上周末在San Jose第一次看了一场drag show，表演的是三个参加了上一季RuPaul’s Drag Race的queens。 上一季我断断续续看过几集，只对她们里面的一个有点印象。 当时也是我第一次看RuPaul，其实并不太喜欢，因为感觉里面的女孩都互相bitch来bitch去的。偶尔她们会一起攻击一个目标，就会让我觉得有点像校园霸凌。 而且即使单论舞台上的表演，舞蹈她们完全比不上kpop，lip sync更是没有kpop爱豆假唱专业。总之没留下太多正面印象。

抱着这样的低预期去了现场，结果我完全被她们的表演震撼了！！先是三个人一起表演了一首，接下来分别单人lip sync，然后两两配对又是三个节目。 中间穿插了请现场穿着千奇百怪的观众上台lip sync，来自湾区本地的drag queen表演。最后三个人又一起上台热舞一曲。

作为初看drag show的观众，最让我过瘾的肯定是drag queen纵身一跃，把腿折叠起来，全身摔到地上的那种地板动作（笑死，这个招式应该有个专有名词吧）。 这场秀里也有，不过并不多。真正让我大开眼界的除了他们在舞台上卖弄风骚，还有就是她们会在lip sync的时候走下台，去和观众互动，同时拿观众热情塞过来的钞票。

我们本来其实迟到了，只能在入口等着。那个剧场类似《爱乐之城》里的爵士酒吧，是那种几个人围着一个小桌坐着看台上表演的布置。 结果工作人员竟然把我们带到了普通区的最前面，离舞台就隔了两排VIP，离她们超级近，开心。不过她们下台走到观众席的时候，周围的人都在热情给钱，我们就有点尴尬==

下面这个是整场秀的最后一首曲子。其实整场我最喜欢的是其中一位单人表演的时候了唱Lady Gaga新专里的歌，不过可惜没有录：

回来之后，这几天我们每天晚上都在看现在正在更新的英国版RuPaul。我觉得是不是英国人比美国人含蓄啊，里面的drama明显比美国版要少。 认熟了脸之后我还给好几个人起了外号，看起来感觉更亲切了。几期下来竟然也能看到选手的人物弧光，初看讨厌的女孩到现在也觉得很可爱。 当然节目依旧有我不喜欢的点，尤其是每一期的排名几乎都让我大跌眼镜，感觉节目组有在做局。

开发了一个新的消遣方式，开心。

Last weekend I went to my very first drag show in San Jose. The performers were three queens from the most recent season of RuPaul’s Drag Race.

I’d actually watched a few scattered episodes of that season, and only vaguely remembered one of them. It was also my first time ever watching RuPaul — and honestly, I didn’t like it that much back then. It felt like the girls were constantly bitching at each other, and sometimes even ganging up on someone… which gave me major high school bullying vibes.

Even if I ignored the drama and just focused on the performances — the dancing couldn’t compare to K-pop idols, and the lip sync felt less polished than K-pop’s fake singing (lol). So, yeah. My expectations going into this live show were very low.

But wow. I was completely blown away.

They started with a group number, then each queen did a solo lip sync, then they paired up for three more acts. Between sets, they brought audience members (in all kinds of chaotic outfits) up on stage for a lip sync battle, and there were also performances by a local Bay Area queen. Finally, the three of them came back out together for a big closing number.

As a first-time drag show attendee, my absolute favorite moment was when a queen leapt into the air, folded her legs, and slammed onto the floor. (There has to be a proper name for that move, right? 😂) They didn’t do it too often, but it was glorious when it happened.

What really surprised me was how interactive the show was — during lip sync numbers, the queens would walk off the stage and sashay through the audience, collecting cash tips from excited fans.

We’d actually arrived late and were stuck waiting at the entrance. The venue looked straight out of La La Land — a cozy jazz club layout, with small tables and a low stage. Then, surprisingly, the staff seated us in the very front row of the general section, just behind VIP. So we were super close to the queens. The only awkward part was… when they walked past, everyone around us was throwing cash, and we were just sitting there like 😅.

This clip below is from the final group performance. My favorite moment of the night, though, was actually one of the solo acts — when a queen performed songs from Lady Gaga’s new album. Sadly, I didn’t record it.

Since then, Leo and I have been watching the current UK season of RuPaul’s Drag Race every night. Maybe it’s a cultural thing, but British queens feel less dramatic than the American ones — there’s way less chaos. Once I started recognizing faces, I even gave a few of them nicknames, and they suddenly felt way more endearing. And a few episodes in, I’ve started seeing their story arcs — queens I initially didn’t like are now feeling cute.

Of course, the show still has things I don’t love… especially the judging. I swear the rankings each episode are wild. It really feels like the producers are pulling strings behind the scenes.

But overall — I’ve discovered a new, very fun way to unwind.