the railhead at boulder station hotel casino

The venue’s Boulder Blues series has been a mainstay, with big names such as Joe Bonamassa lighting up the room before graduating to bigger venues.

“Hard to get a bad seat in there.”Īnd it’s not just within the country ranks that The Railhead has built a name for itself. “It’s got a great sound system, and the sound guys are top men,” says Vegas country musician Chris Heers.

To see said acts in an intimate, yet professional environment is a big part of The Railhead’s appeal. “Some of these guys have reached meteoric heights.” “I think it’s cool to see what it’s evolved into and how many people have come through here at one time or another that were sort of up-and-coming,” Arena says. Kenny Chesney, Phil Vassar, Zac Brown Band, Miranda Lambert and the Dixie Chicks are all Railhead vets. The aforementioned Toby Keith has taken The Railhead’s stage 10 times. “It gets rockin’ in here.”Įqually crucial was ahead-of-the-curve booking, in a variety of genres, that enabled The Railhead to build a reputation for identifying stars.Ĭoed country vocal group Little Big Town, which plays arenas now, once performed here as a free lounge act.

“This is a true concert venue,” says Brent Arena, Boulder Station’s general manager and vice president, seated in the back of the room on a recent afternoon. What made The Railhead work was twofold: The room may be relatively small, but the sound system and stage rigging are anything but, meaning the venue strikes a balance between intimacy and outsize production values. Though such venues are now commonplace across the valley, the success of The Railhead wasn’t a given, largely because there was little precedence for a 650-capacity concert hall miles from the tourist corridor. The Railhead opened in 1994 and was one of the first dedicated showrooms built outside the Strip.

The railhead at boulder station hotel casino