Saturday, August 20, 3 a.m. It's not so much that I missed the party boat as I was wildly early for its departure. Oba's doors opened at 1:30 a.m., and though I arrived at 2:45, the party continued to rage elsewhere. Downstairs, the House of Blues' main room was packed following the performance of parody cover band Boogie Nights. DJ Irish was spinning a steady stream of hip-hop peppered with some old-school teasers.
Though the tall, circular leather, VIP booths are already flush with bottle parties, they remain turned toward the stage three stories below. Consequently, every few minutes, heads pop up over the booths like prairie dogs keeping tabs on who's arrived. Back when I first started writing this column, it was easy to get a sizable entourage of club-going guinea pigs willing to have their arms twisted into drinking like fish, partying like rock stars and doing things that would warrant the use of pseudonyms. Tonight, I am experiencing the hideaway just as I did the first time I came to the HOB four years ago ... alone.
The thinness of the crowd gives me more time to check out the room, not to mention the bar. I get a Jack 'n' Coke with a twist of nostalgia—this room has played many roles. Oba was and is the ultimate VIP skybox for a blowout concert, affording fans not only a mostly unobstructed view of the stage from its elevated position, but access to a private bar and restrooms, as well. If you don't mind checking out the top of the lead singer's head, confirming all suspicions that he's a candidate for Rogaine, it's a great spot. From this balcony I was introduced to the Foo Fighters and their eardrum-perforating repertoire beyond the catchy and commercial "Learn to Fly."
Downstairs, DJ Irish is wrapping things up, while upstairs, DJ Presto One is setting things up. No sooner does Irish plug after-hours at Oba and announce last call than the people start streaming in. Girls scream in response to each new friend's arrival; guys seek out the restroom, refreshments and new dance partners. If you've ever been to the Foundation Room high atop Mandalay Bay, then Oba Lounge will be a familiar, albeit miniature, stomping ground.
The recessed ceiling is tiled with the same woodcutting as at Foundation, where Indian art abounds. Chocolate walls, cabernet valances and cream-shell light fixtures—delicious. High-backed leather booths and banquettes, a hardwood dance floor, batik walls and a wealth of African art in frames and sculptures. Oba, says the scholarly Xania, means "king" in Nigerian, a fitting name for the masculine room.
It doesn't take many bodies to fill the small dance floor. Just a few ladies with a bit of rhythm and the scores of men who adore them, but the ratio is surprisingly even. Wesley and his friends are visiting from LA. Like many Angelenos, they visit a few times a year to see what's new. This trip, they've hit up OPM, Rumjungle, and now with 14 other bachelor partiers in tow, they want to see the recently reopened Oba. Wesley, an engineer and poet, is used to the LA method of clubbing: a circuit that starts earlier in the evening and has you back out on the street by 2 a.m. At 3:30 a.m., four soldiers are still standing but the bachelor has long since passed out, having decided that what happens in Vegas will happen in his dreams. To get around the curfew, Wesley tells me, some clubs will collect an exorbitant cover at one address and then send him to another private address to continue partying a bit later than the State of California may have planned. It kind of reminds me of some house parties I've attended right here in Vegas.
Much as he likes Vegas, Wesley isn't afraid to get critical. "Now Atlanta knows how to party," he says, getting reminiscent about his Southern roots. "There, you can go to a party that will have maybe 2,000 people all dancing to hip-hop all night, every night." In stark contrast, a Vegas club may choose instead to throw a hip-hop night or mash-up hip-hop with everything under the sun. I tell him it's kind of like Oba; it's there, one simply has to look for it a bit.
At 4 a.m., we decide to throw in the towel. Just before heading out, my new Southern-Californian friend stops me. "What beauty do you find in the desert?" he asks. My answer, "Every night a new sunrise, every day a new sunset." Pretty poetic for cocktail chatter, don't you think?
Xania Woodman thinks globally and parties locally. And frequently. E-mail her at
[email protected].
Xania's Hot Spots for August 25 - August 31
Thursday, August 25
Teatro: Vinylpalooza, DJs Steffon and Ronin Vega CD release party
Tabu: Fusion, Golf Pros and Tennis #@s party
Friday, August 26
Empire Ballroom opening, locals free with local ID
Saturday, August 27
Skin Pool Lounge: 19th annual Black & White party benefiting AFAN
Ice: Godskitchen Saturdays with DJ Keoki
Sunday, August 28
Light: Us magazine Young Hot Hollywood MAGIC party
Monday, August 29
Whiskey Beach: MAGIC convention kick-off party
Foundation Room: Late Night with King Britt CD release party
Forty Deuce: Champagne Suzy burlesque boutique opening
Tuesday, August 30
Pure: Chick by Nicki Hilton fashion show with the Pussycat Dolls
For more Hot Spots and weekly parties visit
www.TheCircuitLV.com and sign up for Xania's free weekly newsletter.