Vegas Magazine - Niche Media - There is a place beyond the crowds, beyond the ropes, where dreams are realized and success is celebrated. You are invited.
Issue link: http://digital.greengale.com/i/260044
VEGASMAGAZINE.COM 115 PHOTOGRAPHY BY SQUARE SHOOTING On the eve of a quartet of openings, the originator of Las Vegas's after-hours scene is ready for what some are calling a comeback. But in fact, he may have been running the show all along. BY MICHAEL K APLAN T he last time I saw nightlife impresario Victor Dra i, it wa s 2 0 0 9 a nd he wa s wea r ing a st yl- ish ly snug, beaut if ully t a ilored spor t jacket. Gorgeous women su r rounded h im a s he stepped out of his perfectly refurbished, circa 19 8 0 s st retch limo t hat t hen – X S ma nag ing partner Cy Waits liked to call the Drai-mobile. H is club X S at E ncore wa s new, a spacey- looking John Mayer had buzzed over to hang out, and Drai held court in his favorite booth, with its unobstructed view of the action. Late last year, I encounter him again, at the walk-up lunch counter at Bally's. Waiting in line, he's wear- ing a slightly f loppy hat, a suede jacket frayed at the edges, and jeans half-tucked into a pair of black boots. It's the kind of hobo-chic ensemble that takes a lot of élan to pull off, and Drai easily carries the day with it. He spots me and suggests that we abandon the lunch counter for Burger Bra sser ie in t he adjacent Pa r is. Wa lk ing over, we pa ss t he tempora r y headquarters of his nightclub Drai's After Hours and what is now the Indigo Lounge, the cocktail lounge he launched in time for New Year's Eve. A bit south on the Strip, he's running bottle service for Britney at Planet Holly wood. And of course, across Flamingo Road, at what was once Bill's Ga mblin' Ha ll & Sa loon a nd w ill soon be T he Cromwell, Caesars Entertainment's 188 -room boutique hotel, Drai is getting set to open an eponymous dayclub/nightclub that promises to be the jewel in his crown. Downstairs will be a touched-up version of the 17-year-old after-hours club that made his name synonymous with louche living. "People like to tell me that they used to go there," Drai says. "They think it 's naught y. But rea lly it isn't. I n fact , it ha s no more d r ugs t ha n a ny other club and probably less alcohol." Settled in at a table at the Brasserie, he fields a couple of calls involving an errant furniture delivery, ending them with strings of French-inf lected obscenities. Asked to describe the new club, an instantly composed Drai says, "It's going to be t he most beaut iful club in t he world. The color scheme is pink and black, the sound system is by Funktion One, and the lighting cost $5 million. I am totally nuts about lighting." The club has indoor and outdoor components, a DJ booth visible from the dance f loor The Return of Victor Drai 114-117_V_FEAT_Drais_Spring14.indd 115 2/10/14 5:40 PM