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Shaq's Super Bowl 'Fun House' is a no-gouge zone
ByJohn Katsilometes/Las Vegas Review-Journal
January 15, 2024 - 7:21 pm
Updated January 16, 2024 - 6:53 pm
Shaquille O'Neal attends the Formula One Las Vegas Grand Prix auto race, Saturday, Nov. 18, 2023, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)
Shaquille O'Neal is shown on the red carpet at Sports Illustrated's Club SI in the Flamingo's Margaritaville space on Saturday, Dec. 18, 2023. (Amanda Sprague/RMG)
Shaquille O'Neal is shown onstage during The Event hosted by the Shaquille O'Neal Foundation on Oct. 7, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Denise Truscello/Getty Images for The Shaquille O'Neal Foundation)
Shaquille O'Neal is shown at his "Fun House" Super Bowl party in Phoenix on Feb. 10, 2023, before Super Bowl LVII. (Medium Rare)
Shaquille O'Neal is shown at his "Fun House" Super Bowl party in Phoenix on Feb. 10, 2023, before Super Bowl LVII. (Medium Rare)
Shaq’s an often exaggerated personality. But he’s had it with exaggerated pricing. He’s ditching that concept for “Shaq’s Fun House,” the Super Bowl sidecar event coming to XS Nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas on Feb. 9.
“What I did for the people, this time, is $99,” O’Neal said last week in a Zoom chat. “I know we’re in Vegas, I know a lot of people are saying, for the Super Bowl, ‘We have a $200 room, let’s go $2,000.’ Uh-uh. We want everybody to show up, and the earlier you buy the more you will save (go to ShaqFunHouse.com for intel).”
Wynn Nightlife headliner Diplo leads this year’s lineup, along with rap star Lil Wayne; DJ Irie (the official DJ of the 2006 NBA champion Miami Heat), Shaq’s DJ/actor son, Myles O’Neal; and O’Neal’s own DJ Diesel stage persona.
O’Neal lives in Las Vegas part-time, residing in Atlanta when he is not here. He has hosted a “Fun House” alongside the Super Bowl since 2018.
“I’ve said this last year and the year before, the Super Bowl couldn’t get any bigger,” O’Neal said. “But we’re going to Vegas, the Entertainment Capital of the World, and I’ve partnered with Wynn and XS to bring the biggest event.”
That doesn’t mean O’Neal is apt to gouge visitors. He had a front-row seat to F1, when he and soccer great David Beckham co-hosted Sports Illustrated’s Club SI viewing party at the Flamingo’s Margaritaville venue the Strip.
“I don’t want to say people were taken advantage of, but they were making sure they got whatever they needed,” O’Neal said. “So, yeah, you find yourself paying $5,000 for a room. I said, ‘What the hell is going on?”
We spoke once more in what’s become an ongoing conversation about Shaq’s position as a potential investor in an NBA expansion team in Las Vegas. During F1, he broached the idea of partnering with LeBron James in a new Vegas franchise.
O’Neal has not changed his hoop dreams.
“I don’t want to say something I’m not supposed to say, Whoever is involved, I would like to be involved with them,” the 7-feet-1 icon said, picking his words thoughtfully. “Could I could I see Shaq and LeBron? Of course. Could I see Shaq, with somebody else being a majority owner? Yes. I probably wouldn’t want to be a majority owner, yet. But if they want me involved, I would love to be involved.
Who Was Where
At Frankie Valli’s show at Westgate on Saturday night: ’70s hit maker Tony Orlando, appearing in what is billed as his “Farewell Shows” at South Point Showroom on Friday, Saturday and Sunday; the great composer and arranger Artie Schroeck (who arranged “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” among many other classics) and his wife, Linda November, who has sung thousands of commercial jingles (the Meow Mix cat-food theme is the favorite here); and cast members of “Jersey Boys,” opening Jan. 26 at Orleans Showroom.
Cool Hang Alert
Alli Starr and the AlliKats (great name) continue to headline “Sultry Saturdays” from 9 to 11 p.m. at Cork & Thorn at 70 W. Imperial Ave. in the Arts District. Doors at 5 p.m. No cover. Enjoy hookah, food, drinks and cigars, in any order.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
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