Jamie Foxx is known for throwing great parties in celebrity circles, so it’s no surprise that he had a blast during his trip to Boston over the weekend.
The Oscar and Grammy-winning star helped W Hotels unveil its new “Jetset” package, in partnership with jet charter company JetLux. Guests who stay at the W’s Extreme WOW suites in Boston or New York can now get the star treatment by adding on a round-up trip, private plane ride between the cities, with black car service, for an additional fee.
After a champagne-filled brunch at the W’s Time Square location, Foxx hopped on a jet to keep the party going at the hotel in Boston on Friday night. The 49-year-old actor and musician told Metro that he was thrilled to spend some time in the Hub, as a few of his best friends hail from South Boston.
“I was at the Super Bowl [in ’94], Michael Jackson performed and I saw some crazy people running at half time with some flags, grown guys, they happened to be from South Boston,” Foxx said. “They’ve been my friends since that time.”
Boston has also meant a lot to Foxx on a professional level, as he cut his teeth in the Bay State while trying to make it as a comic back in the day. Foxx has fond memories of his shows in places like Springfield and Chicopee, as well as performing for the likes of Celtics great Robert Parish, who once attended one of his stand-up gigs.
“Faneuil Hall is where I started my comedy career,” Foxx said. “It really means a lot because, at that time, a young comedian coming up going to Boston, being from Texas, never been anywhere – they just gave me so much love.”
He added, “Everytime I go to Boston, it’s a good time.”
Foxx definitely brought the good times with him back to the city, as he surprised the small gathering with an impromptu performance of his greatest hits.
For the “Ray” and “Django Unchained” star, breaking out into song is necessary for a great party. When Foxx would throw bashes at his house during his early days in Los Angeles, he’d make famous guests like Kanye West perform for the crowd, which eventually led to his own foray into music.
Aside from bringing the beats, Foxx also makes sure that his soirées have the right, diverse mix of people.
“What makes a great party is what’s right inside your heart, what’s right inside your mind and what you project,” Foxx said. “No amount of money can make it better or worse. What we do is we try to put great people in the same room with each other.”
An example of Foxx’s varied guest list would be the time he invited the entire Olympic basketball team to his house, along with magician David Blaine. Let’s just say things got pretty wild when the athletes received a taste of Blaine’s “sorcery.”
“You see Kevin Durant and David Blaine, both are great at what they do,” Foxx said. “David Blaine’s magic was so good. Black folks, at a certain level of magic, we get a little nervous like, ‘That was sorcery.’ Kevin Durant was like, ‘Hey man, I don’t know. That’s too good.’ But that’s what a good party’s about.”
As for Foxx’s favorite Bostonian to party with, the actor praised former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz.
“It was amazing to be able to meet Big Papi because watching him and what he did when he made that great speech [after the Marathon bombing], that’s what you like to do,” Foxx said. “You like to take that energy and bounce it back, take something from that and send it out into the world.”
