In 2009, when New York-based concert promoter Peter Shapiro, 41, opened the first Brooklyn Bowl in the borough’s developing neighborhood of Williamsburg, the idea of expanding the bowling alley-meets-concert venue-meets-high-end comfort food into other major cities had never entered his mind. But since then, the 600-capacity venue has become a beloved institution, and the Brooklyn Bowl moniker has established itself as a global brand in live music.?
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On March 8, less than two months after opening the second 800-capacity Brooklyn Bowl at London’s O2 Arena, co-owners Shapiro and Charley Ryan will introduce a third location “dead center 50-yard line on the Las Vegas Strip,” says Shapiro.
?“I didn’t think it would become this,” says Shapiro, a veteran club owner who ran New York’s Wetlands from 1996 to 2001 and owns the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, N.Y. “But it’s fun and it worked.”
?Sitting at the base of The High Roller, one of the world’s largest Ferris wheels, and within Caesars Entertainment’s new $550 million entertainment complex The LINQ, Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas will feature live music and 32 bowling lanes, with food provided by famed restaurant Blue Ribbon. Booked in partnership with AEG Live, the 2,000-capacity venue’s initial rock-focused lineup boasts multiple-night runs by Elvis Costello with The Roots, Jane’s Addiction, Primus, Cake, Phil Lesh & Friends, The Avett Brothers and Steve Winwood.?
Caesars funded the building of the three-level Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas and retains ownership of the 80,000-square-foot space, while Shapiro and his partner remain owners of the business. Madison Square Garden Entertainment is a minority investor, reportedly contributing about $25 million. They’ve inked a 15-year lease agreement with Caesars, plus a 15-year option.?
Shapiro says a major advantage that Brooklyn Bowl has over other similar-sized venues in the Las Vegas market, like House of Blues at Mandalay Bay and The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel, is that it’s not inside a casino. “We’re neutral, like Switzerland,” he says. “If I was a rock’n’roll band, I wouldn’t want to hear poker chips or ching, ching, ching. That’s not creating the right atmosphere at a show.”
?Shapiro also notes that Brooklyn Bowl will be one of the sole music venues in Las Vegas — aside from nightclubs like Light and Hakkasan, which cater to the DJ culture — to offer rock concerts that last into the wee hours of the morning.
?“There’s no room in Vegas right now that’s doing shows after midnight with bands,” he says, pointing to upcoming Gogol Bordello performances that begin after 1 a.m. and a gospel set with Robert Randolph & The Family Band that he estimates will go until 4 a.m.?
Speaking to Billboard from an airport in Chicago on his way to Las Vegas, Shapiro hints that there may be a Brooklyn Bowl in the works for the Windy City. “I wouldn’t be in Chicago unless it was important,” he says with a laugh, declining to comment further.
?Indeed, running several venues under the Brooklyn Bowl banner has helped leverage bookings at all three locations, says Shapiro. “Here’s an example: Elvis Costello [and The Roots] are playing [the] Capitol Theatre [on March 12], and that weekend they’re playing Vegas. So we definitely did a combined booking deal,” he says. “That’s how we helped make that happen.”