Thursday
House No 7 was Jack Daniels’ vintage motel-themed activation and experiential party. While sponsor “activations” was one of the most overused buzzwords of All Star Weekend, House No 7 set itself apart from the pack with a guerilla marching band, adult arcade, a salon giving free haircuts, a New Era cap shop personalizing guests gear, and a basketball court. The prohibition-era theme might not have been as sexy as previous House No 7s but the dozens of Charlotteans playing the roles of maids at the vintage motel was quite the production. Multiple whiskey open bars fueled the party. For an invite-only party the door was a bit of a mess, but party-goers didn’t seem to mind, especially by the time Big Boi of Outkast come through for a special performance. He was joined by Sleepy Brown, although most of the crowd only seemed to know who Big Boi was. The following night Jack Daniels actually had 2 activations, House No 7 and Arts Beats Lyrics, a travelling experiential party open to the public. Both these events had lineups literally extending around the block on Friday, and Instagram was buzzing with stories of Charlotte residents soaking up Jack Daniels. Although House No 7 had a bit of an older vibe that went along with the old-timey décor and an old school artist like Big Boi, the activation maintained its relevance through the presence of the NBA athletes and rappers like Shah that made appearances.
Friday
The most exclusive party of the weekend was the annual Jordan Brand All Star weekend. This strictly invite-only event did not allow photography and we can’t reveal too many details, but the party featured some of the biggest names in sports. The most hilarious moment of the night was when TV personality Judge Joe Mathis aggressively approached retired NBA player Charles Oakley. Tensions flared as there was history between the two: they had brawled at an NBA All Star event years ago. Thankfully this night, Judge Mathis had actually come to squash the beef, and when this was realized the room erupted in laughter
Saturday
Saturday’s hottest event was surprisingly a day party - the Levi’s Ball-B-Q party held this year at Heist Brewery, Charlotte’s famed only craft brewpub. If Heist didn’t have the reputation of hosting hot, exclusive events before then they sure do now. It was only a few hours and the invitation list was so exclusive there wasn’t a lineup in sight. The vibe was relaxed, just celebrities hanging out with each other enjoying Heist craft brews and a special Gin and Pineapple mixed drink special, in honor of Snoop Dogg of course, who was DJing. Other notable rappers in attendance were Trinidad James, Shah, and Trae the Truth. The party had a diverse array of celebs that were all seen kicking it with fans, also spotted were Hannibal Buress, Kenny Burns, and JD McCrary. The party was hosted and curated by Don C of Just Don. Despite the fact that Don C was stunting on everyone with his fly ensemble, he was incredibly down to earth and didn’t leave the room until he spoke in depth with each fan. Some celebrities just take a picture and run but Don’s chill vibe definitely set the tone for a dope afternoon.
Again, having the relevance of a rising star like Shah in attendance helped balance out the presence of Uncle Snoop who at one point was berating the audience for not dancing yelling “F*** y’all doing with ya phones out. This generation is f***ed up.” Snoop did stay for about an hour after his DJ set to take photos with every last fan who asked, which helped create the backyard cook-out vibe that's often missing from these celebrity events. Shah was seen mingling with the crowd and signing autographs. The presence of Heist Brewery's knowledgeable team did result in this being the most smoothly run event of All Star Weekend, contrasting most other top tier All Star Weekend events staffed by temps a bit out of their element.
Sunday
Our final party before actually hitting the All Star Game was Bleacher Report’s large scale activation at Music Factory. Unlike the other events we attended, B/R x NC was open to the public, and while there was a Caesars Sports sponsored VIP/talent lounge, this was less of a celebrity party and more about creating social media content. As Bleacher Report’s chief marketing officer Howard Mittman explains, “We’re not building an event or an experience. We’re building a physical set to entertain consumers on the ground but, more important, to capture, create, shoot, and push content out.” Bleacher Report is owned by Turner Broadcasting of ATT’s Warner Media Division and is home to House Of Highlights which had a studio in the activation. We were looking forward to connecting with Omar Raja, the founder of HOH, but this became impossible due to the sheer volume of fans at the event, which featured basketball courts, a DJ battle that included Brooklyn Nets’ DJay Jung, multiple bars, endless hors d'oeuvres, and sponsored shops. There were also planned appearances from rappers Lil Durk, Sada Baby, Fabolous, Jadakiss and Shah, but again the packed environment made celebrity-spotting impossible! This didn’t seem to bring down anyone’s vibe as 2 Chainz closed out the party, performing classics like Rich As F***, Big Bank, Good Drank, and I’m Different. It wouldn’t have been a 2 Chainz concert without a “truuu” interlude between each song.
Thanks to all that were a part of the second hottest weekend of the year and special shout out to Atlanta’s own 2 Chainz, Shah, and Big Boi for making time to hold it down with us in Charlotte. Much love to Snoop Dogg, Sleepy Brown, Trinidad James, and Trae The Truth for their cameo appearances. And much love to the Charlotteans who came through with reports for us at the last minute.
#Tru
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