The lineup: Vanilla Ice, Lisa Lisa, The Cover Girls, Nocera, Stacey Q, Young MC, Tone Loc, Candyman, Cynthia and Lil’ Suzy 

I thought the VIP Experience at the Queen Mary for the Freestyle Festival in 2015 was going to be spectacular. The ticket perks promised catered food, excellent seats and meet and greet opportunities Ummmm. Yeah, no. It was a messsssssss 

Arriving and trying to find our "VIP seats with catered food" was my first warning sign. It took forever to find anybody who knew what I was talking about.  Finally, somebody led us to a place BEHIND and above the stage where we supposed to watch the show. Or the back of the performer’s heads. And that's only IF we could get a standing place near the edge of the balconies where the views weren't blocked by equipment or stage backing.  Where TF were we? And why are these picnic tables with Nachos, cold hot dogs and the like considered a catered VIP experience?!?! 

Desperately looking for somebody who appeared to have a modicum of intelligence, I finally found a guy who said here put on these bracelets and you can go stand right next to the barricades about 10 feet from the side of the stage.  Leaving the VIP diarrhea-causing Carnival food, the cheap margarita dIspenser and the already drunken attendees whose hairdos blocked any view, we quickly took the opportunity to go downstairs stateside. 

And then we were immediately stopped by somebody who had no idea what the bracelets meant or that there was even a VIP package. Yo!! Seriously??? 

Finally got it figured out and we planted ourselves at the side of the stage where we could see the performers from about 5 feet below and 7ish feet behind ...but good enough.  This is also where the "meet and greet" took place. Which apparently no performer knew about.  So the "meet and greet" consisted of basically yelling to get the attention aof any performet that you saw who was milling around or getting ready to go on stage. 

So here's how it went... 

Lil’ Suzy actually came over to greet us because she saw I had a picture of her. TBH I had no idea, until later, that I vaguely knew her song. But she was super sweet and friendly. Glad to have the fan love. 

Cynthia came over next.  I was more familiar with her music because of her duet with Johnny O and her solo hit...She was also very sweet and made a comment about me being prepared. 

Candyman was all about the few of us near the barricade and was a little up, happy guy, very accommodating and funny. 

I had to shout out to Tone Loc, but he came over and was in a jovial, playful mood - happily signing and chatting. 

Young MC was also around and came over. He was a little quieter and shy, but also friendly and accommodating. I didn't realize until much later that he was the writer and collaborator of tone Loc's biggest hits. I liked him, very chill and reassured energy 

Nocera was a bit preoccupied getting ready for her set, but came over when I called out to her, waving some pix.  I had met her at a small record store in San Mateo on B Street when Summertime summertime was released and she had signed a picture for me back then.  I just remember thinking that our interaction was awkward in the 80s Come on but I really didn't put together that she was freshly from Italy. At this event she was still slightly aloof, but I gushed over her fantastic record covers and images and that made her smile and she interacted pleasantly. 

Surprisingly there’s no official video of her biggest hit, but here she is singing “Summertime Summetime” on Club MTV 

And trotting it out in 2017 (with some random little girl on stage – this is a sitch …) 

Stacey Q ...Stacey, Stacey, Stacey. I don't know what was up with her. Nerves or shy .. why oh why can't you look us in the eye for too long? I have always loved her music, especially "Give You All My Love" with the Marilyn Monroe vibes video. I had gotten an autograph in the 80's obtained by my friend Dean woh was DJ when she performed at B Street gay bar in San Mateo.  I vaguely remember something about her "preparing" in the DJ booth before her lip sync performance. We all partied back then so I didn't judge; I was glad to have the autograph and just wish I could have been in the DJ booth with them!

But at the Queen Mary, she was so thin, skittish, inward ...it was almost cause for worry.  And her lip-synced (2 song) performance did not go over well with the audience. I love Stacey Q - I hope she is doing well.

"Give You All My Love" wasn’t her biggest hit, but it’s my favorite song and video of hers … 

By now it is getting dark and Trinere is about to take the stage. She waves at us but won't come over. She kills it. The audience loves her. 

The Cover Girls - one of my favorite girl groups - is getting ready to go on. I had been communicating with angels husband About Getting an autograph beforehand and he said it would be no problem. Um. Yeah. No. They didn't even come over to the fan area. But I was 100% in love with their fantastic performance. More on them later. 

Lisa Lisa - my mind is blank. Maybe I went to the bathroom Which would have been at least to 30 minute ordeal with the porta potty lines.  I've seen her so many times and I don't remember anything specific about this performance.  More on her later, too. 

Vanilla Ice - Now it's fully dark. Headliner about to go on. VIP bracelets or not, we are pushed further away from our area. We watch part of his show but decide to cut loose early and beat the traffic. 

Freestyle SHITSHOW explosion recap, now done. 

P.S. I did meet one of the most fantastic, talented sketch artists there Alexei who persevered and somehow did have his picture of vanilla Ice signed.