The EndUp
| The EndUp | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Type of Venue: | Gay dance bar |
| Current status: | Active (08/20) |
| Address: | 401 6th Street, San Francisco, CA (map) |
| Country | San Francisco |
| Phone #: | (415) 896-1075 |
| Website: | http://www.theendup.com |
| What's good: | (Since 1973) |
| Source: | Wikipedia 02/2017 |
The EndUp is the longest-running dance club in San Francisco, California having been founded in 1973. It is located on the corner of 6th and Harrison, in the SoMa (South of Market (Street)) district. The EndUp has two bars, a lounge with fireplace, a dance floor with mirrored columns, and a large open-air deck with a waterfall, plants and seating. The venue has hosted a variety of benefits, events and clubs and each night has a unique dance focus catering to subsets of the dance community. The club reflects the changing nature of gay, dance and San Francisco cultures.
History
Early years
When the nightclub first opened, the dance floor was made of translucent plastic with flashing lights below. The EndUp was originally an entirely gay dance club, catering mainly to Asian-Americans and their admirers. It was famous as the location of the Sunday Afternoon Wet Jockstrap Dance Contest from about 1974 to about 1992 . Entering this contest is how many San Francisco Go-Go dancers began their go-go dance careers. This contest was made famous in the 1978 book Tales of the City, the first volume of the six-volume series (hexology) Tales of the City by San Francisco author Armistead Maupin and recreated on the movie of the same name.
The EndUp began opening at 6am on Sunday morning in 1980 for a party originally called The Church with DJ Steve Fabus. Those who had been up all night dancing at the Trocadero Transfer and still wanted to dance more, came to "The Church" when the Trocadero Transfer closed at 6am. The EndUp is famous among DJs as the place where Hi-NRG music began with the DJ Patrick Cowley at the Menergy parties in 1982 . On Valentines Day (February 14th) 1984, a contest called Go-Go's Wild was held at the EndUp in which the person who was judged by the audience to be the best go-go dancer in a wooden cage (with four vertical poles--shaped like a telephone booth) got a prize of $100. Many people entered this contest and it inspired many to begin their go-go dance careers.
Early 90s
In the early 1990s, the EndUp was the location of the popular avant-garde queer club Club Uranus or simply "Uranus" on Sunday night and the Klub Dekadence on Friday night. Created by counter-culture nightclub promoter Gregg Taylor, who later also created "Product" at 1015 Folsom, Club Uranus was not only a very fun club but also fostered a community of artists and "freaks" who celebrated excessive creativity and encouraged others to flex their creative energies. With co-MC Jerome Caja and a cast of Club Kids, drag artists and performance artists like Trauma Flintstone, Diet Popstitute, Steven Maxxine, Kitty Litter and performers like Pussy Tourette and Elvis Herselvis Club Uranus was the place to be a part of the bohemian underground scene. The annual Miss Uranus Pageant became legendary when Miss Betty, a contestant with a hamster, threw a carrot into the audience hitting an audience member in the eye. She had been feeding the animal by holding the carrot between her butt cheeks. The local gay media ran a series of letters attempting to get any legal names of the performers but no one cooperated.
The club also served as a catalyst to the mushrooming early-90's rave scene as a place for the mixed crowds to gather after a night of partying.
1995-2005
The two most popular clubs at the EndUp between 1995 and 2005 were Fag Friday on Friday evenings (which has usually featured male go-go dancers) and T-Dance on Sunday morning til 8PM.
Ownership change in 2005
In August of 2005, the club was sold by the brother of the founders to a group of six, young, Asian American urban professionals. A direct result of this was a turn away from House music. Although the changes made by the new owners to the physical structure were considered commendable, the club lost one of its most celebrated parties, Devotion, in September of 2005. Its replacement Super Soul Sundayz, is hosted by House music DJ David Harness. It is felt by some that the new owners have yet to demonstrate continued commitment to what made the club legendary; i.e., emphasizing House and disco music and catering primarily to the gay clientele. The club originated as a gay club when it was considered risky do so in 1973, even in liberal and free-spirited San Francisco.
The Endup is currently trying to take most of the promotions in-house, so that it can direct the club to become diverse while preserving a great atmosphere. The parties at the EndUp now mostly feature Electroclash (popularized since about 2003) which although a departure from the gay disco and early house music that helped create the club is popular with many younger gays. Some of the older patrons of the End Up are displeased with this change from an emphasis on House music to an emphasis on Electroclash music, although David Harness, a well known House music DJ, is still playing at the End Up as of 2007.
The new owners have made, and continue to make, fundamental changes to both music and talent. “Devotion," the only internationally-known party, ended in dispute a month after the take-over. Also, many long-time DJs have left since; for example, Charlotte the Baroness, Tracy, Ruben Mancias. Just recently, the legendary “Fag Fridays" announced it was relocating to another venue due to financial inequalities and other concerns, in media interviews they remained focussed on the “Fag Fridays" event. Sydney Leung, one of the new owners (and a lawyer) emphasized that the EndUp is committed to keeping the place "legendary."
2016 deaths
In 2016, two separate incidents of violence involving club patrons occurred in or just outside of the EndUp. In the first incident on June 5, 2016, officers responding to the sound of gunshots entered the EndUp around 2:00 a.m. after witnessing several people hurriedly exiting the building. Inside, police found 19-year-old Sean Ford suffering from gunshot wounds. Ford was taken to a hospital where he died. Two suspects were initially arrested and charged, but the charges were later dropped for lack of evidence.
Four months later on October 2, 2016, an argument which began inside of the EndUp became physical once it moved outside the club. 26-year-old John Sanyaolu, accompanied by his friends and relatives who had joined him at the club, was shot along with two of his relatives. Sanyaolu died of his injuries after his assailants fled the scene.
The EndUp today
Its most popular parties are the daytime Sunday T-Dance, followed Sunday nights by Super Soul Sundayz, Reggae Gold - 2nd & 4th Saturday nights, and Fag Fridays every Friday night. The EndUp has played host to an enormous spectrum of international DJ talent, and continues to represent the artistic-underground culture of the city. Some of the regular acts currently performing in the space include Pink Mammoth, Red Melon, Green Gorilla Lounge, Deep House Project, and David Harness.
From October 2005 to July 2006 one Saturday a month, the EndUp hosted the Revolutionary Club, put on by club promoter Jim "Astro Boy" Williams and featuring DJ Keoki.
The Sunday morning T-Dance is still the longest running party at the EndUp. the T-Dance has always featured a lineup of some of the best-known house DJ's in San Francisco such as Aaron O, Blackstone, Nikki Rivera, Tommy Rogers and many others from back in the day of the early house music era. The Current DJ lineup includes residents Jim Hopkins, Vince, Adrian, Nikola Bayalta and Hawthorne as well as various once a month guests like "The Early Show".
Contact info
Address: 401 6th Street, San Francisco, CA (map)
Phone # (415) 896-1075
References
- The EndUp Endures (in Thee Wave magazine)
- Thirty Years of the Endup (from SF Bay Guardian, on tribe.net)
External links
Chat rooms • What links here • Copyright info • Contact information • Category:Root