greenie

Aside from making a significant investment and hiring the right people to design the lighting system, Jet also made sure to employ a great operator, Neil Kull. Like many other lighting jocks, Neil is a musician and DJ himself... but he's also managed to customize but software and hardware MIDI solutions for lighting control. End result is a truly stunning visual experience in the main room... now if only Jet were able to host more main room house events...

Wednesdays are a new house event that BE is promoting this year. From what I've been told they're shooting for every other week, however that'll change based on how often they can schedule headliners they feel will draw a crowd. Seb Fontaine tonight. Bad Boy Bill on May 9th. Main Rehab honcho Jack LaFleur will often be the opening DJ, but for Bill they're bringing in Jonas Tempel (one my my Denver homeboys!)

No offense intended, but I don't know how anyone in the nightclub biz would consider 54 as a "mandatory" stop on a present-day trip to Vegas. No matter how inexperienced your friends may be when it comes to clubs. You say you don't want the "OMG PARTY BAR" venue. Well... that's basically what 54 is these days. Yes, plenty of people still have fun at places like 54 and Rain. But if that's where you're going to be happy then you don't even need to bother asking people for hook-ups or assistance on this board. You haven't been to Vegas in four years. You truly have no idea how much the scene has changed. Despite all of the horror stories you may hear, there remains one simple truth: if you don't mind waiting in line for a tiny bit and paying cover, you can get into any club in town. Period. If you're a lighting jock then you simply MUST go to Jet. By far the best lighting in town. Not to mention the best pre-4am spot for house music.

... ?

That's because it's not open yet... grand opening is this Saturday, May 5th.

I hear that God finally got his DSL working up in Heaven, so you should be able to write us no matter what. (down in Hell, they've had broadband for years since MCI, AOL, Qwest, AT&T, Cox and Comcast are all headquartered there)

Skip Rain. Do Tao on Thursday. For Saturday night, especially since you want to meet women, I think your best bets would be Jet (for mega-club approach) or Body English (intimate). Don't know how anyone can recommend Triq at this point... it's a complete unknown. Agree with LALate on the buffet. Paris is the best in town. Bellagio, Wynn, Mandalay are all excellent as well, but Paris has the distinction of offering up a lot of food you never see at anyone else's buffet. Especially in the dessert department (hey, it's a buffet, you're not about to start counting calories and fat there). For meals... far too many excellent restaurants that fall under the $50/pp category. I say play it by ear based on where you'll be when you're hungry and/or talk to the concierge at your hotel. Asking for recommendations on where to eat is always a great starter conversation with women on the Strip, too. Let us know if you have some specific culinary interests and I'm sure you'll get some more specific recommendations. If you want to get some kickass "modern mexican" again, one of my absolute favorites is Isla in TI. Blows the doors off of Diego in the MGM Grand; owner/chef Richard Sandoval is generally considered among the best of the Mexican-inspired chefs in the country. 150+ tequilas to choose from. And surprisingly affordable. If you do wind up going to Body English then consider getting tapas at Firefly right up the street from the Hard Rock. Great service, wide variety of tasty tapas, rich sangria, good prices. For lunch over at Paris definitely make a stop at Mon Ami Gabi and wait the extra few minutes for a table outside. Simple yet extremely flavorful French bistro-style menu, damn good prices. Daytime stuff... well, you got it. Relax at the pool, walk around the Strip, do a bit of shopping, ride a rollercoaster, hang out. Play that by ear.

Kickass review bro. Great stuff. Joey has been one of the better electronic DJs in Vegas for a few years now, he always throws down a good set, especially at Empire. Very much a crowd-pleasing DJ.

Provided you've got a decent pair of shoes (read: not gym kicks), then your outfit would not be a problem at any spot in town.

In my opinion/experience it's been a long time since there's been any real "drama" at the Drai's door -- at least not any moreso than happens at Empire (or any other spot) on a night when they're doing top business.

I love Mix, but I think 7pm is a bit too early. Don't recommend going there until sunset at the earliest. Moon doesn't open until 10-11pm... even if it was open early... you'd have a tough time bouncing those 3 clubs within a 3-hour span. Given the distances (Mandalay to Palms to Caesar's) you'd have time for a quick drink at the first two spots at most... you'd spend more time waiting for and riding in a taxi than actually in the club. I'd recommend hittting up a decent meal in Mandalay Bay or Mandalay Place around 7pm, head up to Mix for an after-dinner drink or two, then at 9:30ish bounce to the club of your choice. Since you're from SoCal I'd recommend Tryst or Tao. You'll get the most unique decor and atmosphere at those spots, plus the crowd/attitude won't be as SoCal-heavy as Pure or BE. In my opinion the Pure door is too much of a mess to make a visit there worthwhile unless you've got a table or a hookup in advance... not to mention it always seems to be the heaviest on the sausage. I'm also a big fan of Jet, the lighting and sound in the main room (hip-hop/mash/etc) is insane, they've got the best pre-4AM house music in town, and the third room (also hip-hop/mash/etc but with its own DJ) is always a great spot to meet people. No matter where you go, remember this: it always takes longer to get where you want to go than you think.

Tao Beach has its grand opening on May 5th. Weekends there will be pretty sick, especially as the sun goes down on Fri/Sat/Sun nights.

Since it sounds like you're into house music, you can't go wrong with Empire if you like the DJs they have lined up. For post-3AM house I personally prefer the more intimate atmosphere at Drai's, but I've had more than a few incredible nights at Empire. If you're going out two nights, I'd recommend doing both -- hit Empire late Saturday (i.e. Sunday morning), and Drai's late Sunday (i.e. Monday morning). Unfortunately I can't comment on the Revolution Lounge, but I think Nick Warren makes for a damn good reason to go. House options on Sunday are very limited, so it should be a good crowd. If nothing else it'd be a great warmup for Drai's.

Vegas is a different door situation because it's a completely different crowd. Clubs in places like LA, CHI, NYC, MIA, BOS become popular primarily because they market the "right" local people, and their door managers know how to maintain just the right balance between the rich/famous and the regular/experienced clubber. Vegas clubs love celebs. They love the regular clubgoers, whether locals or repeat visitors. But they love the rich even more. Keep in mind that Vegas is unique in that almost everyone who comes to town has the mindset that they're willing to do things they rarely -- sometimes never -- do back at home. Or anywhere else. The whole "what happens here, stays here" mentality is not some marketing gimmick that was created out of thin air; it's based on how people have generally spent their time in Vegas. This translates to nightlife in two ways. First, a shitload of the people that go to the clubs in Vegas *never* go to clubs back home. Or anywhere else. As a result, many of them figure as long as they're going out, they might as well go all-out and hit a "hot" club. Second, these same people going all-out are much looser with their wallets. There's a lot less hesitation to drop $300 per person on a table when it's something they will only do once a year (or less). Factor in things like corporate expense accounts, gambling winnings and casino comps... not to mention your bed being a short walk or cheap cab ride away... well, the list of things that you don't have in other cities keeps growing and growing. Every single thing in Vegas is more expensive than it is in other major cities... and many would argue that the attractions are no better. Why pay $200 each to see a band in Vegas when you can see them for $75 when their tour stops in your home town? Why pay $100 for a stand-up comic that you can see for $15 plus two drinks in a basement comedy club? Why pay $200 per night for a hotel room that's no better than the $39 Super 8 off the interstate? Why sit at a $25 table when you'd never bet more than $5 per hand at the Indian reservation? Because... it's Vegas. The place defies reason. Probably why everyone has so much damn fun there. I'm a big proponent of using VIP services, but I'm the last person to say they're absolutely necessary. You can always get to the club and line up very early. You can always grease the door. You can go into the club like you're boarding the Ark (in pairs). You can always meet gals at the pool, craps table, lounge or restaurant and take them to the club with you. Or you can decide that spending a few extra bucks is worth saving yourself from the hassle, the time, the uncertainty.

Back on topic... care to share any more thoughts about Reson8? How long were you there, what was the crowd like, what did you think about the sound system, etc?

Sorry... was lost in memories of last year!

Faarsheed opening again... SWEEEEEEEEEEEEEEET! Based on the way he's been playing lately, his opening at Jet last LDW and the kind of music that Dubfire is playing these days (check out the majority of GU:Taipei)... should be another incredible night in the main room. Factor in that Dubfire will let Faarsheed play as hard as he wants to whip the crowd up into a frenzy... wow wow wow wow

I've got a few friends in town tomorrow night and I know they'll definitely dig reson8... only downside is they'll have to leave shortly before midnight... what time do things start up? Anybody spinning at 9pm? They'll come as early as things start up! Any idea what time the kitchen shuts down?

Might have something to do with the fact that many/most of your posts are making unsubstantiated claims about what you are capable of getting for yourself, what you can offer to others, and what you've experienced in the past. I've lost count at the number of times I've made recommendations for how this board can be improved, specifically to the benefit of Vegas nightlife virgins. If I haven't posted any lengthy reviews lately, it's only because I've got nothing to add or change to what I've already said about the various spots around town. Or the fact that simply wasn't on this board very much for the previous 6-8 weeks, and when I came back all I found was posts making boasts.

Huh? Explain what this means, please. So I guess that whole "Bottles and Goggles" post you kept promoting, in which you basically said the entire Vegas nightlife scene was a joke, wasn't "hating?" Give me a break, bud. You've positioned yourself as an expert on Vegas, particularly on hotels and nightlife, openly boasting about skipping lines, entry without cover, and hotel upgrades and comps. Yet you don't share any of this information publicly; you tell people to hit you up with a PM, at which point you hustle them for VIP services. You were the one who admitted in public that you had never before been to Body English until very recently. Yet all this time you've been happily offering your "expert" opinion on -- not to mention VIP services for -- the Vegas nightlife scene. Including Body English. Don't try to lecture ME about honest intentions involving the CP message boards. I'm here as an independent clubgoer who LOVES Vegas nightlife, always has, always will. I provide opinions, reviews and advice based on nothing but my own experiences and purely in the interest of helping others. I don't claim to be part of this board help people while at the same time pimping my own VIP services company. And though I do speak with a tone of authority, knowledge, and experience, it comes from the fact that I've been making 10+ trips to Vegas each year since 1996. You say you're tired of what this board has become. Well I'm tired of hearing bullshit from people with ulterior motives. I'm tired of hearing someone dominating the boards as a self-proclaimed expert, when they've only set foot in Vegas once in the previous six months. LALate, we've heard this exact rant from you in the past. "This board isn't what it used to be, I'm going away." Boo-hoo.

Cruise through the postings on this board -- look for threads talking about specific clubs or with the words "recap" or "review" in them, especially ones with high post counts. There's a lot of discussion about the different spots you may want to hit. Long story short, pretty much every club is slamming on Fridays and Saturdays. Pure, Jet, Tao, Tryst, Body English and OPM are the most popular in terms of crowds and lines. Moon is the newest and doing strong business. Others such as Rain, 54, Tangerine and Light continue to get the crowds on weekends and plenty of people continue to be happy there. Clubs are predominantly a mix of hip-hop, rock, and mash-ups. Exceptions are: OPM, which is 100% hip-hop Jet, which offers a house room Tao, which offers house in their lounge Pure, which offers house on the roof terrace

No doubt! Hard to beat 100% worry-free partying.

If Sharam plays even half of the shit he played at the WMC Yoshitoshi party, true music fans are gonna wet themselves... unfortunately he'll probably lay down some lighter tracks for the Vegas MDW crowd... which will still kick ass, because that's what he did when he nailed it at Jet last year!

Gee, thanks for the great advice and all those tips and tricks there, LALate. You negotiated 30% off the room rates. Well, from what starting point? The rack rate? You can get that kind of discount anywhere. Travelocity, for starters. Or are you going to claim that you "negotiated" to get 30% off the cheapest rate advertised anywhere? So you're willing to publicly drop a pair of full names for bottle service at Moon, but you're hesitant to give people concrete information on getting room upgrades. You must live near the docks out there in LA-LA land, because this all smells pretty damn fishy to me.

HOLY CRAP for those of you who didn't make it to WMC, you really missed out on Faarsheed absolutely KILLING it... every time he played, the crowd was either dancing as hard as they had all week or were staring in wide-eyed wonder... or both! EVERYBODY wanted to know who he was, where he comes from, when he might be coming to their town... insaaaaaane...