A sports bar in St. Petersburg, Florida, is currently under fire and is being review bombed after its owner decided to switch from the official halftime show featuring Bad Bunny to Turning Point USA’s “All-American Halftime Show”, featuring Kid Rock. The Florida bar in question is The Zoo Club. Resident Julio Klown Santiago shared a viral Facebook clip in which he is shown confronting the bar’s manager for choosing to host the TPUSA alternative halftime show instead of Bad Bunny’s.
Santiago is heard saying that he came to The Zoo Club for the halftime show. He then directly asked the bar’s manager why he refused to play Bad Bunny’s performance at the Super Bowl.
Before the manager was seen pushing Santiago’s camera away, he claimed that TPUSA’s halftime show was what the majority wanted. The Florida patron, however, wouldn’t let it go and repeatedly asked the manager about the sudden, unannounced switch.
“You can get out now,” the manager said, with another employee saying, “Get out!“
Argument Continues, Patron Told To Leave
Santiago, however, said he needed to pay first before leaving the establishment. At the same time, he argued that he shouldn’t even pay, given that he came to The Zoo Club for “the full experience.”
Both men continued arguing, with the manager saying he was, in fact, playing the halftime show. Of course, he was playing semantics, since the TPUSA event was also called the halftime show and was conceived in response to right-wing backlash over Bad Bunny’s announcement as a performer. It featured performances from Brantley Gilbert, Lee Brice, Gabby Barrett, and, of course, Kid Rock.
“The Zoo is refusing to play Bad Bunny for some reason,” Santiago said, adding that he was going to upload the clip to social media. The manager responded, saying, “Good. I appreciate it, actually,” adding that he might get new customers.
Santiago then said that the manager might be seen as a racist instead. Then, the manager called him a racist back.
“This is not part of the Super Bowl,” Santiago continued, before he was told to leave the Florida bar.
Backlash, Review-Bombing, Reactions
The clip went viral quickly. Many users blasted the bar and review-bombed it on Yelp, calling it a racist establishment. Others chose to focus online on the manager’s failure to communicate that they would not play Bad Bunny’s performance during the Super Bowl halftime show.
“The hate on Bad Bunny is crazy, what did he even do?” one user commented. Another one said, “Brother, you are literally selling margaritas and tacos right now.”
Other users, however, pointed out that it was the manager’s prerogative to choose which show to play at the bar he actually owns.
“I mean, it’s his bar. If you don’t like it, leave the bar,” one user wrote. Another one added, “Loved Bad Bunny’s performance, but this guy could’ve just gone to another bar.”
Regardless of who is in the right, The Zoo Club is certainly gaining publicity. Whether it is the good kind or the bad kind, it is up to each to decide.
