CLUB REVIEW : Prince’s Mighty Glam Slam Losing Some of the Glam

Perhaps it’s a sign ‘o’ the times, but the once radiant Glam Slam has lost its luster. The decadent downtown dance club opened by Prince at the beginning of 1993 has quickly come to resemble Sodom--after the fall.

Of the million-dollar renovation the club underwent when it was transformed from Vertigo to Glam Slam, only a couple of notable features remain--the powerful sound system and the opulent columns. The two pillars of groping nudes flanking the dance floor and the giant Egyptian goddesses on each side of the stage are all that’s left of Prince’s erotic-city vision.

The walls are in disrepair, the bathrooms are unkempt, and the club operates with a skeleton crew. If this were the funky Al’s Bar or any number of seedy punk or rock clubs, none of this would be unusual. But because it’s Glam Slam, the home of performances by Prince himself as well as nearly every popular R&B; and hip-hop artist, the attitude permeating the club is more depressing than exhilarating.

Apparently, not even a rock star can get around the main issue: Clubgoers want their Hollywood-style nightclubs in Hollywood.

* Glam Slam, 333 S. Boylston St., downtown . 21 and over (18 and over on announced concert nights and after 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays) . Cover varies . (213) 482-6626.