Ashlee Simpson at Myst: If you blinked you missed it (and the "open bar" too)

Posted Jan 31 2008 1:11PM by Jeff Townsend SBPHQ Staff

Pop star Ashlee Simpson headlined one of the first Super Bowl parties of the weekend at Myst nightclub in Old Town Scottsdale. Here is a quick breakdown of the event.

The concert
Ashlee Simpson did not go on until midnight and the crowd was definitely hyped for her performance at that point. She sang four songs, most of which were off her new album, Bittersweet World. It appeared to our staff that she was actually singing the songs, as opposed her infamous lip-syncing performance on Saturday Night Live. The height of the stage was so low that few fans could actually see her perform.

Cost
The event was originally advertised as costing $80 for general admission and $250 for VIP. Our staff showed up at midnight, right before Ashlee began her set. At that point, it only cost $20 for a general admission ticket and $100 for VIP. However, once guests entered the club, the cashier informed everyone that there was only a button for $30 on the cash register so that was the new price. VIP tickets allowed guests to go upstairs and hang out in the VIP area and see the stars.

The flier listed for the event indicated that both General Admission and VIP tickets were advertised as allowing guests access to a premium open bar all night long. If you ask me, Grey Goose Vodka is a premium drink, but unfortunately that was not on the list of premium drinks offered in the “open bar.” Furthermore, this open bar was shut down at midnight.

Celebrities
Spotted on the red carpet were a small number of celebrities including Fall Out Boy members Pete Wentz and Andy Hurley along with Brody Jenner and Frankie Delgado from MTV’s The Hills. If guests thought that they would have a chance to mingle with the VIPs, they were sadly mistaken. There were booths in the VIP area which was where all the celebrities were hanging out. These booths were heavily guarded and prevented anyone from interacting with the VIPs.

The Crowd
The crowd was very good-looking with mostly trendy 20-somethings in the house. There was one uncomfortable moment when a plain-clothes officer walked through the crowd, demanding to see proper identification from various guests who appeared to be underage.

Bottom line
This party did not live up to the hype. Few celebrities were in attendance and were sequestered from everyone else, the open bar was shut down early and the ticket prices took a drastic drop on the night of the event. When we showed up at midnight, it was inexpensive, but for those who purchased tickets in advance, some might feel like they were taken advantage of.

Three clichés come to mind in the midst of all this: Bait and Switch, Pass the Buck, and Buyer Beware. Of course, this is just our opinion and we are not saying that the planners intentionally tried to deceive people, but we just couldn’t help but feel for those who relied on some of the advertisements.

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