Hot shots

Scenes and party goers snapped at venues and events around town. All photos by Erik Jacobs.
  • Latin Music Fest

  • Latin Music Fest
  • When: June 14, 2009
  • Venue: The Fireplace
  • The scene: Feeling hot, hot, hot? Washington Square restaurant The Fireplace hosted this 12-hour celebration of Latin bands and dancing. Guests munched on vegetable Cubans and grilled chicken tacos and sipped honey caiprinhas under a tent in the eatery's back parking lot, while Karina Stone's Quartet played spicy dance numbers.
  • Elektra's Revenge

  • Elektra's Revenge
  • When: June 10, 2009
  • Venue: Wonder Bar
  • The scene: Female DJs took over the downstairs of Allston hotspot Wonder Bar on a recent Wednesday night. DJs Opisthocoma, Squigglecat, Jenova Complex, and Shivar spun drums & bass, goth, and electronic music until the wee hours. It wasn't exactly a "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"-type of crowd.
  • Air Guitar Championships

  • Air Guitar Contest
  • When: May 27, 2009
  • Venue: The Paradise
  • The scene: We've all been moved to wildly strum the air and make contorted faces when Van Halen's "Hot for Teacher" comes on the radio. Of course, we lack any sort of musical skill and smartly sat out of the national Air Guitar Championships at the Paradise. Contestants were judged on technical merit, showmanship, and even "airness."
  • Anime Boston

  • Anime Boston
  • When: May 22-24, 2009
  • Venue: Hynes Convention Center
  • The scene: Hundreds of costumed and wigged people descended on the Hynes Convention Center over the weekend. No, Halloween didn't come early this year. It was just Anime Boston — the largest anime fest in the Northeast. Fanboys and girls enjoyed a masquerade ball and performances and learned how to sew for cosplay ("costumed roleplaying," that is).
  • 'Gossip Girl' Finale Party

  • 'School's Out' Party
  • When: May 18, 2009
  • Venue: Mantra
  • The scene: "Gossip Girl" devotees hoofed it to Mantra to watch the show's season finale and sip themed Svedka vodka cocktails, including the saucy "Frenemies Forever" and "Future Ex." Fans were encouraged to wear school uniforms, headbands, ascots, and crested blazers as they watched Chuck and Blair's nasty antics. Cheers to guilty pleasures.
  • Hearthrob vs. Thunderdome

  • DJ Battle
  • When: May 2, 2009
  • Venue: Puma City
  • The scene: According to their MySpace pages, Hearthob is for "Junkies and freaks," and Thunderdome is "a movement." Does that mean the DJ night that brought the two dance parties together at Puma City was for freaks who like to move? Throngs of party goers found out this weekend at the temporary event space on Boston's waterfront.
  • Comic Con

  • Comic Con
  • When: April 4-5, 2009
  • Venue: Back Bay Events Center
  • The scene: "Dark Knight" devotees and "Fantastic Four" fan boys — most in costume — filled the Back Bay Events Center over the weekend for Boston Comic Con. Venerable illustrators and comic creators like Mike Allred, Whilce Portacio, Dick Ayers chatted with fans and gave advice to aspiring comic writing hopefuls.
  • B.U. Dance Marathon

  • Dance Marathon
  • When: March 28, 2009
  • Venue: SAC Gym
  • The scene: Boston University students danced to the wee hours Saturday night — but they weren't at a trendy club or house party. The students shook their tail feathers at the SAC Gym for 18 hours straight to raise money for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation and One Heartland. Both organizations assist families who are battling HIV and AIDS.
  • Bloc Party After-Party

  • Bloc Party Party
  • When: March 19, 2009
  • Venue: Vinalia
  • The scene: Don't these guys ever sleep? After a sold-out show at the new House of Blues, Bloc Party guitarist Russell Lissack and drummer Matt Tong rallied to spin records until the wee hours at Vinalia. Many of the British indie rockers' loyal fans tagged along to the after-party. Local DJs Frank White and Silent Partner also kept the crowd moving.
  • Britney-oke

  • Britney-oke
  • When: March 12, 2009
  • Venue: Kings
  • The scene: Britney Spears fanatics donned blond wigs, fishnets, fedoras, and boa constrictors to do their best impressions of the poptart at this karaoke contest at Kings. The winner received two coveted tickets to Brit-Brit's sold-out March 16 show at the TD Banknorth Garden. C'mon, Boston, we know you're not that innocent.
  • Fat Tuesday Party

  • Fat Tuesday Party
  • When: Feb. 24, 2009
  • Venue: Dick'sLast Resort
  • The scene: Hypothetically speaking: If Mardi Gras took place in Boston, it would most likely happen in Faneuil Hall, right? Fat Tuesday revelers packed Dick's Last Resort for the beads, $2.75 Southern Comfort Hurricanes, costume contest, and R&B music by local band Soul City. Voila: A trip to Bourbon Street sans the expensive airfare.
  • Circus-Circus Pep Rally

  • Circus Pep Rally
  • When: Feb. 6, 2009
  • Venue: Milky Way
  • The scene: The Boston Hoop Troop did their part to light up this fundraiser. The hula-hoopers joined a lion-tamer, tightrope walker, and bearded lady, to name a few of the costumed partygoers, to kick off the 2009 season of the Boston Derby Dames. The league's first roller derby matchup is Feb. 28 at the Shriners Auditorium in Wilmington.