Park City’s largest live-music venue on Main Street is back in the game.
The Marquis Park City, located at 427 Main St., the former home of Park City Live, Harry O’s and Z Place, will rock and roll again when it opens Thursday with Nas, and that’s only the beginning, said Vaughn Carrick of Live Nite Events (LNE) Presents, the entity that handles the space’s talent, marketing and VIP services.
“We want to increase the frequency of shows to 200 a year, so it’s not just the Friday and Saturday model that it has been in the past,” Carrick said. “Our vision is to create unique events where you will see talent and acts that you may see at much larger venues. We want to bring these acts into The Marquis for intimate experiences.”
Traditionally the space has been known and marketed as a nightclub, which is another thing Carrick and his team wanted to leave in the past.
“We want to make it a true music venue that caters to all genres of music, so it will be more accessible to the community,” he said. “This is, through and through, a concert venue.”
In addition, Carrick wants to add other types of events to The Marquis calendar.
“We’re also going to put a big focus on private and corporate events — from charity fundraisers to the Sundance Film Festival and more,” he said. “We want to make sure the venue, outside the music side of things, will be like a home where people can gather for a variety of different reasons.”
“This certainly will be the finest music venue in any ski resort in North America,” owner Kenny Griswold said while giving an informal tour late last week as workers of all kinds raced the clock to Thursday’s opening. “By far,” he emphasized after a short pause.
Although The Marquis will present various artists and host various events, it will still be a venue for adults, according to Carrick.
“With the Utah liquor laws, we need to hold to being a 21-and-older venue,” he said. “But we will make sure that the experiences will be something people will want to come back to again, and again.”
To adhere to that mission, Griswold has renovated the room from top to bottom, Carrick said.
“Kenny’s extended everything,” he said. “The room capacity went from 800 to 1,200, and there are 14 stalls in each restroom, which used to only have four.”
VIP areas moved upstairs, so the general admission audiences will be able to occupy the main floor, Carrick said.
“There’s not a bad view in the whole venue,” he said.
Along with the sight lines, the upgraded sound system will also add to the audiences’ experiences, Carrick said.
“It was designed by Dave Rat of Rat Sound,” he said. “We fired it up the other day, and I got goosebumps.”
The entire back wall behind the stage will become one of the most sophisticated screens anywhere, Griswold said. The acuity of visuals will be unmatched.
Since Marquis Park City is the new kid on the block, Carrick plans to work closely with Junior
Richard, the manager of The Cabin next door.
“We have worked closely with Junior on previous opportunities, so we plan to help each other again,” Carrick said.
Carrick has a personal connection to the venue.
“I got my start in the music industry when it was Harry O’s,” he said. “I did basic street-team stuff for the venue, so to come back 12-plus years since I’ve been in the room last, in a much different role is a full-circle and special moment to say the least.”
Some of the shows Carrick saw at Harry O’s include Metallica. Lauren Hill. Maroon 5. Kaskade, Tiesto, Pitbull, Kid Kudi.
“The list goes on,” he said.
Carrick also knows how important the legacy 427 Main St. has with Park City.
It opened as the War Veterans Memorial Building in 1940, and was used as a recreation center and used by Park City Municipal for administrative offices and even KPCW Radio.
“The legacy of the room and the history is very important to me, so it’s more than just adding another venue to our portfolio,” Carrick said. “I’ve had my eye on it for a long time, and I’m very happy that the team there has trusted us to come in and revive it. And we want this to be a place where people can go and escape from the every-day craziness.”
For information about The Marquis Park City and to purchase tickets for concerts, visit Themarquispc.com.