Missing a Beat

Blue, the new nightclub at the former Las Palmas Theatre, couldn’t have a better location. The spacious dance venue sits just below Hollywood Boulevard on Las Palmas Avenue, right next door to the famed Italian restaurant Miceli’s. Within a few blocks are such other hot hubs as Three Clubs, the Room and Vynyl, another new Hollywood nightclub.

There’s only one problem. The neighboring competitors serve as reminders that even in Hollywood, a venue’s got to have soul.

Things hadn’t quite heated up on the dance floor when I arrived at Blue on a recent Wednesday evening. To give it some time, I dropped in on Miceli’s. The famous two-tiered joint was packed: In the bar, a jazz combo performed warm old standards, a couple enjoyed their first date, a group of friends celebrated a birthday and a regular customer discussed the news of the day with the bartender. Mr. Miceli, the restaurant’s original owner, sang a few songs with the band and when he was finished, the guests erupted in applause. It felt good to hang out at such a classic Hollywood venue.

Back at Blue, a few more folks had trickled in. The month-old, two-room club was playing excellent music from the 1980s, but still something was missing--that intangible but essential element known as soul. Soul is handed down from the owners and reflected in every facet of a nightclub.

Blue’s owners collectively run some of L.A.’s most successful 18-and-over gothic, industrial and dark-wave dance clubs. Here, they kept the renovations simple--maybe too simple. The modest face-lift consists of a new paint job and sound system, with ample room to sit down or dance. There’s a roomy outdoor smoking patio, a large video screen and a dozen or so video monitors that make up the base of a spacious bar. Because there are two rooms, the club can feature separate deejays simultaneously.

The current weekly promotions consist of Nocturne, a Monday-night gothic club; 1984, Wednesday’s ‘80s dance club; Transmission, Friday’s techno scene; and Saturday’s all-things-alternative dance club, Stigmata. The deejay lineup for each club night is strong, featuring some of the underground music scene’s brightest talents. And because it’s one of the few 18-and-older venues in the heart of Hollywood, it’s got an edge over much of the dance competition.

But overall, Blue is cold. Just like the Tin Man, it’s missing a heart.

We left and drove down to Three Clubs--which, like Miceli’s, was full of mad life on a weeknight. The music was pumping, the chatter fast and furious. Was it the details? The black glitter ceiling, the ornamental wallpaper? No, it’s merely alive, full of warmth and energy.

Quite simply, if Blue doesn’t find its pulse soon, it’ll be Code Blue.

BE THERE

Blue, 1642 Las Palmas Ave., Hollywood, (323) 462-7442. Opens at 10 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. 18 and older. Cover varies.