The Connection

Went to a drag show with my cousin and her boyfriend and had a blast! The show was great and the queens were not only beautiful but funny too. I am planning on going to another show this coming may. Can’t wait!

This will probably be one of if not the last reviews that this location gets because it is just months away from closing, but hoping that some management or business owner is looking at this page I wanted to provide some feedback at how my experience the other night did not live up to previous visits that I have had at this club.
If you’ve never been it’s a good place to get some pricey drinks (but generally good if you get a good bartender), see some sexy scantily clad menses, a killer dance floor and some of the best entertainers Louisville has to offer (i.e. The Body Beautiful and current reigning Miss GayUSofA — Mocha Montrese, Entertainer of the Year 2014 — Trinity Taylor, The Mistress of Mayhem — Hurricane Summers, Mr. Continental 2015 — Mykul J Valentine and many more plus special guests as well). The Connection is also a HUGE sponsor of the National Entertainer of the Year Pageant and hosts several events for it each year. The Connection has a huge place in Louisville and they are no doubt never going to be forgotten. While The Connection holds a very special place in my heart as I’ve met many friends here and had plenty of connections as well. However there are some things I’m really hopeful for when C2 opens so that’s why I’m hoping that this review is seen by someone with some power in the establishment. I mean no disrespect for what I am going to say but comparatively this place has gone straight to hell since Play Louisville opened.
During my most recent visit with a couple of friends and my boyfriend after the Madonna concert and visiting Chill first. We showed up about an hour before closing and luckily didn’t have to pay a cover to get inside as it was so close to last call. First we walked in and went immediately to The Doc. (the bar when you first walk in to the left across from the bathrooms, which is actually super gorgeous and has access to the balcony to the right of it as well) where we received some of the rudest service I have ever had. The bartender was snippy about our drink orders. Which I would understand if we said something complicated but we ordered a shot of Maker’s Mark, two bourbon and coke and a cranberry and vodka. Nothing complicated. So we move on into the club and were pleasantly surprised that it was pretty busy as the last couple of times I have been here it’s been dead due to Play Louisville taking a lot of the business away. We did a little bit of dancing on the dance floor and I was sad that we showed up too late to be able to actually enjoy any of the drag going on in the room down across the bar. The floor has always been a little sticky because when you’re dancing with a drink in your hand it tends to spill but this time it was awful — and not just because it was the end of the night. It felt like the checkerboard parts around the light-​up floor hadn’t been cleaned in days.
The club has stagnated and even on a night where it was busier than I’ve seen it lately is still nothing but a shadow of what it was before Play opened. I’m not really mad about the service or even the sticky floor or any other negative thing I can try and point out I’m upset that The Connection has faltered so much and it hurts to say that it’s failing and just not fun anymore because of a lack of caring due to it being demolished in just a few short months.
C2 needs to step up the game, because while I love some of the guests they bring in to bring in crowds you need nationally known names with local entertainers. Hire new talent and bring The Connection forward ten years, give it a modern feel and
I hope that when C2 opens it brings back the fun to the club scene and gives us something that is new and exciting because The Connection just isn’t doing it right now. I’m hopeful for the future but only time will tell where things will land.
I will hopefully get to visit one last time so I can see the entertainers that opened my eyes to drag one last time and I look forward to it, but I mourn the closing of a second home to me at one point.

Dear God — Could you please turn the A/​C on? I’ve never sweat so much in a club in my life. Went to see a family member perform. Left covered in sweat, and a headache from the over modulated microphones. Otherwise, seemed to be okay. Wife was sick from food poisoning and the bartender took very good care of us — very grateful for that. Everyone was very friendly also. If they could turn the AC on and turn the mics down, it’d get 4 – 5 stars.

It saddens me to write this review. The Connection has been the standard for so many years. But these days it is a mere shell of its former self. They have very few Queens and the ones they do have are sadly sub par at this point. The fire seems to have gone out of the once great Hurricane Summers even. I could hardly watch the last time and in fact left half way through the first show. 38 people were at the club on this my last visit and 30 of them were seemingly straight women on a night out. That is the real trouble, The Connection has lost the Gay community. No one was on the dance floor. It was literally a ghost town. The price is still $ 5 but at this point that’s a waste. It’s as if they knew no one was coming, because there was so few staff… including the absence of a person checking IDs at the door. I’m not mad… I’m heart broken.

Love this club! It’s the one place I can cut loose and not worry about being judged.

Definitely not my favorite bar in Louisville. The shows are not good anymore. They always perform the same songs and half the time the Queen’s don’t even know the lyrics to the songs they are trying to perform. The bar itself is huge and worth at least seeing, just make sure you go on a no cover night. Wear closed toed shoes because the floor is nasty and sticky. If you want an experience, try Play.

Unfortunately the new club «Play» seems to have taken some of the better performers, so I can’t really say the show I saw most recently was anything close to the quality of a couple of years ago. The crowd has changed a bit too, also probably due to Play which seemed to have a lot of the younger people I would have expected to be at Connections. They’ve added a cool LED dance floor, but the ratio of irritating bachelorette parties to tolerable folks is pretty bad at this point.

So I am always puzzled why gay bars seem to have inferior service. As a gay man, I have no problem enjoying myself at so called «straight bars» as well as gay bars. Yet, for whatever reason, gay bars still seem to lack in the service department.
As a visitor, I expect to be a little «out of it,» but I am seriously put off by a bunch of middle aged door men, cashiers and clerk who have no idea what customer service is. I had much more fun down the street at Hay Market and no cares if I am gay or not — in fact, I had no problem joking around with several straight guys.
I would urge you to focus on service regardless of who the person is or where they are from.

Hunties I love this bar. Lots of room, hot guys, strong drinks, great drag shows, and great work staff. 1^st visit in Jan 89 and it has changed so much over the years.

I’ve always loved the Connection. I used to go there 10+ years ago and it was jam packed and I mean the line for the restroom alone was like at a UofL game. It was marvelous! I went this past weekend and it was so empty I couldn’t believe it. Maybe because it was pouring down rain and really really late it wasn’t so busy. Anyway, I love the drag shows and the dance floor is awesome. I’d like to go back when it was really crowded again for old time sake.

I JUST WANNA DANCE DANCE DANCE.
Sorry, this place just always makes me want to dance. I can’t get over how large the complex is. The theatre area alone is as large as many of the gay bars back in Nashville. I love the different areas set up, from the dance floor, to the overlook, & the theatre, it’s almost like a maze of different areas. The cover was 5 dollars the Saturday night I went, but was well worth it. If memory serves me, the drinks were also reasonably priced and not too watered down. The music was your usual top 40 dance beat, which I like. The drag/​tran show was great & standing room only because it was so busy.

Loved this place! Stumbled upon it and their karaōke had a drink and the manager showed us around the HUGE place on the account that we were out of towners and prob wouldn’t be back… If I’m ever here again I def will!

Drag shows.
Awesome dance floor with the best dance music.
Over priced drinks.
Always a cover.
They now accept credit cards *in* the bar. You still need cash for the cover.
This is my first choice of venue if I want to just daaaaance.

Oh, The Connection! I’ve been here a few times with friends and each time is better than before. First, I love how awesome the staff is. From everyone working the front door to the pole, they have great people here. I adore the bartenders here. My bestie and I were here last weekend and we let the bartenders get creative with their mad skills and make some concoctions for us. Best choice of the night (well, one of them!). All we had to say was «vodka» and «fruity and delicious,» and presto – fabulous drinks that we couldn’t have ever dreamed of. And the prices were not bad whatsoever! The cover on Friday is $ 5, and it was $ 10 on Saturday (if I remember properly – a-​hem). Anyway, we hit up the 10:30 drag show, sat in the balcony, and we had a stellar cocktail waiter that took very good care of us. The drag show was a blast and the music was great. It definitely had us ready to hit the light up dance floor and do some poor attempts of swinging around the strategically placed pole on a platform. The music was fabulous. It always is. They bring in guest DJs some weekends. There are bars everywhere in this establishment, and you’ll never have to wait long for a drink. I like that this place is not too crowded and everyone was generally polite.
Oh, and the staff is also very attractive. Bonus points to you, Connection.

I like the Connection. Had some good times in my younger days. If you want to be around a lot of gay people then go on the weekends and make sure you catch one of the drag shows. This is not the place to go for a relaxing night. lol.

A Gay bar in Louisville KY?!? Well this place is huge compared to any Denver has. The Drag show was one of the best I’ve seen, ever!
My trip was Jan 2013, and I didn’t expect much, but there was a private party closing the dance floor until Midnight, but there were many other sections to hang out in.
Drink prices for a bottle of beer was high for the brands they offered. I’m used to micro-​brews on tap for those prices. After one beer explore the whole of The Connection. All types are welcome and get along, I liked that. And for those who understand the term «Meat Market», this be the place, in Downtown Louisville KY.

So i came down here on vacation and was told that they have a fabulouse drag show. The #1 drag show in the country! So i was a little dissapointed to find out that they arent really drag queens. When you have your tits done and cosmetic surgery done and are hormone therapy … to me thats not drag. thats trans… so after being let down with that i went on about my evening and made my way to the dance floor. Great music and loved their new light up dance floors.
Be very carefull when you use the restrooms thought, always found a guy lurking in the dark masturbating hoping to score a quickie! GROSS!
drink in the theatre area are week so if your gonna drink find a bartender out by the dance floor!
would i return, ya, would i pay the $ 10 cover for the show… fuck no!

How do I get my body to look like His?!
Huge venue to get your awesome time on.
Looking for a low key Gay (happy) Time?
This bar/​dance club extraordinaire has a open roof patio and side bar when you walk in. There is no cover for this part, even a coat check area. You have access to the co-​ed bathroom area.
Looking for a Up Tempo Gay (happy) Time?
Pay the inexpensive cover and get bombardment by high naked well built men showering and go go dancing on tables. Walk into the next room and get exposed to the largest dance floor in Louisville and lounge area. The Connection plays great house and current remixes to keep everyone dancing.
Looking for an Entertaining Gay (happy) Time?
Just take a stroll into the theater area. There are drag shows at 1030, 1230, and 230 for any crash early-​party late clubber. Sit back have a cocktail and support the most amazing drag and bodies I have ever seen.
Looking for a «I can’t remember» Gay (happy) Time?
There has to be over 20 bartenders and bars in this club, you can not turn without seeing your next outlet to «blaming it on the al-​al-​al-​alcohol».
Looking for a Gay (homosexual) Time?
Well it’s a Gay Club… but don’t worry no one bites more then once and they love the heterosexual fun types!
I hope you are getting the point here. The Connection has the connections to make a one stop club, night out, experience.
Headed to the Gym now so I can be as hot as those guys!

I have been to bars in 4 different continents, as well as countless ones inside the U.S., and I have never found a bar that I liked as well as The Connection.
The drag entertainment is undoubtedly some of the best in the world, set in its own theatre in a separate area from the rest of the club.
The enormous layout of this club is enough to lose yourself in for an entire Saturday night — and that’s really why you go to a club, isn’t it?

Holy drag show cabaret!
And why the hell are Chicago dancefloors painfully SMALLER than the warehouse-​eque space here?
Maybe Louisville just loves things that are kinda Vegas-​y, but I had a great time at The Connection. Fun, sprawling and playground-​y. Plus whoda thought the best drag in the country resides right off I65 on the IN/​KY border?
Drinks are cheap here, coming from a long time in the major markets. $ 5.50 for a stiff you-​call-​it isn’t bad, and only 2 bits more than a well!