Slowly but surely, as the audience began to fill out, people realized the DJ was really on one. Ickarus, a fixture of New York’s Bushwig drag collective, flew through Hot 100 belters (“365,” “Pink Pony Club,” “Body”), splicing in misty synths, open hats, and sweaty drums with finesse. A mix of “NUEVAYoL” and Benny Bennasi’s “Satisfaction” got things even more heated. To close their set, Ickarus ushered in a mini–drag show with La Zavaleta, a queen with bandages wrapped around her head and torso like After Hours–era Weeknd (until she theatrically peeled them off, of course). After trotting and thrusting to Kim Petras onstage, La Zavaleta christened the celebration with some kind words: “Please, please, please respect one another,” she implored. “Love each other. And not just for Pride! Every single month.”
Knockdown Center was bubbling by now, its open-aired interior rife with tipsy, bass-hungry revelers. Of all the acts, though, Sudanese American vocalist Dua Saleh was the most subdued, swaying between heart-fluttering falsettos and cunning raps. “Does anybody love hip-hop?” Saleh asked before ripping into the subterranean lurch of “cat scratch.” Clad in a black, flowy dress with chains swinging around their waist, Dua Saleh’s whispery cadence gave her an enchanting presence over the room.
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