On location at Bud Light #HouseOfWhatever for Super Bowl XLIX
Here’s the scoop: For Super Bowl weekend, Bud Light took over the beautiful Hotel Palomar in downtown Phoenix, and directly across the street in a previously vacant lot, Bud Light paved over and built the House of Whatever. You’ve seen the commercial, but what was it like?
Day One
The highlight of day one was something “off menu” from the Bud Light festivities.
While getting hassled by overly aggressive security guards at the entrance as we attempted to enter the House, a familiar voice chimed in from behind us. “Excuse me, fellas.” We turned around and it was none other than NFL Hall of Famer Warren Sapp. Little did we know, the next 48 hours were essentially the requiem of Sapp’s media career, as he was busted for assaulting two prostitutes at the very same hotel two days later. RIP, Warren.
The first-ever Bud Light House of Whatever got the party started with unique “Up For Whatever” experiences, an unpredictable party and epic concerts. Inside the House, DJs spun from the top of a beached yacht, food trucks lined the interior, and a massive social media tree served as the epicenter of a kinetic forest. Bullz-Eye was on location to partake in whatever.
Here is what it was like when the House was thrown open:
Friday’s activities included:
– An unexpected delivery from Buffalo Bills head coach Rex Ryan, who gave partygoers a pep talk and arrived with plenty of Pizza Hut pizza.
– A variety of spontaneous activities, including Super Fry, where guests could have anything edible deep-fried for them by people dressed as super heroes; Brew U, which offered a ten-minute crash course on beer-making with Bud Light brewmasters; and the ultimate Pac-Man black-light arcade.
– Guests putting on animal masks as part of a party boat-themed concert with epic performances by Kongos and Nicki Minaj.
The best thing about the House of Whatever on night one, besides endless Bud Light, Warren Sapp’s inevitable demise, and meeting Riley from the Bud Light Pac Man Super Bowl commercial, were the bottomless quesadillas.
I literally ate my weight in them over the next two hours, then took a tremendous risk by piling a fish taco on top of it to end my night. Sometimes, you gotta roll the dice.
Day Two
Bud Light’s House of Whatever continued being the most talked-about event in Phoenix on Saturday with its second day of unforgettable activities and concerts, including:
– A spontaneous dating game called “Swipe Right,” in which guests answered questions, met new friends, and were surprised to learn that one of the contestants was award-winning singer/rapper Nelly, who then performed a set of his high-energy hits.
– A speed-painting class where guests were surprised by a celebrity muse, Shaquille O’Neal, who followed the painting session with a DJ performance that brought down the house.
– A massive house party featuring Diplo and Steve Aoki, who gave epic performances while guests participated in a onesie pajama jam and ultimate cake party.
At the conclusion of the “Swipe Right” dating game, we sat down for a one-on-one interview with Nelly, which was bomb.com. The best part was when my brother from another mother via Whatever, USA, Oscar, gave Nelly two tickets to the “Gun Show.”
Sometimes, being #UpForWhatever means you have to take a few risks and go off the beaten path.
At the conclusion of our Nelly encounter, our host for the weekend, Major Bradley, took us on a tour of Phoenix, which started with a chance encounter with a Lyft (don’t get Major started on Uber or he will go off) driver named Mike who put up with senseless mom jokes from complete strangers, stopped to get us a case of Bud Light, and posed for the greatest ’80s hip-hop inspired Lyft driver picture in history.
Day Three
Super Bowl Sunday was upon us, so we checked out University of Phoenix Stadium to soak up the pageantry… and pungent odor of Seahawks fans.
Security at the Super Bowl was unlike anything I have ever seen. The way the security guards looked at you, you had to be guilty of something. So, I gave this guy a hug and we left, never to return.
The Bud Light House of Whatever wrapped up the weekend on Sunday with one final day of Up For Whatever activities, including wake-up pep talks and a Super Bowl pre-game tailgate party featuring a performance from Brett Eldredge.
By the numbers, the epic weekend included:
– Nearly 10,000 auditions submitted by people interested in attending Bud Light House of Whatever
– 4,000 unique visitors to Bud Light House of Whatever footprint throughout the weekend
– 70,000 square feet of event space at Bud Light House of Whatever
– 343,000 meals donated to the Association of Arizona Foodbanks
– 22,000 feet of fabric in the Bud Light House of Whatever tent
– 7,500 #HouseOfWhatever and #UpForWhatever tweets displayed on the Bud Light House of Whatever social tree throughout the weekend
– 3,000 cubic feet of inflatables including dinosaurs, flamingos, gnomes, whales, duckies, pretzels, water wings and aliens
– 1,500 hand-crafted animal masks created for Friday’s ALL ABOARD experience
– 1,100 miles covered by double-decker House of Whatever Uber buses providing safe rides around Phoenix
– 850 gallons of paint used to transform the Bud Light House of Whatever space
– 500 variations of Bud Light House of Whatever renderings created before blueprint was finalized
– 85 feet: height of the Bud Light House of Whatever tent pole
– 64 artists on-site at Bud Light House of Whatever, including musicians, DJs, contemporary dancers, break dancers, actors, magicians and contemporary artists
– 49 different “Up For Whatever” experiences in honor of Super Bowl XLIX
– 28 hand-painted recycling bins inspired by the 28 Bud Light-sponsored NFL teams
– 24 Bud Light umbrellas in the Kinetic Forest designed by artists from the Klughaus Gallery
– 13 truckloads of sand in the Bud Light House of Whatever Yacht space
– 9 local food trucks serving guests at Bud Light House of Whatever
– 6 artists displaying custom Bud Light artwork at Bud Light House of Whatever
– 3 Texas pitmasters serving up authentic Texas barbeque
– 1 Bud Light House of Whatever community-painted Pegasus
– Infinite: The amount of “Up For Whatever” fun at Bud Light House of Whatever
Whatever, USA is coming BACK. Audition for your chance to be selected as an honorary citizen at www.budlight.com.
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Posted in: Beer, Lifestyle, On Location
Tags: Bud Light, House of Whatever, Super Bowl, Up For Whatever