- I went clubbing in quarantine,
and it was all online.
With DJs, door staff, and cover charges,
people from around the world are dancing the night away.
The pandemic has created an opportunity
for people to innovate on previous forms of entertainment,
and turn them into something familiar, yet new and exciting,
like Brad Allen, who, along with his friends,
created a virtual club using Zoom,
and so far, thousands of people have shown up.
But can a real life club be replicated virtually?
I logged on to find out.
Oh my goodness, some fast music.
We have to shuffle.
Too bad people can't see my feet.
(soft electronic music)
COVID-19 has disrupted our world.
Many businesses have shut down,
and those that are still afloat have moved
to work from home, but despite all this,
people still have the innate desire
to relax, unwind, and have fun
after a long week of work.
In my off time, I love to dance,
but with all the clubs closed,
I had nowhere to go, so I did some research
and came across an article that mentioned virtual clubs.
This eventually led me to Brad Allen from Toronto,
one of the co-founders of Club Q.
- Club Q is a virtual queer online rave experience
on the Zoom app.
We cap at 1,000 people.
It goes every night from 9:00 to 12:00 eastern time,
and in that time, you get a code, you log in,
and it's a full out interactive virtual queer experience.
Club Q started with us four co-founders
doing an Instagram video chat.
The first day of quarantine, us trying to find ways
that we can still connect with each other,
and that's what it looked like in that time.
We were just kinda vibing.
We kept adding people to the call,
and we were like, want to do it tomorrow, same time?
And someone introduced us to the Zoom app.
That's when we were like,
well, we're not students or business people,
so we were like, what's Zoom?
- [Christopher] The Club Q founders use Zoom
because it allowed them to host up to 1,000 people,
share audio to all party goers,
and for the spotlight feature.
- The spotlighting feature was such a thing
that we didn't even know it would be essentially what it is.
Once you're spotlighted,
your screen becomes the screen on screen,
just you, and everyone gets to see you,
but we didn't know even at that time
that that's what makes Club Q Club Q.
It is the heartbeat of this whole thing.
I mean, it's what makes it interactive.
It's this idea that, for a second,
or for, like, you know,
for 10 seconds, for as long as you're on,
it's like you are, you know, on that stage,
you know what I mean?
- I didn't know what Brad meant,
so I decided to find out.
(upbeat electronic music)
(razor buzzes)
Just like the typical night out on the city,
I invited some friends.
See you then.
Contemplated outfits, pregamed.
(grunts)
Finally picked an outfit,
and commuted to the club.
I changed some lights to set the atmosphere,
and it was time to get in.
♪ Yeah ♪
- Oh, buddy.
- Hey.
- Yo.
- Zerp.
- Hey, guys.
- You go to our page, clubquarantine on Instagram,
and then you get the code, it drops right at 9:00.
You copy, paste that code into Zoom.
We let you in, you get put on a waiting list
for a little minute, and then we admit everyone in
one by one to protect against bots and trolls,
and once you're in, you're in the grid,
your screen is there, the music projects,
and you're immediately in a Club Q experience.
♪ Yeah ♪
(lively piano music)
- [Christopher] Club Q doesn't charge any entry fee
in order to keep their space accessible to everyone.
As they've grown, the operation requires funding
that they receive through donations and sponsorships
which first go to the artists and their staff.
- The idea of not allowing someone in a safe space
because they couldn't afford it,
or asking them just feels like it goes
against everything we do.
- [Christopher] There were a lot of people.
Some were dancing, baking, filing their nails,
or just hanging out.
I felt like I was in the club
when the DJ switched the music, and I got excited,
and it really felt like the club
when I got the spotlight.
It reminded me of when you're thrown
into the middle of a dance circle
and everyone cheers you on.
I was almost sold, but I was still curious
about one main aspect of club culture, flirting.
- So, basically, in the chatroom,
you can DM people privately or publicly.
It's just like anything.
People will find a way to flirt and connect.
People are people.
This doesn't change anyone because it's a digital space.
We've had moments where two squares
on the grid the next night become one grid,
and I'm like, all right, I'm not gonna judge.
- I was having so much fun
that, similar to a club in real life,
I had trouble leaving with my friends.
I'm leaving the club.
I'll see you guys.
- The people who put in clearly a lot of effort
and were really into it made the experience for me.
- We kind of have, like, a feedback loop of positivity.
I was feeling it.
I'm feeling it.
I'm always feeling it, but I'm feeling it.
- Yeah, you were.
I am heading back to the clurb.
- Yeah, get back in there.
- I'm getting back in there.
I hope you guys have a wonderful night,
and I will see you guys manana.
Club Q is one of the many places
where artists are bringing experiences
online through technology.
Despite us being quarantined,
entertainers have found a way to innovate around that,
and create this interesting space for people.
Art is always a reflection
of the time that we're living in.
This is no different.
- I think, even in quarantine, during these COVID times
when we're kind of being a reminder
of how the systems we thought
were keeping us safe or were secure,
in the face of it all falling apart
and realizing that it's actually very fragile,
our whole system kinda shut down.
The only thing that is constant
and is still there for us is,
like, friends and family, and connection.
- I can't hear you guys,
but I'm getting off the Zoom party.
I'm leaving the club.
I'll see you guys in the Uber.
Back to the office.