Guess what 62-year-old rocker surprised fans last week in Miami at Ultra of Miami? The millennial crowd went wild when Bon Jovi made an appearance on stage. Crazy story— last week I told you about Romero Britto, one of the most famous personalities in Miami, and his monthly live events at one of his many retail stores. Well, there was an incident and now he has hired security guards. Banksy is coming to Miami in July, but the location is still a secret. The fate of The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater is in jeopardy. I’ve got the story so far.

 Jon Bon Jovi Surprises Ultra Fans

Click the image to watch the surprise performance

What is a 62-year-old rocker doing at one of the biggest electronic music festival in the world which basically attracts millennials who grew up on DJ music?

Jon Bon Jovi, singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor is one of a number of older personalities who show up in Miami music productions to stay current.  Ultra of Miami is definitely considered the ultimate music festival, boasting elite DJs.

Even the Miami Herald reported that Ultra fans went wild last Sunday night when Dutch DJ Armin van Buuren “all of a sudden brought up the rock icon to join him for his pyrotechnic-filled performance.” He made the announcement by saying  “I remember being a little kid and buying this guy’s album.

Ultra, make some noise for this legend: Mr. Jon Bon Jovi!”

The Herald described the scene by saying, “The “Livin on a Prayer” singer then casually rolled up in jeans, T shirt, a trucker cap and shades, a huge grin on his baby face (yes, still). ‘What up, Ultra!!!!” Bon Jovi yelled, and soon began jumping to the thumping beat of Van Buuren’s remix of his 1992 classic “Keep The Faith.”

“This track is different from anything I’ve ever released before,” the 47-year-old DJ said. On his Instagram, Van Buuren shared a few clips with the stanning caption: “Can’t actually believe this happened! I’ll forever remember this moment!”

Britto Has Extra Security Guards at Monthly Retail Events

This is one of the strangest stories I have heard about in Miami. Last week I told you about how Romero Britto, one of the most famous personalities in Miami, has monthly live events at one of his many retail stores in the area. The Three Tomatoes story was publicized so much that someone leaked a crazy incident to me that happened at one of his greet and meets.

I’m telling you about this wild occurrence because Britto remained a gentleman while one of his customers flipped out in front of him. Tik Tok featured the woman, by TikTok user  @fayepindell19, (who goes by Faye), screaming at Britto because she claimed that he, and a group of his friends, were rude to a waitress at a restaurant she owns. No one in the media names the restaurant because this entire altercation may have been a public relations stunt.

Apparently, she was a former Britto customer because she entered the store with her own Big Apple porcelain piece reportedly worth $4,800. She walked right up to the Brazilian artist, screamed at him for a solid minute, then smashed the art piece on the floor to show her fury. Britto wasn’t fast enough when he tried to catch the item. Watch the video. The reaction on Britto’s face is complete shock and the look of innocence. He had no idea what the woman was talking about.

Whoever made the video turned it into a creative, dramatic action piece. While the whole encounter was unfortunate, the video is priceless.

The moral of the story is that if you are famous, you better have security guards around you all the time. You never know what to expect.

July 12, 13. 14. World of Banksy Miami

The location is a secret. That’s what makes this event so exciting. Just like Banksy’s identity everything is very mysterious. No clues. The location will be announced a week or two before the event.

I love the way the event is described. “World of Banksy is an all-new kind of exhibition at the crossroads of art, geopolitical unrest, and social justice, amplified through the lens of immersive and digital technology. This journey through Banksy’s works transforms traditional art viewing into an interactive experience, where the enigmatic artist’s engagement with the world’s most pressing issues is brought to life.”

Everyone I speak to wants to personally see what Banksy has to say about Ukraine, Gaza and other geopolitical issues. I’m not sure what position Banksy is going to take. All I know is that it will be thought provoking.

World of Banksy is produced by Lumio Studio. Lumio is an immersive experience company that creates digital environments. They exist to spark fascination with art, science, and culture in a world moving swiftly into the future.

For those of you who don’t know Banksy let me educate you. Banksy is a pseudonym for an English based street artist, political activist, and film director whose real name and identity has never been officially confirmed. Most folks think Banksy is a man but wouldn’t it be a big surprise if a woman surfaced after all these years. Banksy work has been appearing on streets, walls, and bridges throughout the world since the 1990’s.

Get all the details at the Banksy website.

The Fate of The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater

For those of us who can remember, Jackie Gleason closed every show on TV with his famous line “The Miami Beach audience is the best audience in the world.” It was one of the few TV shows that was broadcast from Miami Beach in the 1950’s. Now The Fillmore Miami Beach at the Jackie Gleason Theater may be demolished. Many people who live in Miami Beach want it to be renovated. It’s up to the Miami Beach commissioners.

It seems like this topic comes up every few years. The last time this discussion came up it was in 2022. Miami Beach voters said “yes” to a $29 million renovation project. We thought that was the end of that consideration.

The local Miami Beach media just informed us the commissioners are once again weighing the pros and cons of using the $29 million to upgrade the existing building or start all over. Discussions are taking place with Live Nation, the entertainment company that operates the venue.

We hear that some of the commissioners would prefer to build a new state-of-the-art facility. The current building has flooding issues and desperately needs all of the latest technology to accommodate major productions.

Stay tuned, this is a developing story. I will let you know all of the updates.