- Local
- Community
- Journalism
Support the independent voice of Dallas and help keep the future of Dallas Observer free.
And, make no mistake, this performance was very much a distraction from the otherwise rather family-friendly and docile offerings we've seen so far at 35 Conferette's outdoor stages (see: Mavis Staples, Local Natives, Dr. Dog and, uh, Michael Cera), and a welcome one, too.
With an equal parts enthralled and bemused audience stretched out before her -- the biggest yet seen at Main Stage Two, by our count -- Freedia shook what her momma gave her, encouraged her dancers to do the same and barked at the audience to join in, which they willingly did. At one point, Denton folk darling Sarah Jaffe even got on stage and joined in on the booty-shaking fun.
That -- and not some sort of anti-homophobic agenda, which Freedia barrels through rather than repeatedly confront -- is the crux of Freedia's show. Every song, essentially, is the same, focusing lyrically on ass and pussy (her words) and doing certain things to and with those body parts. And yet no one seemed to mind; this was the party everyone expected and wanted of the set.
Tough to say if it was what the City of Denton wanted, though: Before the festival, in the wake of last year's Flaming Lips show, city officials specifically requested that nothing too obscene be put on display on the public stages, and Freedia's performance was obscene by design.
So, hey, if anyone from the city asks, just play up the anti-homophobic stuff. OK, you guys? OK.
Keep the Dallas Observer Free... Since we started the Dallas Observer, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Dallas, and we would like to keep it that way. Offering our readers free access to incisive coverage of local news, food and culture. Producing stories on everything from political scandals to the hottest new bands, with gutsy reporting, stylish writing, and staffers who've won everything from the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi feature-writing award to the Casey Medal for Meritorious Journalism. But with local journalism's existence under siege and advertising revenue setbacks having a larger impact, it is important now more than ever for us to rally support behind funding our local journalism. You can help by participating in our "I Support" membership program, allowing us to keep covering Dallas with no paywalls.
