BY ELIANA GREEN, SUPER SUNDAY HQ STAFF
Tuesday, January 17, 2012

We know folks are considering which Super Bowl Parties to splurge on during the big weekend, so we went straight to the source at Rolling Stone, Publisher Matt Mastrangelo, to get the details on one of the most anticipated pair of Super Bowl parties in recent years. In our one-on-one interview we asked Matt about the events, the party themes, celebrity amenities, the competition, and even what he thinks is the best Super Bowl matchup for Indy:

SSHQ: Hi Matt,  we have some big Rolling Stone events coming up for the Super Bowl, and we know Rolling Stone is used to throwing big music events. But what is different about throwing a Super Bowl Party for your magazine?

MATT: You have to make sure that you go bigger, broader, more spectacular than you've done in the past. We wanted to put something together that I have not seen at the Super Bowl before, and that is taking a multi-act bill, building that up, but then also delivering a really phenomenal VIP experience. A lot of times you get one or the other. So, for the Saturday night event, what we were able to do as you see in the lineup is to get four of the biggest bands in music today and put them on one bill, get them really excited about the event, and get them excited about playing together on the same bill. And then we enlisted our partner Bacardi who is celebrating their 150th anniversary to really blow out the whole experience in celebration of great parties and party scenes over the past 150 years. We'll be transporting consumers back in time to Cuba in the 1920's where Cuba was the great party scene that Americans went to during prohibition so we'll be building out some great experiences that people that  come will be able to experience. We'll have photo opportunities, a lot of different build-outs that we'll be doing of the 20's and also the 50's which is kind of the golden era of the party, mixing great cocktails. Building that out as well. And then the modern scene, the great party scene of today. So we'll have these great build-outs that will take the consumer through a journey of the past 150 years of great parties, great cocktails and then on top of that, really spectacular music with L.M.F.A.O, Cobra Starship, Gym Class Heroes, and Lupe Fiasco. It's gonna be really cool. It's going to be something that in my six years I've never experienced at a Super Bowl party. It's not just about the big "wow" factor. But it's about a big wow factor that's authentic, that's real, that's fun and allows consumers to enjoy it.

SSHQ: Are there any disadvantages to being a new player on the Super Bowl party scene?

MATT: I don't see any disadvantages of being a new player. I think that anybody that would come and experience the world's largest, most important music and entertainment magazine..they're going to get what they expect. It's not like Rolling Stone is a brand that doesn't have the cred to deliver. We have to deliver. This event will clearly deliver on that. I look at it as an advantage, in that we don't have any history or baggage that we have to deal with.

SSHQ: We're less than 3 weeks away from the parties, how involved are you in the party planning process? What's going on behind the scenes for you regarding this big event?

MATT: I've been intimately involved in the event. Overall ticket sales have been very very strong. The Indianapolis community has really embraced what we're doing. The venue is owned by an ex-Indianapolis Colt, and so the community has been really rallying around him. It's been really beneficial having these guys involved.

SSHQ: At the end of the day, a lot of people judge an event by its amount of starpower, how do you get the big celebrities to choose your event instead the other big events around the town?

MATT: We work closely with artists and with talent management to give them an experience that they're going to find pleasurable. That they're going to find to be inviting. We have built up really exclusive high-end cabanas that some of the celebrity VIP clientele will be able to make their home base, with bottle service and their own waitress and their own staff, an all-secure location. We have a really fabulous red carpet, that we're working on and building out. So that'll give great exposure to the talent and artists that want to come by. We look at it as if Rolling Stone is in the business of working with these guys and girls and the talent that's out there. So we want to be able to push them as much as we can within our brand and would look for them to be able to come and experience the Rolling Stone brand for themselves. It's very cool. We're going to have some really cool build-outs that we're doing for them. It gives them an exclusive experience, but they'll also feel like they're part of the action. We didn't want to set up this thing where they were so far removed like they felt they weren't part of the action.

SSHQ: How do you decide which celebrities get to be on the guest list, whether in advance, or even at the door?

MATT: It is a big challenge. Our PR team is vetting through everybody. It is a small venue, in comparison. It'll probably hold about 1300 people when all is said and done. So it is a fairly small size venue, so we have to be very careful about the balance of people that are there.

SSHQ: Has Rolling Stone ever had to compete with so many major events on one weekend? With acts such as Katy Perry and Lenny Kravitz at other events the same night, do you keep your eye on the other magazine's parties and make adjustments as you go?

MATT: We know what's going on. We have to keep our eye on our ball and make sure we deliver.  It's just the nature of the beast. You try to create something that is different than what other events are offering. All the other events offer something that's very different and very unique. People are going to have to decide what type of event they want. Do they want an event with one act, or do they want an event with three or four different acts? Do they want a large scale event? Do they want something that's very unique in a smaller venue, that gives something that's very different? So it's a matter of consumers picking which experience they want. There are a lot of people that are going out that are going fill up all of these events and all of these parties.

SSHQ: People are excited about your tailgate party with Jane's Addiction, the Roots, and chef John Besh proving great food, and even a biergarten. What are some other details about the event you can share that you're excited about?

MATT: The Volkswagen Rock N' Roll Fan Tailgate. We really want to put the focus on the fans. While the Saturday Night event is more celebrity, more high profile, the Sunday event is very much about the fans, celebrating the fans, kicking back, having great food, having great music, and having a great time. We're really excited about taking that great classic tailgate and getting chef John Besh to put his spin on it. But then, also, obviously the Rolling Stone Brand, we have to deliver really good kickass Rock N' Roll. Jane's Addiction - a really phenomenal band; Dave Navarro and Farrell are going to be there. They're just starting their US tour. We're one of the first gates that are going to be out there. And this is a really unique experience again to be able to see Jane's in a small venue like the Crane Bay. And also the Roots which most people don't have an opportunity to see live because they're with Fallon. These guys are one of the best Rock N' Roll Hip-Hop Bands in the world today. And that's not just me talking. There's an article in the Washington Post and other articles talking about how amazing and talented these guys are, and how much fun they are as far as a great party band. So, we got them on the bill. It's a great opportunity because we're in a cold environment in Indianapolis. People are going to be able to come to our event, going to be able to chill out, have great food, have great cocktails, and listen to some great music. And we're only a block-and-a half away from the stadium. So you can literally see Lucas Oil Field from the venue. So it makes it really easy for anybody that's going. Traffic is an absolute nightmare around there. So what you're able to do is you're able to just come to our event, park yourself there, have a great afternoon, walk out the door, take a right hand turn. And a block and half later you're at the Super Bowl. You don't even have to take your coat off!

SSHQ: Last question. There are four teams left: The Ravens, The Patriots, 49ers, and Giants. What matchup do you think will create the biggest excitement this year in Indy?

MATT: I gotta go with the rematch of Manning and Brady. I think a New England and Giants Super Bowl will be a spectacular event. I think it would be fitting to have a Manning playing in Indianapolis for the Super Bowl.

FOR SATURDAY NIGHT FROM THE OFFICIAL ROLLING STONE ROCK WEEKEND TICKET PAGE
(MIGHT BE SOLD OUT ALREADY)



FOR SUNDAY'S TAILGATE FROM THE OFFICIAL ROLLING STONE ROCK WEEKEND TICKET PAGE
(MIGHT BE SOLD OUT ALREADY)

 

SUPER SUNDAY HQ

Your Super Bowl party headquarters.  We provide you with unbiased previews of all the major Super Bowl parties, provide red carpet coverage of the hottest parties and then write review articles on what went down. Click one of the parties below for more information, and thanks for checking us out. - Super Sunday HQ Crew