The night started young after Day 3 of the 2007 GAYVN Expo, as a weeklong series of pre-parties culminated in HustlaBall Las Vegas 07 at Krave.
The dropping temperatures didn’t stop fans from lining up outside the door for the VIP pre-party at 9 p.m., with celebrity Bruce Vilanch — wearing his “Former Action Figure” T-shirt — being interviewed on-camera by Angel Benton for Rentboys.com.
“I think we can expect insanity and nudity,” said Vilanch once inside, as he sat down at his first HustlaBall and received constant attention from eager fans and well-wishers wanting to talk to him. “I love watching porn stars, so I know it’s going to be a great evening.”
The early event was held in the smaller room, with the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — dressed in a colorful drag with ornate hats and fabulous makeup — standing out.
“Our biggest responsibility is to perpetuate universal joy,” said Sister Rhoda Kill, noting that 19 Sisters from various states were in attendance. “We are considered the hosts for tonight, and our job is to make everyone feel welcome. This is actually very much a party, but it’s also about camaraderie.”
The pre-party slowly filled up as dancers took the stage in various combinations, with Benton and FabScout Entertainment’s Howard Andrew — who had 13 models among the 90 performers. Chi Chi LaRue arrived and also took the stage to address the audience.
Performer Raven O was in the crowd before hitting the stage in his first HustlaBall appearance. “This one is going to be a different flavor. It’s usually disco-diva, but now it’s going to be an all-boy show that’s very male.”
Event founder Tom Weise was also in the crowd, and many industry models were also spotted in the audience, including Channel 1’s Josh Vaughn (“I’m just a guy from a little town in Texas, and I signed in August, so who knows?”), Derrick Hansen, Alex Chandler, and Ken Mack.
Channel 1 star Tommy Blade was enjoying the pre-event, chatting with peers and fans before preparing to perform during the final part of the stage show. “You can expect a seductive, sexy, sinful male review,” he said with a smile. “I’ll be performing some simulated sex behind a sheer curtain with Pierre Fitch and Ralph Woods.”
As the night progressed, nearly 20 models took the stage to dance, including Blade, Jay Armstrong, Cole Ryan, Big Roger, Pierre Fitch, Ralph Woods, Tony Ferraro, Zach Rockwood, Vin Nolan, and the boys from ChaosMen.com.
“I think we have a closet heterosexual on the stage,” shouted Howard Andrew as the Chaosmen hit the stage. “Boxer shorts?!”
The Sisters also hopped on stage as the dancers heated the crowd up, with Ryan getting frequent attention from the emcees, eventually finding himself sandwiched between two Sisters.
The crowd then moved into the large stage area in anticipation of the big event, as music and light filled the quickly packed room. The performance started with sets of dancers mounting two raised podiums in the corners of the dance floor, on far sides of the stage’s catwalk. Ryan, Armstrong, Fitch, and Woods all returned, with Jeremy Hall getting lots of looks — and tips — as he stepped up.
By this time the dance floor was packed, and after some light flogging and a long set by Cole Ryan, who was visibly excited by the energy, Jake Deckard and Big Ryan hopped on board before Part 1 concluded, as the lights bounced off the stage’s white curtain and Vilanch entered for some jokes — plenty on the cold weather (“It’s so cold, Wayne Newton’s Botox froze!”) that drew more moans and groans than laughs, but still kept the crowd attentive. LaRue joined him to share microphone duties (“This is the first mike that we’ve shared since George Michael!”).
LaRue called for deejay Brett Henrichsen to strip (unfortunately, the hunk did not oblige), and then he introduced Raven O, who entered the stage from a platform lowered from the ceiling.
He sang two songs (including the Barry Manilow/ Donna Summer hit “Could It Be Magic?”) with four backup dancers draped in black. “Take off your shirts, motherfuckers!” he shouted between verses, encouraging fun in the hot Sin City crowd. “Who wants to be a whore?!"
Up next was Ari Gold, singing in a leather mask along with two masked dancers on the stage’s side balconies. The masks were shed and Gold sang another song. Raven O returned to introduce the next act. “It’s time for a new sexual revolution!” he proclaimed. “And HustlaBall is the place!
Up next was Kenimattix, a dance/ performance duo comprised of Ken Berkely and Matthew Cusick who like to “Brave Gravity and Defy Belief.” The two chiseled men kept the crowd enthralled with a series of acrobatic/ gymnastic moves, with remarkable upside-down hand lifts and a bevy of body-defying positions that received heavy applause.
Two large TV screens highlighted their moves, and Raven O then returned to introduce the Fetish Fashion Show, with Diamond Black Annie stripping down to pasties as Elvis was heard belting out “His Truth is Marching On” with six models popping their loads… of glitter, which shot out of their batons.
Raven O returned to perform with the Sisters, then Weise hit the stage again to thank the fans and acts. The encores brought studio models to the stages in sets, with the Hot House boys — Francesco D’Macho, Vinnie D’Angelo, Tony Mecelli, Marco Paris, and Marc Williams — up first and getting very close with each other. Titan was up next, as Tober Brandt and Diesel Washington engaged in some domination fun before engaging in some (mock) watersports before other studs — including Falcon and Channel 1 stars — concluded the show.
GayStockroom.com was on hand with a booth to show off its fetish wear, while other booths included the Gay and Lesbian Community Center, which handed out condoms and lube in support of HIV awareness. The event was presented by JustUsBoys.com and also supported by other industry giants like GayImLive.com, GayHotMovies.com, Channel 1, ID Lubricants, and FabScout Entertainment. Also supporting were Rentboys.com, Adammale.com, Titan Media, Hot House Entertainment, Marcel Bruckman Gay Entertainment, and GayWebMonkey.com.
Started by Weise and Jeffrey Davis of Rentboy.com, HustlaBall began in 1998 at New York’s legendary hustler club, Stella’s. The event first appeared in Las Vegas in January 2005 to coincide with the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo, and has also had numerous appearances in Europe and other U.S. cities including San Francisco and West Hollywood.
