Conditions are finally right for a poolside concert season at the Durango. The Station Casinos property opened in late 2023, missing a peak band-booking window. But this summer, Clique Hospitality and AEG Presents have joined forces to launch Bel-Aire Backyard’s Poolside Concert Series, a locals-focused live music experience under the stars.
Clique has transformed the Durango’s outdoor oasis over the last few months, with buzz-worthy acts like The Fray and Thievery Corporation performing across Bel-Aire’s lush lawn. And with Dashboard Confessional (July 12), The Struts (September 12), and Band of Horses and Iron & Wine (September 27) on the calendar, there’s plenty of musical excitement coming up.
“You’re able to have an intimate experience back there—1,800 people can really pack it out. It doesn’t feel overly crowded, but surprisingly from a band’s perspective, they’re looking out at a sea of people with a beautiful blue oasis behind them and the Durango Casino as the backdrop,” says Mustafa Abdi, senior director of nightlife marketing at Clique. “It’s a pretty view. I recall the touring manager of The Fray shooting me a text message saying ‘You guys have something special here.’”
What Abdi describes isn’t new to Vegas—it’s a revival of something special that once thrived on the Strip. Back in the day, live music lovers flocked to the Cosmopolitan’s Boulevard Pool every summer. For years, the venue hosted top-tier entertainment, bringing Coachella-bound bands like Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Haim to its outdoor stage.
Poolside concerts of this caliber were magical— so much that even industry veterans like AEG Presents’ Bobby Reynolds couldn’t resist them.
“I used to go see shows at the pool at the Hard Rock way back in the day. I used to see and produce a lot of shows at the Mandalay Beach. I used to go to the Cosmo pool … and I would always enjoy myself out there,” says Reynolds, senior vice president at AEG Las Vegas. “I’ve been in the business for a while, but until I came out here, I never really saw real bands playing at a pool, and I always thought it was really cool.”
When Reynolds met up with Abdi to check out new nightlife and restaurant concepts at Durango, the nostalgia hit like a head rush.
“He came by Bel-Aire Lounge when we first opened. I initially gave him a tour of the lounge, our restaurant, Mijo, and Wax Rabbit,” Abdi says. “We did a little lap around the pool, and I just saw Bobby’s eyes open up when he saw that back lawn. He was like, ‘Have you thought about doing concerts out here?’”
Thus, Bel-Aire Backyard’s poolside shows were born, AEG’s first off-Strip live concert series—and probably not the last.
“It ain’t easy balancing a beautiful day at the pool then telling the hotel guests they need to go somewhere else for a couple hours while we flip the room,” Reynolds says. “But we’ll do it out here, knowing as a local, how much I love going out to pool shows, and knowing how much I love going to Stations properties. I just thought it’d be a perfect marriage.”
The value of an off-Strip series is unparalleled, Reynolds says. “If you can save yourself forty bucks on parking and save another forty or fifty bucks on paying less for food and drink but you’re still getting an incredibly great product, not only is it good for the locals, it’s good for us.”
As an added bonus, concertgoers have free access to Bel-Aire Backyard’s spacious pool, “So this is definitely my chance to plug for the people, come in your swim trunks and feel free to cool off,” Abdi says.
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