On July 30, 2012, Pitbull traveled to a small island community in Alaska to play a concert at the most remote Walmart in the U.S. The supermarket giant held a promotional contest on Facebook asking fans to vote on which Walmart store Pitbull would perform at. This was used as a marketing campaign for Pitbull’s Planet Pit World Tour, which began on July 26, 2012.
But the contest was hijacked by online trolls who started the campaign #exilepitbull. The goal was to send him to the farthest Walmart store in the U.S., in the 6,000-population town of Kodiak, Alaska.
Instead of backing out of the obligation after Kodiak came out on top, Pitbull took the whole thing in stride. He vowed to go to the remotest Walmart of all time, and he ultimately had a blast doing it. Despite the fact that he was in Cleveland, Ohio, on July 29 and needed to be in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 31. In between, he squeezed in a delightful visit to the Last Frontier.
Has anyone ever seen Pitbull be anything other than genuinely down to clown at any conceivable time? The man is a driving force of enthusiasm, even for visiting a place with a high of 67 degrees in late July. Actually, that sounds pretty good right about now.
Pitbull Gets Sent to Alaska as a Prank, but Mr. Worldwide Always Keeps His Promises
In response to the Twitter campaign #exilepitbull, the Miami native posted a video declaring his dedication. “I will go anywhere in the world for my fans,” he said. “I want to invite that someone who thinks that it’s a joke to Kodiak, Alaska, with me.”
David Thorpe, a writer for the Boston Phoenix at the time, organized the hashtag campaign. His efforts ended up earning the Kodiak Walmart 70,000 votes on Facebook. He went along with Pitbull on the trip and posted a tweet from the road.
“I’m delighted to report that Pitbull stepped up to pay my way,’’ Thorpe told Boston.com in 2012. “Mr. Worldwide honors his invitations like a true gentleman.’’
Pitbull ultimately spent only three hours in Kodiak, but that tracks for his packed schedule at the time. Traveling from Alaska to Atlanta takes upwards of 14 hours, depending on weather and layovers. So, while Pitbull didn’t have time to perform before heading back out on tour, he still made the most of his trip.
He attended a community event at the U.S. Coast Guard base on the island, which brought out about 250 people, according to ABC News. Additionally, he was presented with a key to the city and a wilderness survival kit, complete with bear spray. If Pitbull ever finds himself back in Alaska, he’ll be prepared.
Pitbull tweeted his thanks while leaving Alaska behind. He posted, “Thank U Kodiak … I am honored, truly.”
Photo by Stefan M. Prager/Redferns via Getty Images
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