Glow stick battles, cage dancing and cross-dressers on swings marked the second installment of the Student Association Club Party series Saturday night at The Sphere Entertainment Complex in downtown Buffalo.
For six hours, club-goers bumped and bopped to the pulse of three different artists: DJ Keri, DJ Encore and DJ Sammy.
Kiss 98.5's DJ Anthony was also at The Sphere to bring the club sounds to listeners across Western New York.
"DJ Sammy and DJ Encore are good vibe DJs," Anthony said. "They put out a good vibe and they bring in a good crowd."
First on the bill was DJ Keri, a producer, singer, songwriter and Playboy model from Atlanta. Although she has been a professional DJ for six years, this was her first trip to Buffalo.
"It was my first gig here," said Keri. "I'm actually nervous, and I never get nervous."
Keri walked on stage at 11:15 p.m., donning a white corset and full Playboy accessories. Unlike most DJ's, she wore a headset with a microphone attached, so she could sing harmony lines with the music she spun.
Toward the end of Keri's set, the dance floor came to a standstill as a man with string-suspended glow sticks treated the crowd to a light show. He drew cheers as he swung them in circular patterns suggestive of a planetary orbit.
Keri closed out her set telling the crowd to sing along to a dance version of John Lennon's "Imagine." As the crowd sang along, DJ Encore crept out on stage to assume his duties as beat master.
Standing over six feet tall, dressed in the slickest European fashions and equipped with baby blue eyes, Encore instantly had a dozen girls mob the stage, gyrating wildly.
Encore brought a Scandinavian sound to the club, spinning his native Danish dance beats and self-produced singles. He played a mix of Shakira's "Underneath Your Clothes" that made the mob of girls scream.
Encore also played "I'll See Right Through To You," his double platinum single and the theme song for the Danish version of "Big Brother."
The party reached its pinnacle during Encore's set. According to bar manager Jason Kusek, bouncers pegged attendance at anywhere from 1,800 to 2,000 people, a larger turnout than the first Club Party.
"When we came here it was pretty empty. You could navigate around. Now I have to circumnavigate," said Owen Burns, a senior electrical engineering major.
"I think they did a really good job," said Brigitte Taylor, a senior English major. "I really like The Sphere. I think it's got a lot of atmosphere."
Club Marcella drag queen Sabrina made an appearance on stage as Encore began his set. "The teeniest tiniest wonder in the world," who performed last week in the UB's eighth annual drag show, made her presence known by swinging 10 feet above the dance floor from a leather swing for over two hours.
On the opposite side of the dance floor, inside a metal cage, partygoers monkeyed around while enjoying the music and the attention.
DJ Sammy from Spain took the stage after 2 a.m., accompanied by his Dutch musical partner Loona. Together they got the crowd clapping along to their brand of Latin house music.
After the show, Keri and Encore hung around to trade mixes and to talk about the show.
"It was very difficult with the sound but it was good," said Encore, referring to feedback that occasionally squealed out of the speakers.
"Good vibe. Can't complain at all," said Keri.
Student Association President George Pape chatted briefly with all the artists and thanked them for coming.
"It's just an awesome night for UB students and for everybody else," he said.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
