But still, curiosity got the best of them.
We had everyone from VIPs to everyday club goers to locals, operating partner Gino LoPinto tellsRolling Stone.
Everyone was skeptical of the space, he says.
E11EVEN
Still, we could feel that something special was going to happen here.
And theyve sold out twin 65-story high-rise towers downtown dubbed the E11EVEN Residences.
Luckily, he adds, my co-founders and co-owners Michael Simkins and Marc Roberts agreed.
It may be in Miami rather than the Bronx, but theres a championship atmosphere every night.
As DeGori puts it: Its probably the best vision I have ever had in my life.
I want to start from the very beginning.
DeGori: Downtown Miami was un-gentrified to say the least.
And this original building was an old, decrepit, and horribly cold space.
Solomon: I have no regrets.
E11EVEN is known as an ultraclub rather than a nightclub.
Explain the concept for me.
DeGori: I think nightclubs were getting a little bit tired.
I think cabarets were getting tired.
I think theater is always spectacular.
Its amazing to hear that.
But I had nothing major going on at the time in Vegas.
And Dennis was coming in a lot.
I told my wife, I think Dennis is going to offer me something.
I thought he was buying a club across town.
But he said, Take a trip to Miami with me.
And were going to do major things.
And this is going to lead to other things.
Lets create something special together.
Daniel, you were also a Vegas transplant.
Yeah, I came from Vegas, where I was operating Tao Group properties for almost 10 years.
And Dennis approached me around May of 2013.
And I was like, I will never go to Miami.
Ill never live in Miami.
Ive never even been to Miami.
At the time, I was the general manager of the number one club in the world.
But like with Gino, Dennis was very persistent and helped me to see the vision.
Which takes me back to opening night… What was the vibe like with the crowd that evening?
Everybody was smiling, high-fiving, and very receptive.
And, you know, for that first weekend, it was slow.
But as guests continued to come into the venue, things evolved.
And there wasnt really a table or bottle sale club that was not based around talent.
And I think that still rings true today.
You dont get big table sales unless you have big talent.
And part of Dennis vision was, You know, can we create that without relying on talent?
That was 11 months after opening.
What is something else you tried to do differently that maybe didnt work as well?
Literally, as that stage went down, it looked like a bunch of ants crawling to the wall.
Thats the one thing we did try.
We put it back up in 15 minutes.
We knew that was a mistake.
Thats interesting because I noticed there really isnt much of an official stage in the club.
DeGori: Thats intentional.
Gino loves to tell this story.
Drake arrives and hes like, Where do people perform here?
I said Weve had a few performers up in the DJ booth too.
And Drake points to the center stage and says, Who performs there?
So Drake kind of created that center stage for a musical performance, which we actually tripped out on.
We were there that night and the 360 [stage] was something we had never really experienced.
You know, there is no backstage the crowd is the backstage, everybodys backstage, its intimate.
Youre right there and hes high-fiving everyone in the front.
And Drake went on to perform eight more times after that over the years.
And I think maybe the last time he performed, he bragged about it.
He pointed over to our table and said, I created the center stage.
I was the first one to perform here.
I broke those boundaries.
Everyone from Drake to Travis Scott to Cardi B have since graced the E11EVEN stage.
What are some of your most memorable celebrity moments?
LoPinto: Leo DiCaprio just walking through and dropping his baseball hat down low.
He doesnt really roll with bodyguards, and he had like one guy.
And he had his hat way down like this (*pulls hand over face).
She did this amazing, hour-long performance and sang every one of her songs.
LoPinto: Post Malone was also one of my favorite nights.
We said, We cant do a regular presentation with Post.
And we brought a parade of Bud Light out with him.
Post ended up ordering $50,000 in singles and had the time of his life.
Who is someone that has yet to come by that you would really like to bring by?
DeGori: Thats easy, Eminem.
You now have E11EVEN Vodka and E11EVEN Hotel and Residences and even E11EVEN Crypto.
Where do you see the brand going next?
DeGori: The brands really translating and resonating with different markets.
So the skys the limit of what we can do next.
And it never is lost on me that I appreciate the journey even more than the success.
In fact, Id say that the grind and the hustle is sometimes what I enjoy the most.
