Rave of Thrones: A Night with Hodor

What would Jon Snow, Daenerys Targaryen and Hodor do if they found themselves together in a night club in the middle of Manhattan? That was the question I found myself asking when I stepped into the legendary B.B. Kings for Rave of Thrones, the New York Comic Con event focused on Game of Thrones‘ own Kristian Nairn.

As most of the world knows, when he’s not Hodor-ing around Westeros with Bran Stark, Nairn performs as a professional DJ — a trade he’s been practicing for years, well before he was cast in the HBO series. Friday night’s Rave of Thrones event served as the kick-off for the North American leg of Nairn’s tour, which will take him from Toronto to Alaska to San Fransisco. And it’s only right that his first stop would coincide with a place where there would be lots of support in the form of direwolves, Lannister queens and White Walkers.

For someone who was looking forward to the event partially because of what promised to be a rowdy crowd, I wasn’t disappointed — there were dedicated cosplayers swinging around with glowsticks and making themselves at home on the dance floor, including a Jaime Lannister with a golden hand (who very nicely asked me to hold his drink) and a Joffrey Baratheon looking like he had seen better days. After an intro that included a taped recording of Old Nan’s White Walker speech, Nairn — clad in glasses, a casual tee-shirt and headphones — took to the stage, which was decorated with a wolf’s head and a crown. Though he didn’t play any kind of Game of Thrones music (no, not even a remix of the theme), he did spin an impressive number of tunes that had all attendees on their feet and enthralled. Personally, I was just glad there was no remix of the Red Wedding theme, because I would have been out of there before the night even began.

Despite the loud music, stuffy atmosphere and crowds, Nairn himself looked like he was having the time of his life. For a guy who spends most of his time on screen saying one word over and over again, it was refreshing to see a bit of his personality come out, and it’s obvious Nairn is passionate about his DJ’ing skills. Co-star Daniel Portman, who plays Poderick Payne, also showed up in costume to support his friend (sunglasses and a wolf’s head helped him blend into the crowd of costumed guests rather easily.)

Don’t worry –there were, of course, “Hodor!” chants. In fact, there were a lot of them. Not one to shy away from the crowd, Nairn got into the cheering and played along, which helped keep the excited atmosphere going until it was well into 2 a.m., when his set finally started to die down. Though there was a certain shift in energy not long after Nairn had stopped spinning, there was still a palpable amount of  buzz in the room, and a lot of attendees still trying to dance the night away…which was a good thing, since “Zedd Stark,” the last DJ of the night, was about to take the stage for his own set.

Raves aren’t normally my thing, and I grew out of going to clubs a long time ago. But I had a really fun time at Rave of Thrones, and it was a real treat to see Nairn doing what he loves. I can’t say that the night wasn’t worthwhile (and not just because I got to dance alongside Daenerys and her plush dragon.)

Check out the full list of dates for Rave of Thrones to find Nairn near you–I guarantee that you you’ll have a great time.

• Published on 10/16/2014 at 10:18 AM CDT
• Last updated on 10/21/2016 at 12:40 PM CDT