introduced as her own man, who was also on stage, and may have been the best dancer of all). If I’m not mistaken, the enthusiastic gentleman on stage in short shorts with a “frohawk” shaking his thing throughout the whole show was none other than the person known to some as “Frohawk”! As usual, great show. Freedia loves NYC and NYC loves Big Freedia.

Freedia does it again Saturday night at much bigger venue Brooklyn Bowl before continuing on tour.

Unless you’re up close or standing on a chair, it’s often hard to see what’s really going on stage at a Freedia show. Luckily Chris was front row last night at Mercury Lounge. More of his pictures and a video below…