Hardly a week goes by that Pure Nightclub at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas isn’t in the pages of national celebrity publications or on national entertainment television. The club’s ability to secure the top-name celebrities (Paris Hilton, Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, and many more) and celebrated special events is unique, even among Vegas’ competitive nightclub landscape. From the moment it opened a few short years ago, Pure has been Las Vegas' club to see and be seen.
Maintaining Pure’s superior position requires constant diligence on many levels, including focused attention on the club’s entertainment technology systems. Neu Visions Design (NVD) supplied and installed a Martin lighting system back in 2004 and has overseen the club’s lighting gear since its opening.
“Pure Management Group was looking for a powerful and versatile lighting system that could cover the venue’s approximate 10,000-sq-ft main room,” states NVD’s managing director Adam Camp, who also conceived the club’s theatrical lighting design and enhanced parts of the architectural lighting design. “Lighting is the most underrated factor by the patrons in most venues yet the lighting creates the atmosphere and a subconscious comfort level. In keeping with Pure’s clean theme, we had the challenge of giving it a dance environment without haze or smoke, which is unheard of in most nightclubs because without a mid-air canopy you get no beamage. Therefore we went with more of a wash look—powerful lights, saturated colors, and lots of impact.”
Photo and movie shoot, TV show, commercial, music video, corporate event, private party, live venue, dance club—Pure is all of that and more. Consequently, the lighting rig needed to be similarly versatile. “It’s a flexible space,” Camp says. “We can make the dance floor as big as they want, convert the upper space to a full stage for live shows like The Killers or Ashlee Simpson, or large format exterior branding outside on the roof terrace. We provided a four layer automated lighting solution—wash, spot, strobe, and effect—that can cover all of that and more, as well as conventional PARs with dichroics for general highlights and ellipsoidals for gobo projection.”
A multi-purpose rig of MAC 300 washlights, MAC 250 Kryptons, Atomic strobes, and Wizard effect lights along with Source Four PARs with dichroics and MiniMAC Washes (DJ booth) highlight the dancefloor. Martin lighting covers other areas as well including a VIP room and Pussycat Dolls Lounge. Pure’s ultra-clean interior—white leather couches, white curtains, white columns and white tables—soaks up any color the Martin lighting system throws at it. “Owners are very particular about getting the right color scheme and atmosphere,” Camp states. “They are very adamant about maintaining a certain vibe throughout the venue.”
Special touches have been added as well which make the club that much more appealing like Martin Mania fire effects and color from Alien 02s onto the columns and customized gobos for club or corporate branding. In fact, NVD handles all corporate and special events at Pure with a list of clients that includes many of the top Fortune 500 companies. Camp explains, “We do large format branding by using custom gobos in the MAC 250s, while on the terrace we customize MAC 2000s for exterior branding which is visible outside of the venue from The Strip.” It’s a branding method that pays dividends for both the client and the club.
NVD are zealous when it comes to maintaining the gear at Pure but manufacturer support is also important. “The local support here in Vegas has been key and with the Martin West Coast reps close by it keeps the relationship strong. I use Martin mainly because of that relationship,” Camp says.
Adjoining Pure Nightclub and operated by Pure Management Group is Pussycat Dolls Lounge where a resident Pussycat Dolls burlesque troupe performs its erotic stage show with an occasional added tease from special guests like Eva Longoria, Nicolette Sheridan, or Pamela Anderson. Playing accompaniment to the performance is a small rig of MACs decorating two stages, floor, walls, and various tantalizing props such as swings, champagne glasses, and a bathtub in color and pattern.
