Robert Valin's Second Piggy Bear Packs the Eagle with the Young, Bearded For Whitney Houston and Frisky Fun

(Aiden and Ethan at The Eagle)
 
The Eagle, that dark den of leather and lust on the far West Side, had a decidedly lighter feel on Friday when the joint was taken over by the young and the bearded for the second iteration of Robert Valin's new party, Piggy Bear. On the first floor, the main room was decorated with tons of pink, like pig-shaped balloons, that added a festive touch to the usually dim and dank space. And the music was fun as well, with DJ Damian Cote spinning a mix of '80s hits and current pop (including the ubiquitous-of-late Whitney Houston track).
 
Though Piggy Bear is an evolution of The Eagle's monthly cub night, the scene was a bit more eclectic than the average bear event, with all ages and sizes represented. It was so popular that at one point a 20-minute line stretched down the usually barren 28th Street.
 
The crowd was an unusually friendly and frisky group. In fact, every time we made a loop through the wall-to-wall crowd, we got grabbed at least a couple times—and we mean that in a good way! Perhaps the bargain $15 pitchers of beer had something to do with the social lubrication on display.
 
On top of all the manly goodness in the crowd, there were some husky go-go men to oogle on stage as well. One big and burly bear cub doused himself with Bud while wearing a red jock strap—a sort of alternative reality Flashdance number! "I love these fat go-go dancers," said one bearded patron as he plied the dancer's boots with singles. "I finally feel in shape!" And then there was the massive, tattooed, hulk-of-a-man named Lucas who probably could have pinned down five go-go twinks with one arm tied behind his muscly back. (His musky smell alone could have knocked them out cold!)
 
As the night stretched into the next morning, the Piggy Bear crowd drifted up to The Eagle's darker, red-lit second floor. We'd like to report exactly what went on in there but, um, it was dark. But if you heard any rumors we can probably say that most of them are true. And if you'd like to find out for yourself, the next Piggy Bear will probably happen in the Spring, according to Valin, who urges fans to look to Facbeook for updates.