So a couple of weeks back I got the glorious news that DWV (the US drag queen powerhouse that is Detox, Willam and Vicky) would be performing in Kremlin. As a major major major RuPaul’s Drag Race fan (for those who don’t know, RuPaul’s Drag Race is an American reality tv series hosted by the fabulous RuPaul where the finest drag queens battle it out to be crowned America’s Next Drag Superstar) I was extremely excited at first, and then I realised that I would be over in England at the time so couldn’t go – heartbroken would be putting it lightly – anyone who knew me at all knew not to mention it and I eventually got over the fact that I wouldn’t be able to see the beautiful ladies that I’d seen on screen live and in person.
Anyway, last week as I was scrolling through Facebook waiting for the latest Drag Race episode to download I saw a glorious sight – Adore Delano current finalist and my all time favourite from season six would be performing in Kremlin on the 23rd May, just four days after the final episode of the series would be aired! Would she be crowned queen? Would she have to ‘lip sync for her life’? Would she look better in a dress than I do? I didn’t care, I’d be seeing her live a few days later no matter what!
To cut a long story short, Adore didn’t win – but as it happens she didn’t win American Idol either when she appeared on the show in 2008 out of character under his real name Daniel Noriega. But the winners never really make it as big as the runners up on these shows anyway…
So the 23rd rolled around and Kremlin was full to bursting of fans waiting to see the queen herself, and at around 1.15am she took to the small stage in Red Square and was introduced by Belfast’s own Miss Trudy Scrumptious. After uttering her happy-go-lucky catchphrase “PARTY” Adore launched into Joan Jett’s ‘I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll’, followed by Nicki Minaj’s ‘Superbass’. The good thing about a drag queen who’s been on American Idol is that you know she can sing – and Adore’s great voice is a unique and welcome departure from the more traditional drag queen lip-sync.
After a couple of warm-up songs it was time for business as she introduced her latest single ‘DTF’ and despite only having released the debut single 3 days prior, the crowd not only knew every single word, but yelled them back at her with gusto. After a semi-successful stage dive and borrowing various audience members accessories the crowd got another sneak peek from her upcoming album Till Death Do Us Party in the form of ‘I Adore You’, and with that she was done. For those lucky enough she hung around afterwards for a meet and greet (and from what I’ve heard if you were cute and single, maybe a little more…).
All in all it was a great night, she may not have won Drag Race, but from the reception she got in Belfast you wouldn’t have known. Adore Delano we salute you, in the words of RuPaul himself: condragulations.
