last dance

You wouldn't think, judging from how my gang began the evening, that we would have ended up completely sweaty to the point of being borderline disgusting and, in the case of some of us, a little more drunk than intended. But that's what happened Saturday night at The Paramount for its Last Dance. Here's Darius, Jonanna, Dan and myself earlier at The Cowgirl
I had gone to the club a little earlier to take some photos before things got going.

It was pretty cool to see the staff getting ready for their last night, joking, in anticipation of what was bound to be a crazy night. I, queen of sentimentality, took photos and tried not to get choked up before it was even 9 pm.

Here I force Joe Ray Sandoval to have his photo taken with me while he was trying to set up equipment in Bar B. You see how thrilled he was.
Now why I took photos before things got going and not during is a question I will ask myself forever. Well, there was a line down the street, 800 people dancing and I didn't want to be encumbered with my camera (or risk leaving to put it in my car and never getting back in). But gosh, what a fitting end to The Paramamount. There was house music in the front, hip hop in the back, literally hundreds and hundreds of Santa Feans dancing. Santa Feans from every sector. Old, young, you name it. People who had loved the club for seven years of live music. People who loved it as a dance joint. Friends of the owners, everyone who had ever worked there. All of us. And despite being packed to the doors and down the street, despite the fact that it was like a furnace and everyone was literally soaked in sweat, the vibe was just pure good. People were happy to be at a seminal landmark at its final hours.

After everything was done I did run to my car and shoot a few photos of the aftermath, but it doesn't even begin to capture what things were like on the inside. But, there's a good chance you were there, so you know what I mean.