Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Heads-up: Don’t try swimming at Cosmo pool concerts!

Bright Eyes

Scott Harrison/Retna

But he said we could! An invitation from Oberst (center) led to the dismissal of several fans Saturday night at the Cosmopolitan’s Boulevard Pool.

Full review of this weekend’s TV on the Radio/Arctic Monkeys and Bright Eyes shows to run in this week’s print edition of Las Vegas Weekly, but for now …

A very strange thing happened Saturday night at the Cosmopolitan's Boulevard Pool. Bright Eyes leader Conor Oberst encouraged audience members to jump in the water, a few did—and they were promptly escorted out of the venue by hotel security and, in one case, Metro police officers.

I saw no signs declaring the pool off-limits. Nor was the pool was roped off. In fact, lots of folks had their feet in the water all night and were not bothered. None of the swimmers appeared to be doing anything dangerous. And yet, from the reaction of security, you’d have thought they’d attempted to make off with stolen casino chips.

After watching the police drag off the female companion of one of the swimmers—literally, they picked her up and carried her through the glass doors, even though she herself hadn’t taken a dip—I walked over to a Cosmo employee to ask why swimming was such a problem.

“Alcohol and water don’t mix,” she replied sternly. Hmm. If the swimmers were super drunk they hadn’t seemed it. I asked her why there weren’t “No Swimming!” signs posted, to which she responded, “Have you ever been to a pool show?” Well yes, dozens, and I recall folks swimming to the music at the Palms. Hard Rock Hotel, Green Valley Ranch and Mandalay Beach, to name a few here in Las Vegas. Then she said, “It’s common sense,” threw up her hands to signal she was finished explaining, and walked away.

My friend got similar answers from a member of the security detail: “Alcohol and water don’t mix” and “Common sense,” etc.

Here’s the thing, Cosmo. If you don’t want people swimming in your pool, maybe you should tell them before they take a dip, not after. Other options: Drain the pool. Cover it. Post guards around it.

But tossing concert-goers out for breaking an unposted no-swimming rule? Isn't that a little like, say, kicking folks out of the casino for wearing a baseball cap backwards or smoking the wrong brand of cigar? Sure, you can do it, but should you?

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