Aren't You Glad You Didn't Go to the LateNightShots NYE Party?
We've been entertaining ourselves this morning by reading through the surprising number of emails we received over the past several days letting us know about the epic failure that apparently was the New Year's Eve party hosted by LateNightShots dudes Fritz Brogan and Reed Landry. It's not at all surprising, mind you, that this particular party, formally dubbed "New Year's Eve at the National Building Museum," was a huge flop. Rather, we're surprised by the number of folks who wrote in to DCist about it, as though this is something we'd be shocked by. Don't get us wrong, the fact that anyone paid $100 (or more!) for tickets to a giant, impersonal New Year's Eve party that ended up being no fun makes us kind of sad, but surely these boneheads had to know what they were getting into.
Below the jump, you'll find a sampling of some of the emails we got about this party. There are also a ton of similar rants on the Washington Post's reader review page. (You'll note that the Post actually chose this party as an "Editor's Pick," which says a lot more about the taste of the people who make these kinds of the decisions for the Washington Post than it does about what any reasonable person should have expected from this event. DCist never really does a big New Year's Eve guide; this year, like most years, we merely posted a short list of inexpensive, last-minute ideas in case any of our readers were still trying to come up with a plan. That's because with very few exceptions, going out to a bar or a big public party on New Year's Eve is the worst sort of amateur hour. You're going to get ripped off, and you're going to be surrounded by people who rarely go out at all and therefore don't know how to handle themselves. If you really don't have a single friend who is willing to host a house party on New Year's Eve, consider making a resolution to make new friends.)
Perhaps my “tip” is late, as it is now almost officially 24 hours since the drop of the infamous NYE ball, but I couldn’t bear the thought of letting the pedestrian scam of the year occur without making some noise. Last night I attended what may have been the most hyped, but worst NYE party I have ever been to, thanks to Reed Landry and Fritz Brogan’s Late Night Shots NYE party at the National Building Museum.
I know how the saying goes, fool me once....shame on me, but the more I think about it, the more I keep thinking… shame on Reed and Fritz (I mean, are those names even real or did they steel them from Gossip Girl). Yes, I am the idiot who paid $100 to attend what I knew would have essentially been a redskins game in a fancy dress (considering the venue and the mere fact that I was going to a LateNightShots event), and No, I didn’t drink nearly enough before I entered the party, which I know is a key part of having a good time on New Years, but to me, having 12 “bars” the size of my coffee table to serve 3000 people seems absurd. I arrived at 10pm, only to hear about a line wrapped around the corner to get in the building, a bar that had already run out of everything but vodka and soda water and every emergency exit blocked by hoards of people trying to get a drink.
The point of my message is not just to complain, but more to let my fellow DCists know that if they don’t have a new year’s resolution, I have a good one for them..Sure, go to the gym, but NEVER go to a party thrown by Reed Landry, Fritz Brogan or LNS. You will only find yourself paying for a cab to another bar, scammed, with $100 less in your bank account.
Just thought you would want to know….and I feel better now.
We definitely weren't planning on attending any events hosted by these guys, and it sounds like you actually knew better ... go with your gut next time.
Last night's party at the National Building Museum would be an excellent story to cover. The thousands of 20 somethings that paid over $100 a piece are all livid today after being ripped off. Total chaos all night, alcohol ran out by 11pm, and the building was ultimately destroyed on the inside. Also, attendees allegedly were rufied and had to be taken to the hospital. I urge you to look into this story- could be interesting to see what Fritz Brogan and Reed Landry (owners of dc restaurants and responsible parties for last night's fiasco) have to say for themselves.
Landry did send out an apology email to attendees, which included $50 gift cards to the bars he owns (George, Gin & Tonic, etc.). A lot of the Post reader reviewers are still demanding full refunds, but this is absolutely the only person who reported anything about rufies -- we can't verify that accusation at all.
building museum nye party ... was about as awful as you can make it. just wondering if you guys were going to put up a review. people really deserve their money back or at least partial refunds after spending $100-175 on that.
Ehh, we guess, but honestly, the fact that you paid that much to go to a New Year's Eve party to begin with makes you at least partially responsible for making a bad bet. Did you honestly not realize you were getting ripped off as soon as you bought your ticket?
And here's one of the Post reviews, just as a sample, which sums up most of the rest of them:
Last night was by far one of the worst events I’ve ever attended. It took 45 minutes to get in. It was like the bread line during the Great Depression. Once we got in, there were more lines…lines for the bar, lines for the coat check, lines for the restroom. All we did was stand in lines. 35 bars? Well that was a pure lie. They ran out of alcohol at 11; the bars just closed. The bands were horrible or should I say band? They just kept changing clothes. The highlight of the night was a poor rendition of Ace of Base’s, ‘I Saw the Sign.’ The beautiful museum was trashed. Fritz Brogan and Reed Landry - please do not ever plan anything ever again and give us our money back.
I like the hyperbole in this one a lot -- comparing a long coat check line to a "bread line during the Great Depression" says so much about the sort of people who decided this party would be a fun way to spend New Year's Eve. Sounds like a really annoying party -- almost as annoying as literally starving to death!