When: Doors open at 3:30 p.m. each day. Main-stage music starts at 6 p.m. Feb. 24-27.
Where: Waste Management Phoenix Open main entrance, Hayden and Bell roads, Scottsdale.
Admission: $25-$40 for general admission, $175 for VIP 8admission. Packages are available.
Details: 602-870-0163, wastemanagementphoenixopen.com, coorslightbirdsnest.com.
By Kellie Hwang
Metromix
After daytime rowdiness on the links at the Waste Management Phoenix Open, throngs of people head to one place: the Birds Nest party tent.
The music is blasting and the drinks are flowing at the party tent, which is set up at the entrance of the golf tournament. This year, the entertainment lineup features more national acts than ever before.
Birds Nest chairman Rob Harris said partiers are in for a treat.
“A lot of people I talk to still have the image of the Birds Nest of years past, and it's a totally different animal now,” he said. “There's carpeting inside, a liner at the top of the tent and cool ambient lighting. It's evolved over the years, and it's really unparalleled over the PGA tour.”
Here are five ways to have fun at the Birds Nest:
1. Dress up, dress down, dress in costume
Part of the fun of this raucous golf tournament is that you can get dressed to the nines in a minidress and heels, or put on goofy plaid pants and a sweater vest and still totally fit in. The Open is a week to lose inhibitions. You'll see girls in candy-colored polo shirts and tennis skirts, and buttoned-down businessmen who just got off work.
2. Dance to the live music
The Birds Nest is chock-full of entertainment and features hip-hop by Rev Run of Run-DMC, college-student-friendly jam band O.A.R., and all your favorite covers by glam rockers Steel Panther and Birds Nest veterans Duck Soup.
Video DJ Roonie G will keep the intermissions upbeat with his dance beats and creative visual displays. This year, organizers got creative with a revolving stage that's split into a main stage and a smaller DJ stage. When the main-stage act is done, the stage will do a half-turn and DJ Roonie G will go into his set in front of a 30-foot LED screen with eye-popping visuals. After his set, the stage will rotate for the next band.
3. Play games
One of the more popular attractions at the Birds Nest is “the tomato man.” Basically, it's a guy who sticks his face through a large wooden board, heckling people until they finally hand over a few bucks to throw a tomato at him. It's a good way to release aggression and impress your date. From 4-6.p.m. Feb. 27, the patio stage features the Instant Classics, who play while brave folks try karaoke. You just sign up and hop onstage. Also at the Birds Nest is a hookah lounge.
4. Go VIP status
If you can drop $175 for a VIP ticket, you'll get access to a lavish area backstage, with catering by Sushi Roku and several free drinks. There's a viewing platform so you can rock out without having to push your way to the front. You also can reserve lavish cabanas. Most importantly, the bathrooms in the VIP section are in heated trailers.
5. Wet your whistle
There are numerous bars on the perimeter of the patio, as well as the giant Dos Gringos lounge in the center, serving libations. The W Scottsdale Hotel & Residences is hosting the official after-party, with free shuttle service from the Birds Nest.
