Over the past decade, Kevin Larson has created quite a following through his annual Victorian Fetish Ball and White Rose Gala parties. And over the past year, he's been hearing a lot from some of those followers, thirty-somethings who said they wished there was a place where they could hang out with people their own age and not have to deal with younger kids still in the bar era. A place where they'd be treated with respect. A place where they could sit and watch entertainment, then get up and dance if they wanted to.
"I just kept hearing that over and over," Larson says. "And I was like, 'Your wish is our command. We'll create it for you.'"
He started by taking the former Tabú (and before that, Alley Cat) space, at 511 West Colfax Avenue, and turning it into a 25-and-over club called Wish. During the past five months, the address has been transformed into a warm and embracing spot with an organic feel based on Zen principles. One room has aspen trees growing out of a sunken couch pit. Another room, the Grotto, is done like a cave, with big couches creating the outline of a pond, kind of like a Japanese rock garden. The main area is done in purple velvets, very theatrical — which makes sense, since Larson's parties are known for their theatrical entertainment. And on Fridays and Saturdays, he plans to bring in various contortionists, aerialists and circus performers to augment his own ten-girl performance troupe of trained dancers and performers, who will do fully choreographed routines. Eventually, there may be more adult-style entertainment in the vein of Cirque du Soleil's Zumanity show. Mondays through Thursdays, Wish will serve as an event center that can be rented for business functions, wedding receptions and private parties.
For right now, though, Larson wants to make sure the club offers the public 100 percent customer service with a positive vibe. "None of the staff is allowed to say anything negative," he says. "It's meant to be somewhere where you can walk in and enjoy your time off and have a great time. Everyone is so limited these days with their free time, and the last thing you want to do is go out and be treated poorly or hear about other people's problems."
Wishes come true this weekend, when Larson will host grand-opening events on Friday, September 5, and Saturday, September 6.
Club scout: Since leaving Bender's Tavern (314 East 13th Avenue) a few months ago, DJs Wesley Wayne and Parris have taken their famed Night of the Living Shred on a bit of a local tour, stopping at the Shag Lounge (830 15th Street) and 3 Kings Tavern (60 South Broadway) before settling on a new home. On Thursday, September 4, the two will kick off their residency at Rockbar (3015 East Colfax Avenue), which will celebrate its second anniversary through the weekend.
On Saturday, September 6, Oskar Blues (303 Main Street in Lyons) hosts its annual Osktoberfest party with live music by Velvet Elvis, the Dangerfields, Buckskin Stallion and the Ash Ganley Band. The music is free and starts at 2:30 p.m. Ten bucks buys you a special, all-you-can-eat German-style barbecue of bratwursts, spaetzle, glazed apple pork, braised cabbage and pears, German potato salad and barbecued corned beef.
My Brother's Bar (2376 15th Street) will open on a Sunday for the first time in its history on September 7, to host a fundraiser for Ron Sigg, who has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrig's disease. For details, call 303-455-9991.
