C2

Boston, August 9-11 1996

The Bids

Details are sketchy. Hopefully one day silentq or Siobhan will tell the full story of C2 - Toronto.

The location of Convergence 2 was announced. No vote or other discussion took place.

The first announcement was by retardboy for it to be in Toronto, ON in April, 1996, however he couldn't organise a piss up in a bar so if it had not been for Cusraque that could have been it for Convergence.

Fortunately, Cusraque asked / announced his intent to hold another Convergence - originally intended to be Convergence III in August 1996 and the consensus on the group was that this was a good thing.

The consensus amongst the Toronto net.goths ( Siani Evans, Yvonne McLoughlin to name but two) on the newsgroups was that the Toronto plan wasn't going to happen - more by their silence than active statements.

Net result - Convergence 2 went to Cusraque in Boston by fiat.

Convergence 2 - Boston Bid in Full

This section is best viewed in a fixed font. <pre> <oOo----------<>--------------<Wretched Design>--------------<>----------oOo>

   <oOo----------<>------------<>---------<>------------<>----------oOo>
        <oOo---------<>---<'Convergence the 2nd'>---<>---------oOo>
             <oOo-------<>----------<or>---------<>-------oOo>
                  <oOo------<The Gothic Maraud>------oOo>
                        <oOo--<>----<of>----<>--oOo>
                            <oOo--<BOSTON>--oOo>
                                <oOo-!!-oOo>
                                   <-<>->
                                     <>

  This is All Tentative,
      as
        There May B More:

     I am Now of the Mind
      that
          This will Indeed B 'Convergence the 2nd',
              Due
                 2
                  Lack of Word from Toronto.

  The Boston 'Convergence'
     is
       Scheduled 4 August 9-11th, 1996.

  All Nights will B at Man Ray,
     with
         After Parties at Separate Locations.

     This is Because Man Ray Presently Closes at 1am.

  If the Two O'Clock License _Finally_ Comes Thru,
    this
        May or May Not Change.

                               <--oOo-->

   _As of This Writing_,
      the Boston 'Convergence' will B _19_+,
         but
            The Club is being Very Tight-Lipped
                    about Concessions they May B Making
                              2 B Allowed 2 Stay Open 'til 2am.

    Rest Assured that I will B Trying my _Damnedest_
           2 Keep this Event from becoming a 21+ Affair,
                 as
                   I Despise The Very Idea.

        U Will B Informed.

                               <--oOo-->

  The Boston 'Convergence' will Consist of:

     A 'Convergence in Hell'
                   on Friday the 9th,
                            with a Large After-Party.

 'Hell' is Wretched Design's Main Event,
      &
       This One Promises 2 B _Grand_:

   - A Bacchanalian Feast
                   of Bread & Fruit...

    - Performances by Various Odd Folk,
                  Possibly
                          Culled from Everywhere.                      

      - Vendors of Necessary Devices, including
               Lots
                   of
                     Cool Stuff that I Haven't Decided Yet.

                               <--oOo-->

   An Architecture & Graveyard Tour of Boston,
     from
         2(?)-6pm on the Saturday.

   The Route is in the Process of being Planned,
      as
        It will B a Logistical Nightmare,
                   but will Also B Immensely
                                      Enjoyable.
   Imagine,
       If U Will,
          _Hundreds_ of Wraiths
             Parading thru Very Old Burial Grounds,
               then
                   Boarding Subways En Masse...!

   A Wonderful Vision,
    but
       All Manner of Field Trip Horrors
                    Spring Immediately 2 Mind:

   "What Do U Mean Vlad Forgot his Subway Tokens at the Hotel?"

   "Umm,
        Speaking of Vlad,
                   Where _Is_ He?"

   I Fear that we Shall B Pushing the Very Limits
         of
          'The Buddy System'...

   Methinks that Guidebooks may Have 2 B Available
     in
      'Hell' the Previous Evening,
           or Some Sort of RSVP System
                       will Need B Enacted...

   The Number of Tokens Needed will B Specified,
      &
       Participants will have 2 Buy them In Advance.

   I am Horrified,
            & can Hardly Wait...

                               <--oOo-->

   The Tour will B Followed by
      a Wretched Design Sanctioned Dinner,
       at
         a Very Brave Restaurant{?}...

   This Also Presents a Problem,
       in that I have No Idea How Many Creatures
         will
             B Needing Feeding,
              How much Cash Each Creature can Spend,
                 or
                   If a Suitable Venue Exists,
                     or If we need Rent a Function Room..{?!}

   Umm,
       Help?

                               <--oOo-->

       Five or So Live Bands at Man Ray
           on
             Saturday Night,
               Followed by a Large After Party.

       The Bands 2 B Included
          R Not Etched In Stone,
           &
            I am Currently Taking Suggestions,
                                    & Solicitations.

                               <--oOo-->

       On Sunday,
         Man Ray will Open from 3-9pm,
            4
             Dancing,
                   & Goodbyes...

                               <--oOo-->

  _This May B Expanded_:

       It has Been Suggested
         that
             It Might B Better
               2 have _Two_ Nights of Bands,
                        on the Saturday & Sunday...

   Input Would B Good,
        as
          I Need 2 Know if Most Travelers would _Leave_ on Sunday,
           thus
               Creating a Flop.

   Ticket Prices would Depend on this Also,
     as
       More Stuff=More $.

                               <--oOo-->

   Hotel,
      & General Travel Stuff,
               is Being Considered
                 but
                    Not Worked On Yet.

                               <--oOo-->

   Please Post
        _&_
           Mail Me
               Any Comments,
                  Suggestions,
                     or Flashes of Brilliance.

       Sounds Rather Cool Thus Far, tho, Yes?

                                               Stay Intact,
                                                    - A

<oOo----------<>--------------<Wretched Design>--------------<>----------oOo>

   Indeed, This Face                              A.Dominy-Cusraque
      has been Burned by Tears                        Praefectus
         My Lace is Tattered, & I Am On Fire...   Cusra...@tiac.net
   <oOo--------------<"Purveyors of Elegant Nastiness">---------------oOo>

</pre>

The Voting

No such thing. Nada. Nobody got a choice and, AFAIK, no one complained.

Cusraque knew what he was doing and he was trusted to do it.

The Committee

Cusraque, all on his own.

Cris drove him around and helped in other capacities.

The Drama

Mathias complained about Cusraque's inimitable posting style. Lady B and moses bitchslapped him for complaining. The end.

The Party

Lady Bathory's Reminiscence

I wasn't a Boston resident yet when C2 happened, didn't yet work for Manray.

IIRC, the typical attendance for Hell alone, just from regular attendees, varied widely between 500-1000, depending on the theme/weather/performances/vendors/other contributing factors. Hell was a destination event held monthly though, with people traveling from RI and NH and VT and eastern MA and such to attend. When i spun in the front room for Manray's Wednesday goth night, we were doing more like 300 on the door. But you know, when you have 300 people turning out every week on a Wednesday, you'll get good numbers on a festival that brings in another 300+ from all across the country.

Based on my recollection of the density of bodies in Manray's 3 rooms for C2, it was in the upper end of that Hell-attendance range, but again, i don't know the headcount, only speaking from years of working for the club and estimating attendance based on the dance floor and then finding out the numbers on the door later. 750? Probably. 1000? Maybe, but only on the night that coincided with Hell. And the number of bodies in the door doesn't in any way reflect the number of advance tickets or weekend passes they sold, which i may never have known numbers on and certainly haven't retained in the intervening 20 years. Manray took the risk because Cusraque said he could deliver the crowd, and they already knew that he could because he already worked there.

I do recall that C2's budget was in the black at the end, in no small part due to what was at the time a very large local scene that supported multiple weekly and monthly club nights.

But really, the main thing i remember about C2 was how Cusraque told Valor to STFU and stop being a whiny little bitch.

A quote of a comment posted on the alt.gothic Facebook page in a very long pile of replies to a post by Fross

The Bands

• Johnny Indovina of Human Drama
• Switchblade Symphony
• Sunshine Blind
• Valor's Christian Death
• You Shriek
• One of Us

The Official Events

• A buffet dinner at The Middle East Restaurant
• Fashion show
• Tour of Boston cemeteries

The Photos

On the gallery page

Official Program etc archived on User:Siobhan's website.