Maybe it's the heat that has Las Vegas Weekly's Sarah Gianetto claiming that Las Vegas' nightlife scene is vastly superior to Miami's.
Excuse us. Hahahahahahahahahahahahaha! Oh, sweet baby Jesus. We haven't read something that funny in a long time.
Gianetto makes her case due to the fact she skipped out on both Winter Music Conference and the retooled Ultra Music Festival/Miami Music Week. What has replaced WMC? Apparently, Vegas' annual Nightclub & Bar Convention, which fell on the same week as WMC this year.
When I lived in Phoenix, a trip to WMC was invaluable. But now that I'm in Las Vegas, I've been spoiled by the frequent, quality EDM entertainment, the industry resources and the constant influx of international travelers that I normally would connect with once a year in Miami. I realized I wouldn't be missing much by skipping the trip south.Even the president of nightlife consultants Monsoon Group, Robert Casillas (because there is no conflict of interest in asking a glorified Vegas promoter about Vegas nightlife):
"With scheduled larger acts in electronic music and all other genres scheduled for 2012 [and] with Las Vegas' amenities and amazing venues, and now with the world's best DJs and artists performing here, Miami cannot, and will never, compete."We'll admit that Las Vegas has surpassed Miami's number of large, flashy nightclubs. But if Gianetto knew anything about electronic music and nightlife, she'd know flash does not make for a true successful EDM environment. (See Berlin, London, or New York.)
While no one attends WMC itself, the parties still serve as an important place for DJs and industry folks to connect, discover new music, and, yes, party.
And even if Vegas nightlife is bigger and flashier, it's basically like your local McDonald's. It's everywhere, it's filling, but is it any good? Miami's scene still welcomes new, upcoming talent and styles of music that have barely made a Stateside impact. Yes, you have flashy nightclubs like LIV, Mansion, and SET. But you also have the underground -- places like Electric Pickle, the Vagabond, Bardot, Space. Hell, we'll even throw a bone at Louis and Arkadia.
We also have a local electronic music scene consisting of DJ-producers like Oscar G, Lazaro Casanova, Danny Daze, Craze, and actual electronic music artists like Otto Von Schirach, Panic Bomber, and Caligula.
And a Vegas lineup of "Erick Morillo, Avicii, Redfoo of LMFAO, Robbie Rivera, and Kaskade," while decent, is hardly innovative or special. But what can you expect from a city whose nightlife industry is based on selling thousands of tickets, bottles, and tables? At least, Miami's scene still continues to foster EDM music.
Keep Tiësto, Sin City, we've been done with him since 2008. We'll let you know who'll be popular in 2015.
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