Patrick “Pulsar” Trout, the veteran Las Vegas promoter behind Pulsar Presents, has kept his finger on the pulse of the local music scene for the past 20 years, booking countless shows along the way. I've been doing it. Lately, he has been adapting to the latest trends in live music. Gen Z audiences aren't drinking alcohol at shows as much as older generations.
“That's something we've observed since the shutdown ended, but especially last year,” Trout said. weekly. “We've seen a dramatic increase in the number of people who don't drink alcohol at shows or drink non-alcoholic stuff, but at the same time want to smoke more cigarettes. We're a generation. We're really seeing a cultural shift.”
He's not wrong in that respect. In 2023, signboard Music venues and clubs across the country are reporting that alcohol sales are drying up at shows that attract Gen Z audiences. Researchers suspect it's a combination of several things. Pregaming still exists and drinks are expensive these days. However, Generation Z is also very health conscious.
according to signboard, Some venue owners are considering adding non-alcoholic options on tap to improve the situation. Mocktails have gone mainstream, and research firm Global Market Insights predicts the non-alcoholic industry will be worth more than $30 billion by 2025.
But at the end of the day, cannabis is king. A survey conducted by cannabis research and data analysis company New Frontier Data found that 69% of adults between the ages of 18 and 24 prefer cannabis to alcohol.
“Everyone has a story of a horrible pot brownie. But everyone also has plenty of 'Oh my gosh, one night with tequila,'” says Reset, a cannabis consulting and hospitality management group. Christopher LaPorte, Managing Partner of “People are more educated because we've come out of the closet. More people know about cannabis. Cooler people are much more open about their cannabis smoking habits.”
With state-regulated consumption lounges finally rolling out across the Valley, the cannabis industry has a unique opportunity to create its own version of after-hours entertainment. Some cannabis lounges have already started introducing their own music programs, and that change may be just what this generation needs.
When LaPorte was working with Thrive to design a new consumption lounge called Smoke and Mirrors, he thought about Japanese listening cafes that spin records. In Brooklyn, he visited a non-alcoholic restaurant called Listen Bar, and his experience also gave him an idea.
“I think it was three years ago, there was a lot of talk about this new culture of non-alcoholic spirits, and we saw there were actually bars dedicated to it. It wasn't just centers like Alcoholics Anonymous. We didn't. [thought] “This could be something,” he says. “There were a lot of products like Lyre's and Seedlip that were starting to catch on. And we were also like, how can we tie this into cannabis lounges?”
At Smoke and Mirrors, THC-infused non-alcoholic cannabis cocktails and drink mixer sobreos are the main event, serving as a slow and steady introduction to the “cannabis-curious.” Laporte sees this as an opportunity to educate and “attract another market to the cannabis industry.” And he's tweaking it with lounge music.
LaPorte founded Insert Coin, once a popular downtown video game bar, and has since brought many DJs from that venture to Smoke and Mirrors. Every night, you can hear the sounds of Omnia's DJ Phoreyz and the city's famous DJ Crykit.
Laporte isn't the only nightlife pioneer with a cannabis business. Frankie Anobile, a DJ and pioneer of the True Nightlife Group, which played a major role in the evolution of Las Vegas nightlife, joins Planet 13 as Entertainment Director.
“When you walk into a 7-Eleven, it turns into a nightclub. There's a DJ booth here and a stage there,” Anobile said while exploring Planet 13's new Dazed Lounge.
Anobile says he's open to the trend of Gen Z smoking more and drinking less. Coming from a nightclub background, he doesn't think his bong service will be replaced by his bottle service. His view is, why not have both?
Planet 13 is slated to open in 2025 and is building a three-story, 60,000-square-foot alcohol-only nightclub on the property, according to Anobile. Taking inspiration from the MGM Grand's former Studio 54, this nightclub features private viewing suites facing the Strip, a pool, and plenty of space to accommodate aerial photography enthusiasts. Those who wish to exit the club and consume cannabis will be able to exit the hall and walk across the hall to the Dazed Lounge. (Nevada state regulations prohibit the sale of alcohol in cannabis consumption lounges.)
It's an experience that caters to all types of consumers, not just Gen Z partygoers who avoid alcohol.
“You can drink for hours on end all night. You can't smoke all night. It's a completely different culture, from what you want musically to how long you stay,” Anobile said, adding that cannabis consumers suggested that they needed a different kind of hospitality. “A lot of these people don't usually like to leave the house. They don't want to spend an hour getting ready to go out and look like they're posting on Instagram. Not.”
Anobile said the Dazed lounge will offer “an eclectic variety of entertainment,” from DJs to acrobats. He is also consulting with former XS resident DJ Warren Peace and veteran DJ and producer Chris Cox to brainstorm future programming.
Nuwu Cannabis Marketplace's Sky High Lounge also rotates live bands into its programming. Trout sees the possibility of bringing some of his own shows to these lounges as “a great opportunity for bands and the scene.”
“What I'm really interested in about pot lounges that decide to utilize live music is to see what kind of spread they have and what kind of genres they pursue,” said Trout. says Mr. “There are some subgenres of metal like doom rock, stoner rock, desert rock, and having a place where you can smoke and listen to music would definitely appeal to them. I think.”
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