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While New York's Oak Room Closes, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Starts A Music Festival In Vegas

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 59 W 44th St [map], New York, NY, United States, 10036
February 3, 2012 at 9:00 AM | by | Comments (0)

Two main players in the hotel music world are really getting the shake-up this month, and all we can do for now is sit back and watch (or, you know, listen) as the changes come to pass.

For starters, let's face the awful truth that The Algonquin is saying bye-bye forever to the Oak Room, its famed piano lounge that has hosted cabaret legends from Barbara Carroll to Julie Wilson to Steve Ross. According to the NY Times, audiences there have been "declining."

But it's not all doom and gloom! Head west—about 2,200 miles west—and witness a positively burgeoning indie music scene when Sports Illustrated Swimsuit hosts its first-ever music festival at The Cosmopolitan (where else?). The two-day lineup will feature indie acts like The Black Lips (above), Delta Spirit, and Elan Atias among others, and will hopefully do for the Strip what SI's Swimsuit issue has traditionally done for non-sports fans—make everyone sit up and pay attention.

One place where audiences haven't been declining is at The Algonquin's Blue Bar, located right off the lobby, which is set to expand into the former Oak Room space. Though there are about a million other dimly-lit hotel bars right there on West 44th Street, Algonquin's renovations team decided they'd scrap their one-of-a-kind cabaret lounge to make room for just a few more bar stools.

Meanwhile, Vegas is placing its bets on an influx of cool, indie bands who will be (and have been) recognizing the Strip as a legit music scene. And according to Rehan Choudhry, director of entertainment for The Cosmo, it's all just a part of appealing to the "new" Vegas audience:

"The audience we brand as 'the curious class,' they're lifestyle enthusiasts, people who travel the world and seek authentic, meaningful experiences. Frankly, they're an audience that never visited Vegas before…It's very difficult to create a meaningful experience for them, you can't fake it."

No, you can't fake it, but you can throw a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit festival at them! Launching on Valentine's Day, the magazine and hotel will welcome readers and guests alike to "Beauties & Beats." Meaningful, indeed.

[Photos: MTV and NY Times]

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