greenie

Don't know anything about events around that weekend, but I'm down from Sat night through Tues morning. Would take a massive event on Monday to make an attractive alternative to Jet. As for Sunday night, who knows... but for me doesn't really matter what's going on elsewheere, it's all about BE. At least until 4AM.

Speaking of reggaeton, has anyone checked out or otherwise heard about Vida on Fridays, over at Diego in MGM Grand? Walked past on my way from Teatro (the last night) to Empire about 5-6 weeks ago, and it looked like there was a good crowd inside.

Always happy to help a Bostonian. I appreciate anyone who agrees it's never too early to start planning. Or as I call it, "dreaming." That said, not to rag on you right out of the gate but there are some really great threads on this very board that have a LOT of discussion about what all of the different clubs offer in terms of crowd, music, effort, cost, you name it. Would strongly recommend you look at some threads with the words "review" or "itineary" in them, especially the recent ones (e.g. things relating to Mem Day weekend). Reading them will give you a great overview of what the various spots have to offer, perhaps give you a little more insight into what you like and don't like. Generally speaking, you'll get better responses with more information if you can ask specific questions. And in your case, if you let me know some of your preferred spots/scenes in Boston, I can translate that somewhat to Vegas. For example, would you prefer Avalon to The Place? Golden Banana or Centerfolds? Otherwise, the standard response right now on this board... Biggest demand: Jet, Pure, Tao, Body English Newest: Jet, Tryst, Tao, Cherry Longest lines: Pure Best M/F ratio: Body English 3-plus rooms with different DJs: Jet, Pure, Tao Serious hip-hop: OPM Serious electronic: Empire, Ice Older-but-still-busy: Rain, Studio 54, Light Rooftop Lounges: Mix, Ghostbar, VooDoo After Hours: Empire, Drai's, Seamless Pool party: Rehab Strip Clubs: Spearmint Rhino, Seamless

Man, I think I need to change jobs. I've been working for myself for 8 years and I don't think I've ever had a client pay me less than 3 weeks after I've billed them... 9 out of 10 times, it's 6-7 weeks. Times like these I miss being a bartender and walking home with a fist full of cash.

Just curious, really. Of all of the current clubs in town, who has been consistently packed to capacity on both Friday and Saturday nights for the longest period?

For as much fun I've had at Drai's, throughout 2005 it became increasingly exclusive and expensive. My most common frustration last year -- fittingly, the same claim made about Empire in this thread -- is when a DJ or staffer would put me on the door list, yet upon arrival I would always be told "we don't do lists" or "no list tonight."

If I may gander a guess, I think epope is referring to the way in that Ice was the first of the so-called "mainstream mega clubs" in Vegas to center its entire operation around electronic music and make a 100% (or pretty damn close) commitment to having nothing but electronic in the main room. Of course, you can only give so much credit to a club that is only open every friday and saturday, plus occasional wednesdays and holidays. In addition to the other spots listed I'd like to chime in that Baby's seemed pretty committed to electronic in their main room. All that said, I still love Ice, I'll still go to see any of my favorites (whether locals like Mazzola or Faarsheed, moderately popular like Glaude or immense like Armin) without giving it a second thought, and I'll be very sorry for the day that it does close its doors for good.

Vegasrey -- would just like to add that I really appreciate your taking the time to respond frankly and directly on this board regarding Empire's policies and anything that may or may not have happened. Same goes for Masterweb and OPM. I may not agree with some statements and/or policies, but it's nice to see that at least a few establishments are not only reading the comments here, but are willing to take the time to respond. cheers to you both. That said, I hope the big lesson learned by Empire is that trying to combine two independent events (Prince and Rubber) with your own event (Boris) is too herculean of a task. Even the most established operations with their ticketing and door operations down to a science would struggle to pull all three off without a hitch.

Comparing the two, at least based on 2004 and 2005... In terms of people looking to party -- and dropping the cash to do so -- MDW is much bigger. As Masterweb said, one of the big reasons is that for many it represents a launching point, whether the start of summer, the end of a school year or simply the return of warm weather (for the non-SoCal crowd, anyway). Another big reason is that late May is when you have the biggest hype in the entertainment industry, from music to movies, everybody is pushing hard for success on MDW, and Vegas is certainly tied to the the entertainment business. The final kicker is that from a purely economic standpoint, this country spends a significantly higher amount of money over MDW than they do over LDW. It's no coincidence that Vegas brings in more money overall in the first half of the year than it does in the second half (at least in terms of gambling and entertainment); when someone's wallet is a bit thinner, or they need to start saving up some money (e.g. for the holidays), Vegas is not the first place that comes to mind for a vacation or long weekend of partying. And don't forget about corporate expense accounts, either. Back when I used to travel to Vegas for work every 2-3 weeks, it was always easier to get people to spend extra cash on nightlife in the first half of the year. Those involved in sales and marketing could always squeeze a bit more out of their budgets in May than they could in October.

Faarsheed seriously killed it this past weekend. His set following Tiesto was the best I've heard from any DJ in the past 6 months, maybe more. He's absolutely peaking now, he's really in his element playing for the late crowds in Vegas.

All told a really incredible set of days. Although I couldn't quite party quite as hard as I did the last two MDWs, it was really great running into so many people from this board, some for the first time... sorry if I'm not shouting out to everyone, but you all know who you are. Most importantly, nice to see that most people here walk the walk and know how to party properly. Thursnight: Tao Was on my way to rock solo at OPM, but got paged by some friends that had snagged a table at Tao. Great time, great crowd, more women then men, everyone was dancing on top of everything. Brilliantly good time. Only downside was the same that can be said about most clubs, the mix was predictable and and fairly middle of the road. Otherwise, everyone having anything to do with our table, excellent service. Full credit for Tao for (slightly) limiting the crowd on this night, it was the perfect crowd size: packed, but not to the point where you had to shove your way past people, with more than enough space to dance. Outside they started turning general admissions away at 12:30; they let people into the lounge for free, but told folks that if they weren't on a list, they wouldn't be getting in before 3 (or later). Closed down the upstairs right before/after 5, the lounge about a half hour later. Friday: Flamingo cabana Included in the cabana rental for MDW was a top-shelf bottle of vodka plus full mixers. Throw in the basket of munchies and full fridge of juice and water and great pool surroundings, a steal at $400 when others in town were charging a $1K or more on the same day (and not including a bottle). The pool party itself was nothing spectacular, but a good time overall. A DJ started out early with some nice mellow house beats but once noon hit, the spring break approach came on hard and music went pretty much the route of MTV (or what I assume MTV plays these days). Just my personal taste, I don't need to hear an MC shouting "chug, chug, chug." Fortunately some enterprising soul (cough) found a way to deal with the speakers just outside our cabana (ahem), and the pool staff didn't seem to care or notice that this little corner of the pool was rocking its own mix (maybe next time I'll pack up my Serato). All that said... Flamingo is putting on a very good pool party, one that's sure to please a lot of the Havasu crowd. Both upper and main pools were packed well past 6pm, and the party itself went right until 8pm. Should be interesting to see if non-holiday Fri/Sat parties at the Flamingo will keep pace (I'm not counting on it), but considering that they don't prohibit non-guests from using the pool and aren't charging cover, there is definitely a market for this type of party on a weekly basis. Frinight: Mix Thanks to some idiot scheduling the largest coed soccer tournament in the country for MDW in Vegas, and my team and I being willing to participate nonetheless, it a mellow evening for us, especially with an 8am game. So out for a nice dinner at Mandalay followed by cocktails at Mix until midnight. Gorgeous view and a gorgeous crowd to match. Very busy but not slammed. Mellow, funky house beats and a great overall vibe, and of course always nice to grab a few tables in Vegas for a few hours without having a bottle requirement. Satnight: Empire for Rubber For some reason I thought that Rubber was opening its doors at 10pm, and since I needed to be in bed early I headed to Empire much earlier than normal. Got in with my wanttickets pass no problem, but whaddyaknow, the Prince concert was still going on. People were saying something about Prince having a really, really bad sound check, so he didn't start playing until after 10 or something. Anyway, seemed like a lot of folks way in the back of the ballroom were like me, getting in to see the end of the Prince concert with their Rubber tickets. I'm not a big fan of his music but wow, he is an unebelievable performer. Not sure what time exactly but there was point when a good number of the house lights were turned on pretty quick at the end of a song. Security began ushering people out, I showed my wanttickets printout to a few of them, they shrugged and let me stay (along with others who I assume did the same thing). Stage was broken down and booth-thing set up pretty damn quick, and before you could blink it was a full-on Rubber event, with a ton of bleach, a ton of silicone and a ton of skin on display. No complaints here. Music was pumping early, crowd got into it fast and it was a great time... I had to leave before Boris went on (that damn soccer again) but the other DJs (Scooter/Lavelle and that Rubber resident dude) put on solid sets. Ballroom was pretty packed when I left, and when I saw how many people were lined up outside... well, let's just say I'm surprised there wasn't a small riot. Sunday: Rehab... almost Was in the parking lot about to head in around 3pm, got some text messages from people inside. My friends inside on general admission said it was a great crowd but too packed to even move, grabbing a drink took forever and a day and there had already been a number of fights. My cabana friends said they were having a great time, but when they told me what it would cost to join them, I opted to head back to the car and move on. Later in the evening I heard a lot of mixed opinions from people on Rehab that day... but everyone agreed that Tiesto was a massive letdown, played a very short set and just never found the right groove for the crowd. Sunnight: Body English Holy shit, and here I thought NYE and Halloween were epic nights at BE. The crowd at the door was impenetrable, if not for Bill there's no way we would have gotten in, let alone maintained our table reservation. Chalk this one up as another kickass evening. Significantly more women than men, and a vibe about as crazy as you've ever seen. The dance floor was a writhing, sweaty mass, with Vice and Dig Dug (I think) putting out a truly diverse mix with a lot of unexpected tracks and some live mash-ups I hadn't heard anyone put out there before, everything from rap to rock to house to reggae to salsa. Had a bigger table area reserved for my team, but got a call in the evening telling me we had been bumped to a smaller area -- but that the club would make it right for us in the end. Not only did we get taken care of in a big way on the bill, but we were moved to the railing of the balcony, just above the bar, and I don't think there's a better location at BE. Turns out we were bumped because Lil' John wanted our tables, and he and his crew partied just behind us (inviting some of our gals in to his area) and didn't leave until closing. Someone took a great photo of me walking up the stairs on the way out, right next to Lil' John, mohawk alongside dreds. Only downside of the night is the way it ended: rapidly. The club was massively packed at 4am, and suddenly the music took a confusing turn... I can't remember exactly what, only that it was suddenly less danceable, some outright bad tunes, and within minutes the crowd on the floor was cut in half, by 4:30 the lights came on and we were ushered out. I've seen this happen at BE before, but I'm surprised they wanted to close down so early on MDW. Sunlate: Empire for Tiesto/Faarsheed Got over to Empire around 5:30 or so and joined ukjay and epope at a table upstairs (thanks guys!). Ballroom was packed solid on the floor itself, but along the bar areas and in the balcony there was space to move and groove. Tiesto was on and in his element with his ideal crowd, and he was throwing down a solid, solid set. Balcony table was an ideal position to watch Tiesto work his magic, and he put on a flawless set. The mix was tight and the sound quality outstanding, everyone was grooving... and then Faarsheed took over. And blew the fucking roof off the place. Within a few tracks he had the crowd eating up every single beat, everyone in the balcony bouncing and jamming to some damn hard, damn heavy tracks. Everyone had the same look on their face: "holy shit, Faarsheed is upstaging Tiesto." Say whatever you want about different musical styles, the bottom line here is that Faarsheed got the crowd responding in a way that Tiesto didn't. The floor was packed with people past 9am, and was still halfway full when Faarsheed wrapped things up at 10. Monday: Relax Slept most of the day away so I didn't get over until very late afternoon, but there was still a good crowd going. Reminded me a lot of what Rehab was like when it first started -- little bit more relaxed atmosphere, just the right balance between chilling out and getting your swerve going. And definitely a more diverse, colorful crowd. Nice thing about showing up late, at least this day: no cover, no problem. Looking forward to future Relax days. Monnight: Jet Joined up with some local friends for a table at Jet. Arrived at 11 and the lines were as long as I've ever seen them there, extending well out past registration, and the table-check-in area was nuts. Inside the place was already slamming well before midnight, a good-looking crowd throwing it down in every room. Can't speak for the main room, but the house and rock rooms certainly seemed to have more women than men. Was also nice that at no point was Jet so crowded that you couldn't move -- like Tao on Thursday, the perfect amount of people. No problems moving throughout the club. Set up shop at a table in the "rock" room (they need a better name for that one, it's primarily hip-hop with only the occasional rock track), music resembled Tao on Thursday, the current popular hip-hop tracks mixed in with the crowd-pleasing classics. Can't complain with the result though, the room was absolutely hopping, enough so that a certain member of our table busted his share of moves... and I don't think I've ever seen him dance before. Spent half the night there and the other half in the house room, where Eddie and Chris were throwing out a really solid night -- tribal and slower DNB early, progressive in the middle and house at the end. Great to see a bunch of locals and regulars out this night, nice to catch up with Sien in the house room as well as others in the rock room. Left around 5am and the house room was still going strong with no slowing down.

From the folks I talked to this weekend, the only problems were with the folks who bought Rubber tickets but didn't show up until after 3am. I'm not suggesting that Empire was justified in not honoring the tickets, but I for one found it very odd that you could buy tickets to the 10pm-close Rubber party for a lower price than you could buy tickets to the 3am-close Boris-only event. As always, buyer beware. As for service at Empire, I did join up with some friends for a table on the balcony for Tiesto/Faarsheed and the service was professional and exceptional, whether host, security, wait or bus staff, right until Faarsheed closed his set shortly after 10am. When some ass walked up to the balcony railing and decided to toss his drink down onto the crowd below, it took seconds for a club host and security to toss him -- and make sure the tables below were accommodated. If Empire is having any financial problems, I can only imagine it's coming from mismanagement. Every time I've gone for late night the ballroom and deck have been packed, and that's not just for the "big international DJs." Faarsheed's marathon sets have been pulling out big crowds, with all tables occupied.

Hell. Yes. That's the exact mindset that I subscribe to... have fun wherever you are, make friends wherever you go. But hell, even if someone is spending thousands of dollars to get laid, how is that any worse than spending thousands of dollars on any other luxury? All that matters is that the person dropping that coin feels that it's money well spent. Moreover, it's all an economy of scale. For as much as many of us Vegas locals and out-of-town addicts spend our entertainment dollars in different ways, the fact is we're all putting out cash for a type of personal satisfaction that most people believe they can get at home. Epope, I love your attitude brother.

No lists but they are offering pre sales, including a full weekend pass. Supposedly the weekend pass holders will have a separate line. http://www.wantickets.com/latenightempire

I assume he meant one of the best benefits of bottle service that a group of guys can get. Hosts and door staff are typically very helpful when it comes to keeping an eye out and bringing some ladies over for introductions.

Killing it indeed... Faarsheed's sets at Empire and Ice lately have been really incredible, he's really coming on strong starting to mature with his style and pacing, and he's starting to draw entirely on his own name. I've got no doubt that in NYC he'll toss it down hard. Some friends of mine caught his set at WMC this year, they'd never seen him before but came away very impressed.

Not to mention that about a third of what you hear during a Tiesto set is music that he's performed on the spot with keyboards and drum pads, then sequenced them in to other tracks. Out of the 200-250 gigs that Tiesto plays every year, it's only the 20 or so gigs that he does in an arena that feature over-the-top lighting, video, lasers, fireworks and live performers. Otherwise he's playing club gigs with the basic lighting that they have for every other night, for every other DJ. Not to mention, it's not like Tiesto was touring with special effects when he was an unknown 10 years ago. There's a reason the guy is so incredibly popular on the club scene, and it's got nothing to do with marketing or music videos or anything else that brought such popularity to Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer. It's because he knows how to entertain a crowd, knows how to mix, knows when to drop, always throws in surprises and gets the dance floor going harder and later than the majority of his peers.

Given that this is the first time that they will have electronic in the main room at Jet -- and most likely will be the only time they do so for a while -- I'd recommend going there. Especially since you've never been before. They've got a lighting system in place that really doesn't get an extreme workout on most other nights (especially the huge array of LCD panels), and I've heard from a few people that they're going all-out with their system on Sunday... perhaps even bringing in some additional lighting just for the night. On the flipside, although both clubs will be packed I think Jet is going to be overcrowded to the point where you can barely move in the main room (whether on the dance floor or along the sides), whereas you'll still have a tiny bit of room at Ice.

Anyone have updates, confirmation of anything? Only additional bit I've learned is that 21+ cabana rentals at Flamingo this weekend include a bottle of your choice. (I guess "famlly" cabana rentals include lunch for 6). Spoke to a friend who deals at Palms. I guess the second phase of their pool renovation is somewhat behind schedule, so they won't be pushing their pool until mid-June at the earliest.

I too am a bit skeptical about this criticism given the lack of involvement from a senior host and/or manager. Every single club is susceptible to (and has experienced) a staff member who may choose to take advantage of a guest for personal gains. The question is what kind of approach the club takes when such actions are brought to their attention. The management of Body English are not ones to put up with behavior like this from their staff. But just like any other club, they can only do something about it when it's brought to their attention. I have to admit I'm also a bit curious about the timeline of this particular story. A group of 7 goes through 3 bottles fast enough so that they have time to still go somewhere else -- on a Sunday -- where they have "a much better time." Well if you're that plowed I guess you can have a great time anywhere... and if the group didn't drink most of the booze themselves, then it's hard to complain about money when you give it away to total strangers...

According to tiesto.com, he will be spinning 6pm-8pm.

In-progress update of the pool parties I've started to hear about. Hopefully others can add to the list or confirm/deny some of the rumors. Friday Flamingo: Has reportedly spent some cash upgrading the 21+ area of the pool (the upper oval). "Locally-known" DJs spinning "mostly house." Friday Bacardi Bash 4pm-9pm, no cover. Before 4pm, unknown cover charge for non-guests. Hooters: Weekend-long pool party starts at 5pm. Upgraded the old San Remo pool to a beach layout (i.e. sand) and added a 60-person hot tub. Live bands (rotating reggae acts and a Jimmy Buffet cover band), pig roasts, Hooters girls. No cover. Saturday Red Rock: The Cherry pool deck has a "national" DJ spinning house. Claim to have a Funktion sound system set up outside. 11am-6pm. Cover $10-20. Caesar's: The Venus pool (now run by Pure Management Group) with Mike Swift and/or DJ Hollywood. Music varied. Targeted to VIP guests of the hotel but there will be "limited" access available to the public for an unknown cover charge. Flamingo: Saturday Bacardi Bash, 3pm-8pm. See above. Sunday Hard Rock: The most insane Rehab ever, word is HR is expecting to turn away thousands. Tiesto from 6pm-8pm (according to tiesto.com). No confirmation on cover yet, will be at least $30 for guys. No advance sales so get there early. Red Rock: Cherry pool deck with DJ Skribble spinning house. 11am-6pm. Cover $10-20. Caesar's: See above Monday Hard Rock: The follow-up to Rehab, called Relax, is an "industry pool party." No other info yet. Caesar's: Pure's "industry party" at the Venus Pool. No other info yet. Other Spots Kind of surprised that no special events are being promoted at Palms, Mandalay/Moorea, MGM Grand (the 21+ "Director's Pool"), Mirage (which now has the 21+ "Bare" pool) or Green Valley. I have heard from people and read in a few places that there are no currrent plans yet to bring back either the party at Moorea (Mandalay) or Nirvana (GVR). Access to pools on non-party days I've heard from both official resort reps and local friends in the industry that many of the major pools are going to be very strict about access on Fri, Sat, Sun and Mon, limiting the pools to hotel guests only or charging cover for non-guests, even when there's not a special event. Cabanas are currently reserving at 2x-5x their normal weekend rates.

They're calling it Relax, promoting it as an "industry pool party" beginning Monday, May 29th. Sweet.

If you take Ice/Empire out of the equation... Jet offers the best house room for dancing, good sound system, dark lighting, great interaction between DJ and crowd. Pure offers the best house for the kick-it-on-the-deck scene, small dance area in front of the DJ setup, not much of a sound system but a truly unique view and atmosphere, especially if you get a table up there. Mix is more of a lounge than a club, but they do have a dance floor, a decent sound system, a very upscale and good-looking crowd and Mandalay has the best top-of-the-strip view around. Tao offers house in their lounge, the least "danceable" atmosphere of the four listed here, brightest room lighting but a great option if you're not looking for 100% house

For Tiesto at Rehab (the daytime Sunday pool party at Hard Rock), you'll just need to line up early. SUPER early. Tiesto at Late Night Empire, you can get advance tickets at http://www.wantickets.com/latenightempire/events.asp Otherwise for the big places to go, check out some of the other threads. Lots of discussion on here relating to what clubs cater to different crowds, music, etc.