Tour 2016
Here’s a little write up I did for our 2016 tour!
Dear Pen Pal,
We just had to write and tell you about our latest adventure to the west coast, The Jigglewatts Burlesque Revue’s Annual Summer Tour! Every year we hit the road and in 1956…I mean 2016… burlesque babes Jolie Goodnight, Layna d’Luna, Ruby Joule and Something Blue packed up the car and embarked on our longest tour ever, Pasties in Paradise. We traveled all the way from Austin, TX to Seattle, WA with stops everywhere in between.
Our first destination on tour 2016 was at The Clocktower Cabaret in Denver, Colorado where there were Jigglewatts on stage for two nights. Local feature One Chance Fancy and host Naughty Pierre joined us to bring a night of tropical tease to the Mile High City. In addition to our evenings at the Clocktower we got to hang out with some local friends at Gary Lee’s Motor Club, knock longingly on the window of a closed tiki bar and even paid visit a marijuana dispensary.
After our final performance at The Clocktower we packed up the car on the streets of downtown Denver at around midnight, piled in and got on the road to Vegas where we had a show the next night. It’s an 11 hour drive through the mountains and there just so happened to be a huge meteor shower that night. We kept our sleepy eyes peeled for any sign of a shooting star so by the time we got to our crash pad in Vegas (courtesy of Banana Fosters and Sin City Pearl) in the early afternoon, we were ready for a long nap. We got in bed for a few hours, but then it was time to wake up our faces, put our smiles on and get to work. The local burlesque community, including several beloved legends, attended our show at Boomers, which was graciously hosted by local producer, May Blush. After the show we shared a meal at El Dorado Cantina (next door to the infamous Sapphire Gentleman’s Club) and witnessed the glorious implosion of the Riviera Casino, complete with fireworks and a shock wave that rattled our water glasses. We wiled away the rest of our time in Las Vegas at the home of Tiffany Carter where we spent a blazing afternoon in the pool and got to meet and greet with several of our burlesque legends. We always make it a priority to get to Sin City while on tour to visit those who came before us and gave us this art.
After our days in the desert it was time to head to the coast. In the Jigglewatts, we’re lucky to have two drop dead beautiful queens of paradise, Miss Tiki Oasis 2015 Jolie Goodnight and Miss Tiki Oasis 2014 Ruby Joule, which makes for a very rum filled tour! Not only do we get to spend four days in Tiki paradise at the Hanalei Hotel in San Diego for Tiki Oasis, but our 2016 tour also included stops at several west coast Tiki bars including Pagan Idol in San Francisco, the Golden Tiki and Frankie’s Tiki Room in Las Vegas and many others. As we set out for San Diego we had to make a quick stop in Palm Springs to gape at the architecture and visit the Tonga Hut Tiki bar before moving along. As we rolled up to our yearly San Diego haunt content from pu-pu platter and other fusion delicacies, we started to feel right at home. Our local hosts always stock up on the gin, champagne and coffee when they know The Jigglewatts are coming to stay. On the road there is just nothing like the comfort of familiarity, and Matt and Lily always treat us like their own.
We attended a lovely evening with our hosts at one of our favorite vintage San Diego supper clubs, the Riviera, where Jigglewatt songstress Jolie Goodnight got to sit in with trumpet impresario Jason Hanna. Of course, our trip to San Diego wouldn’t be complete without a stop at our favorite California kick back, the Golden Beach at the Hotel Del Coronado. We can’t resist sipping champagne cocktails on the veranda as the gentle breeze blows in off the Pacific Ocean on an always-perfect San Diego day. After a cocktail (or a few) we ran down to the sand that literally glitters with golden flakes to strip down and dip our toes in. Our little beach party usually turns into a girlie photo shoot (inspired of course by Marilyn Monroe’s famous role in Some Like It Hot, shot at the Del Coronado in 1958), so last summer we had a real photographer join us to capture the fun. Steve Edmund of San Diego was a fly on the wall for our sexy summer soiree on the sand, and boy did he get an eye full! From splashing around in the chilly Pacific waters to lounging in the sun and pretending we’re Marilyn Monroe, our champagne drenched afternoon at the Del was a perfect way to start off our week in San Diego.
After our day on the Golden Beach, the real madness began as Tiki Oasis – Party on Monster Island commenced! The opening night party at Bali Hai was wild as we drank mai tais under the stars surrounded by ghouls and goblins. Jolie Goodnight and Ruby Joule took the stage in their go-go glory to shimmy the night away. After the party we spent the witching hour on the beach, at Ocean Side this time, to listen to the waves, cuddle under blankets and get excited about the weekend. But as they say, Tiki Oasis is a marathon, not a sprint, so early the next morning we were already in hair, makeup and bikinis for a day of hard work in Tiki paradise! There are worse jobs, no? Layna d’Luna and Something Blue grooved poolside on the go-go platform, while Jolie Goodnight and Ruby Joule took to the Tiki Oasis main stage for some sultry burlesque. But our yearly trip to Tiki Oasis wouldn’t be complete without stripping to our skivvies in a few room parties, sponsored by Bachelor Pad Magazine. The tikiphiles, dressed as monsters and ghouls squeezed into steamy hotel suites to catch a glimpse of burlesque, surf rock, and who knows what else all while sipping endless cocktails and more varieties of rum than one should ever mix.
After recovering from our hangovers and picking fake blood and flowers our of our hair, we made our annual pilgrimage to Monday Night Tease in Los Angeles where producer Lili von Schtupp always takes care of us. Special guests Nikita Bitch Project and LA Jigglewatt Pearl Lux joined the cast for one night only at 3 Clubs. We love our loyal LA audiences, which are always full of friendly faces. But we never get to stay long, as our next destination was all the way to the top in Portland, OR. We hooked up with Tana the Tatooed Lady (Miss Tiki Oasis 2013) for a show at Portland staple, Dante’s and then afterwards stayed in her charming bungalow along with her gender non-conforming cat, Bill Murray. Their lives were in flux as Tana was preparing for a move to Las Vegas, but not before she joined The Jigglewatts for the Pacific Northwest leg of our tour. Our stop the next night in Tacoma, WA was privy to a tiny but loving crowd of about 10 people, most of whom were a lovely local troupe called The Gritty City Sirens. The support of local burlesque artists means so much to a traveling troupe and we absolutely relished meeting these gals who are making burlesque happen in Tacoma.
By the time we got to Seattle we needed a little sand between our toes and The Jigglewatts are never far away from a bottle of rum and some fun in the sun. We somehow always find our beach no matter where we go. We hadn’t even been in the city of Seattle 24 hours before Tana the Tattooed Lady led us to one of her favorite lunch spots on Alki Beach. Burlesque super star Iva Handfull noted, “I’ve lived here 10 years and have never found/seen a beach in person, you’re here 15 minutes and you’re on one!” To which Jolie Goodnight replied, “ It’s one of the duties of Miss Tiki Oasis. Get three MTOs together and a beach appears!”
The farther away from Texas we got, the cooler the summer days were. Though it was August, it was a chilly, grey Seattle day when we sipped our coffee while overlooking Puget Sound from the patio at Chez Fabulique and decided to take a stroll around the Pike Place Market. As we wandered around the fresh cut flowers, produce, cheese and charcuterie we simply had to see the famous flying fish and why not get a fillet for dinner? We flirted our way into some fresh fish from the handsome young fishmongers, but by the time we left we were wishing we had brought home a side of beef as well!
Our show in Seattle, hosted by El Vez, The Mexican Elvis, was well attended by burlesque superstars who call Seattle their home. After a raucous show we were pleased to meet and greet with Iva Handfull, EmpeROAR Fabulous and Kitty Baby. The next day Ruby Joule and Jolie Goodnight hosted a few classes at Miss Indigo Blue’s Academy of Burlesque.
After our Seattle engagement and stay at Chez Fabulique (the most beautiful, pink, vintage apartment you’ve ever seen, courtesy of the equally fabulous Kitty Baby) we made our way back down the coastline to enjoy a few nights in San Francisco. We spent a rum filled night gallivanting around the city’s many Tiki watering holes and were dazzled by extravagance all evening. We started out with Something Blue’s first flaming volcano bowl thanks to the folks at Smuggler’s Cove. From there, already well lubricated, we headed to dinner at the historic Tonga Room where we were treated like Tiki royalty from our lagoon-side cabana. The hourly rainstorms had us transfixed! We ended our evening at Pagan Idol, sipping apricot slush and talking cocktails with the barkeep by the glow of their steaming volcano.
The next night we joined the Fishnet Follies in Oakland, CA for a night in their speakeasy, The Garter Room. Producer Mynx d’Meanor showed us a fabulous time along with other members of the Fishnet Follies including 2016 King of Burlesque Harden Reddy and 2017 Winner of Best Small Group at the Burlesque Hall of Fame, Frankie Fictitious.
It was hard to go back home, but by the time we arrived in Austin we had already set goals for tour 2017. We knew exactly where we wanted to go and what we wanted to see. Of course our trip begins with Tiki Oasis as always and this year we are so ready for the theme, International Intrigue! We’ve been listening to our Henry Mancini records all year and we’re even planning our show this summer around it. That’s right, coming attraction this August: The Jigglewatts are The Agents of T.E.A.S.E! Something Blue, Jolie Goodnight and Ruby Joule are hitting the road once again and making stops in some of our favorite places. Dispatch has sent urgent orders to rendezvous with audiences in Denver, Colorado Springs, San Diego, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and San Francisco to name a few!
The Jigglewatts can hardly wait to get on the road for tour 2017. We have so many fun things planned and are excited to meet new audiences in new places. Our mission begins August 10th at Tiki Oasis and continues all the way until September 8th. Be sure to check our dossier www.thejigglewattsburlesque.com to see when we’re coming to your town.
Something Blue 