Pitbull bald caps out in force for hottest ticket in town; Mariah Carey, Wiz Khalife, Lil Jon highlight lineup

Mushroom Group and Southern Cross Austereo, the companies behind Fridayz Live, were quick to capitalize on this, offering $20 bald hats as an add-on when tickets went on sale, starting at $199.90 plus fees.

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Although reviewers slammed the price tag of the event (and Adelaide’s exclusion from the tour despite being the birthplace of RNB Fridayz Live), fans happily borne the extra expense, with the bald caps selling out almost immediately. Now, finding one that can be delivered on time without paying an arm and a leg is almost a Herculean task.

Lim wasn’t taking any chances. He bought his in May when Fridayz Live announced its lineup. That same month, Spotlight apparently saw an increase in bald cap sales. Search traffic for “bald hats” and related terms increased again in June, when tickets went on sale, and in the three weeks leading up to Fridayz Live’s opening night at the Brisbane Showgrounds on 17 October.

“It’s truly a community,” says 26-year-old Amber Kades, who will be donning a bald cap when she heads to Melbourne with her parents and friends.

“In this day and age with so much happening now, it’s nice to be able to take a moment and do something fun for yourself and not take yourself too seriously.”

Bald hats are not the only thing that unites the fans of Kades, whose family is Albanian. The music itself. Some songs are in Spanish and some are bilingual.

“Even my grandparents, who don’t speak English and don’t really understand it, they love music,” Kades says. His father introduced him to Pitbull’s music shortly before he and his parents, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents left for 2012’s Planet Pitt World Tour, Pitbull’s last trip Down Under. “We took over the whole row…they love the sound of it.”

Elsewhere in Marvel Stadium will be 25-year-old Aneesha Dean, whose “obsession” with Pitbull has remained unchanged from that moment on. Hotel Room Service It was released in 2009. Dressing as a Pitbull is a “rite of passage” for every true fan, he says.

“Dressing up with a bald hat feels almost empowering; it feels like whatever men can do, women can do better,” jokes Dean.

But there is a deeper element to this. The Pitbull costume does not appeal to the male gaze in any way; When nights out with the girls turn dangerous, Dean finds it liberating. “There will be no night cat searches,” says Dean. “It’s going to be amazing.”

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Thirty-five-year-old Geelong mother Ashleigh Dyer also thinks the “bald” community, as Pitbull calls his fans, is liberating. For the first time since she learned her HER2-positive breast cancer had returned at the 21st week of her pregnancy and later learned that her hair was falling out during treatment, no one will take a second look at the soon-to-be mother of two.

“I’m not going to stand out at the concert in any way,” says Dyer, who is 32 weeks this week. “Yes, it will be nice not to let anyone make a second assessment.”

The painter may be “providing” [her] “his” bald head, but business is booming for Big Bald Cap and the artists who have made attending his concerts a subculture. Taylor Swift fans spent hours making friendship bracelets and sewing bejeweled jumpsuits to wear. Eras TourIt became the first concert series to break the US$2 billion ($3 billion) mark, securing billionaire status. Swift’s next album, despite mixed reviews, A Showgirl’s LifeIt sold over 4 million units in its first week, an increase of 1.4 million units. Tortured Poets Section.

Would this be possible without social media? Probably not. University of Sydney senior research fellow Dr. Emily Baulch says fandom is changing. Where deep knowledge used to be valued (finding a rare comic was no small feat and created status and belonging), social media has lowered the barriers to entry.

“As information is instantly accessible, the value has shifted from knowing to doing,” says Baulch, who has a doctorate in media communications. “It’s about realizing the fandom, being creative, and showing your connection through participation rather than expertise.”

With its Wednesday Island installation, a fan event where Cockatoo Island is transformed into a gothic playground, brands like Netflix and artists like Swift are challenging fan-created trends to build that collaboration, community, and commerce (merchandise, streams, and ticket sales).

“This is a perfect collision of bottom-up and top-down forces,” says Baulch. “The relationship is reciprocal: Grassroots creativity increases visibility, while institutional support turns it into a shared cultural moment and financial boon.”

Pitbull’s own social media pages are filled with images of fans wearing bald hats at his concerts. BBC “Very, very happy” to see this in June.

“Getting on stage and seeing the hard work you put into the music is the biggest reward. I’ve been in this game for 25 years and I get to see every demographic, every person.” [dressing up] “It’s priceless at shows,” he said, calling the trend an honor. Perhaps that perspective is why some Fridayz Live attendees haven’t yet noticed that Carey is the headliner.

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