One of many hottest New 12 months’s Eve events of 2023 is offered to attend from the consolation of your front room. On Dec. 31, at 3:30 p.m. PT, famous music fan and occasion purveyor Shaquille O’Neal is showing in digital actuality with a gaggle of excessive caliber friends — Cardi B, Ludacris, Lil Yachty, Rob Gronkowski and his girlfriend Camille Kostek, Killer Mike, Whipped Cream and, in fact, Shaq’s DJ alter-ego DJ DIESEL — for an hourlong rager to ring in 2023.
And since VR provides no limits on the kind of fete one can throw, this bash — The Shaq’tacular Spectacular — will embrace a rollerskating rink, a marching band, a basketball courtroom and quite a lot of different bells, whistles and diverse confetti blasts. The present will premiere solely in VR in Meta Horizon Worlds, on Meta Quest TV, on O’Neal’s Fb and Instagram pages, and Messenger’s Watch Collectively. (Attendance requires a Meta Quest 2 headset, so hopefully, you bought one for Christmas.)
Right here, Shaq shares the secrets and techniques to a blazing scorching lineup, who will probably be enjoying when the ball drops, and why his New 12 months’s decision is to “be attractive.”
This occasion, like all of your events, has a extremely stacked lineup. How do you assemble a group of high-caliber artists like this?
I’ve been within the enterprise for a very long time and I meet lots of people, and if I’ve observed you might be simply good to folks, persons are good to you … After I meet superstars they usually do one thing for me, I simply inform them thanks. Hopefully I do the identical for them, or I proceed to do the identical for them. It’s about mutual respect. It’s about exhibiting love and receiving love, and I’m simply grateful that they’re a part of the Shaq’tacular Spectacular.
You’ve stated earlier than that you simply love the power of reside music — and dance music particularly clearly along with your DJ Diesel undertaking. How do you make certain an occasion in VR has that very same huge power that you simply so love?
You simply must have the suitable folks there. Ludacris, from Atlanta — scorching. Lil Yachty has certainly one of hottest songs of the 12 months — scorching. Cardi B, stunning, beautiful — scorching. DJ Diesel — scorching. Rob Gronkowski — scorching. I’m not going to say his girlfriend’s scorching as a result of I don’t wish to have issues with him, however she’s scorching. And Whipped Cream — scorching.
In case you put all scorching elements in entrance of individuals, they’ll’t do nothing however get pleasure from it. It’s like a scorching meal. There’s probably not any rocket science. Lots of people would overthink, however if you’ve bought 10 scorching folks, you simply let ‘em do their factor and you place it collectively.
So a scorching menu is the key.
Precisely.
Inform me about making reside occasions extra part of your small business and the way this has been a development for you.
It’s simply one thing that I wished to be concerned with, particularly on the brand new 12 months. I wished to deliver my buddies and have or not it’s a one-hour particular, customized made for VR. And don’t fear in the event you’re not capable of be a part of immediately, as a result of the present will probably be on loop all through the night and also you be a part of at anytime from the beginning of the celebration.
The Shaq’tacular Spectacular
Courtesy Picture
Who’s going to be enjoying when the clock strikes 12?
I’m not going to inform you that! Nevertheless it’s going to be scorching! Oh wait … I believe it’s me!
So what tune are you going to play at midnight?
I’m not going offer you that info. Simply be able to put your palms up.
What’s your greatest New 12 months’s Eve reminiscence?
I’ve quite a lot of them, however simply with the ability to rejoice with household and buddies. I bear in mind all the best way again to after I was 19, and I’m going to be 51 after this New 12 months’s, so time goes by too quick. I sort of need it to decelerate.
What’s your New 12 months’s decision?
Simply persevering with to be wholesome. I wish to get sexier. I’ve already misplaced 40 kilos and I have to lose about 30 extra kilos, then I’m going to start out taking my garments all the best way off. I wish to be the Black Mark Wahlberg. Present my nine-pack, all that stuff.
