On a warm evening in the middle of August, the Grand Sierra Resort and Casino in Reno, Nevada, opened its doors for an excited crowd of Billy Idol fans in their newly renovated seat showroom, The Grand Theatre, which can now accommodate close to 3,000 people.
The resort’s owners, who had invested a reported $14 million in the impressive LEX nightclub the year before, were continuing to make good on their pledge for an ongoing multi-phase improvement plan for the property after acquiring the resort for a post-recession fire-sale price in 2011 (see sidebar).
As the concertgoers first entered the new space, they were greeted with an impressive floor-to-ceiling glass walled lobby, one of the major additions to the theatre’s footprint. As they made their way to their seats, more surprises would follow.
“The inspiration was to move from an outdated seating plan to a performing arts center styled seating and audience chamber,” said Chris Christiansen, director of entertainment at the resort, noting that the new design, from John Fisher & Associates, was “more in line with the expectations of today’s sophisticated concert fan.
“Incorporating the existing auditorium features while expanding capacity allowed for the redesign of the décor to complement the overall property redesign,” Christiansen adds. “The addition of the lobby was both desired and needed to accommodate the expanded seating capacity.”
Christiansen, who oversees and manage the selection, installation and operation of audio and video systems property-wide, turned to Oracle LED Systems for an upgrade to what the audiences would be seeing on stage.
“The convenience of non-projector based imaging, and the obvious brightness advantage of LEDs, led us to seek an LED solution,” he says. “It was at this point that we turned to the established stability of Oracle LED Systems’ products.”
Because the Grand Theatre has a rich history as a noted venue for staged productions (see sidebar), the renovation balanced the needs to both move forward with new technology while at the same time preserving the history surrounding the space.
“The Grand Theatre, at one time, was known as the theatre with the largest stage in the United States,” says Oracle LED Systems CEO Isaac Campos. “We knew we needed a product that would create a wow factor to add to this site. We required a product that would blow the audience away from the front row all the way to the back row. We decided to use our MRT6mm.”
Back at his Los Angeles warehouse in early summer, Campos and his Oracle LED staff got busy, preparing and packing more than 220 MRT6mm panels. “For this particular installation, we made precise steps to ensure the framework created for this project was accurately executed. GSR required a product that was in built into a rental frame so they could have the capability to move panels around to fit different designs.”
Although the installation phase of the video walls is over, Oracle LED staff continues to maintain a presence at the casino. “With every project we take on, we are with the client from the very beginning to the very end,” Campos says. “Whether that includes technical support or staff training, we are there. The Grand Sierra is a large casino with multiple ballrooms. We want to make sure their staff knows how to operate it in the event they need to move the screens to other areas of the venue for any special events.”
Along with the LED video upgrade, the Grand Theatre also got audio and lighting system improvements. Reno-based Moonlighting and Sound provided a new d&b audiotechnik J12 speaker system. As for lighting, it has gone from a 95 percent conventional system driven by two desks to a 95 percent intelligent lighting/LED system driven by a grandMA2.
And Oracle LED team’s assist didn’t end with the Grand Theatre. They also had a hand in installing their Links 3.9mm LED video product in the casino’s William Hill Race and Sports Book. Reliable performance is also a priority here, with a requirement that the screens run 24/7.
“In this space, we went with a high resolution product,” Campos says. “Guests are sitting only a few feet away from the screen; it is also on 24 hours a day. We needed a product that was both reliable and could produce a true 1920 x 1080 HD image in a smaller space.”
Christiansen and the GSR team are pleased with how both installations turned out. “Oracle LED is simply the best in both response, pricing, service and the on-going friendship we’ve developed with the team. We’ve dedicated ourselves to being a top casino resort through overall experience, entertainment and service. Our relationship with Oracle LED has given us an advantage towards maintaining these goals.”
Since its August opening, the Grand Theatre has welcomed crowds for touring acts including Diana Krall, Vince Gill, Ricky Martin, Duran Duran, Death Cab for Cutie, Jason Isbell/Dawes and Colbie Caillat/Christina Perri, with Mana, Hozier, Godsmack and Melissa Etheridge slated to appear in the near future.
Black Widows, Thriving in the Desert
Oracle LED Systems’ award-winning products have made appearances in many venues in the Nevada desert, most notably in Las Vegas, at the XS Nightclub at the Encore Hotel, Marquee Nightclub at the Cosmopolitan, Wet Republic at the MGM Grand and Tao Nightclub at the Venetian.
The Los Angeles-based company’s latest product to hit the market, the Black Widow Carbon, has recently been nominated to receive a prestigious, industry-celebrated Parnelli Award for Indispensable Technology in video. The latest design can be seen at this year’s LDI Show in Las Vegas.
The company’s first series Black Widow broke records when it went on to win in the same category in 2013. They currently design, manufacture and install LED video solutions throughout the U.S., Mexico and Canada. —C.D.
A Roller Coaster History
Reno’s Grand Sierra Resort has had a remarkable history, rising 26 stories from a gravel pit for its grand opening under MGM ownership in 1978. After a series of expansions, it was purchased by Bally’s in 1986 for a reported $550 million.
One of the resort’s main attractions in the early years was the long-running Donn Arden production, Hello Hollywood Hello, seen by close to 7 million from the late 1970s to late 1980s on one of the world’s biggest stages.
Bally’s ran into financial trouble, however, and the parent company, weighed down by a reported $1.8 billion in debt, filed for bankruptcy in 1992. Hilton Hotels was able to pick up the 2,001-room Reno property for $83 million in 1992, and invested $86 million for improvements.
After a series of parent-company M&A deals, however, the property, which changed names several times during that period, needed to be divested and was sold again, in 2005-2006, to the Grand Sierra Resort Corp. for $151 million.
A massive improvement campaign ensued, but then so did the Great Recession. After spending close to $100 million more on improvements, the property had to be liquidated. The new purchase price, in early 2011: just $44 million.
The new (and current) owners, the Meruelo Group, launched a multi-phase $25 million upgrade plan in 2011, opened the $14 million LEX Nightclub in 2014, and upgraded the Grand Theatre earlier this year. —ed.
