I sat in the balcony of the Beacham in downtown Orlando to see one of my favorite performers, Peaches, on her “No Lube, So Rude” tour with a bit of trepidation. The tickets were a present from my husband for the day after my 51st birthday. I had already seen her three times in previous years; each show was better than the last, so I knew it would be excellent, but it was almost 9 pm, the show had not yet started, and I had forgotten to take a nap before the adventure. My aging, tired self didn’t know if I had the energy to fully enjoy the spectacle coming my way. Then the music started, and I was suddenly energized like I was a kid again.

For those unaware of her music, Peaches (born Merrill Nisker in Toronto, Ontario) is a bad-ass, angry, sexual icon to Gen X women like me. Her music is a mix of punk, electronica, and straight-up sexual empowerment. With songs entitled “Boys Wanna Be Her”, “Vaginaplasty”, and her hit “Fuck the Pain Away.”  This woman screams (literally and figuratively about sexual equality and acceptance and has since the early 2000s.

She came out proud in a jacket made of butt-plugs. Then stripped down to a flesh-colored body suit, including a painted-on bush. Minutes into the show, I felt as if I was in the mix of Drag Race and the Muppet Show, as 6’ dancers performed in vagina costumes, she screamed about sexuality, and honestly…spoke to my soul, once again. Unabashed and raw, she always delivers a performance of her truth… no matter how she gets, she is not afraid to make the crowd listen to her opinion, or watch her grind. That is what we paid for, after all.

At first, I was disappointed that there was no live band, as I had seen in the past. But backing tracks were all that was really needed as she sang while doing her token move of walking half-naked over to the crowd. The trust of her audience as she walked on top of them and in between made this woman smile, and the mom in me was scared for her safety. One more example this woman is just a badass performer.