LETTER: Where did all the music go?

Barbara Christy Pahrump August 20, 2026 - 9:01 pm As a 40-year veteran of the casino industry, I have watched the post-pandemic era permanently alter the soul of our casino floors. Corporate operators and private equity firms have systematically eliminated a core piece of Las Vegas history: the casual, open-air live music lounge. Venues that once hosted incredible local bands six nights a week have been wiped out. In their place, we now have high-margin sports books, luxury retail or hyper-exclusive cocktail lounges that charge premium prices. While casual tourists might not notice the missing music, anyone who knows this city understands that the traditional lounge scene has been completely hollowed out on the Strip. This isn’t just bad for the classic Vegas atmosphere. It is devastating