Mandalay Bay heats up with new nightspot

Ivan Kane’s Forty Deuce has formally booked its New Year’s Eve opening at Mandalay Bay. This should shape up to be a party as dynamic as the club’s founder.

“This is a Forty Deuce 2.0. We did a nuke and rebuild of the space, I took the ceiling off and completely redesigned the place,” says Kane, who ran the club at the same location at the base of escalators leading to Mandalay Place from 2002-2009. “We’re much more AV-centric with a lot of LED walls and a sound system that is unparalleled.”

Kane’s big ideas are for a large room, larger than his 5,000-square-foot venue. As he describes, “Basically, we’re taking the same audio-visual elements you’ll find in a more typical 40,000-square-foot EDM nightclub in Vegas, and putting them into an intimate closet.”

The club’s human talent is led by Franky and the All Nighters, fronted by Vegas favorite Franky Perez. The busy band is in residency Wednesdays and Thursdays starting Jan. 7-8.

Kane is also bringing in two house bands. One is a rock/jazz-influenced lineup of guitar-standup bass-drums. The other is rock-centric trio (electric rather than stand-up bass). A six-member dance team was culled from dozens of performers in auditions in Las Vegas and L.A.

Most of Kane’s team from the original Ivan Kane’s club is returning.

“I’m bringing my musical director out from another venue that has worked with me before, and I really put the band back together,” Kane says. “I’m working with the same choreographer, the same audio-visual people. I’ve been in this business for so long, I’ve developed an amazing team of people that make me look fantastic.”

Kane is an actor and screenwriter, with credits on “Gettysburg,” “On Deadly Ground” and “Platoon.” He waded into the Hollywood nightlife industry in 1997 with his first club, across the street from Paramount Studios. His third club, Forty Deuce, was the game-changer. The Vegas club was the subject of a Bravo reality show two years after opening.

But the original Ivan Kane’s sputtered during the recession of 2009, its promotional efforts stalling in a widespread project. But Kane has had Vegas in his fertile mind ever since. MGM Resorts International President and CEO Bill Hornbuckle was president and COO of Mandalay Bay during the Forty Deuce heyday.

“I’ve kept in touch with MGM over the years, and we’ve kind of talked about doing several projects here and there,” Kane says. “Recently, I had a meeting with them, and they said, ‘Would you ever want to come back to Mandalay Bay in your old spot, basically?’ And I thought it was an absolutely fabulous idea.”

Since Forty Deuce hauled out, 1923 Prohibition Bar took over Ivan Kane’s space in 2014. The club relocated upstairs and across the promenade, where it sits today. The two venues are alike in vibe, different scale, different emphasis on nightlife amenities.

“I don’t consider it being problematic in any way, shape or form,” Kane says. “I know they occasionally do burlesque. They’ve got singers and magicians, and they do all sorts of things. I know it’s a very successful concept. But we’re a nightclub experience, first and foremost.”

Noel Bowman, founder of 1923 Prohibition Bar and its sister club, 1923 Live at The Venetian’s Grand Canal Shoppes, ran into Kane recently at the property.

“I said, ‘Hey, there’s plenty of sequins, plenty of dancers and plenty of horns that we can both coexist,” Bowman says. “I said, ‘Everyone should think of it as Mandalay Bay’s own little Red Light District.’”

Atmospherically, of course. Check back on New Year’s Eve, when the lights are up.

New Music Alert

The Perez machine is full throttle entering the holiday season. The Las Vegas native hosts a release party for his single “Leche for the Bebé” Feat. Sen Dog of Cypress Hill at 8 p.m. at the Mandalay Bay’s bangin’ live-music club Rhythm & Riffs.

The single is off Perez’s upcoming album “Dámelo,” which pulls from the headliner’s Latin roots. The album is the debut of Perez’s Label Group/Virgin Music Group, due in spring 2026.

Your VegasVille Moment

Leona Lewis asked the crowd during her opener at Voltaire on Thursday, “We have any singers in the audience!?” Over on house right, Josh Strickland shouted, “Right here!” When Strickland opens up, hide behind something solid. He’s appeared in “Tarzan” on Broadway, “Peep Show” at Planet Hollywood, swings in “Mad Apple” at NY-NY, and is hosting “Magic Mike Live” at the Sahara through December.

So, yes, we have a singer. Lewis called Strickland to the stage for “One More Sleep.” The Vegas vocalist hit the right notes.

Tease this …

A big-name DJ is about to announce a Strip residency with an entertainment company and hospitality brand that crushes it, at every turn.

Cool Hang Alert

Amp’d at M Resort continues its strong no-cover programming at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tre’sure is up Friday, a fine top-40, R&B, funk, dance party and show band. Lounge vets In-A-Fect take over Saturday with a set list featuring Earth Wind & Fire, Bruno Mars and some classic yacht rock. Reservations encouraged. Go to themresort.com for intel.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.