A longtime Strip fixture, Margaritaville, closed at Flamingo on May 30, 2024 with little fanfare. There’s been lots of speculation about what might replace it.
While the ink hasn’t dried yet, we’ve learned Margaritaville will be replaced by a country-themed venue, likely in partnership with singer Garth Brooks.
Clearly, somebody’s seen the revenue numbers at Ole Red at Horseshoe, because that place was a smash right out of the chute.
Approximately zero details are available about what country venue will take Margaritaville’s place, but Caesars Entertainment loves its celebrity partnerships, so we suspect there will be a big country artist and a recognizable brand attached.
Caesars has made a killing with Gordon Ramsay, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis and others we don’t recall and don’t have the time to look up because we’re too busy dishing scoop.
Oh, and Lisa Vanderpump, with her frou-frou lounges. And Buddy Valastro. If we forgot him, we’d never get fresh “mutz” again.
Anyway, it seems there are two entities under consideration for the Margaritaville space, both potentially a big draw for fans of eating, drinking, chewing snuff, rodeos, banning books and line dancing.
If we were a gambler, which we may be, our money would be on Garth Brooks at the partner for the Margaritaville space. Possibly because that’s the rumor we just heard. It’s not a done-done deal, but that’s never stopped us from spilling tea before.
Garth Brooks has a popular spot in Nashville, Friends in Low Places Bar & Honky Tonk, and that seems a perfect fit for Flamingo, given the Colosseum at Caesars Palace is right across the street. His Garth Brooks/Plus One residency is running at Caesars Palace.
A honky tonk, of course, is a “place where Caucasians gather.” Prior to our current Enlightened Age, honkey tonk music was referred to as “hillbilly music.” We put that in quotation marks because we’ve already been canceled 16 times this week, and our arms are tired.
Country music has never been all that popular, but that all changed when Beyonce and her bosoms released “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
Just kidding, the Strip has had Gilley’s Saloon at TI forever, Losers Bar at MGM Grand is sort of country-themed and the aforementioned Old Red has definitely booted some scoots since it opened January 15, 2024.
Here’s a look at the view.
Redneck Riviera tanked at Grand Bazaar Shops (soon to be an escape room), but it was in a weird location and didn’t have Blake Shelton and his future ex-wife, Gwen Stefani, to promote it.
We have a special place in our heart for Gwen Stefani because she told a mutual friend she thought we were “cute” at a Hollywood party, circa 2001. Not that we have to make everything about us.
PBR Rock Bar closed at Planet Hollywood in 2022. The operators of Miracle Mile Shops reportedly didn’t feel the venue fit with the highfalutin image of the shopping complex following a massive overhaul. Such attitudes about country-music lovers cannot be tolerated. The book banning thing is totally valid, but not whatever Miracle Mile felt they didn’t want as the first impression of their mall.
There have been some rumblings about a country venue moving into 63 Las Vegas, at Shops at Crystals, next to Cosmopolitan. Morgan Wallen, whoever that may be, has expressed interest in an outpost of his This Bar & Tennessee Kitchen. Our friend @LasVegasLocally has heard Jason Aldean will get a spot at 63. Aldean was the one who ran for cover during the Oct. 1 shooting, leaving thousands of festival-goers confused and fighting for their lives. We are not a fan.
If true, watch for a friends, family and cowards discount. https://t.co/s6z0zoSdIr
— Vital Vegas (@VitalVegas) May 31, 2024
Margaritaville has been a fixture at Flamingo for decades, but Caesars Entertainment is sprucing up the place with several new offerings, including Gordon Ramsay Burger (in the Bird Bar space), Pinky’s by Vanderpump (in the poker room space) and Havana 1957 (in the Tropical Breeze Cafe space).
How in the holy hell would you keep track of all this crap without us. Seriously.
You’ll know more about Margaritaville’s replacement when we do! Until then, Ole Red, already.
