Since he was a teenager, Vincent Do has been immersed in the rave and nightlife scenes. Across the southwestern U.S., Do has promoted and even produced yacht parties, raves, and DJ shows. For him, these events are more than just fun — they’re ways for him to socialize and meet like-minded audiophiles, people who want to talk about music as much as they want to dance to it. He’s been working as a promoter in Las Vegas for more than a decade, but he says the city is still missing a proper party bar for lovers of electronic dance music — a concept he says that Scottsdale, Arizona has nailed but that Vegas still finds elusive.
When it opens later this year at 1021 S. Main Street, Do’s Audio Bar will lean into the EDM theme. Do plans to have memorabilia on the walls — much of it autographed by DJs and hip-hop artists. He’s planning a rotating gallery, populated by the paraphernalia and mementos of event photographers and stagehands. And even the bathrooms will pay homage to events like Coachella and Burning Man.
“Audio Bar is what we call a high-energy party bar,” says Do, who is a managing partner in the business. “It’s a party where the energy inside will permeate to outside.” People can dress casually, he says, which is an important element for cities that still reach 90 degrees at night during the summer season. And although the concept may seem on its face like a cross between a club and a bar, Audio Bar is “definitely not a lounge,” Do says.
By day, Audio Bar will function as a listening bar, with record players and headphones available for visitors to peruse through the bar’s collection of EDM vinyl. “We’re trying to recreate that feel from back in the day with record stores, or even Blockbuster,” says Do. “You used to go to stores and be able to meet people that really love music, where you can chat with the person behind the counter.” Do says that nightclubs are too loud to have that kind of conversation with other music lovers, so Audio Bar will function as a way to achieve that social element — at least until the music gets pumping after dark. And on Saturday and Sunday mornings, it will host brunch, much in the spirit of the raucous midday bacchanalia that is Lavo’s party brunch.
Audio Bar joins other Vegas nightlife destinations that straddle that line between nightclub and lounge. Bruno Mars’s Pinky Ring opened last fall with live jazz music, a packed dance floor, and no-phones-allowed policy. And Jing in Downtown Summerlin threads the needle between restaurant and ultra lounge — even if it commands a more effortful dress code than Audio Bar requires. That’s not to mention the Fremont East block, with its barhop-ready high-energy bars. Its closest approximation may be the now-closed Artifice Bar, just across the street. Corner Bar Management is currently transforming that space into the private membership Doberman bar.
Do worked for years as a club promoter in Southern California and Scottsdale, Arizona, and he says it’s the Scottsdale vibe he wants to bring to downtown Las Vegas. The secret, he says, will be actually good EDM music and a dress code that doesn’t require visitors to think twice about what they’re wearing. “Truthfully, one thing Scottsdale has going for them is they really do have a lot of attractive people that go out,” says Do. Game, set, match, Las Vegas.
