Freestyle Explosion Tampa: What To Know Before You Go

Tonight the biggest dance club icons of the 80s and 90s return to Tampa for Freestyle Explosion Throwback Jam 2024. If you're heading to Amalie Arena for the concert, here are the things to know before you go to Freestyle Explosion Tampa.

As always, Stevie B is your headliner and will do his classics like "Spring Love," "Party Your Body," "Because I Love You," and "In My Eyes." Lisa Lisa returns to the lineup this year to perform her big hits like "Head to Toe," "All Cried Out," and "Lost in Emotion."

Expose also returns to the Freestyle Explosion Tampa lineup tonight. Their big Q105 hits include "Point of No Return," "Come Go With Me," "Let Me Be The One," "Seasons Change," and "I'll Never Get Over You (Getting Over Me)."

TKA will get the crowd on their feet when they bust out "Maria," "Louder Than Love," and "Tears May Fall." But don't forget K7. It's a highlight of the night every year for me when he does his big solo hit "Come Baby Come."

After being away for a few years, it's going to be great hearing Betty Dee from Sweet Sensation sing 80s classics like "Hooked On You," "Take It While It's Hot," "Sincerely Yours," and "If Wishes Came True."

Local favorite from Wesley Chapel, George LaMond ("Bad of the Heart") is back on the Freestyle Explosion Tampa lineup too. He'll be joined by Lime ("Babe We're Gonna Love Tonight"), Will To Power ("Babu I Love Your Way"), and Nocera ("Summertime, Summertime").

Rock that '80s look! Bust out the neon and MTV t-shirts. Nothing sets the vibe better than when everyone in the crowd's outfits bring us back just like the music on stage. Ladies - tease that hair up high with some Aqua Net. Fellas - dig out those parachute pants you rocked during Spring Break.

I love that there's a Columbia Restaurant right across the street. Get a 1905 salad or one of their great Cuban sandwiches. It's right inside the Tampa Bay History Center.

If you don't want to park near the crowds at Amalie Arena, take the free streetcars from Ybor City. That's usually my move. That way you can either grab a slice of great pizza at Due Amici or eat at the original Columbia Restaurant. Or if you're in the mood for Italian, Bernini of Ybor has some of my favorite Chicken Parmesan in Florida.

YES! There are still tickets left for the concert tonight. Most of the floor seats are gone now. But if you're taller, there are some primo seats left near the sound mixing board. It's my favorite place to sit at a concert. And those seats are only about $55.

If you're willing to spend a little more (keep in mind you're getting almost a DOZEN concerts in one night), for $75 there are some great seats in Section 130 close to the stage left. That's still less than $10 a performer.

On a budget? There are still seats left under $50 (a rare thing in 2024) in Section 215. There are no "nosebleed seats" for Freestyle Explosion. The concert organizer the Pacific Concert Group closes off the 300 level for the show. That means everyone will have a great seat.

Whatever you do, do NOT pay ticket scalper prices. I saw some Freestyle Explosion Tampa tickets listed on sites like StubHub for over $300. That's crazy. As of this morning, the show has not sold out yet.

That said, if you can't make the show, you won't get all of your money back, but StubHub is very reliable and legit if you need to unload tickets for a show. It's much safer than posting to social media or trying to sell them on the street. If you post tickets for sale on Facebook or other social media outlets, you're likely to get flagged. Scammers do very well on Facebook selling fake tickets.

I joke about it on stage every year, but I'm serious when I say "Go before show." Freestyle Explosion is a LONG non-stop night of great performances. There's not much time for a bathroom break!

Bring a portable phone charger. You're going to want to take a lot of pics and video to post to social media and just to save for yourself. That wears your cell phone battery down fast.

When you post to social media, include the hashtag #FreestyleExplosionTampa. (Not just Freestyle Explosion.) We love to see the show come back every year. This lets the crew at Pacific Concert Group back in California know they made the right move to come back to Tampa again! Plus it's easier to see the stuff others posted.

There are plenty of lots near Amalie Arena, but they can get kind of pricy. Plus you can get stuck in those lines trying to get out. And you don't want to have to leave early or you'll miss Stevie B performing "Spring Love." I instead prefer to park at one of the street meters. You can pay with your phone and it's a lot less money. Saves about half what you'd pay at one of the garages.

Or even better, like I said earlier, park in a free or cheap spot in Ybor and take the street cars to Amalie Arena. They're free!

Day of the show update:
Click here for the updated version of this story for all of the information for tonight's Freestyle Explosion concert at Amalie Arena... see the lineup of performers, get updated ticket info, the best place to find cheap parking, and even the best places to eat before the concert!  See you tonight at Amalie Arena. [Continue to the update for tonight's concert.]

Original article from March:

It's the closest thing to time travel we've got! Q105 is excited to welcome back Freestyle Explosion Throwback Jam Saturday, August 10 at Amalie Arena in Tampa. Go back to those days of Spring Love as Stevie B brings his entourage of the best freestyle, pop and dance acts from the 80s and 90s. You're probably wondering who's going to be on stage this year. More on that in a minute.

Freestyle Explosion Throwback Jam tickets will go on sale to the general public this Friday morning (March 22, 2024) at 10AM via Ticketmaster. However, Q105 listeners can jump in early and buy the best seats in the house with an exclusive presale Thursday, March 21 at 10AM. You'll need a secret code to get in. For that code, check out the lineup reveal we did on Facebook Live!

Will we have free tickets to give away? Of course! Listen to Q105 all this week for a chance to score tickets before they even go on sale. Geno will be giving away a pair of tickets afternoons this week. Play Geno's 4:20 Useless Trivia. You can also win tickets weeknights this week in the 7pm hour. This summer, The Q105 Saturday Night Dance Party will also be giving away a pair of Freestyle Explosion tickets EVERY Saturday night in June, July and August. Your last chance to win tickets will be the week of the show again playing Geno's 4:20 Useless Trivia August 5-9.

OK! With all that business out of the way, are you ready to see who's performing at Freestyle Explosion Throwback Jam this year?

You simply can't leave the King of Freestyle off the list. Of course the legendary Stevie B will be there performing all of his classics like Spring Love, Party Your Body, Because I Love You, Dreamin' Of Love, In My Eyes, and I Wanna Be The One.

We're so excited that Lisa's back on the bill this year!  She'll get the Amalie Arena crowd up and dancing with iconic jams like Head to Toe, Can You Feel The Beat, Lost In Emotion, Let The Beat Hit 'Em and I Wonder If I Take You Home.  Don't forget her awesome slow jams too like All Cried Out!

They're back!  Expose has so many mega hits from the 80s dance club classics like Come Go With Me, Let Me Be The One, and Point of No Return.  But don't forget their great slow jams too like I'll Never Get Over You Getting Over Me and Seasons Change.

While the Freestyle Explosion lineup rotates from year to year, I'm pumped these guys are still on the performer list every year.  No other throwback group brings the energy like the guys from TKA.  So many great songs like One Way Love, Tears May Fall and of course a Q105 Saturday Night Dance Party favorite, Maria.

And when you have TKA, don't forget you have K7.  He always works in his 90s club anthem "Come Baby Come."

Known for his smash "Bad of the Heart," George made a surprise appearance at Freestyle Explosion Throwback Jam at Amalie Arena a couple years ago.  As you may know, George is a hometown favorite.  When I spotted him backstage, I had an idea.  I told the audience we'd get back to the show momentarily, but first my buddy George from Wesley Chapel would like a chance to perform.  And then this happened...

This might be the act I'm most pumped to see. I've never seen Lime on stage before.  Their classic "Babe We're Gonna Love Tonight" is one of my favorites.

Another one I've never had a chance to see live... Will To Power had their biggest hit with the cover of "Baby I Love Your Way" in the 80s.  But don't forget their club classics like "Dreamin'!"

Amalie Arena is gonna go wild when Betty Dee hits the stage to perform jams like Hooked On You, Never Let You Go, Love Child, Sincerely Yours, Take It While It's Hot and her slow jam If Wishes Came True.

Another act I've never been able to see perform live!  If the name Nocera doesn't ring a bell, certainly her 1986 freestyle anthem "Summertime Summertime" will.