Las Vegas Weekly

August 1, 2010 · 5:29 PM

Roller Boogie nights with DJ Frankie and DJ Hollywood at Crown

By Robin Leach

Great skate: Roller boogiers take a quick rest during opening night at Crown Nightclub on June 20, 2010.

Photo: Mikey McNulty

From July 14 through Aug. 4, Robin Leach will be relaxing under the Tuscan sun on his annual vacation and keeping his eyes on what’s happening in Las Vegas from Italy. Meantime, a kindly crew of Las Vegas celebrities and VIPs has agreed to write guest columns for Vegas DeLuxe.

By DJ Frankie and DJ Hollywood, guest columnists

Roller Boogie is a fun and unique event that takes place at the new Crown Theater & Nightclub at The Rio on Sunday nights, and it’s a fresh take on a new form of nightlife. Nightclubs are nothing new to Las Vegas. Since the introduction of Club Rio, which was the first noted nightclub inside a hotel when The Rio introduced it in 1995, the trend of nightlife inside casino doors has continued to grow, with some casinos boasting more than one club.

A typical night out at a club is great, but what do you want to do when you want to go out and really kick back and have some fun? It’s called Roller Boogie, and it’s at Crown! Sunday nights take a step back in time, with the majority of the crowd dressed in funky attire of the 1970s and ’80s, and of course there’s a large disco ball. It’s a flashback to the old school roller-skating days complete with couple, party train and reverse skate mode.

Photo: The Light Group

DJs Hollywood and Frankie at the 2010 Las Vegas DJ Awards at The Bank in the Bellagio on April 25, 2010.

Keeping it retro from the marketing of the event (the creative fliers are die-cut in the shape of a skate!), Sunday nights seem like they came straight out of a Super Fly movie. Crown, which features more than 4,000 square feet of video screens, uses them to show footage from retro roller skate and disco movies and photographs from previous Roller Boogie events. There have even been live performances by artists including the original rap group Sugar Hill Gang, Rob Base and The Soul Sonic Force.

We believe that you have to take a different approach to nightlife these days. This event is turning out to be the new way to roll on a Sunday night: casual, affordable, calorie-burning fun, and the trend is growing fast. Actress Mischa Barton of The O.C. fame has partied at Crown dressed as a roller girl with custom skates. She was definitely the best skater in the house!

Also playing and appearing at Crown: Carmen Electra; Twilight stars Michael Welch and Justin Chon; Jubilee! cast members; and the alumni cast of Splash in full costume skating and dancing onstage in a Soul Train line with lockers, poppers and breakdancers.

Photo: D'Shey

Carmen Electra and Rob Patterson at Crown Nightclub in The Rio on July 10, 2010.

This party is on the go, so get your wheels on and Roller Boogie down to Crown, where everyone is treated like royalty. Locals are free, skates rentals onsite are $5 to $10, the stage is open for those who aren’t as “talented” on the “roller side” and just want to “boogie,” and funky attire is always encouraged!

DJ Frankie and DJ Hollywood host Roller Boogie on Sunday nights at Crown. Luxor headliner comedian Carrot Top, Harrah’s magician comedian Mac King and Sandy Hackett of Sandy Hackett’s The Rat Pack Show at the Sahara are tomorrow’s guest columnists.

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

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