Go: Where to Go, What to Do & Why

Let's be honest: few Las Vegans who consider themselves above the "appeal" of mass marketing and corporate consumerism cheer when yet another branded franchise succeeds. They (rightfully) dig the homespun hipster pileup that is the Double Down Saloon (791-5775), while staring down their pierced noses (through expensive prescription eyewear) at Coyote Ugly (740-6330). They'll shiver in an outdoor line at the Ice House Lounge (315-2570) for First Friday's eminently enjoyable funky soul throw-down, The Get Back, but few willingly place themselves in the seemingly interminable queue at Caesars' in-the-moment Pure (731-7873).

But in the fast-forward, consumer-driven evolution of Las Vegas--perhaps the most branded, mass-marketed, and franchised city in America from a variety of perspectives--the cultural parameters of hipsters often fall by the wayside when presented with questions of convenience and availability. After all, when you compare it against an honest coffeehouse/café--say, downtown's long lost Newsroom--is the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf really all that superior to FourBucks?

Girls on film

Harboring a lingering case of mild hipster provincialism myself, I attended last Friday's grand opening of Vivid (414-4870), the Venetian's new nightclub and currently its only venue with a proper dance floor. That Vivid holds court in the Venetian space formerly occupied by the źber-hip, short-lived Venus Lounge & Tiki Bar made my visit somewhat melancholy. Venus, as some will recall, was a Shag-designed cocktail lounge that captured, through its interior design, period appointments and entertainment bookings, a perhaps mythical notion of the casino lounges of Sin City during its Rat Pack/atomic age heyday. Here, New York's old school burlesque revivalists The Pontani Sisters beat Risque (946-7000), Forty Deuce (632-9442) and Caesars' forthcoming Pussycat Dolls Lounge to the grind by three years before dumping the hipster vibe and suffering an ill-fitting stint as a bottle service dance club.

But timing is (almost) everything, and Venus is now back as the entirely new Vivid--a trademarked name heavy with implication. I was half-expecting to suffer evidence of a hasty (and poor) remodel to serve as an obvious shill for the adult video company that operates it. Instead, at once sadly and pleasantly, no remnants of Venus remain to remind us of what could have been, and what replaced it stands an intimate, well-executed lounge that is at once modern and old school, blending high-tech elements (holograph-like projections of dancing girls; glowing globe-like lamps) with the style of a classic, dark disco lounge of the 1970s (check the light wall behind the dance floor). The service was also top-notch (aside from a momentary lapse in the women's restrooms). The primary weakness seems that the much-touted dancing girl holographs are on too-short of a repeating loop; worse, the PG-13-rated stripper-like content was clearly produced by a porn company, being neither glamorous enough to be sexy nor sexy enough to be naughty. Still, like the Peppermill Fireside Lounge (735-7635), Vivid feels like real Vegas in a way that even Venus failed to accomplish, and that alone makes it worth a stop, despite its "branded bar" status.

A cold, uncomfortable, well-lighted place to drink coffee

Meanwhile, persistent mumblings of a new coffeehouse culture arising downtown (I know several folks who speak independently of opening a café in the Arts District) do little to address the reality that we'll most likely see another Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, or both, before anything like the Newsroom ever gets off the ground. And then what? If Vegas cultural history is any yardstick, we'll once again be subjected to the empty complaints that corporate culture is killing America; that nobody gives the little guy any opportunities to do something different.

Want a quick-fix, Vegas-appropriate solution to the dearth of comfortable coffeehouses? The valley's numerous Einstein Brothers Bagels should add free wi-fi access, open for late hours, invest in an espresso machine, add a case of fresh-baked, top-shelf pastries, and hire a regional programming manager. The Einstein at Sahara Avenue and Decatur Boulevard would be a great test location, given its history as being originally built to house Culturati, itself a long-closed Vegas cultural artifact that was well before its time. Unfortunately, because many (all?) Einstein are located next to or near Starbucks locations, it's almost certain that lease restrictions would prevent this kind of caffeine-fueled competition. Ah, corporate culture strikes again.

Love, licks, leotards

Elsewhere in consumerism this week...Temporary flower stands are back, aiming for the valentine with less than helpful forethought. Clubs always make a big deal out of Valentine's Day--a bit counterintuitive since most folks with valentines don't bother visiting clubs. At the newly christened Club Rubber (itself a remodel of Club Seven), the Nympho Valentines Lingerie/Pajama Jam returns on Friday (Feb. 11), while Pure Love goes off Tuesday at Pure (Feb. 14; 212-8806).

Elton John is back in his Red Room at Caesars Palace throughout this month (through Feb. 26; 731-7110), while Brooklyn rapper/actor Mos Def raises the roof at the House of Blues on Friday (Feb. 11; 632-7600). Literate metalists Queensryche return to a Vegas stage on a tour showcasing their hits, as well as featuring a complete live performance of Operation: Mindcrime in anticipation of the upcoming release of that concept album's second installment. See the show at House of Blues on Wednesday (Feb. 16; 632-7600). And as if that wasn't enough to make you pull out the hairspray, the St. Petersburg Ballet will perform excerpts from The Russian Season at UNLV's Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall on Wednesday as well (Feb. 16; 895-2787), which works since there is not likely to be much of a crossover audience between the two.

Native Las Vegan James P. Reza loves the Double Down Saloon but slums it at Pure now and again. E-mail the author at jpreza@cox.net.