Prince and Eryka Badu were supposed to perform at theEvent, a fundraiser for the Goss-Michael Foundation, on Friday night. Tickets to the function, which initially cost $1,500 each, then went on sale 2-for-1, were some of the priciest among Super Bowl celebrations in North Texas. (VIP tickets to Pam Anderson’s Super Bowl party cost $500 and later appeared as a daily deal on Groupon for only $250. Admission to Gene Simmons’ Aces and Angels Super Bowl party cost $475 with a limited amount later going for half price as well.)
Chaos and Disorder
theEvent was scheduled to take place in a tent at the former home of Reunion Arena, near Reunion Tower. On Monday, winter storms led organizers to move the party to the Hotel InterContinental in Addison. By Friday afternoon, the celebration was canceled altogether. Officials promptly retracted that announcement and the party was, once again, on.
Why You Wanna Treat Me So Bad
According to Pegasus News, ticket holders arrived at the Hotel InterContinental Friday night expecting to enjoy a night of all-inclusive food, drinks and entertainment. Instead, local event organizer and radio personality Chris Arnold stayed on-site to tell patrons about the last-minute cancellation.
Arnold said ticket holders would receive a refund, but did not offer much of an explanation. In an interview with Pegasus News, he said:
“He (Prince) never did come to town. His band was here, his crew was here. They set up his equipment. Prince really did want to come. It’s kind of heartbreaking. Everybody worked hard. No one did this for any other reason than it would be great to do. From Prince to Erykah to the Goss-Michael Foundation to everybody. No one is at fault. The only fault anybody had was that nobody wanted to stop moving forward and try to get it done.”
Reports from the Associated Press indicate financing was an issue and allege the Meridian Entertainment Group and the River Alexander Group did not secure transportation for Prince and his band.
Let’s Go Crazy
From the charity losing out because of the failed fundraiser to student musicians who traveled–at their own expense–to Dallas to perform to ticket holders with light wallets, there is ample cause for frustration, anger and disappointment. However, some are handling the craziness quite well.
The Famous Water Company in Mineral Wells gladly agreed to help present a taste of Texas by donating its iconic Crazy Water No. 2 to theEvent. Pumped and bottled by hand in Mineral Wells, Crazy Water is a local legend. The water naturally contains a unique mix of minerals–including lithium–and customers claim a variety of health benefits.
Carol Elder, co-owner of Famous Water Company, encountered some difficulties due to the weather. Via e-mail, Elder described this weekend’s confusion.
“The local ‘Event’ planners were dealing with situations beyond their control with last night’s non-party. The road conditions until 2:00 on Friday to the bottling plant were too bad to get a large truck in so we loaded 1500 bottles in our Crazy Water pickup truck and slid to Addison. Because of the ice and snow, we were unable to get water delivered to the InterContinental hotel until after 6:30. At that time, the party was still going as planned. By 8:00 it was announced that Prince would not be attending and the party was off.”
After delivering the water, Elder and her husband, Scott, were unable to drive home to Mineral Wells because of the weather. On Saturday, Elder spoke with the hotel manager and left the supply of Crazy Water for the hotel to use during the weekend festivities.
Despite the craziness, Elder put everything into perspective, explaining:
“This week’s ice disruptions and party cancellation have made their jobs very difficult. They need as much help as they can get to exceed the expectations of all the Super Bowl guests to Texas. It is a small gesture of empathy for all the hard, cold and late night work they are enduring.”
Sources
“VIP Ticket for Pam Anderson’s Super Bowl Party!”, Fat Wallet
Gene Simmons Aces & Angels Super Bowl XLV Party, Aces and Angels
Teresa Gubbins, “Who Exactly Was Behind the Failed Prince Super Bowl Concert?”, Pegasus News
Jamie Stengle, “Pricey Prince Concert Canceled at Last Minute”, Associated Press
