Say what you’ll about Billy McFarland, the person refuses to remain down. After the notorious 2017 Fyre Competition catastrophe that turned the gold normal for spectacular failure (and a few Netflix documentaries), adopted by a half-baked “Fyre Fest 2” announcement that went precisely nowhere, most individuals assumed McFarland’s days of throwing events on tropical islands have been over particularly after serving 4 years in federal jail for fraud.
But on Saturday evening in Roatán, Honduras, one thing wild occurred: an precise music competition with McFarland’s identify on it passed off. No luxurious villas product of FEMA tents, no cheese sandwiches handed off as gourmand catering; only a stage, some lights, working bogs, and actual human beings performing in entrance of actual human beings. Billy referred to as it PHNX presumably based mostly on wordplay as a result of the occasion “rose” from ashes.
French Montana headlined, Bobby Shmurda threw down one among his first performances since getting out years in the past, and Slim Jxmmi of Rae Sremmurd additionally confirmed up and did his factor. The artists obtained paid (presumably), flew in, and left with out tweeting “that is the worst day of my life,” which already places PHNX within the 99th percentile of Billy McFarland productions.
From the livestream (a really 2025 transfer: charging $6.99 for a shaky POV cam that peaked at roughly 100 viewers), a crowd that appears like 100 folks appeared intimate however extra like a university home celebration on a seaside. There have been energy cuts and a few awkward moments when the artists begged for crowd power that merely wasn’t there.
In different phrases: it wasn’t something flawless or extravagant, and whoever bankrolled flying French Montana to Central America nearly actually misplaced cash. However planes took off, planes landed, the present went on, no person obtained stranded, and no federal indictments seem like incoming. Based mostly on this, it was successful story that Billy managed to throw an occasion. Not a lot a competition from what we see in in the present day’s business normal, so there’s that.
H/T: link
