Electronic music artist Kygo has made a big deal in Las Vegas: He will open his own Palm Tree Beach Club at MGM Grand in May at the Tao Group venue previously occupied by pioneering day club Wet Republic, in collaboration with manager Myles Shear and their Palm Tree Crew venturepp. He leaves for the Tao Group after eight years as a resident artist at Wynn Nightlife.
The Rockwell Group designed the Palm Tree Beach Club as a “bold, immersive music and entertainment experience … and a tropical oasis with world-class artists and world-class service,” evoking the chill, melodic musical atmosphere of tropical house like Kygo (real) name Kyrre Gørvell-Dahll) is known. Over the years, he has collaborated with Selena Gomez, Rita Ora, Miguel and John Legend, among others, and launched a Palm Tree festival in locations around the world.
Spanning over 60,000 square meters, the Palm Tree Beach Club will feature a ground-level stage, saltwater pool, 12 bungalows and 10 cabanas, along with chaise lounges and chaise lounges that can accommodate 3,000 guests. There is a new sound system, LED screens and pyrotechnics within a theme that is “Beverly Hills meets Palm Springs with a youthful Country Club touch. Every material is new, from the flooring to the horticulture and greenery to the cabin fabrics to the design of the tables.” says Tao Group Hospitality Co-CEO Jason Strauss. “Having Kygo perform at this venue and be a part of it conceptually – we’re probably going to see record days with him and bring our other DJs.”
A rendering of the new venue (Photo courtesy of Palm Tree Crew)
Wet Republic resident DJs include Tiësto, Martin Garrix, Zedd, Steve Aoki, Loud Luxury and Lil Jon. Tao Group operates Tao, Hakkasan, Omnia, Marquee and Jewel and Lavo, Beauty & Essex and Cathedral restaurants in Las Vegas.
Strauss says the Beach Club idea is similar to the formula that country stars like Blake Shelton and Jason Aldean are now applying to the Strip. The country music guys have come in with Shelton’s Red O and Jason Aldean (restaurants and live music venues). This is the obvious evolution of hospitality in Las Vegas, where artists come in and bring their concepts and brands,” says Shear, adding that the model is inspired by Jimmy Buffett and his Margaritaville brand, valued at over $2 billion.
Buffett and Kygo struck up a friendship while playing the music festival circuit, and the late legend made surprise appearances over the years at Palm Tree festivals.
“We spent time with Jimmy Buffett and learned about Margaritaville,” Shear continues. “We went to one of his shows and we saw this community that he built around his music and his personality, and that’s where we got the idea that one day we could have our place in Vegas, where our fans could find something something new to get involved in and not just come to a concert.”
Palm Tree Crew originally started as a clothing company selling Palm Tree logo T-shirts and necklaces. In 2020, Kygo and Shear officially launched the company, which has expanded into a live events business, a multi-product investment arm, and a consumer brand that sells palm necklaces and more. They struck a deal with Live Nation and acquired part of celebrity event production company Medium Rare.
Meanwhile, Kygo released hit collaborations, sold out arenas and pursued a Vegas residency that saw him play the city several times a month to thousands of clubgoers. Then came the Palm Tree festivals, which take place from Sydney to Dana Point and St Barts to the Hamptons, with artists such as Gryffin, Calvin Harris, the Chainsmokers and Swedish House Mafia playing to sold-out crowds.
Palm Tree Beach Club is meant to be a permanent home for the experience.
Shear says over the years they’ve built a friendship with Strauss and his business partner Noah Tepperberg, noting that Kygo’s first Vegas show was actually at the Marquee before doing an acoustic set at the opening of Beauty and Essex.
“They approached us about doing a club together, and we met in Aspen at our Palm Tree Festival last year about all of us working together,” says Shear. “It’s never happened like this in the history of Las Vegas, where, you know, a DJ has been a partner in a project like this. When we found out about the opportunity, we almost couldn’t believe it. It feels historic.”
While Wet Republic remained successful, Strauss says it was time to elevate the concept to match what consumers want now — to be as close to the DJ as possible and willing to pay five-figure premiums for the positioning.
“He created a festival brand that he takes to all the jet-set markets and built a database and an experience. “We had a place that needed a new story and narrative,” says Strauss. “Now it’s about how they interact with the experience and the performance. We thought we could do better by getting people closer to the DJ booth and surrounding it in a way where they feel part of the performance,” he says, in addition to cosmetic improvements “to make it look more beautiful, more vividly, using all the colors that the palm tree is known for, the greens and his whole color palette that he has used in all his festivals.”
Wet Republic opened in 2008. It was originally part of the Angel Management Group and was then sold to the Hakkasan Group, which was later acquired by the Tao Group. The venue and Tao Group’s Tao Beach at The Venetian pioneered the Las Vegas day club scene. It gave Tiesto, Calvin Harris, Steve Aoki and David Guetta their first Vegas pool club residencies and set the stage for landmark performances from artists like Deadmau5.
Strauss and Shear said the official lineup, opening date and performance schedule for Kygo will be announced at a later date.
In the final days of 2024, the Palm Tree Crew opened a restaurant, Palm Tree Club Orlando, and a hotel, Palm Tree Club Miami. The next Palm Tree Festival will take place in Aspen on February 21st and 22nd, with Dom Dolla, Fisher, Sofi Tukker and Kygo headlining and then bouncing to Oahu in May.
In the musical world of Las Vegas nightclubs, it was also announced this week that Deadmau5 would return to the Wynn, and Odeza will perform at the resort’s XS nightclub and day club and Encore Beach Club in 2025.
