The Railhead At Boulder Station Hotel & Casino

My first time visiting this venue was when I went to see Lacuna Coil with Sevendust back in March 2013.
This venue seems to be a little out of place in regards to what artists they have booked here. The location is also a bit bar from the strip, although if you live on the east side of town then it’s no big deal. Compared to other well-​known, small concert venues such as The Vinyl or the House of Blues, The Railhead doesn’t hold up very well.
The good side the area is about the same size as The Vinyl, making the concert experience an intimate one. However, you will have a hard time seeing musicians up close and personal if you are not over 6 feet tall. Unlike the House of Blues, the Railhead’s stage is not raised so you will have a bit of a hard time seeing the musician’s faces.
Also, you are not allowed to start mosh pits at The Railhead. So if you’re the type that loves to mosh, security will kick you out if you start to show signs of ‘the mosher’ as well as ‘the crowd-​surfer’ and ‘stage-​diver’ (if you wanna do these things, then The Joint over at the Hard Rock doesn’t seem to give a damn, so go there to fill all your concert pit needs).
One thing to note are that the ticket prices to see artists at this place are slightly cheaper than at the HOB or The Joint – a useful tip is to try buying tickets at the box office, as you won’t be charged a ridiculous ‘service’ or so that comes through buying tickets online. The only thing you’ll be charged for are facility fees, which should only be like 5 bucks or so.
Other than that, the sound quality at The Railhead is pretty much just like any other venue. I was able to hear the bands very well.
Overall, The Railhead is a decent place to go see artists in an area that’s more chill and not as saturated as the hotel strip. However, it’s not really worth a place frequenting unless your favorite artists booked here and you HAVE to see them play.

Since 9-06-2013,The Railhead hosts the «Las Vegas Rocks» TV show that is recorded on Fridays at 2pm. The show has FREE ADMISSION while being recorded for television and keeps getting better and better with talent and variety. Tony Sacca had a 50 year celebration of being in show business on 9-​27-​2013 that included various acts, preformers, comedians and entertainers. This is one of Las Vegas’ Best Free Entertainment productions that you can see. It can be seen on Channel 1014 at 3pm, Saturdays, the week after being recorded. It’s popularity is growing and will need a larger location to hold the numbers that are attending. If you would like to see excellent talent (For FREE) that you would have to pay big money to see on the Strip, get to the Railhead around 1:30pm on Fridays as it’s first come seating.

I came with with an uncle– and cousin-​in-​law to watch UFC 141.
It was a relatively busy night, but the service was very lackluster. The drink girl came by twice, technically… once to take my order, and once to deliver it. Even though I kept an open tab, I only had one drink since she never came by again to ask me for another one. Bad move, since I would have purchased more drinks if she had come around.
This place has NO food offerings at all — no snacks, appetizers, etc. No outside food is permitted, either. The guy at the door said something about it, that they couldn’t allow food since they allow smoking. Whatever. Bad business decision, since it would be wiser to have your patrons PAY for food and drink instead of paying only for drinks and smoke for free.
The projector used to broadcast the show was slightly «fuzzy.» I would have expected a better projector or TV setup, and the sound system showed significant signs of use… it’s about time for them to either replace some equipment or maybe tune up what they’ve already got.
For a $ 10 cover, it’s not too bad of a place to watch sporting events, but I’d rather find a better place to watch the next event.

The Railhead hosts a steady calendar of live music (and, for a brief but memorable time, the Boulder Station buffet while it was being refurbished), but the shows I’ve been attending at the Railhead for the past six years fall under the «classic» category. You may also know them as «Those Bands That Used to Pack the Stadiums, or At Least Opened for Those Who Did.»
Blue Oyster Cult. John Waite. Howard Jones. Okay, I walked out of Howard Jones. All acoustic? Seriously? Also, the guy in seat behind me whispered that he was going to kill me. Doesn’t really go with «Like to Get To Know You Well.» But that’s an anomaly for the Railhead crowd, which I’d classify as «politely but sincerely enthusiastic and not afraid to fist-​pump or dance, but also self-​conscious enough to sit down when everyone else does so.» Usually. But death threats, definitely a one-​off, don’t let that scare you.
Not everyone has the same wishlist when it comes to venues. Some people want to be able to rush the stage. Even when it means squeezing in front of those who paid handsomely for front-​row seats, even if it’s only three or four people doing this and not a culpability-​burying throng. (I think you’re getting an inkling into my curmudgeon ways.) Some venues are okay with that. (Hilton. Grrr.) At the Railhead, they’ll let you headbang enough for the moment of passion to pass, but then a polite hand on the arm will remind you that if you wanted it, you should’ve put a Visa card on some Section A seats.
The ushers are also good about photography. Look, I’ll cop to having a few shaky hand-​cam videos on YouTube, ones the artist didn’t specifically allow. But they’re terrible. Why? Because I covered the LCD screen so it wouldn’t bother anyone else in the audience. I don’t care if you’re texting in your lap, but surely I’m not the only person to have to stand behind someone with their cellphone raised, and raised, and raised, and raised, up and down throughout the show, the record The Moment. At the Railhead, the ushers will warn you, and you’re the kind of entitled person who has to start doing it again after they leave, the ushers will come back and stand there. Essentially, babysitting you. Because you’re a baby. Stop being babies, people.
(I’m going to scratch «use review as vehicle for related rants» off my To Do list now. Thanks!)
But what about the sound? The seats? The drink service? The feel?
The Railhead is one of those «not a bad seat in the house» places. You’ll get a good view (the screens to each side of the stage are hardly necessary but a nice touch for close-​ups) and the sound is consistent throughout the house. (Sometimes a little muddy if you’re close, but that’s probably a band/​equipment issue.)
The seats themselves… well, I wish they hadn’t started locking them together. I know it makes for easier set-​up/​clean-​up and a uniform look, but my fave trick was to get an end seat and move it juuuuust an inch or so over. Especially if my husband and I got two end seats near the wall. We’d move both seats closer to the wall, not taking up any of the aisle, not bothering anyone, and in fact, giving the next guy over a little more arm room. It’s just part of the Fatty Code of Kindness. (So let’s not talk about the time I optimistically grabbed front-​row center seats for BOC and ended up squished between my husband and, I’m pretty sure, a Samoan wrestler. I did my best, but you can’t suck in your thighs.) Still, these rather generic folding chairs are comfortable, even if we chubby types have to go for the end spots.
Drink servers usually cover the room well, dipping unobstrusively so as not to block the stage, but the bar is a hop and skip to the corner of the room if you want to stretch.
Four stars for good sound in an intimate venue where this 41-​year-​old can sit (almost) comfortably while screaming «GODZILLA!»