Park City's Harry O's flaunts world-class cachet
So when people call Park City nightclub Harry O's "world class," and they do it a lot, they mean it in the old-school sense — as in the hottest nightclub in the world.
"It is hard to explain the gravity of what happens in this building," said Konstantine Deslis, who helps the Main Street club book its talent year-round and handles every live event at the club. "Nothing else that happens in the country can compare."
Deslis includes events like the Super Bowl and music award shows when he makes that claim.
"Our lineup ... compares to any MTV Music Awards ceremony," he said.
Indeed, it's hard to argue his point.
The opening night of the Sundance Film Festival featured Akon, who has played a Super Bowl halftime show, won a Grammy Award and held the top two spots on the Billboard Hot 100 at the same time — twice. Not bad for a warm-up.
Friday, the Grammy-winning group Maroon 5 played Harry O's. It wasn't the band's first Sundance appearance, either. In a gig with Utah radio station The End back in the days before Maroon 5 had No. 1, multiplatinum albums, the band raved about its appearance at Harry O's because it had never played in front of such a large crowd before. Now they never play for audiences that small.
Saturday featured 50 Cent; Sunday, Velvet Revolver; and Monday, One Republic and Keri Hilson. All are big-time performers in the music business.
But, it isn't just the lineup. Two internationally known celebrity-driven clubs for upscale clients — TAO from Las Vegas and the Marquee in New York (dubbed the hottest nightclub in the known universe) — have both taken over Harry O's.
It took three 18-wheelers to bring part of TAO to Park City to transform Harry O's, which has spent upward of $2 million in renovations that include lighting and laser shows and top-notch stage accommodations.
With such additions, Deslis says the club is on par with those in cities like Vegas and Miami because the area around Park City now hosts big names in entertainment.
Cragin Brown, who has helped facilitate events as Harry O's became a satellite club for TAO (known as "MySpace Nights at TAO"), says the importance of Sundance, and the club's Main Street events, can't be overestimated.
"After the holidays it becomes award-show and film-festival season for a jet-setting celebrity. There will be a lot more emphasis this year at Sundance because there were no Golden Globes." So while the writers strike in Hollywood may have killed your television season, it has boosted your favorite local ski town film festival.
Recent comments
this sounds so amazing....i can not believe this club is in utah....
wow | April 17, 2008 at 2:09 a.m.
"Our line-up compares to any MTV awards ceremony"... And...
World Class??? | Jan. 23, 2008 at 12:10 a.m.
And this is news why???
So What | Jan. 23, 2008 at 12:04 a.m.
