Gilley's Saloon

“Hard hat days and honky-tonk nights” might be a thing of the past in Las Vegas, however there was one “Urban Cowboy” intent on keeping the roots of the desert oasis very much alive until as recently as 2007. Mickey Gilley, renowned for such country hits as “Room Full of Roses” and “Don't All The Girls Get Prettier At Closing Time” is the co-owner of one of the greatest honky -tonk bar chains to be born from the 70's – Gilley's. The first (located in Pasadena, Texas) was the iconic set around which much of James Bridges iconic movie “Urban Cowboy” (1980) was based.

Gilley's Pasadena spawned a myriad of other launches, including that of Las Vegas in 1998 at the now defunct Frontier Hotel and Casino. When the announcement came that Frontier was to close it's doors in July 2007, it seemed certain that the Las Vegas arm of Gilley's, along with the old culture it stood for was about to become extinct. Speculation swirled throughout Sin City concerning possible relocations for the country cowboy's bar, however as 2008 came and went, so too did any hope of a new location. It wasn't until January 2010 that possible rumblings surfaced regarding a possible Gilley's re-invention, and by February the Treasure Island Hotel Resort had been confirmed as the new home of swinging saloon doors and the archaic mechanical bronco.

Over a year since it's re-launch, the much loved Gilley's lair has once again set up shop in the hearts of Vegas locals. Bigger, louder and brasher than before, Gilley's Las Vegas combines the essential qualities of beautiful women, ice cold beer and live country rock, within a venue hailed as the “new home of boot-stompin”. Situated beside the Siren's Cove, Gilley's Bar and Bar-B-Que sits well within the frontier territory of the pirate-themed resort, commanding attention simply because it is so different. Three entrances provide access from both the promenade, casino and Siren's ship, to an area divided squarely for dinner, dancing and downing beer until the wee hours.

Kitted out with a parquet dance-floor, real leather-saddled bar stools and an over-abundance of bleached pine, the new Gilley's feels very much like the old venue, with the added bonus of increased space. Despite it's busy theme, the main Saloon Bar is decidedly relaxed in comparison to the roof-raising party that goes off within the Dance Hall each and every night. Legendary country outfits such as Brian Lynn Jones and The Misfit Cowboys, Scotty Alexander and Austin Law play raw country rock to armies of wannabe line-dancers every Friday and Saturday night. The party ambiance is further geared up by raunchy cow-girl dancers known as “Gilley's Girls”, along with the laugh a minute bull-ring that defined the Frontier venue. Now daring a whole new legion of country fans to take the bull by the horns, Gilley's Las Vegas looks set to be the cause of many more saddle sores for years to come!