Tom KiskenVentura County Star
The line spanned much of the Ventura County Fair's Main Street, snaking past the pig races, Uncle Leo’s Barn, a food court and two performers who glided across the grounds on stilts.
On a Monday when $20 general admission tickets for the Ventura County Fair were being sold for $5, the line was growing by the moment.
Cindy Todd of Newbury Park stood near the back and assessed her situation. Like thousands of others, she was at the fair to see Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias, the standup who has become a brand and was the first comic to sell out Dodger Stadium on consecutive days. He’s starred in movies, television series and specials. He has 4.5 million followers on Instagram. His YouTube videos have netted a billion views.
Todd loves him. But the line for general admission ticket holders and the fear she might not get in were spawning second thoughts.
“He better be funny because I’m waiting in a damned long line, and I never do that,” she said.
Others cut through the line or waited in it only to find out later they shouldn’t have. They had paid for concert tickets as part of the fair’s new VIP program that, for the Fluffy show, offered seats ranging from $39 to $279 on the floor of the grandstand arena. The seats were closer to the stage on a dirt infield covered with bright green artificial turf, also offering access to paid drinks, food and a VIP restroom.
In past fairs, the grandstand shows have been free with admission to the fair.
The new area is designed to give fairgoers a choice between going without the extra charge or paying to upgrade. It has generated revenue for a fair that doesn’t receive state funding, said spokesperson Megan Hook. She noted the fair is offering an "elevated" level of entertainment. Grandstand performers include Sublime with Rome, Ludacris and Vanilla Ice.
Dylan Albanese, 12, of Oxnard, is all about Fluffy. He likes him because he’s funny, is comfortable with his girth and routinely makes fun of it.
“He’s kind of like an idol,” Dylan said. He convinced his parents to pay for VIP tickets because he wanted to hear every word of the show. Their seats were guaranteed and their wait time in line was minimal.
But the VIP program left only about 2,500 grandstand seats for the show, increasing the chance of people with general admission tickets being turned away. That concern rippled through the line on Monday as people waited with water bottles and paper trays covered with baked potatoes, cheese and jalapeños.
Shortly after 5 p.m., or more than two hours before the show started, the line began to move. People filed into the grandstand arena or into the new Tito’s Pre-Party area that offers food, beverages, live music and a place to wait for the show.
Just after 6 p.m., security guards told people the grandstand was full. No one else could enter the general admission gate though they could still get in another entrance if they purchased VIP tickets.
“This is the first show we’ve been turned away from,” said Tyler Barkwill of Simi Valley who blamed the new VIP program. Others walked away before the gates closed, worried the grandstands would be too packed.
Cindy Todd made it in. She considered buying a VIP ticket but said she was told it would cost $200. She ended up in the fourth row of the grandstand and was happy about it. So was her husband.
“He’s not that funny,” Richard Todd said, citing the $200 price.
Prices varied depending on location. Chris Plueger of Ventura paid $139 apiece for three tickets near the stage. He considered it money well spent.
“He’s one of the best comedians ever, and he’s generally pretty family friendly,” Plueger said. “It’s something I could take my mom and daughter to.”
Fair officials said 5,500 people attended the show. The night turned brisk, then shivering cold. The first of six opening comedians took the stage at about 7:30 p.m. They riffed on everything from Latino culture to the Dallas Cowboys.
Fluffy came on just before 9 p.m., wearing sneakers, shorts and a jacket. Now 48, he talked about performing at the long-closed Lobster Trap in Oxnard some 27 years ago as part of a pattern about aging, happiness and political correctness.
He told a story of being chided for saying "homeless" and being informed that “unhoused” is the accepted phrase.
“I’m no longer fat,” he told the audience. “I’m unexercised.”
He performed for more than an hour, knitting humor into stories that ranged from surviving an emergency plane landing in North Carolina to a robbery that drove him from his home. The thieves didn’t find his money because he didn’t own a safe. He kept his cash under the mattress.
“They were robbing someone more ghetto than they were,” he said.
The show ended with a story about a performance in Canada that attracted so many Americans people chanted “USA, USA.” It struck Fluffy as strange.
“Thousands and thousands of Americans crossed the border to see a Mexican,” he said.
Adrian and Cynthia Rodriguez of Oxnard walked away smiling. They loved the show. They came to the fairgrounds at about 3:30 p.m. and waited 90 minutes in the general admission line before entering the fairgrounds.
Fluffy, they said, was worth it.
Tom Kisken covers health care and other news for the Ventura County Star.Reach him at tom.kisken@vcstar.com.
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