Shaquille O’Neill didn’t show up for his scheduled red-carpet appearance to open this year’s Bay Area version of his legendary Fun House Super Bowl Party on Friday night.
The 7-foot-1 NBA legend clearly had other places to be as his party got underway at the Cow Palace Arena and Event Center in Daly City. He probably was busy with being the night’s host, and his Fun House was quite the extravaganza — part massive dance party, part circus and part carnival, with a Ferris wheel and a merry-go-round lighting up the night.
Since introducing his Fun House in Miami in 2018, the four-time NBA champion has promoted it as the “the best Super Bowl party ever seen,” and many of the thousands spending anywhere from $250 to more than $1,500 per ticket might be inclined to agree.
The party also has gained the reputation as a celebrity hotspot, promising the possibility that attendees might get to spot star athletes, rappers, film and TV A-listers and top influencers, given that they’ve been invited to the party to add star wattage.
Unfortunately, at this year’s Fun House, the recognizable celebrities were few and far between, at least on the red carpet, and a few, like East Bay rapper Lyrics Born, rushed past reporters. O’Neill was supposed to put in an appearance at around 8 p.m. before taking on his DJ Diesel persona to spin some tunes — ahead of Auto-Tune innovator T-Pain and DJs Disco Lines and Tiesto.
Of the celebrities who walked the red carpet, more than a few had names reporters had to look up.
Of course, that wasn’t the case with “Mayor of Flavortown” Guy Fieri, who strode in after 10 p.m. with an entourage of family and friends. The larger-than life celebrity chef was in his bleach-blond, spiky-hair glory, dressed in a shiny, khaki-colored puffer jacket, alligator boots and his usual bling, With sons Hunter and Ryder by his side, he also puffed on one of his own Knuckle Sandwich-brand cigars and took an occasional swig from a bottle of his Santo tequila that he gripped in one hand.
Actually, Fieri and his sons started out on the red carpet, then got side-tracked by former New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski suddenly turning up in the hall. They rushed over to greet Gronk and let him take a swig from the tequila bottle. When reporters approached the group to interview them or take photos, an intimidating looking handler shouted “No media!”
Fieri and his sons eventually returned to the red carpet, presumably to do interviews though he was also offering shots of his tequila – never mind how many people’s lips had been on it. Fieri eventually spoke with several reporters.
Fieri’s older son Hunter laughed about how their family liked the viral, “just a guy” look – dark hair parted on the side – that his dad adopted for his Super Bowl commercial for Bosch appliances. A bit later, the entrepreneur spoke of his excitement about hosting his giant Flavortown Tailgate food festival before Sunday’s game, again at the Cow Palace.
Fieri revealed he wasn’t taking sides in the Super Bowl matchup between the Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. “I don’t have a dog in the fight,” he said. But he said he was irked by the fierce political debate surrounding Bad Bunny headlining the Halftime Show.
“You know what? I don’t like the divisiveness,” he said. “A great halftime show is all I want. Settle down. This is biggest sports moment in history. This is the Super Bowl, the 60th Super Bowl! Enjoy it! Celebrate it!”
An hour earlier, Judi Johnson, a lovely film and TV actress who may not be a household name, became the night’s red carpet star. She became the first celebrity guest to walk the media gauntlet and gamely stopped to talk to one reporter after another, answering their generally repetitive questions with a gracious smile. She said it was her first time at Shaq’s Fun House, and she gushed about the prospect of getting outside to the carnival to get some funnel cake and cotton candy.
“I’m all about the experience and the energy the crowd will bring,” she said. When asked which other celebrity she was excited to meet or do selfies with, she said, “I’m here for Shaq!”
Maybe expected celebrity guests like E-40, Too $hort, Miles Teller, Adam Devine, Kristi Yamaguchi and Machine Gun Kelly decided to stick to the VIP lounge. Meanwhile, during all the red-carpet waiting, Shaq took to the arena stage, wearing a black tank top that exposed his large arms and shoulders, while he blasted out dance music at a thunderous level. He occasionally growled into the mic commands, mostly “hands up” or “hands up, ladies.”
As Judi Johnson expected, there was lots of energy in the crowd, with people of all ages swaying, rolling, jumping and getting lost in the sensory overload of the music and lights shooting up from the stage. Perhaps some of the euphoria was chemically induced: There was a heavy aroma of marijuana in the crowd.
But in some ways, the real fun was outside, where people could play carnival games, dunk baskets, go on rides, sip on specialty cocktails or load up on burgers and fries from The Habit. They also could pick up a bag of Shaq-a-Licious XL Gummies and enjoy some less ear-splitting entertainment, courtesy of the San Jose State University marching band and the dazzlingly-dressed jugglers and performers on stilts from Earth Circus, a Half Moon Bay-based entertainment company.
But outside, attendees also had to put up with San Francisco’s famous wind and cold. Some crowded around heat lamps to warm up before moving on to the next activity.
Despite the cold, attendees were still delighted to be at Shaq’s Fun House. “I’ve been wanting to see Shaq for a long time,” said Bianca Blanco from San Mateo. She also said it was a fun surprise to see T.I., and to hear the rapper preform his new song, “Let Em Know.” Blanco’s friend, Gina Durango of San Francisco added: “How often is the Super Bowl going to be in the Bay Area?”
“I came all the way here for this from Baltimore,” said Sydney Gross who had come to the Bay Area with her husband Marvin. They were here to see their first Super Bowl. But coming to Shaq’s Fun House, even more than going to a Warrior’s game or perhaps seeing the Super Bowl itself, was the big draw. “I bought my ticket for this after I bought my plane ticket. I’m a big fan of Shaq.”
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.eastbaytimes.com ’
