Block Party Review n Rundown

BY: ERIN “Snickers” WOLF

The Ronnie Mund Block Party had finally come to New Jersey and in a little under an hour, Howard Stern’s Limo Driver along with a motley crew of Stern Show employees, raucous stand-up comedians and slightly off-kilter members of the esteemed “Wack Pack” were all set to take the stage in the biggest, baddest, frat party/comedy show/nudey bar/bachelor party/Stern Superfan gawk-fest to ever hit the eastern seaboard.

It was a lazy Friday evening in the sleepy suburb of Carlstadt and the sun was setting in a bed of warm, orangish hues. As I walked towards the tucked away Balcony Lounge, I passed residents taking their dogs out for an evening stroll and unpacking groceries from their SUVs and I laughed, wondering to myself if they had any idea what kind of mayhem was about to rock their quiet little neighborhood.

I entered the main bar at the Balcony to find the place physically abuzz with jittery Stern Superfans who were chugging their drinks, waiting in anticipatory agony to finally meet some of their favorite personalities from The Howard Stern Show.

In a Cinderella type moment, I, Snickers the Superfan, was whisked away from the crowded bar of my peers and invited upstairs into the green room to visit with the cast before the start of the show. In all my planning and scheming for the moment that I would find myself in a social situation with people like Ronnie Mund, Shuli Egar, J.D. Harmeyer and Jon Leiberman, I never anticipated how shocking it would be to stumble into a room full of them just hanging out, eating dinner.

Of course, I had just scarfed down a Five Guys burger and fries in the car moments before my arrival, so I respectfully declined when offered a plate of yummy Chicken Parmesan. But, the offer alone, made by none other than both Jon Leiberman and Ronnie Mund, was enough to make me mentally thumb my nose at all those kids in high-school who were ever mean to me…because, lookie here, I’m in the cool club now.

And it was at that moment, in that room full of my favorite people with that untouched plate of Chicken Parm, that I understood the heart of what exactly The Ronnie Mund Block Party is all about. It isn’t just a show, it’s an invitation to experience first-hand the wild and crazy world of The Howard Stern Show.

Never was a name like “Block Party” a more appropriate description for this genre-busting, one-of-a-kind type of event. It’s not just a celebrity appearance, nor is it merely a party or a comedy show or even a “wack pack” circus, it’s a block party where the only expectations upon arrival is that everyone will be there and there will be plenty booze, of course.

For you Superfans on the left coast whose quiet towns are about to be invaded by the Stern Staffer traveling caravan of fun, I suggest buying your tickets early. The Ronnie Mund Block Party is an unstoppable rolling stone of epic proportions lumbering ever on bringing delirious fun and unpredictable mayhem to a city near you. Prepare yourselves, it is truly a unique experience that is not to be missed.

And if you did miss it, here is a rundown of what happened:

RONNIE MUND BLOCK PARTY RUNDOWN

CARLSTADT, NJ

THE MEET & GREET

-       MEET & GREET: During the Meet & Greet cast members from the Block Party mixed it up with fans taking pictures, answering questions and working the crowd.

-       WACK PACK: Representing the “Wack Pack” was High Pitch Erik who was wearing a Tebow Jets jersey and a Yankees cap, Debbie the Pet Lady with her Bird and Medicated Pete.

OPENING ACTS

-       ELI BRADEN: Eli Braden opened the Block Party with a dynamite medley of popular song parodies about the lovely Robin Quivers. Medicated Pete accompanied the song parody guru, acting as a human microphone stand as he sang along and gyrated while attempting to keep a steady mic on Eli Braden’s guitar.

-       J.D. HARMEYER: J.D. Harmeyer took the stage next, but his appearance was only a brief one as he wasted no time in announcing the arrival of the Block Party namesake and toast master, Ronnie Mund.

-       RONNIE MUND: Ronnie was escorted on stage by the beautiful bikini clad and scandalously tattooed, Brittany. Later in the evening, it seemed like Brittany was less of a token aisle escort and more like she was a stable crutch that Ronnie leaned on as he had more drinks throughout the course of the night.

COMEDIANS

-       MADDOG MATTERN: Maddog Mattern was the first comedian of the night. His style of improvisational audience roasting was certainly a delight to witness although he did illicit the first heckling of the evening. A raging fan with greasy locks of scraggly hair apparently took offense to Maddog’s style and tried to pick a fight with comedian, even going so far as to charge the aisle towards the stage. The talented off-the-cuff Maddog, verbally eviscerated the angry fan essentially subduing the intruder until security could show him the door.

-       DEBBIE THE PET LADY: Debbie attempted to do some stand-up comedy but once her bird pooped on her shoulder, the fans turned and she was summarily booed off the stage.

J.D. HARMEYER AND RONNIE MUND – The Dynamic Duo

-       A NEW POEM: J.D. read a new poem by Ronnie and did an encore performance of “Winter” to the delight of the crowd.

-       NO PANTIES DAY: Ronnie announced that it was officially national “no panties” day. In honor of the sacred holiday, Ronnie sought out a girl from the audience who claimed she was not wearing underwear, to which he had J.D. feel for the sake of posterity.

-       HOT CHICK OF THE NIGHT: Later in the show, Ronnie again turned to the audience and selected six girls that he hand-picked to compete in a “hottest chick of the night” contest. Instead of judging the contest personally, Ronnie called upon a gentleman from the audience choose a top three for him. Alas, even TROUBLE FOR RONNIE: Ronnie did find some audience resistance when he hit on the girlfriend of a Pitbull-lookin’ fella’s girlfriend at one of the bottle service tables. Throughout the night Ronnie attempted to smooth things over with the fan, but the grumpy spectator remained stone faced next to his swooning girlfriend.

-       JON LEIBERMAN: Even though he was off-duty, Howard 100 news reporter Jon Leiberman was called onstage with his mic to mix it up with Ronnie and J.D. along with High-Pitch Erik who provided solid “Wack Pack” fodder for the news department…per usual.

THE END

-       SOUR SHOES: Shuli Egar, the night’s headlining comedian, barely made it through a hilarious bit about his parents when he was interrupted by the over-exuberant, and perhaps premature, entrance of Sour Shoes.

-       WACK PACK TAKEOVER: Quoting One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Shuli soon found himself surrounded by “Wack Pack” superstars such as High Pitch Erik, Debbie the Pet Lady and Medicated Pete.

-       WACK PACK KARAOKE: Despite Shuli’s clever banter and futile attempt to wrangle the “Wack Pack” in attendance, he soon relinquished the microphone to Debbie and Erik who sang a lovely rendition of New York, New York as Sour accompanied on the piano.