Story & Photos By Juan Markos
Los Angeles, CA (The Hollywood Times) 6/12/24 – I went to LA Pride last weekend on Saturday, June 8th at The LA Historic Park. I had attended the West Hollywood Pride the previous week and was expecting a similar vibe, but LA Pride was quite different. Unlike West Hollywood Pride, which closes off streets and is embedded into the West Hollywood landscape of bars and eateries, LA Pride is nested in LA Historic Park, which is huge and all within. The park is on a hillside near Chinatown just a little north of Downtown Los Angeles and has multiple attractions, a village of businesses, and a stage. I got to see a few performers that day.
The first performer I saw was JOJO Siwa, decked out in glittery rainbows, and she had the crowd going. She played in the middle of the day, and her set was short but very good. She danced and sang and even drank a handle of Tito’s while performing. The crowd kept screaming that they loved her mother, and I later found out that she was from “Dance Moms.” I had not seen the show, but I am very familiar with the memes. She was a great singer and performer, and I liked her songs, especially “Karma.”
I also saw Takisha, a Dominican rapper and singer who recently performed with Madonna in Mexico City. A lot of her songs were in Spanish, but she had the crowd moving. She opened to a Madonna beat and song and had a very sexy look and songs. She was like a Spanish version of “WAP.”
I fell in love with Alex Chapman, who blended the perfect songs and brought out special guest Lykke Li, who sang her hit song “I Follow Rivers.” I had not heard the song in a lifetime, and it took me back to a place that I loved. She was amazing, and I wish she had performed more of her songs, but it was a special surprise to see her there.
The acts seemed to get better and better leading up to the main act, Ricky Martin. Muna performed right before him. Muna is an indie pop band, and it was amazing. There were tons of Muna fans present, especially since they are a band from Los Angeles. LA Pride had a very eclectic and diverse range of performers and acts as diverse as Los Angeles. It was an amazing and exciting Pride event, and it even had a light show leading up to the main act, Ricky Martin.
