Revolution gay club orlando

The prices may have been hiked a bit, but the feel at Revolution Nightclub is that of its predecessor, Southern Nights. It was those cheap Southern Nights drink prices that drew my friends — predominantly straight — to this predominantly gay bar years back. And it was a relaxed vibe and those fantastic drag shows that kept us coming back.

That is until the club, and its clientele, started having problems with the law. The club ended up closing, only to be remodeled and reopened under the same name. But the vibe had changed.

Southern Nights Orlando Celebrates Their First Anniversary

The dM-icor reminded me of being on a cruise ship, and the lounge where those wonderful drag shows took place had been turned into a separate bar for the gay crowd. But once again, legal woes and stupidity caused the space at S. Bumby Ave. The new owners must have been fans of the club from years ago — who also appreciated its cleaned-up second incarnation — because gone are those brightly colored swivel seats, and back is the side lounge — and those wonderful drag shows.

More muted tones and revolution seating give the front room a sophisticated feel, versus the carnival effect, and the back dance area is about the same, minus a ton of former seating, which I kind of missed. It was nice to see familiar face Danielle Hunter as the host; she made reference to Carmella Marcella Garcia, the riotous former host of the night.

After the show, I walked outside and, again, it could easily be 10 years ago, nothing looked much different — even down to the outside tiki bar that still bears the Southern Nights sign at the top. Man, I miss those cheap drinks. House and dance music thumped the club back inside, which was filling up soon after midnight and the last drag show.

Nothing new there. There was nothing pretentious about the place, which is why people across the board always dug the club. Revolution continues to offer that, just under a different name. Supposedly, there will be more than beers to sample, that is if you have the patience to stand in the lines leading up to them.

Hopefully, there will be lots of booths to keep the crowd moving, something Martinifest masters. Call State Road in Altamonte Springs has reopened yet again, under a new name. By Kelly Fitzpatrick and Contributed Content. More orlando News.