Arts & Entertainment
Night Out of soccer
Several sponsorship levels available for Sept. event
United Night Out relay participants last year. (Photo courtesy of the Federal Triangles)
On Sept. 21, the Federal Triangles Soccer Club, in partnership with D.C. United will host the second annual United Night Out at RFK Stadium as the D.C. United take on Chivas USA at 7:30 p.m. This will be the fourth Night Out of the season sponsored by Team D.C., following on the heels of events with the Nationals, the Kastles and the Mystics.
Tickets are $25 (regularly $32) and ticket holders will have access to the Champion’s Club beginning at 6 p.m. throughout the game. Reserved seating will be in sections 201, 202, 203, 301, 302 and 303. There will be a pre-game performance by the D.C. Different Drummers and the national anthem will be sung by local gay crooner Peter Fox. At halftime, there will be a relay race pitting local LGBT sports teams against each other.
D.C. United has generously offered to donate a portion of each ticket to D.C. based non-profit, Food & Friends, whose mission is to foster a community caring for men, women and children living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other life-challenging illnesses by preparing and delivering specialized meals and groceries in conjunction with nutrition counseling.
Families are encouraged to be a part of the event. Children can be signed up to participate in the D.C. United High-Five Tunnel. The kids will get exclusive access to watch part of the warm-ups from field level, and then high-five the starters as they come through the tunnel for introductions. Contact D.C. United representative Brad Snook at 202-587-5494 to book your kid’s spot.
D.C. United has a long history of supporting the LGBT community. Its members were early and avid supporters of the Federal Triangles Soccer Club when they hosted the International Gay and Lesbian Football Association World Championships in 1997, and then again when the Triangles hosted the championships in 2009.
This month, D.C. United will release an “It Gets Better” video to become the first Major League Soccer team to participate in the campaign. Brad Snook, D.C. United representative, says the players are proud to lend support to the anti-bullying campaign founded by Dan Savage. Its tagline “win championships, serve the community” rings true in such endeavors.
Group participation levels for United Night Out are:
Team Captain (10 tickets) — name on website and one raffle entry to win a jersey.
Supporters’ Club (25 tickets) — live link on the website, recognition on the stadium scoreboard during the match, two raffle tickets to win a jersey.
Community Partners (50 tickets) — two tickets to Food & Friends’ 22nd annual Chef’s Best dinner and auction (a $500 value), logo and link on the website, recognition on the stadium scoreboard during the match, five raffle tickets to win a jersey.
Tickets can be purchased at Nellies Sports Bar and the HRC Clothing Store. Online purchases are available at unitednightout.com.
Celebrity News
Madonna announces release date for new album
‘Confessions II’ marks return to the dance floor
Pop icon Madonna on Wednesday announced that her 15th studio album will be released on July 3.
Titled “Confessions II,” the new album is a sequel to 2005’s “Confessions on a Dance Floor,” an Abba and disco-infused hit.
The new album reunites Madonna with producer Stuart Price, who also helmed the original “Confessions” album. It’s her first album of new material since 2019’s “Madame X.”
“We must dance, celebrate, and pray with our bodies,” Madonna said in a press release. “These are things that we’ve been doing for thousands of years — they really are spiritual practices. After all, the dance floor is a ritualistic space. It’s a place where you connect — with your wounds, with your fragility. To rave is an art. It’s about pushing your limits and connecting to a community of like-minded people,” continued the statement. “Sound, light, and vibration reshape our perceptions. Pulling us into a trance-like state. The repetition of the bass, we don’t just hear it but we feel it. Altering our consciousness and dissolving ego and time.”
Denali (@denalifoxx) of “RuPaul’s Drag Race” performed at Pitchers DC on April 9 for the Thirst Trap Thursday drag show. Other performers included Cake Pop!, Brooke N Hymen, Stacy Monique-Max and Silver Ware Sidora.
(Washington Blade photos by Michael Key)
Arts & Entertainment
In an act of artistic defiance, Baltimore Center Stage stays focused on DEI
‘Maybe it’s a triple-down’
By LESLIE GRAY STREETER | I’m always tickled when people complain about artists “going political.” The inherent nature of art, of creation and free expression, is political. This becomes obvious when entire governments try to threaten it out of existence, like in 2025, when the brand-new presidential administration demanded organizations halt so-called diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programming or risk federal funding.
Baltimore Center Stage’s response? A resounding and hearty “Nah.” A year later, they’re still doubling down on diversity.
“Maybe it’s a triple-down,” said Ken-Matt Martin, the theater’s producing director, chuckling.
The rest of this article can be found on the Baltimore Banner’s website.
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