24 HOURS in the Strip's
newest digs
FREE March 30 – April 5, 2017
WH AT TO DO
AF T ER DARK By Kimberly De La Cruz
THURSDAY 30 around to Chuckie’s trap-infused dancehall beats at Intrigue, where DJ Politik will also be holding court in the club’s Living Room. 10:30 p.m., $20–$30, inside Wynn, intriguevegas.com
After playing Ultra Music Festival’s Main Stage March 26, Zedd returns to Omnia Friday night.
TASTE: Atomic Liquors is putting on a Stone Brewing IPA Madness tap takeover, featuring the San Diego-based brewery’s Doublicious and Enjoy By 4.20.17 varieties. Hit up your favorite thrift store to score a pair of bell bottoms and a Grateful Dead shirt for this one, because the oldest freestanding bar in town is taking it back with a 1970s theme. 6 p.m., 917 Fremont St., atomic.vegas EXPERIENCE: Encounter the underground movement that is Soft Leather. The self-described “pansexual dance-to-sweat” event came to Las Vegas in fall 2016 at Oddfellows, where it returns tonight. Like its slogan says, “come tight, leave loose.” 10:30 p.m., RSVP required, 150 Las Vegas Blvd. North, softleatherclub.com
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FRIDAY 31 HEAR: Locash has been tearing up the country-music charts with hits such as “I Know Somebody.” Catch them at House of Blues. 6 p.m., $19, inside Mandalay Bay, houseofblues.com/lasvegas TASTE: East meets west with UNLVino’s Sake Fever bash, bringing together a selection of sakes and a showcase of Las Vegas mixology. Sip and sample while noshing on Japanese and American cuisine at Red Rock Casino, Resort and Spa. 7 p.m., $75–$100, unlvino.com EXPERIENCE: See the world through the eyes of artist Pete Castro in his Graffiti Toys exhibit at the Gallery of Music & Art, where Castro himself will be tonight. 6 p.m., inside The Forum Shops, gma-lv.com DANCE: Zedd is taking over the booth at Omnia, and he
always comes to slay. Give his latest single, “Stay,” featuring on-the-rise pop songstress Alessia Cara, a spin before hearing the track at the Strip-side nightspot. 10:30 p.m., $20–$30, inside Caesars Palace, omnianightclub.com
PHOTO BY JOE JANET
DANCE: Kick the weekend off a little early by bouncing
KEVIN HART SUN, APR 30 • 11AM
ACM POOL PARTY FOR A CAUSE
HISH APRIL 2
GRAND OPENING WEEKEND
COLLEGE EDITION
21st Birthday Bash
APRIL 8
APRIL 9
APRIL 14 & JUNE 2
JAMIE IOVINE APRIL 29
MAY 12
MAY 13
APRIL 15
APRIL 29 & 30
KID INK
WALE
MAY 21
JUNE 11
MAY 20
REHAB@HRHVEGAS.COM | 702.693.5505 | HARDROCKHOTEL.COM | REHABLV.COM /REHABLV #REHABLV
SATURDAY 1 HEAR: Get a glimpse of some of Nashville’s hottest before they take over Sunday’s Academy of Country Music Awards broadcast. Kelsea Ballerini, Lady Antebellum, Brett Young and more will be performing during ACM Party for a Cause at The Joint. 4 p.m., $45–$104, inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, hardrockhotel.com DANCE: Hit the dance floor at Drai’s tonight after tak-
ing in scenic Strip views and a performance by Limp Bizkit with Method Man. 10:30 p.m., $30–$50, at The Cromwell, draisnightlife.com TASTE: It’s time to dig out those fancy duds—the UNLVino Grand Tasting is back at Paris Las Vegas. There will be tons of food, tons of wine and it benefits UNLV’s hospitality programs. Taking a “sip for scholarship” sounds pretty good, doesn’t it? 7 p.m., $100–$125, unlvino.com EXPERIENCE: Did anyone else feel that earthquake on the Strip? No, but there is a rumble coming from The Chelsea: Golden Boy Boxing: Orozco vs. Gibson is going down. 4 p.m., $20–$69, inside The Cosmopolitan, cosmopolitanlasvegas.com
SUNDAY 2 DANCE: You’ve heard him on the radio, now take those PHOTO COURTESY OF BELL AGIO GALLERY OF FINE ARTS
car moves to the club and hear him spin in person at SunDrai’s with DJ Franzen at Drai’s. 10:30 p.m., $20–$30, at The Cromwell, draisnightlife.com
MONDAY 3 EXPERIENCE: The I Am The Greatest: Muhammad Ali art exhibit at Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art shares rare photos, footage and insight into the life of one of the best athletes of all time. 10 a.m.–8 p.m., $16–$18, inside Bellagio, bellagio.com DANCE: DJ Mustard has been busy collaborating
with some of hip-hop’s finest, recording tracks with artists such as Nicki Minaj, Jeremih and Travis Scott. He brings the beats to Marquee tonight. 10:30 p.m., $23–$32, inside The Cosmopolitan, marqueelasvegas.com
TUESDAY 4 EXPERIENCE: Venues around the country are screening Nineteen Eighty-Four today to honor the recent passing of its star, John Hurt, and to commemorate a special day featured in the award-winning flick based on George Orwell’s literary classic, 1984. Watch it at The Sci Fi Center. 6 and 8 p.m., $8, 5077 Arville St., thescificenter.com
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WEDNESDAY 5 HEAR: The wait is over! It’s time to shake those hips like it’s 1999 and you’re wearing an all-white outfit in Miami—and no one will look twice. Starting tonight, Ricky Martin is “Livin’ la Vida Loca” in Las Vegas, as the Puerto Rican superstar kicks off his residency at Park Theater. 8 p.m., $55–$185, inside Monte Carlo, theparkvegas.com 7
A photo from I Am The Greatest: Muhammad Ali, on exhibit at Bellgaio Gallery of Fine Art
EVERY SATURDAY
ACM POOL PARTY
FOR A CAUSE WITH OLD DOMINION, JERROD NIEMANN, JACKIE LEE AND DEE JAY SILVER
SATURDAY APRIL 1 DOORS OPEN AT 10AM
R
BUCKET SPECIALS
MAGNUM SPECIALS
FOR BOTTLE SERVICE, CABANA & DAYBED RENTALS CALL 702.697.2888 FLAMINGOLASVEGAS.COM @FlamingoVegas #FlamingoGoPool Must be 21 or older to gamble. Know When To Stop Before You Start. ® Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700. ©2017, Caesars License Company, LLC.
WHEN THE SUN COMES UP,
By Kimberly De La Cruz
THE PARTY DOESN’T END
THURSDAY 30 No need to wait for the weekend to get here. Hollywood-based DJ Angie Vee is providing slick beats under the sun at Tao Beach. 11:30 a.m., $9, at The Venetian, taolasvegas.com EDM trio Cash Cash spins for the launch of Liquid’s “Cash Cash Me Outside” industry party. 11 a.m., $10–$20, at Aria, liquidpoollv.com
FRIDAY 31
Stop by all the low places to gather up your friends and bring them to Las Vegas’ iconic Rehab pool party. Country mash-up beatmeister Dee Jay Silver will be in the booth, serving up a mix of honky-tonk, hip-hop and Top 40. 11 a.m., $10–$20, at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, rehablv.com Experience two times the magic with twin sister hip-hop DJ duo Deux at Drai’s Beach Club. 11 a.m., $20–$30, The Cromwell, draisbeachclub.com
SATURDAY 1 David Guetta is gracing Las Vegas with his presence during the day with his chart-topping hits (such as “Light My Body Up,” a collaboration with Nicki Minaj and Lil Wayne that dropped last week) at Encore Beach Club. 11 a.m., $30–$50, at Encore, encorebeachclub.com Dutch trance trio Dash Berlin is in charge of the soundtrack at Marquee Dayclub. Face the music with the face of the group, Jeffrey Sutorious. 11:30 a.m., $23–$41, at The Cosmopolitan, marqueelasvegas.com Country music artists Jackie Lee, Jerrod Niemann and Old Dominion take the stage at the Flamingo’s Go Pool for the ACM Pool Party For A Cause, where Dee Jay Silver will also be serving up tunes. 10 a.m., $23, partyforacause.com You “Won’t Look Back” after you start splash-dancing to the tunes of English house DJ/producer Duke Dumont, who takes the turntables at Daylight today. 11 a.m., $20–$30, at Mandalay Bay, daylightvegas.com
DRAI’S BEACHCLUB BY AMIT DADL ANEY
SUNDAY 2 The weekend is never gonna give you up or let you down— or end, for that matter, with Wet Republic’s Endless Sundays party. Behind the booth this week: Jauz. Think you can handle it? 11 a.m., $20–$30, at MGM Grand, wetrepublic.com 7
Drai’s Beachclub (top) and Duke Dumont
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FROM CHECK-IN TO CHECKOUT
24 hours
W in
LAS VEGAS
Celebrating its grand opening on March 31, W Hotels brings its signature brand to the north end of the Strip, at SLS Las Vegas. We recently explored W Las Vegas to give you a preview of what to expect.
PHOTO BY KRYSTAL RAMIREZ
By Jessi C. Acuña
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sive, considering W uses its property-mate’s kitchen.
6 p.m.
Next up: Social Hour at Katsuya in SLS. When I arrive, every seat is taken besides my reservation. From 5 to 7 p.m., a happy hour menu serves up favorite dishes and sushi rolls alongside cocktails, all under $11. I try the spicy edamame along with the crispy Brussels sprouts, hold the fish shavings. When my top-notch server realizes seafood is off the table, he suggests the Mushroom Bop from the main menu—four types of Japanese mushrooms served with arugula and chives in a hot stone pot finished tableside.
7 p.m.
noon
There was a time when this space felt like a ghost town, but not today. Across from the SLS Las Vegas checkin counter, located on the Paradise Road entrance side, is a nondescript “W.” Down the hallway and past the Monkey Bar, the scene shifts. Business suits and head-to-toe black ensembles start to appear. The W’s front desk, three small workstations, is where you’ll find this hotel-in-hotel’s check-in. Just outside through its own dedicated porte cochère (apart from that of the SLS), you’re met by a panel of thousands of flickering gold poker chips meant to evoke the glitz and glamour of the Sahara’s heyday.
12:15 p.m.
The bones of the 26-floor Sahara, built in 1952, are mostly all that remains of the Rat Pack–era favorite. The Las Vegas legend was gutted before reopening in 2014. The Lux tower houses 289 rooms that were almost all designed by Philippe Starck. Mine, however, is one of two suites designed by entertainer–cum–interior decorator Lenny Kravitz. The first thing I do is roll around on the suede
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L-shaped couch and plush, furry throw pillows. The suite offers a wraparound view, with vistas of Downtown and the mountains. There’s also the eyesore that is Fontainebleau, and the colossus sculpture Saam, named for Sam Nazarian, SLS Las Vegas’ former leader.
1 p.m.
Replacing SLS’ Ciel Spa is Away, W’s reimagining of a traditional spa. Although the hotel opened its doors on December 1, plenty of redesign is still underway. “Everything was stark white. The chairs, the floor, the carpeting was white,” says spa director Shane Upson. As the W’s third national location to roll out the Away Spa concept, he’s working toward making it more of “a social engagement experience.” Expect DJs on the
weekends and evening pre-gaming salon events. The spa menu is chock-full of hydrating treatments. I go with the Vegas Baby massage option—an 80-minute wrap, scalp and full-body rubdown that uses the hotel’s exclusive vegan line Osea. The 30 percent locals discount is a good deal, despite the spa lacking a sauna and dipping baths, another indication of the original building’s limitations.
5 p.m.
Each W hotel is outfitted with its own Living Room, essentially the lobby and its bar. I grab a couple of 1960s adult magazines from the coffee table and order a glass of Sauvy B. The menu includes cocktails at around $15 each, as well as a wine and spirits selection. The space hosts its own bar-bites menu, which is impres-
The next food stop is Cleo. There’s a reason why Katsuya and Cleo have lasted through all of SLS’ changeups. Both beautifully execute their roles—the latter by still holding reign as the place for contemporary Greek and Mediterranean cuisine on the Strip. Shared plates are king … ahem, queen here, and every order deserves its own piece of flatbread. It’s just that good. The wine list and vegetarian options are vast.
9 p.m.
Every time I pass by the Monkey Bar, it’s bursting at the seams. I want to push through my food coma and experience the crowds, but I succumb to massage therapist Anissa’s suggestion of staying hydrated to flush out the toxins and head upstairs to cuddle on my Lenny Kravitz couch.
7 a.m.
At this hour, I bet more folks are committed to their workout routine than there are guests stumbling in from nearby Dino’s Lounge. In W lingo, it’s called Fit, also the name of its fitness center. The workout programs are currently limited to the small dimensions of the gym, although it’s plenty for the hotel’s size. While the redesign
When you enter the porte cochère, you’re met by a panel of thousands of flickering gold poker chips meant to evoke the glitz and glamour of the Sahara’s heyday.
is set to take place next year, Upson says yoga classes by the pool and other activations to keep the W crowd svelte and engaged are on the horizon. The pool—or Wet Deck, as it’s known— is set to open April 1. Bursts of color line the deck, while two murals by Joseph Dzwill of Wynwood Walls in Miami fame anchor the pool. Located on the rooftop of W’s new 15,000-square-foot meeting and event center, Wet is reserved for W guests only, but music and fashion events geared toward locals are in the works.
9:00 a.m.
For the most important meal of the day, the 24/7 Northside Café and Chinese Kitchen does the trick. It’s a diner with standard diner fare—plus Chinese food from 11–2 a.m.—and this weekday morning it’s full.
11 a.m.
On the way out, I swing by the Living Room’s WC. Not to use the unisex bathroom, but instead to see Booker Glam, W’s twist on the popular Zoltar fortune-telling machines. Get a gold coin during check-in or at the bar to get prenup, marriage or general advice. My ticket says, “Round and round, your fate is mine! I’m seeing red, just one last time!” I know he’s talking roulette here, but I can’t help but think Booker knows his business, too. 7
W Las Vegas 2535 Las Vegas Blvd. South Average daily rate is $169 a night, plus tax and resort fees Wlasvegas.com Instagram: @w_lasvegas
PREVIOUS PAGE: A closeup of AvroKO design firm’s desert cactus garden and commissioned neon lights by Keith Lemley. OPPOSITE PAGE: Entrance to W Las Vegas; front desk with modulator art installation made from 22,560 poker chips; Booker Glam fortune-teller machine made by Characters Unlimited, which produces the Zoltar machines in Boulder City; Lenny Kravitz–designed suite. THIS PAGE: Design to pay homage to Native American weaving patterns; Living Room bar; Katsuya in SLS; an assortment of mezzes at Cleo in SLS.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF W L AS VEGAS. K ATSUYA PHOTO BY ANTHONY MAIR
House of Cards A look at local photographer Michael Gaskell’s commissioned work for the W and beyond Inside the Living Room at W Las Vegas is multimedia artist Michael Gaskell’s contemporary take on a deck of cards. The king, queen and jack are reimagined as gender-neutral characters. Shot at his MG Studio—a local company that produces photography, films, documentaries, corporate media and television ads—the images are also imprinted onto the W’s pillows. The two faces of each image, or card, are meant to evoke the duality the city inspires: an everyday face at the top and the Las Vegas alter ego at the bottom. The king represents the high-roller, while the alter ego is more of a gritty street player. Bursting with glitz is the showgirl queen atop and the person behind the costume below. The jack is the ultimate bachelor/bachelorette, and, of course, his/ her promiscuous side that comes out during the Las Vegas party. “I’ve never shot anything at that level of styling,” Gaskell says, crediting the project to his team, and in large part to makeup and hairstylist Zee Clemente.“I’m just the guy pressing the button,” he adds modestly. Gaskell was commissioned for a two-part project at W. The other is an underwater shoot that’s displayed as an elevator wrap inside the Wet rooftop pool lifts. It shows the bodies of poolgoers—er, models—from below the surface. –J.C.A.
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It Takes More Than Muscle Behind the scenes with Magic Mike Live Las Vegas dancer Ryan Carlson
By Camille Cannon Photography Krystal Ramirez
“Hold back, daddy,” says Channing Tatum,
who is onstage in a T-shirt, sweatpants and backward cap inside a venue once home to Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s Body English nightclub. The space has been reimagined as Club Domina, the fictional cabaret at the center of the film Magic Mike XXL. Tatum has just offered those tender words of advice to Ryan Carlson, one of 13 professional male dancers in Magic Mike Live Las Vegas, a semi-scripted dance revue billed with the promise of “women’s empowerment.”
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Magic Mike Live is the most recent addition to an empire Tatum has built on his stripper past, and today is the second day of technical rehearsals for the revue. While Carlson already has 13 years of dance experience under his not-presentat-this-moment belt, the acting that will be required of him poses a new challenge he must overcome by the show’s March 30 debut. Luckily, he’s got a pretty good teacher. Up until February, Carlson, 25, was living in his native Jacksonville, Florida, working as many as three jobs to support his 2-year-old daughter. “A little over two years ago, I heard they were doing a show, but I had just committed to stop dancing at that point because of my daughter,” he says. “A year later, I heard about it again. I was itching to dance, but I just didn’t have the money [to travel to the audition].” Then, New York talent agent Lakey Wolff contacted Carlson before Magic Mike Live’s final auditions in December 2016. “I had never had an agent. I told her, ‘I just can’t afford it.’ She paid for me to come and audition, and I booked it. I’m so thankful.” After a few weeks of dance rehearsals at Los Angeles Center Studios (“I couldn’t believe how normal it was to see celebrities in L.A.,” he says), Carlson and his fellow castmates arrived in Las Vegas the first week of March, the soonest they could get inside the theater while it was still under construction. It took time for Carlson and the crew to adjust from practicing in a one-level studio to the 360-degree, bi-level Club Domina. The cast has been rehearsing six days a week, 2–11 p.m. each day, with sound, wardrobe and lighting crews buzzing around them. Tatum is on hand to offer direction, as are choreographers Alison Faulk, Teresa Espinosa and Luke Broadlick (who is also in the cast)—all of whom have worked on the Magic Mike film franchise. During one such rehearsal, Carlson is running through a scene with a castmate that requires him to drop to
both knees and slide across the stage. The crew needs to lock in lighting cues, sound effects and the pacing of their delivery, and Carlson is asked to repeat his lines and slide no fewer than 15 times in as many minutes. If it was painful, you couldn’t tell. (He’s getting the hang of this acting thing.) And physical stamina is, of course, required for the role. “It’s not an in-your-face, guysripping-their-shirts-off, crotchin-your-face [show],” he says. “No matter how sexy a girl might think a guy is standing still or in a picture, being in a dance show and not being able to dance is not sexy,” he laughs. So he exercises five days a week at his local gym—primarily lifting weights, as he gets enough cardio during rehearsals—targeting different muscle groups each day. He’s often joined by his castmates, six of whom, he says, moved into the same apartment complex he did. “I am self-motivated, but there’s nothing like someone pushing you,” he says. “If someone’s lifting more than [me], it’s like, ‘Oh, no, I don’t think so!’” It’s that competitive spirit that led Carlson to dance in elementary school. “I would see kids battle and I would be like, ‘I gotta do that. I gotta be better than them at that.’” He taught himself hip-hop dance by watching Michael Jackson, Usher and Justin Timberlake music videos. At age 12, a dance teacher convinced him to enroll in classes—first tap, then jazz and contemporary, which led to professional touring gigs in his teens and early 20s. But growing up, dance was also an escape from a difficult home environment. Carlson’s parents and his twin brother struggled with drugs and/or alcohol. “I could have dropped out of school and had no repercussions. I could have gotten into drugs and had no repercussions. Something in me was like, no, stay in school. Dance. Do what you want to do. Thank God.” Carlson says that not only is Magic Mike Live his first professional dance gig performing hip-hop (the genre
he calls his “passion”), it’s the first to offer him stability. “Before, as soon as I got a paycheck, I was paying my bills. Now it’s nice, because I’m able to save and go above and beyond to help out my daughter and have my own place. I’ve never been able to do all of those things at once.” In the days that remain before opening night, Carlson says he’ll spend most of his time in rehearsals, or sleeping. He’s excited to have recently bought a couch. Next on the shopping list is a bed for his daughter, who’ll visit at the end of this month, then a TV. “I’m a very boring person,” he laughs. “When I’m not doing physical activity or dancing, I just love to sit and watch movies and TV shows.” His favorites? The Office and Breaking Bad. “I would love to meet Bryan Cranston,” he says. Outside of the still unfinished theater, several of the Hard Rock Hotel’s interior walls have been wrapped with images depicting a few of Carlson’s colleagues, shirtless and larger than lifesize, each straddling and engaging in particularly intimate eye contact with a seated and satisfied-looking lady. To boot, the hotel’s elevator doors and parking garages are covered with the show’s logo. By the time Carlson gets his television, he’ll have his own throng of fans that would love to meet him, too. 7 See more of Carlson’s backstage moments on Instagram @thereal_rugburnn.
Top: Carlson at EOS Fitness Right: During a Magic Mike Live rehearsal Magic Mike Live Las Vegas Opens March 30, dates vary, 7:30 & 10 p.m., $44–$128, inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, magicmikelivelasvegas.com