V is for Vegas. Oh, and Versatile.
With an anticipated opening weekend of November 16-18, the latest hybrid nightlife venue to hit the downtown circuit will be the seemingly multi-faceted Club V. The latest addition to the booming Downtown market from Owner Carl “Versatile” Ferrell of Versatile Records, (over-?) ambitiously aims to provide entertainment seven nights a week for every conceivable taste in music by appealing to fans of urban, rock, country, jazz and pop music.
Occupying the three-story former Sheriff’s fingerprinting station located at 601 Fremont Street, Club V (nope, no relation to V Bar or the V Theater) plans to entertain as many as 1,400 patrons on a nightly basis by hosting live music performances and networking via satellite with other similarly-minded venues across the country on a flat-screen television display. This all sounds mighty complicated for Downtown’s next music venue, but we’re just glad to see anything move into the vacant businesses on Fremont East.
Mention of an opportunity for die-hard gaming fans to test their Xbox skills on a national level by competing for a $1,000,000 cash prize has piqued our interest, but if the chance of winning a cool mil doesn’t grab you, maybe the invited celebrity guest list for the opening weekend will do the trick. Currently confirmed guests include such television luminaries as Patrick “Tango” Hunter of VH1’s I Love New York, Steve Wilcox (you know, the bald security guard from the Jerry Springer Show) and Dr. Ian of Celebrity Fit Club. Just be sure to get your autographs before their 15 minutes are up.
Can I get that on the Rox?
Rock and roll fans, rejoice! On August 15, topless club Hidden Secrets put its top back on to become Rox: Vegas Rock Club, so whether you’re a fan of modern rock or classic rock, Rox has almost always got a live act playing.
“We’re really diversified in the bands we’re bringing in,” says Denny Baughman, assistant and husband to club owner Bonnie Baughman. “Saturday we had an alternative rock band out of San Diego, then we had a punk rock band, and before that, we had classic rock.”
It’s classic rock that’s closest to the hearts of the Baughmans, who’ve covered the club’s interior with rock memorabilia, including original albums signed by the Rolling Stones and Ozzy Osbourne, a dozen guitars signed by bands like The Eagles, as well as an assortment of Beatles memorabilia.
“On the sign we originally had ‘Classic Rock,’” says Denny, “and then we decided to leave it ‘Vegas Rock’ because if it was classic rock only, it would be very difficult built on that alone. But we’ve always liked classical rock music like The Eagles and Bon Jovi. A few nights a week, we’re using cover bands, which is classical rock, and the other couple of nights we’re bringing in original bands to give them a chance to be heard in Las Vegas, where they have nowhere else to go. No one will pay them. They have nowhere to be heard, so we’re bringing them in a couple nights a week to let them get their start at our club.”
Though it’s already open to the public, the venue’s official grand opening party will take place on September 21, featuring a performance by Wild Child, followed by the Las Vegas Allstars—a group that boasts members from many popular rock acts including The Cult, Ratt, Jani Lane, Magnify and Metal Shop.
The Fever has broken
Didn’t it used to be that a business’ first 90 days were meant to be a test, an indication of success (or the lack thereof) to come? Poor Fever Nightclub, which opened on July 7, wasn’t even given 60 days to prove itself. South Point director of entertainment John Collison says that though the property’s hope was that the South Point’s clientele would embrace the nightclub, “they have not.” As of September 1, Fever Nightclub will become the South Point Showroom, with “no more bottle service, no VIP hosts, no velvet ropes and no podium.” What the venue will have is “a friendly, come-one-come-all atmosphere” (with no cover charge except on Tuesdays) better suited to the locals casino on the far south end of the Strip. The Showroom will retain its popular Salsero Tuesday night promotion and will feature Love Shack Wednesdays, a country night Thursdays with the Hazzard County Rebels, Prince tribute band Purple Reign on Fridays, Vyxen on Saturdays and vocalist/trumpeter Skip Martin on Sundays.
Tangerine rolls on
Ouch! Enough bad puns for you? Yeah, we’re a little over it ourselves. But with all these club closures, well, there’s just no getting around it without simply saying Fever, closing; Light, closing; Tangerine, clos—wait, now we hear that Tangerine’s closure, though it will still happen, is being held off through the end of 2007. We can only speculate that with LAX and Noir opening this weekend and with Company bistro coming in October, that this is no time for additional construction. It’s okay—we know Tangerine still has some juice left in her yet.