The Super Bowl weekend is no less than a festival, yes, but there’s no denying it’s events like Shaq’s Fun House that make it special. The music festival-cum-carnival has now been the destination to really turn up the energy during Big Game Weekend. This year, however, Shaquille O’Neal’s annual event faced some threat not just because it competed with Jeff Beacher’s own fest but also because of the accusations from the 51-year-old producer.
As per an article by Page Six, Beacher claimed that Shaq stole the entire concept of fun house from him. If you’ve ever heard of Beacher’s Madhouse, you probably know what he was talking about.
The 51-year-old producer launched his vaudeville-style show back in 2002 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. Think a wild mix of theater, comedy, and performance art, sprinkled with A-list guests like Paris Hilton, Miley Cyrus, Justin Bieber, and Demi Lovato. It became a massive hit, especially on the West Coast.
Now, here’s where things got interesting. Beacher said that in 2012, Shaq visited Beacher’s Madhouse—six years before launching Shaq’s Fun House in 2018. And according to Beacher, what happened next wasn’t a coincidence.
“He walked into ‘Madhouse’ and he loved it! So much he copied the ‘Madhouse!’ I inspired him,” Beacher told Page Six. This year, however, things heated up even more because both Shaq and Beacher brought their parties to Louisiana for Super Bowl weekend. Shaquille O’Neal’s 7th annual Shaq’s Fun House was locked in for February 7. And it was hyped as an “all-inclusive, open-to-the-public” event.
Shaquille O’Neal, of course, was himself all hyped up. “As an LSU alum, Louisiana is like a second home to me,” he had said in a press release. “So it’s only fitting that my next homecoming is a part of the citywide celebration for Big Game Weekend… For the seventh annual Fun House, we’re bringing the best music, the wildest carnival rides, and a party fans won’t forget—it’s going to be legendary!”
Legendary it was but the concerns are that Shaquille O’Neal’s annual music fest-cum-festival might’ve suffered a loss this year.
Shaquille O’Neal was aiming for a major profit from this year’s annual fest
Big Diesel knows how to throw a party, and this year’s Shaq’s Fun House was no exception. His annual spectacle, packed with music, carnival rides, and non-stop entertainment on February 7—and let’s just say, it wasn’t meant to be a small affair.
Now in its seventh edition, Shaq’s Fun House promised to be bigger than ever. According to the event’s co-founder, the festival was expected to welcome around 5,000 general admission guests and another 1,000 VIPs—that’s a packed house!
And when you consider that an all-inclusive bar ticket was priced at $299, you don’t have to be a math genius to realize Shaq was looking at some serious earnings. Well, it could’ve been guaranteed had it not been for Beacher’s accusations of Shaq copying his funhouse. However, despite the accusations, the 51-year-old producer still showed affection to Shaq—but not without a playful jab.
“I love Shaq and what he created, but there’s nothing like the original. The Madhouse came first,” Beacher quipped. This statement alone could’ve been enough to pull some major attention towards the Madhouse instead of the Funhouse.
So did the accusations and the two parties clashing hurt Shaquille O’Neal’s pocket. Well, there’s a possibility but it will only be determined when the actual numbers come out.
The post Shaquille O’Neal’s Million-Dollar Super Bowl Event Could Suffer Potential Loss Over Rival’s Accusations appeared first on EssentiallySports.