I had a realization this evening that I would welcome the feedback of locals, musicians, and even venue management. Every since the downward spiral of the Vegas economy, venues has put enormous pressure on the bands booked in their establishments to bring in the crowd. Pressure on their bartenders to bring in customers soon followed.

I am a firm believer that bands, DJ, and anyone who is booked to perform at a venue should do everything they can do promote their event using all means necessary. I also believe that every member of a band should do their part as well (which rarely happens). Be that as it may….and this may not be a popular stance I am taking, but here is my thought and my open letter to venues in hopes of their responsibility.

If your venue is a restaurant, then it is a restaurant first and foremost. Make sure that it is a restaurant that people would want to patronize regardless of the entertainment performing. This includes the food and the service. I have never experienced service so bad as in these venues. Take some pride in your place and people may actually come in.

You are responsible to promote your restaurant. The evenings that you have entertainment should be a bonus of the additional crowd that the entertainers can pull in through their marketing efforts.
It is infuriating to walk into one of these establishments at dinner time and there is not one person. The venue management gives you that look or even has the gall to say, “I sure hope you are a big draw tonight because it is dead in here tonight”.

Venue management is responsible to promote their business. If you do not, then you have no right to talk to me or any entertainer about this.

If your establishment does not have a Facebook page with at least a thousand locals, then you might as well close your doors now. A Facebook page is FREE. It is the minimum that you can do to promote your restaurant/bar, etc. You do not need to be a computer genius to set it up. Any thirteen year old can do it. Set it up and work it every day as part of your job.

Don’t say that you do not have time to manage a Facebook page. Bottom line, if there is no one in the place, you have the time.

Stop thinking that just because you are paying a band to play, that it is their responsibility that you make money. Although they should promote their gig, you are paying them to play. In a perfect world, entertainers and venues will work together to ensure a successful event.

A very successful entertainment director once said, “It is my job to get the people in here, it is your job as the entertainment to keep them in here and having a good time”.
Thanks for listening to me vent. I welcome your comments.

The decline of live Las Vegas Entertainment continues to prevail as it claims yet another victim. The news that Charlie’s Bar (2089 N. Jones) will close next week was shocked its regular neighborhood patrons. However it was even more shocking to the regular live bands that have played in rotation at Charlie’s Bar.

Charlie’s Bar will go out in true rock star fashion as it will host an all out musician’s jam going away party of sorts on Wednesday, August 20th. According to Doug, everyone is invited to come, play, share stories and close down Charlie’s Bar in a way fitting for the thousands of musicians who have graced the stage.

One may think that one bar closing is not that big of a deal as Vegas is full of them. However it is quickly becoming a trend of closing establishments that are fixtures in our neighborhood that employs our citizens, provides a literal stage for local bands to haon their skills as musicians and generates gaming and other tax revenue for our city.

A drive down any major Las Vegas street whether it be Charleston, Sahara, Tropicana or Flamingo shows the signs the economy chipping away at what has always been the thriving entertainment capital of the world. A whole host of bars and restaurants closed and their rich history all but forgotten. In recent weeks, Spanky’s Pub also has been forced to close.

Some blame the ban on smoking in bars and restaurants which was voted into law in January 2007. Yet some locals state that they simply do not have the money to go to bars and restaurants anymore. Dinner and an evening of entertainment is a luxury that far too many can no longer afford.

Although The Strip continues to maintain and news is hopeful of a recovery, our neighborhoods that surround the strip could become an entertainment ghost town which we will only have fond memories and stories to share of what local entertainment was all about long ago.