I just saw my fifth Justin Bond performance this past week when Bond packed the house for her 20th “Tranniversary” at the (le) poisson rouge.
The show was as you expected from Bond – passionate and playful, always working off the crowd. Being that it was her anniversary, Justin brought in several guest performer; Bond always brought guest performers on stage with her, so the show wasn’t unique in that sense.
What was special about Tranniversary was the appearance of Kenny Mellman; The Herb to Bond’s Kiki in their underground drag cabaret act “Kiki and Herb” that brought the duo critical acclaim, Carnegie Hall performances, and weekly Sunday shows at Joe’s Pub. Bond and Mellman’s alter egos would release four albums.
Friends often referenced Bond, but I didn’t get to see first Justin Bond show until 2011, more than three years after the duo performed their last show as Kiki and Herb. With each Bond performance that I saw, I wished more and more that I could have caught Kiki and Herb when they were together.
So, going into Tuesday’s show, I knew I was finally going to see “Kiki and Herb” perform live, at least for a couple songs.
That night, the duo exchanged banter and performed a few songs together, including a hilarious rendition of Britney Spear’s Hit Me Baby (One More Time).
Though short, it lived up to expectations. The show left me wanting a full show of the two going back and forth, but I consider myself lucky to have experienced, even for just a little, of Kiki and Herb.
