Where’s a cowboy supposed to slap his chaps now that they’ve announced the July 15 closing of the Frontier? Make that the “Last” turned “New” turned just plain Frontier turned “New” again Frontier, which, to a Vegas freshman, stood out as pretty run-down no matter what the time-specific adjective.
Oh no! They can't take away bikini bull riding!
Photograph by Benjamin Purvis
Apparently Elvis, Diana Ross and Siegfried and Roy did some respective damage there back in the day, and more recently females damaged their self-respect on Gilley’s infamous rasslin’-muddy-bulls-in-bikinis nights. Is the property’s sale a blow to the community? Probably not to those who prefer their establishments well-kept, clean and labor-strike-free. But a significant number of Midwestern tourists undoubtedly felt more comfortable there than at any other neon palace, what with its phone line’s cheerfully familiar “Howdy!” greeting and nightlife/pool atmospheres that didn’t trigger severe body-image issues.
Countrified mega-venue Stoney’s Rockin’ Country is scheduled to open shortly after the Frontier serves up its final slab of meat. Boasting a wooden dance floor and bleacher seating for its own bull-riding bonanza, it’ll pack ’em in, but will it begat the next Kings and Queens of entertainment? Moreover, will it feel to Nebraska farmers like a home away from home? Probably not, but until those Cornhuskers discover local, off-Strip replacements, Stoney’s will have to make do.