I became a cast member, hosting a talent show every Thursday, and I would bartend every Wednesday and Saturday. About four years ago is when I started bartending there. I was working on and off there for a couple years. I started off as an entertainer doing their talent shows and developing my character as an entertainer. I’ve been there coming up on seven years. On Monday afternoon (June 13), Belvedere spoke to Billboard over the phone about his experience: what he saw, how he survived and helped others escape, and the unexpected kindness a stranger showed him after the tragedy. After several tense, uncertain hours, he made it out alive.
Patrons on Orlando’s Pulse Before the Tragedy: ‘We Could Be Our Authentic Selves’Īs on most Saturdays, Belvedere was tending bar that night.