The only thing Naomi Campbell threw on Friday night was the beats.
The supermodel joined fellow Brit superstar Calvin Harris for the grand opening of Omnia — each manning decks in separate rooms at countryman Neil Moffit’s new 75,000-square-foot social anchor inside Caesars palace.
As is custom in hospitality, especially in Vegas, Omnia’s been technically open for a few weeks before the triangle stamps started inking the inside of wrists for the Grand Opening Weekend.
After taping the “Comedy Central Roast” in L.A. last month, Justin Bieber flew directly here the same night for his 21st birthday, on its third night of service.
Miley Cyrus, Meghan Trainor, Questlove and Katharine McPhee have also all partied in here since it opened on March 12,
For Campbell, she showed up around 1 a.m. and joined DJ Ruckus, who recently stood above his peers at the Neon Carnival party during Coachella. Campbell just walked in Burberry’s fashion show in front of Elton John and the Beckham family last Thursday night in Los Angeles. A more fashion savvy peer than me pointed out that she was still wearing the Brit brand for her DJ gig.
Campbell spun in the Heart of Omina, an exclusive enclave with a separate entrance and credentialing process than the thunderdome main room.
After being acquired by Hakkasan last year, the guys beind L.A.’s Bootsy Bellows — H.Wood’s John Terzian, Brian Toll, David Arquette, and the occasional blonde wig-wearing Marcus Molinari — have imported their intimate inner sanctum vibe from California, giving this appropriately named celebrity artery a hideaway within the mass club.
Arquette was inside “the Heart” on Friday night, as was MTV’s “Teen Wolf” star Holland Roden, perched in a corner table.
U2’s production manager Willie Williams worked on the design.
Overall, Omnia’s indoor and strip-overlooking outdoor footprint is on hallowed ground in club lore — what was previously PURE nightclub.
The late D.J. AM was the first to make a mega deal in the market, signing a $1 million one year residency in 2007 . Back then, Tuesdays and Fridays were the pinnacle. (By way of example, fans have uploaded his birthday set for Tiffani Amber Thiessen’s party there to Soundcloud, where it has 76,000 streams.)
That seven figure deal seemed shocking at the time ($20,000 a night), and started the shift towards Las Vegas as the default place for global music talent and to see festival level headliners like Harris and Tiesto (both in the Hakkasan family) from 20 feet.
It also signaled the swing in talent budget and marketing away from the Heidi Montag and Spencer Pratt style “host” nights, a trend that is now nearly dead in major markets. EDM killed the tabloid star, or at least their gravy train.
Now, superstars like Calvin Harris reportedly earn $250,000 a night, and Harris recently resigned with Hakkasan Group for three more years to keep Omnia (by night), Wet Republic (by day), and the namesake Hakkasan as the most frequent places in the world he’ll play “Under Control,” “Blame” and “Feel So Close,” as he did on Friday night.
While many in L.A. know Hakkasan for the Beverly Hills restaurant (Aaron Paul and “Walking Dead” star Norman Reedus just shared a booth there earlier this week) the group has been on a binge, opening 29 venues in the last two years.
This includes a majority acquisition of Light Group, one of their contenders for the crown in Las Vegas who operate Light and Daylight, The Bank at Bellagio and a group of restaurants.
Even with the mass popularity of EDM, “open format” will keep a toe hold after being nearly banished from Vegas in the past few years.
Open format, known for mashing rock with pop, hip hop with more commercial electronic hits, and party classics from the ’80s and ’90 has actual lyrics that people shout along to. It will live on.
Rev Run of Run DMC, the adrenalized Miami face DJ Irie, Jazzy Jeff and the aforementioned Ruckus will play in this key at the Heart of Omnia.
Neil Moffit’s addition to his arsenal arrives in time as Vegas is bracing for next weekend’s big fight: Floyd Mayweather vs. Manny Pacquiao.
While the betting lines are advertised on the sports book board steps from the entrance of Omnia, the real fight was the hundreds trying to get in to see Calvin and Naomi, a proverbial knockout in the nightclub world — a sellout.