Delirium Shakes It Up
For years USC students trekked across the city to Westwood for a taste of college night life. It wasn’t the thrill of invading UCLA turf that lured Trojans, but the lack of options around their own campus.
The tables, while not completely turned, have shifted at least a few degrees with the addition of Delirium, just blocks from USC.
Once a local discotheque called Leonardo’s Nightclub, Delirium is working on becoming the Thursday night hot spot for the college crowd including--gasp--some Bruins. What’s the draw? The right combination of Hollywood style and college mentality.
Delirium fills a void at USC and UCLA--a dance club tailored to college students. The club opened at the end of January, dubbed Club Envy by promoters Adam Hipp, a current USC student, Rob Lonardo, a recent USC graduate, and Mark Harnois, a Hollywood club promoter. Lonardo recently bowed out because of business disagreements and took the name Envy with him, but Hipp and Harnois are continuing to tweak the dance club to fit the needs of its patrons, including dropping the age limit from 21 to 18.
All the changes are evidence that Delirium is still in the trial-and-error stage. The promoters tried professional dancers in platform shoes with minimal success, threw a Mardi Gras blowout and tonight are bringing in a promotion from Nintendo and Playboy. Hipp is even experimenting with live music, bringing in two bands April 5, and may continue to feature live music Thursdays or another night of the week. “This is just the beginning of great things to come,” he said with sincere enthusiasm.
Nearly Full Since It Opened
But Delirium has this edge: Hipp and Harnois are their demographic, so they know how to throw a successful party. The result has been nearly full houses since the club opened, averaging 1,500 visitors each week.
Such quick success comes not just from filling a void, but also the right attitude. Forget about Hollywood pretentiousness. The idea at Delirium is to have a few drinks, dance a little and just have fun. (If only every club in Los Angeles could say the same.) In true college fashion, there is no dress code, but the unofficial uniform tends to be revealing shirts and tight pants for women while guys opt for a clean pair of jeans and their nicest T-shirt.
Delirium looks small, even seedy, from the outside. But when Thursday night comes around, a line of anxious people at the door suggests something big going on inside.
By 11 p.m., the club is packed with a sea of people tearing it up to a mix of electronica and hip-hop beats provided by rotating DJs. A huge dance area, thumping sound system and laser lights mimic the Hollywood nightclub experience.
Neon Lights on the Walls
The old Leonardo’s still shows through in spots. An odd plastic horse stands just inside the main entrance. The walls of the bar and lobby are covered with a tacky maze of neon lights. But few people notice. Or, if they do, they don’t care.
Of course, the drinks have a lot to do with that, and those are available at nearly every corner of the club. With five full bars, not to mention two beer and shot tubs at the corner of the dance floor, it is still remarkably difficult to get a drink during peak hours.
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* Delirium (formerly Club Envy), at Leonardo’s Nightclub, 2800 Vermont Ave., L.A. Thursdays, 9 p.m.-2 a.m. $7-$10 cover. VIP tickets, which include a table in the VIP room and a free drink, are available for $25. 18 and older. (213) 741-9987 or (323) 860-6656.