SPRING ANEW DAVID GUETTA AT XS & ENCORE BEACH CLUB
FREE March 2-8, 2017
Backstreet boys
WHAT TO DO AFTER DARK By Mark Adams
THURSDAY 02 HEAR: Local rock band Adelitas Way had their big break in 2009,
when the outfit’s “Invincible” single was chosen as the theme song for WWE Superstars. It seems the hard rockers are a hit with the wrestling fan demo, as their latest cut, “Ready for War (Pray for Peace)” is now opening WWE TLC: Tables, Ladders & Chairs. Catch the hometown act at Brooklyn Bowl, with support from Letters From the Fire, The Black Moods and Conflict of Interest. 6 p.m., $15, at The Linq Promenade, brooklynbowl.com/las-vegas
DANCE: There are Good Times Ahead for electro house heads, as Miami-based EDM duo GTA again sets up behind the booth at Hakkasan. 10:30 p.m., $20-$30, inside MGM Grand, hakkasanlv.com
FRIDAY 03 HEAR: Known for hit singles such as “Ball and Chain” and “Story of My Life,” veteran punk rockers Social Distortion have been playing music about Sex, Love and Rock ’n’ Roll for almost four decades now. Here’s hoping the band’s well-known cover of Johnny Cash’s “Ring of Fire” makes the set list when the guys touch down at House of Blues during their two-night engagement this weekend. 7:30 p.m., $37, inside Mandalay Bay, houseofblues.com/lasvegas DANCE: Fresh off their first Grammy win, EDM-pop duo The Chainsmokers return to
XS for another installment of their Wynn residency. You’ve heard “Closer” already, so consider adding “Paris” and “All We Know” to your pre-party playlist. 10 p.m., $40-$75, inside Encore, xslasvegas.com
SATURDAY 04 HEAR: Award-winning country crooner Blake Shelton topped Billboard’s country charts in 2016 with his latest release, If I’m Honest. Hear what the hype’s about when he takes the spotlight at MGM Grand Garden Arena, where The Voice favorites RaeLynn and Sundance Head will open for their former reality-show coach. 7:30 p.m., $50-$90, inside MGM Grand, mgmgrand.com
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DOORS AT 11AM March 11 & 12
March 17
Opening Party
St. Patrick’s Day Rehab
March 18
TICKETS & RESERVATIONS: REHAB@HRHVEGAS.COM 702.693.5505 | HARDROCKHOTEL.COM | REHABLV.COM /REHABLV #REHABLV
March 19 Presents
Heroes & Villains
March 25
March 26
SUNDAY 05 DANCE: Remember how to do the Rockaway?
Practice your “Lean Back” moves in anticipation for Fat Joe’s appearance at Drai’s. 10:30 p.m., $30-$50, at The Cromwell, draisnightlife.com
MONDAY 06 DANCE: It’s “Peanut Butter Jelly” time tonight at Marquee, where Swedish EDM duo Galantis will be behind the booth. 10:30 p.m., $23-$32, inside The Cosmopolitan, marqueelasvegas.com EXPERIENCE: Local musicians, poets and
performers unite every Monday at Hop Nuts Brewing for the long-running Human Experience open-mic night. Get your culture on with a local brew in-hand. 6:30 p.m., 1120 S. Main St., hopnutsbrewing.com
TUESDAY 07 T AS T E: Other Mama’s Daniel Krohmer takes
over Honey Salt’s kitchen for a Guest Chef Dinner, featuring dishes such as a spicy seafood stew and a poached pear crostada. 6:30 p.m., $54, 1031 S. Rampart Blvd., honeysalt.com
WEDNESDAY 08 HEAR: The legendary Billy Idol returns to
House of Blues for “more, more, more” of his Forever residency. 7 p.m., $79-$149, inside Mandalay Bay, houseofblues.com/lasvegas
HEAR: Whether you came to know them as a millennial teenybopper, a Gen Z late adopter or simply because you’re the type of person who knows the way you want things, Backstreet Boys are back, this time with their Larger Than Life residency at The Axis at Planet Hollywood. Performances this week include March 3, 4 and 8. Alright. 9 p.m., $55-$279, inside Planet & Hollywood, ticketmaster.com/backstreetboys
Fat Joe (Top), Daniel Krohmel (bottom)
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LAS VEGAS, DAVID GUETTA MISSED YOU, TOO THE WYNN LAS VEGAS NIGHTLIFE HEADLINER TALKS NEW MUSIC AND HOW HE LEARNED TO LOVE THE STRIP By Jason R. Latham Photography Tyler Shields
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as Vegas nightlife was different 10 years ago. The crowds and the lines were there, but reality-show stars were the biggest names on billboards, and the Strip wasn’t ready for EDM. It was a scene; it just wasn’t David Guetta’s scene. “Coming from Ibiza, where the music culture is so big, I didn’t feel like the people who were in front of me were understanding the music,” he says. Contrast that statement with a September 2016 image from Guetta’s last XS Las Vegas performance; the DJ standing behind the decks, arms raised, as confetti showers the masses. You can see the difference a decade makes. Las Vegas will never take David Guetta for granted again. It’s just before 8 p.m. in London and Guetta has stepped outside of the studio to call me. He sounds tired but affable, and his energy picks up when I ask if he’s preparing new music for the next goround of his Wynn residency. He confesses that he’s finishing a new single, his fourth collaboration with singer Nicki Minaj. It will be ready “very soon,” but he’s not going to tell me the title. “I’m gonna keep it a secret for now, like no one knows about this,” he says. “But there’s gonna be a lot of new music [in Las Vegas]. I’m going to test a lot of new records.” There’s no question Guetta is a grinder. The Minaj team-up comes on the heels of two new singles he’s dropped since September: “Shed a Light” with German producer/DJ Robin Schulz and “Would I Lie to You,” a collaboration with Cedric Gervais and Chris Willis that pulls its refrain from the 1992 Charles & Eddie single. The new stuff keeps the performance fresh, he says of his Las Vegas residency, adding that crowds also prefer remixes of familiar material. “It’s a party crowd; they like hearing the hits,” he says. “So I’m trying to do a combination between my own music and the big, cool American records.” “These are real fans. They understand this music, this culture. I’m really impressed by how the club culture has evolved,” he says. “There’s no other place except Ibiza where you have so many amazing DJs playing in the same week!”
David Guetta resumes his XS Las Vegas residency on March 4, with follow-up dates on March 11, 17 and 31. He will be at Encore Beach Club March 18, April 1 and 8. See more dates at wynnsocial.com.
The image of Las Vegas as a DJ destination really took hold, Guetta recalls, after Encore Beach Club opened in 2010. “I’d never played in front of so many people in bikinis. I’m still not used to it,” he says. “It’s funny, because I’m French and we always think American people are very conservative, but then I’m there the first time [and] I’m like, ‘Wow!’” Given his first impressions of the Las Vegas club scene, Guetta didn’t see himself becoming such a fixture on the Strip. He certainly didn’t think he’d be comparing the city favorably with Ibiza in the same sentence. “For me it’s really special, because I’ve been a resident DJ for many years. I never thought I could find a place where I feel at home like I feel at home in Ibiza,” he says. “I miss it. I miss Vegas.”
GET TO KNOW GUETTA
On Encore Beach Club … “It’s the sexiest party in the entire world.” On his participation in the documentary 808 and his affinity for the instrument of the same name … “The person that produced the movie is [music producer] Arthur Baker, and when I was a teenager I was such a huge fan. My very first instrument was a turntable, because I was scratching, [but] I’m still working on the 808; it has the longest life for an electronic instrument. It’s really crazy that those sounds have been used since the ’80s until today. Hip-hop is based on this, and also EDM and many, many types of music.” On that time he met Keith Haring … “In ’89 I was DJing a club and playing a combination of house music and hip-hop. I was wearing a Keith Haring T-shirt, and there was a guy who came to see me onstage who said, ‘Yeah, [that’s] me’ … I used to have a house music radio show, [so I asked Haring,] ‘Can I interview you?’ I invited him to my basement … today it sounds completely impossible, [but] it was just natural and I was very young and we did the interview. I said, ‘Could you draw for me?’ and he did and signed [a record mat] ‘Keith Haring for David ’89.’ I lost it for years when I was spinning vinyls. I didn’t realize that one day it would be worth a lot of money. I just found it again recently, and now I framed it.” 7
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[ CLUB TOUR ]
Marquee
By Kat Boehrer Photography Tomo
Your Tour Guide: Christan Stump-Garcia Christan Stump-Garcia is a VIP bottle server at Marquee Nightclub and Dayclub. This party destination, located center-Strip at The Cosmopolitan, throws year-round ragers at its indoor nightclub and outdoor pool area. You might be wondering: How does Marquee continue to have pool parties during the chillier months? “Marquee [has] a climate-controlled dome that encloses our pool deck for winter pool parties. Rain, sleet or snow, we always have a show!� Stump-Garcia says.
On Decks Notable DJs that will grace the stages of Marquee in the coming months include DJ Khaled, Carnage, Dash Berlin and Galantis, among others. Marquee is known for showcasing emerging and established DJ talent, so you can catch a variety of artists.
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Save the Date “We recently introduced our Sunday-night swim parties that give guests the opportunity to swim and party like rock stars, just as they would in a nightclub,” Stump-Garcia says. In addition to the Sunday fun days, check out these other notable appearances:
Saturday, March 11
Make a splash with Timmy Trumpet under the Marquee Dayclub Dome. Friday, March 17
DJ Khaled returns to Marquee Nightclub for a special set.
KHALED BY AL POWERS; DJ MUSTARD COURTESY OF MARQUEE
Sunday, March 19
Ghastly, a new EDM favorite, brings his turnt-up vibes to Drenched After Night, the dome’s Sundaynight pool party. Saturday, March 25
French Montana takes over Marquee Nightclub.
Must-Try Marquee offers plenty of bubbly options—including the crowd favorite, large-format Ace of Spades. Not only can high-rollers order top-shelf Champagne but also they’ll receive a cool presentation. Stump-Garcia says that one performance includes a mermaid tank: “Imagine a fish tank large enough for a beautiful mermaid with sand and treasures at the bottom. Your cocktail server elegantly dives to retrieve your Champagne bottle from the sunken treasure chest.” Now that is impressive!
People-Watching Stump-Garcia reminisces about some of the events she’s seen go down at Marquee. The Vegas venue attracts people from all over. “One of the craziest parties was when LeBron James celebrated his championship win at Marquee Nightclub,” she says. “His elaborate entrance began on the pool deck, where the UNLV marching band played ‘We Are the Champions’ as he walked down a red carpet into the nightclub.” Among other cool kids Marquee has hosted: the Kardashian sisters, Jay Z, Beyoncé and Drake, to name a few. 7
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[ DRIVE THIS ]
» » 15 Minutes » » in a $200K Supercar THE MCLAREN 570GT IS FAST AND FURIOUS. EVEN IF YOU’RE NOT The last time I was going this fast, I was 13 years old in a 10-year-old’s snowsuit, foolishly sitting on the back of my skis, barreling down a slope that I’m still convinced was a perfect 90-degree angle. This is what I’m thinking about while riding shotgun in a 2017 McLaren 570GT, a $200,000 supercar that just hit 89 miles per hour in less time than it takes to get to the “Skip Ad” option on a YouTube video. “That was about half of what it can do, brother,” my driver, Steven Kennedy, tells me. He’s being modest; the top speed is actually 204 mph. Kennedy is the director of sales and marketing at Chicago Motor Cars Las Vegas, and the McLaren is one of the newest, and rarest, pieces in his showroom. He doesn’t expect it to be there very long. “If we have this car for 30 days, I’ll be surprised,” he says. From the outside, Chicago Motor Cars is an unassuming place. There are no inflatable gorillas, spotlights or dancing genies. The building is nestled in an office complex south of Panorama Towers and a straight shot across I-15 to T-Mobile Arena. The showroom boasts a James Bond-ian lineup of pre-owned high-end vehicles—Aston Martin, Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche—as well as and mid-line brands—Audi, BMW, Mercedes—in the $30,000-70,000 range.
Chicago Motor Cars Las Vegas 3055 Palms Center Dr., Open Monday through Saturday chicagomotorcarslv.com
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Kennedy pulls the McLaren over just before we achieve terminal velocity and asks me if I want to drive it back to the showroom. I respond by asking if I fit the profile of a person who should be driving this car. “It’s usually a guy that maybe has an SUV or sedan and this is kind of a toy,” he tells me. I’ve driven both of those, so let’s give it a shot. Settling into the cockpit/driver’s seat, I pull down the scissor door, adjust my mirrors and buckle in. There’s no gear stick, only buttons. I press “D” and then, with hands at 10 and two, I put the pedal a quarter inch closer to the metal. The rear-mounted engine roars. “Already it feels like we’re going much faster than we should be,” I say, before glancing at the dashboard. We’re going 35 miles per hour. That’s good enough, I tell myself. “Go ahead and jump on it,” Kennedy tells me. I tap the gas and we’re going 44. Now I feel alive! I’ve had seven Fast and Furious movies to prepare for this moment. I can’t believe I’m driving us back to the showroom like Vin Diesel’s near-sighted neighbor, in slow traffic. 7
By Jason R. Latham Photography Anthony Mair