How Las Vegas rose to dominance in club culture are quickly eviscerated the concept of fun.
You would need to have your head examined if you thought it was time to write an obituary for club culture. Money, it's off the charts. The absurd amount of Benjamin's being generated by our superstar DJ's and the super clubs they frequent surely indicates that the scene is stronger than ever. These days the lad's and ladies spinning records are proper celebrities, they grace the cover of tabloids, date famous people and collect mainstream awards for fun. They feature at major sporting events and model underwear. It's a far cry from the barbaric days of yesteryear when a top DJ would need to schlep across the globe in business class hoping that the crate of vinyls they checked would meet them at their destination. There were no private jets, no bodyguards and the paparazzi wouldn't recognize their faces, nor bother to waste a reel of film if they did. Hell, back then they even let guys like us meet them in person. There is nowhere that encapsulates the circus of the modern club scene quite like Vegas. It has well and truly surpassed Ibiza as the beating heart and cash churning cow of the International Club industry. Hakkasan, XS, Surrender, TAO, Omnia the name recognition has miraculously caught up with some of the old legends like Space, Pacha, Amnesia, Cream. Each night is headlined by the biggest names in the business commanding astronomical fees justified by equally remarkable revenues. A jaw dropping example of this can be found at one of the strips most popular hot spots: the Encore Beach Club. At peak times this luxurious venue alone can pull in a million dollars a day. With capacity for only 3,000 party goers the basic math will fry your frugality circuits. Granted, there's a little bit of cheating involved as the club opens for two entirely separate sessions in the afternoon and at night. With the scene in overdrive, an interesting evolution is apparent-- one that has been shaking up Sin City for many years: the switch from gambling hub to entertainment destination. Returning to the glitzy Encore/Wynn resort complex, home to the previously mentioned Beach Club in addition to XS and newcomer Intrigue, the change is startling. On a busy Saturday the resort swarms with hordes of party goers in various states of inebriation and attire (since the dress code is a little more relaxed for poolside shenanigans). The queues snake down the hallways, the bathrooms become meat lockers, Ubers, limos, cabs create traffic nightmares. Amidst this relentless tide of potential debauchery the mainstay of Las Vegas, the vice that built this city. The vast hubs of gambling activity: slots, Roulette, BlackJack, Craps sit surprisingly deserted. Wait a minute... Before you start picturing tumbleweeds dancing across polished marble floors collecting cocktail waitresses and pit bosses like a Katamari from the old West, I may be exaggerating somewhat. No the gaming floor isn't completely deserted, you'll still find a few holdouts, hotel guests, couples desiring a cheeky spin before their lavish dinner dates, the lonely business man... but what you'll find very little of are the club crowd having a punt(a slang word for gambling). They are instead busy snapping selfies in their rent-the-runway gowns and sipping finely crafted cocktails before the venues open. There has been for many years a major transition underway in Vegas as the shady old mobs and businessmen who expanded this desert oasis made way for the massive entertainment corporations with their marble floors and spectacular shows. While gambling was at the forefront on Freemont street, new casinos were built around high end retail, lavish dining options and headline artists. Live music always had a firm grip on the spirit of Vegas dating back to the era of Elvis and the Rat pack but it has only been in recent years where a residency on the strip became far more lucrative than embarking on a world tour. This year's headliners include Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, Elton John and Britney…