Pattie Gonia: SAVE HER at Thalia Hall

Saturday night, I had the honor of seeing Pattie Gonia at Thalia Hall! With her two co-hosts Sequoia and Vera, as well as THREE local Chicago drag queens!!

I honestly had no idea what to expect. I have seen one other drag show before, a Golden Girls show at the Center on Halsted, but it was more of a recreation of an episode rather than what one may expect.

Pattie Gonia's set went above and beyond my expectations! An AMAZING mix of comedy, dancing, singing, and calls for environmental activism!

For those who don't know, Pattie Gonia is a drag queen who has made a name for herself by being an environmental and LGBTQ+ activist, as well as a community organizer! Wyn Wiley introduced their character Pattie Gonia in 2018, making outdoors activism content on social media platforms while in full drag, which went viral. Her name is a pun on Patagonia, the outdoor clothing company.

She organizes hikes and events for LGBTQ+ and environmental causes. As well as developing a job board for queer individuals seeking accepting jobs, and companies looking to uplift queer workers!

In 2022, Wiley co-founded "the Outdoorist Oath," which is a nonprofit that focuses on diversity, inclusion, and environmental causes in outdoor communities. Pattie Gonia partnered with The North Face in 2022 for their "Summer of Pride" series,

was named in the OUT100 (Out magazine's annual list of highly impactful and influential LGBTQ+ people) in 2020, and was nominated for the Shorty Awards for the LGBTQ+ category in the same year. Time magazine also added Pattie Gonia to their list of Next Generation Leaders in 2023.

On top of this being an incredible performance, Pattie Gonia's touring show, SAVE HER, was a beautiful display of queer love, community, and the importance of saving our mother, the earth.

So let's talk about the actual show!

Pattie Gonia came out in a green robe and her iconic ginger wig, to a remix of Bill Nye's viral rant on global warming. She then TOSSED OFF her robe, revealing a two-piece, when the beat dropped and the crowd went CRAZY!!

Her cohosts, Sequoia (Mommy) and Vera (Daddy), quickly joined her on stage in their own mesmerizing outfits. Their chemistry was insane, and it is clear that they are not only amazing coworkers but great friends, and they seemed so happy to be performing together. Also, I just need a minute to obsess over Sequoia's legs???? Her namesake, being the tallest trees on earth, makes complete sense.

For her second set, Pattie Gonia came out to a remix of Katy Perry's "Firework," where all of the lyrics are replaced with "plastic bag." The display in the background showing all of the waste and pollution perpetrated by big corporations. And of course, a shout out to the newest astronaut, Katy Perry, who showed women that they really can do anything if they have enough money.

After this, a local drag queen, MATS, stunned the stage. Showing the butterfly's process of metamorphosis right before our eyes. Dropping one pair of wings for another. They are a freelance costume designer and member of HAUS OF PAINT.

The second Chicago drag queen introduced on stage was Secret Queen. The crowd was buzzing about her bee-themed performance with her dancers. You can see Secret Queen at Roscoe's Tavern at Friday Night Lights, they are also a producer for Drag 'N Drop Chicago!

Pattie Gonia then returned to the stage. Suit and tie, minus the pants. This performance had a matching display of CEOs and the surrounding text, "These are the men who are killing us."

Some of these names include Bernard Looney, Dave Maclennan, Richard Edelman, Darren Woods, Larry Fink, Jamie Dimon, Wael Sawan, and Mike Wirth. Followed by a quote from Greta Thunberg.

After a brief intermission, Pattie Gonia performed an original song with her accompanist, Jacob Ostler. They performed "Made it Through the Night," which is a ballad about how birds sing to each other in the morning to tell each other that they have made it through the night ok. She speaks of how this is a metaphor for how queer people do the same and should continue to as the strongest thing we have is community, and must keep supporting and looking out for each other, especially in the increasingly hard times we are facing.

They also gave a shout-out to the organizations they have partnered with, including Center on Halsted, The Conservation Foundation, Illinois Environmental Council, and Queers on the Rocks!

After this heartwarming performance, the final local artist made their way on stage! Lúc Ami gave a stunning performance with their dancers. They showcased the horrors occurring in Gaza to a mix of Michael Jackson songs. And ending with QR codes to help provide Gaza with water, a basic necessity, the people of Gaza are running out of due to the atrocities being committed. The Drag Alien Deity is also the host of Fantasmia Chicago and the Queeriod drag shows.

After this came the main event: the Calf-Off! I am not going to lie, I was unfamiliar with this competition, but Pattie Gonia, Sequoia, and Vera began inviting three special contestants on stage to determine who had the juiciest calves.

After much deliberation and the contestants putting on quite the show, the winner was determined by how loudly the audience cheered. The crowd went CRAZY for the winner, Ashley!!!

Sequoia came out on stage in a beautiful coat for her performance. The coat did not stay on very long, though, as she ripped it off to reveal a schoolgirl outfit. With quotes from the 1999 movie "Superstar" edited into her chosen songs in the background. Her set was a HIT! Comedic and talented, with not one, but two costume changes.

Following Sequoia was the other cohost, Vera! Amazing drag king, who, up until his set, was covered in robes. He came out showing off some silk-swirling color guard skills that I especially appreciated, backed by Guns N' Roses "Welcome to the Jungle." Vera shed their robe to reveal a two-piece, which they later also took the top part of to show off their nipple tassels, and somehow were able to twirl them as skillfully as the silks.

And last but not (at all) the least, Pattie Gonia came out to perform the last number. I don't know how many of you are musical theater fans, or maybe even Glee fans, but she came out to Funny Girl's "Don't Rain on My Parade" and, Oh. My. God.

Let's just say it ended with an umbrella full of confetti.

This show was so beautiful. The majority of the costumes were either second-hand or upcycled, and they were always so beautiful, with so much thought, care, and love put into them. Much like the entire performance.

This was a love letter to the queer community, reminder that community is important and does exist. Now more than ever, we need to uplift each other and support one another.

It is also a reminder of the state our world is in. Not only must we stand together and support our community, but we need to stand for the earth and the environment, now more than ever.

Thank you so much for this opportunity!! Please go out and support your local drag performers and check out Pattie Gonia and the other amazing artists that performed last night!!