At one end of the room was a spotlit stage, bracketed by art deco caryatids framing a set: a painted skyline of skinny skyscrapers in black and white, stylized to look hundreds of stories tall. A twirling mirrored ball cast scintillas of light over these dreamers. Lying on mats along the wall were sleeping bodies.
![male hide leathers gay bar chicago 2015 male hide leathers gay bar chicago 2015](https://irs2.4sqi.net/img/general/width960/DVYG1XW1RIYMIC4BBOW0QEPB0BRGH0R1MOW0MVQMME00YN04.jpg)
#MALE HIDE LEATHERS GAY BAR CHICAGO 2015 TV#
On the second floor are rooms, lockers, the TV room and the orgy room-TV viewing and orgy viewing seemed comparatively tranquil. In his 1980 travelogue of gay America, States of Desire, award-winning writer Edmund White captured Man’s Country during its heyday: “On the ground floor are the showers, a steam room and a hot tub, all fitted into a stone grotto. Most members of the K-Y Circuit grew accustomed to such things pretty quickly. Playing to a half naked crowd was just part of the gig and if some frisky business was going on during the show, the entertainer had to just roll with it. Over the years, the Music Hall hosted magicians, dancers, hypnotists, and more. Comics like Bruce Vilanch, Rusty “Knockers Up” Warren, Judy Tenuta, Michael Greer, and insult comic Pudgy brought their distinctive brands of humor to the stage.
![male hide leathers gay bar chicago 2015 male hide leathers gay bar chicago 2015](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/X2ZqdVQKKwMDjx-wzN8_CSSAmVU=/0x0:1820x1213/1200x800/filters:focal(695x391:985x681)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/68673036/Schuyler_Bailar.0.jpg)
The Music Hall brought in singers such as Betty Rhodes, Judith Cohen, Franne Golde, and Jade and Sasparilla. Musical groups like the gay trio Gotham, and the R&B group, Sweet Inspirations, were there. Bette Davis and Mae West may not have played the Music Hall, but they were there in spirit thanks to campy impersonator Charles Pierce. As mentioned, Sally Rand did her balloon dance on that stage and ventriloquist Wayland Flowers entertained there, with his beloved puppet, Madame, on his wrist. Most great performers of the ‘K-Y Circuit,’ as the bathhouse and gay club venues were called, performed at the Music Hall. The gay megaplex could now accommodate a crowd of 1,500 people and the club was ready to bring in entertainers. Its grand opening, on New Year’s Eve 1974, was a “black towel optional” affair. The crowning achievement in the overhaul of the building was the completion of the Music Hall.