It’s been seven years since The Station nightclub in West Warwick, R.I. burned to the ground, 
and this month a federal judge awarded survivors and relatives of the 100 people killed the full $176 million settlement. The blaze started after the rock band Great White used pyrotechnics that set fire to surrounding soundproofing foam. More than 200 people were injured and 100 were killed.
Blush Boutique Nightclub in Las Vegas is moving its much-loved “We Love House Music” event from Wednesday nights to Sunday evenings. Popular Las Vegas American electronic musical duo The Crystal Method will kick things off May 30 at 9 p.m. Managing Partner Sean Christie says this move to Sundays appeals to the house music lovers who are also checking out DJ Kaskade on Sunday at Encore Beach Club.
In yet another update from the ongoing battle for power in San Francisco, Supervisor and Board President David Chiu introduced legislation to give the Entertainment Commission power to revoke entertainment permits from venues based on public safety violations and public nuisances. The issue came to light when the EC, which grants permits, couldn't revoke the permit from the violence-ridden Suede nightclub.
PETA honored the Dolce Group, owned by Lonnie Moore, Mike Malin and Sylvain Bitton, with the
Compassionate Business Award for its zero tolerance policy on cruelty to animals. PETA wrote to the company after receiving complaints about a caged tiger exhibit at Les Deux nightclub in Hollywood, Calif. The Dolce Group immediately removed the exhibit, banning them from all Dolce Group locations. PETA Director Debbie Leahy said, “We commend Dolce Group for setting a wonderful example for other businesses.”
Wet Republic at MGM Grand is pulling out all the stops for its Memorial Day weekend pool party. The ultra pool will host DJs including DJ Boris, DJ Roger Sanchez, Victor Calderone and Cedric Gervais on Friday and Saturday. DJ Sharam, Fedde Le Grand, Dirty South and Chuckie will be
at the luxe pool lounge on Sunday, and the party continues Memorial Day with Afrojack and Deadmau5 mixing it up. Also look for Tony Arzadon and Nathan Scott, house DJs from Chicago, to be at the tables throughout the holiday weekend.
Last weekend, the hottest clubs celebrated the release of “Sex and the City 2” with some major parties. At 32 Degrees Luxe Lounge in Philadelphia, lucky participants won tickets for a screening and a pre-party at The Ritz-Carlton that featured a Vino Noir wine tasting and half price “Sex and the City” Martinis from 5-7 p.m. Last Saturday, at the MGM Grand Detroit, Cosmos were all the rage while the best-dressed ladies won movie swag, and Shadow Room in D.C. offered free pre-screening passes to lucky winners.
The summer club scene in Vegas is heating up. This year, however, the growth of the 24-hour party scene is a major concern for the Nevada Gaming Control Board, which last year fined Planet Hollywood $750,000 for allowing illegal acts in its now-defunct Prive nightclub. The Control Board recognizes it won’t be able to control every problem; regulators are more likely to fine widespread illegal acts or those that involve the club’s employees rather than a single patron’s solicitation of drugs or prostitutes, according to the Las Vegas Sun.
"Nightclubs don't kill people. People kill people," Andrew Williams, an owner of Club Ritz in Roselawn, Ohio, told Cincinnati.com after a gun was smuggled into the club and used to kill someone outside the establishment this month. City council officials are now trying to figure out how to shut down Club Ritz. Williams said at a press conference that the gun was very small and concealed in a “unique manner.” Since the shooting, Williams has ordered a walk-through metal detector even as city officials look to close the club.
Covet nightclub in New York City has sold six $160-per-glass cocktails since opening last month. Covet’s head mixologist, Orson Salicetti, calls this expensive cocktail The Icarus, and he makes it with a $1,600 bottle of Louis XIII Cognac and two drops of Iranian saffron oil, retailing at $300 a gram. He claims the cocktail is more of a VIP experience than a regular beverage. Salicetti is also the only one allowed to mix the drink because, he says, he doesn’t trust anyone else.