Exclusive: How Doja Cat's surprise show at Oasis came together during Outside Lands

San Francisco Chronicle​

a day ago

Doja Cat stunned fans with a surprise announcement during her set on the first night of Outside Lands in Golden Gate Park: an exclusive afterparty at Oasis, the popular South of Market queer nightclub.
For 10 days leading up to the San Francisco music festival, club owner D'Arcy Drollinger had been quietly negotiating with the 'Paint the Town Red' singer's team to make the event happen — a well-guarded secret in a city where rumors move fast.
Then 29-year-old headliner made the announcement live on stage on Friday, Aug. 8, inviting the festival crowd for an intimate preview of her upcoming fifth album, 'Vie.' The result was a mad rush to the South of Market where fans queue up in a line that wrapped around the block.
Just weeks earlier, Drollinger — who also serves as San Francisco's inaugural drag laureate — announced Oasis would be closing its doors after more than a decade, citing unsustainable finances. He hopes the club, which has hosted major celebrities like Cher and Jane Fonda, can remain open at least through New Year's Eve to mark its 11th anniversary.
In an exlcusive interview with the Chronicle the following day, between his own appearance at the pop-up queer space Dolores' at Outside Lands, Drollinger noted Doja Cat's appearance is just another example of the unforgettable moments that make saying goodbye so difficult.
At least, Drollinger said, they're going out with a bang.
Q: How did you get Doja Cat to Oasis?
A: Her people approached us. She wanted to drop her three new songs in a queer venue, and Another Planet (Entertainment, producers of Outside Lands) suggested us. There was a lot of back and forth, and it was one of those things where we couldn't announce until after her show was done at Outside Lands.
We were all sort of bracing for it, and then she announced onstage, 'Come meet me at club Oasis and I'm going to drop my new music.'
Everyone raced to the club as fast as they could.
Q: How long were the discussions with her team?
A: We had about 10 days' notice. It was a very hard secret to keep because if it leaked, it was not going to happen.
Q: Were you at capacity at the club?
A: Yes, and there were hundreds of people who couldn't get in. We had people there who said it was such a joyous feeling in the room, and it was so intimate. She was so playful. (Fans) said it was more satisfying than seeing her at Outside Lands. I think the combination of it being a small venue and a queer venue allows for there to be more playfulness and sexiness.
She drove up in a red Ferrari and got out, which was fabulous, and she was so gracious. Not a single diva moment. She was so sweet to everybody, so kind and easy and effortless. It was really fun.
Because it was so contingent on her, there wasn't all the stuff that goes along with a celebrity. There were no riders and contracts. It was like, if she wants to do it, she's going to do it.
Q: Did Doja Cat's team pay a fee to use the club?
A: They did not. But we were able to charge cover, and we made good money at the door and the bar. It's fabulous for us. It helps us in our financial situation, and it got to be one of those amazing star moments like Cher, Lil Nas and Jane Fonda.
A: It'll definitely get us closer to January. Of course, there's these moments where we're like, 'How can we stop when so much magic is happening?' We have Big Freedia tonight (Saturday, Aug. 9) and Doja Cat killed it here last night.
It does make me crazy that we announced that we're closing and we have a runaway hit with ' Jurassiq Parq,' where we're sold out every night, and we've had two big stars come in. When I sit here at Outside Lands and I watch all of the amazing talent on the stage and I watch this audience, we're really fabulously blowing people's minds. I'm so proud of this, it's hard to not be able to continue showcasing this talent.
Q: What was the most magical moment of the night for you?
A: Her getting out of the car with a giant line of people and saying hello to everybody in the line and being so casual and generous with her time was pretty amazing. But I think that having her bend down and shake hands and hug the audience was really magical to watch. The room was filled with a lot of joy.
It was also cool to have a lot of people that had never been to Oasis that heard about it at the festival and ran over. I would say 50% of the people that were there last night had never been there.
I think it says a lot about Doja Cat that she wanted to drop her music in a queer club. It makes me proud to be able to be the club that could be small enough, yet big enough, to host something like this. It is a reminder that if you create something that is joyful, people want to be in the space.