This past weekend, Boise Pride ran through Ann Morrison park in downtown Boise. On Friday, Sept. 18th, the mainstage was graced by many local queer icons including:
Tucker Wright, Miz Wafter, Lucy Fore, Frida Nightz, Josh Emara, Kara Mel, Black Velvet and Corvette Collective, with local drag queen Transjenifahs Gawdy serving as the night’s MC.
Two performers, however, are not Boise locals: music artist Chrissy Chlapecka and drag queen and DJ Trixie Mattel. The ticketed concert began at 7:30 p.m. with Chlapecka taking the stage to perform some of her greatest hits and personal favorites from her most recent album, “Christine: High Voltage.” Chlapecka says her favorite parts of the show are performing her ballad “Girl on the Moon” and the new high-energy songs in her setlist.
“Then at the end are like my four favorite songs which are Andromeda, Passionfruit, Aria, Apollo, and those are the best part of the whole show for me,” said Chlapecka.
Chlapecka donned long pink and blonde hair, pink face paint and a diamond bodysuit for her set. Much of Chlapecka’s music and performance centered around female confidence, loving herself and pushing others to love themselves.
“I think it’s the most important thing ever. Growing up as a young girl I didn’t get a lot of those messages,” said Chlapecka. “To be able to learn that for myself and to teach other people to be empowered and love themselves, is truly one of the top tier most important things to me.”
“I thought that her vocals were absolutely incredible and I wasn’t expecting someone to actually sing live, so I was really really happy about that,” said 19-year-old pride attendee Alli Tucker.
Chlapeka left the next morning for Los Angeles, where she caught a flight to Dublin, Ireland. Her headline European tour begins Sept. 24, and it continues through the fall.
At 8:20 p.m. drag queen Trixie Mattel, a former RuPaul’s Drag Race competitor, took the stage for an hour-long DJ set.
Mattel used the set to promote her beauty brand, Trixie Cosmetics, frequently using a branded mirror to check her hair, and spraying Trixie Cosmetics hairspray throughout her set. Halfway through her performance, she swapped her heels for a pair of light pink crocs, earning cheers from the crowd.
Mattel’s set included six background dancers, all of whom are local to Boise. Bret Tiderman, manager of mainstage talent, said four of the six dancers came from Ballet Idaho: Kaelyn Lefferts, Cydney Covert, Izzy Urbano and Isichel Peréz.
“Give it up for these Boise dancers!” said Mattel during her set. “Yes, dancing! Yes, Boise Pride!”
During her set, Mattel paid tribute to RuPaul, as well as her friend and comedy partner Katya Zamolodchikova, who is currently dealing with medical issues, according to MSN. She also played “Private Idaho” by the B-52s, further connecting her set to the Boise audience.
“It was togetherness,” said concert attendee Katarina Teebken, “Everyone came together and it was beautiful.”
Mattel closed out the night by paying tribute to Dolly Parton with her song “9 to 5,” before thanking the crowd and her dancers.
