The sold-out shows, which run through Saturday, are being filmed for the comedy superstar’s upcoming Netflix special. The special, which will be his 10th, is part of the 30th anniversary of his career as a comic.
San Antonio-area fans have waited a long time for the tapings. Iglesias had planned to film a Netflix show at the Tobin Center in 2021 but had to cancel when he fell ill with COVID.
There’s more to the shows than, well, the shows. Two hours before each performance, fans can party outdoors at Fluffy’s Front Yard Fiesta. Games including corn hole and a large Jenga have been set up just outside the doors. The first fans to turn up opening night weren’t having any of it, speeding past the games to escape the triple-digit heat. A few did stop by the bar before they stepped into the blissfully cool lobby.
Signs just inside the front doors pointed folks to the left for both the box office — a relatively small line picking up tickets – and for “Fluffy merch.” That line swiftly went from the lobby and up the stairs. By the time merch sales started an hour later, the line had climbed up to the mezzanine on the fourth floor.
As they waited, staffers could be spotted speeding through the lobby carrying stacks of signed posters and Fluffy license plates to be sold.
To the right was a food service area where fans could order pre-show burgers.
When the doors to the H-E-B Performance Hall opened, ticket holders walked past signs warning them they couldn’t take photos or post anything about the show, though that didn’t stop some from taking selfies from their seats before the performance.
The suggested dress code – dark colors, no logos – also didn’t seem to resonate with many fans, who turned up in attire ranging from crisp white shirts and jewel-toned cocktail dresses to shorts and T-shirts in all sorts of colors.
Iglesias performed a roughly 90-minute set that hit home with the audience, which responded enthusiastically.
Some clearly hadn’t had quite gotten their fill of Fluffy at the end of the night. A small line patiently waited at the selfie station in the lobby, where they snagged one last souvenir: Photos of themselves posing with an image of a beaming Iglesias cradling three bottles of Pocho Fino Tequila, the booze line he launched earlier this year.