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Inheriting its name from the original Hard Rock Las Vegas venue, The New Joint is part of the $750M development project that broke ground in 2007. The expansion includes the addition of 860 guest rooms, 60,000sq-ft. of meeting space, 30,000sq-ft. of casino floor, and a brand new $60M theatre called The Joint, by Rogue.
Scéno Plus, a Montreal-based architectural firm, was commissioned to design this legendary rock concert facility. With a total of 82,000sq-ft., the rock glamour décor venue features three levels of seating, seven premiere VIP hospitality suites, luxurious dressing rooms, top-notch green room, and meet-and-greet room. Designed to meet the highest public and artist expectations, The Joint doubled in size and can now accommodate 4,000 standing guests. Additionally, the space offers fully flexible configurations to accommodate any event requirements. The cutting-edge motorized seating storage system under the stage allows a rapid room turn-over for different configurations such as banquets, corporate events, and sporting events. It was inaugurated on Friday, April 17, 2009, when the American alternative rock group The Killers launched the schedule followed by the rock legend Paul McCartney on Sunday April 19.
Hard Rock Hotel & Casino’s brief was clear. Scéno Plus needed to remain true to the heritage of the original venue, but make it bigger with a more prominent VIP element. “Keep the smell of the good old Joint in a bottle and design a new one.” Our client wanted the new Joint to carry an intimate and authentic feel. Ben Panaccio, Scéno Plus theatre designer of the Joint:
When we first visited the [former] Joint, we discussed what was wrong with the venue: poor sight lines, bad acoustic properties, a less than optimal sound system, and an environment that was not designed to handle large flow of touring acts. The brief was to correct those aspects, while retaining the intimacy of the space, to take the “essence” of The Joint but make it larger with improved acoustics, better sightlines, and a more powerful sound system.
The equipment infrastructures feature versatility and efficiency to meet the requirements of a large-scale multifunction showroom. Normand-Pierre Bilodeau, director of specialized equipment and technology:
The goal was to provide a top-of-the-line sound system that would unanimously do the job. A second to none d&b system has been selected, and the results are even better than expected. As for lighting, rigging, and video packages, we wanted to suit the most demanding touring act requirements. According to the technical crew comments, no doubt we hit the target.
The Joint just received national honor with the “Best New Major Concert Venue Award” named by Pollstar magazine on February 17, 2010.
Design Team
President, Scéno Plus: Patrick Bergé
Theatre designer & project manager: Ben Panaccio
Artistic director/interior design: Valérie Pageau
Director technology & specialized equipment: Normand-Pierre Bilodeau
Designer and integrator technology & specialized equipment: François Blais
Equipment
Audio
2 96x24 Digidesign Venue Profile (FOH and Monitoring)
20 d&b audiotechnik J8 (Main Line Array)
8 d&b audiotechnik J12 (Main Line Array Down Fill)
12 d&b audiotechnik J-SUB (Flown Subwoofer)
38 d&b audiotechnik QI10/E3/E8 (Floor PA, Front, & Delay Fill)
4 d&b audiotechnik C4-Top + C4-Sub (Side Fill or Stacked Drum-fill)
14 d&b audiotechnik M2
6 d&b audiotechnik M4
Lighting System
1 MA Lighting grandMA
3 High End Systems DL.3
52 Moving Lights: Martin MAC 2000, Vari-Lite VL3000, High End Systems Showgun
52 Conventional
Video System
3 Barco 18,000-lumen HD Projector
2 Front Projection Retractable Screen (9’x16’ and 18’x24’)
2 Panasonic HD Pan-Tilt Camera
38 Flat Screen
Centralized control interface featuring multiple HD projection layouts.
Rigging System
37 1-ton CM Lodestar hoists
5 2-ton CM Lodestar hoists