Early in 2019, I was flush with Hilton Honors points and saw the lineup for the 2019 Hilton Honors Concert Series. There were some pretty good bands – and coming to the Conrad in Washington, D.C., my hometown, was Fitz and the Tantrums, a band I like. While not a superfan, they were on my “to see” list and it seemed the stars were aligning. The redemption rate was pretty good – 60,000 for a package for two, including pre- and post-show party with complimentary alcohol and food. Did someone say free booze AND music? Color me intrigued! Let’s get to the point of this Hilton Concert Series: Fitz and the Tantrums review – this was an awesome event, and I would absolutely do it again.
A quick note – I’m posting this review belatedly due to some challenges with regards to getting the official photos from the event (because I’m dumb and didn’t notice Hilton hid the photos with a survey) to augment my own photos – notably, the food. But this overall experience was such a great redemption I wanted to blog about it.
Booking and Planning
Booking was straightforward. A few clicks through the Hilton Honors portal and I was booked. I received a “You’re Confirmed” email and the points were deducted. One month out, Hilton hit me up to spend more points for a meet and greet, which I passed on. Two days later, just under a month from the event, I received event details via email.
The one critique I would put out there was the communications had some mixed messages about the “+1.” Several emails indicated you could change/add your guest’s name. I did not do this, and had a last-minute panic that I’d have issues with my wife getting in. Fortunately, the Hilton Diamond desk tracked down event staff at the Conrad who informed me you just bring a guest… no names required. Huh.
The Pre-Show Party
The event’s agenda, as noted above, was a pre-show party from 8-9 p.m., the concert from 9-10 p.m., and a post-show party from 10-11 p.m. We arrived a bit after 8, and there was no wait to check in. The event area was pretty awesome, with a DJ playing thematically appropriate alternative music. My immediate reaction was that this was and felt like a high-end event. A good part of that is because the Conrad D.C. is a great venue, but in addition, since they were using Conrad catering, both the bar and food spreads (menus below) were what you’d expect at a Conrad event, as opposed to what you’d expect at a concert venue.
There were three major food stations (wagyu, sea bream, and chicken), as well as passed appetizers. The passed food was incredibly tasty, but unfortunately with a large crowd it was hard to track down everything. My other critique was that the bar lines were a little long, despite six or so stations. This is a common challenge at any hotel event (weddings, etc.) with an open bar, but it felt like perhaps there could have been premixed drinks or something like that to speed the rate of inebriation. The lines did get better as the event went on.
You also could get a custom-made Fitz and the Tantrums shirt with the design of your choice, which I thought was a pretty nice bit of swag for an already posh event.
The Main Event
On to the Hilton Concert Series: Fitz and the Tantrums Review main event – the show itself. If you’re not familiar with Fitz and the Tantrums, you can go check out their website. And hey, why not, let’s do a live clip from the show!
The venue was SMALL – which was awesome. Without any effort we were five rows from the band, and there were really only three rows of people behind us. It was not a large ballroom, and I think with moderate effort we could have easily shoved to the front. This created an air of exclusivity, which was excellent.
But I think what most impressed me about the concert – besides the fact the band was awesome – is that it was a genuine performance. In no way did it feel like this was a corporate gig (even though it was), and to the band’s credit, they did a nice job of plugging Hilton in a tactful and graceful way, but not in a way that was over the top. Really, it was perfect. Hilton – keep doing this!
The Post-Show Party
Hilton wins the award for understanding their crowd’s needs. What do drunk people want after a concert? Burgers and more booze, with a side of dessert. Done and done! I was impressed with the cleverness of menu planning on this front. They also had the impossible burger – a plant-based burger slider – along with “real” burgers and crab cakes. I had been meaning to give it a try, and found it to be pretty good if a tad drier than a normal burger, which could have just been the way it was prepared. Like the pre-show party, all of the food was quite good – exactly what you’d expect of Conrad catering.
Hilton Concert Series: Fitz and the Tantrums Review Bottom Line
I’d never used my points before for anything but hotel redemption, but this experience was awesome. From start to finish, it felt like an exclusive event, the quality of the event itself was awesome, and Fitz and the Tantrums gave a great performance. I’m already scanning the Hilton Concert Series lineup for 2020, including to see if there are any destinations worth traveling to as part of a redemption. For the right band and a similar quality experience, I’d be there in a heartbeat.
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