The doors to a Main Street party favorite for UB students have finally reopened after much delay. Formerly "Cloud 9," the refurbished "La Boom" boasts a new VIP section and fully stocked bathrooms that no longer flood. Most importantly, the pungent smell of vomit has dissipated significantly.
Former regulars of the large nightspot located on the corner of Minnesota Avenue and Main Street were overjoyed to see yet another opening night at the familiar building. In the past six years, this same location has opened its doors under the management of four teams of different owners and bore just as many names. Due to a stabbing that occurred last semester, police have kept an extremely close watch to ensure the new owners - whose names the club employees interviewed refused to release - do everything in their power to keep a similar event from ever transpiring again.
"(La Boom) is a completely different place now," Susan Scotto, a junior communication major and club employee, said. "The owners put a lot of money into it and hope to make a new name for the place, free of the stigma attached to its location."
La Boom has already begun to attract a different crowd than Cloud 9. Many of the bartenders hired are not UB students and bring friends from the area to support them. While Wednesday nights have been popular with Canisius College students, scores of UB faces can still be seen walking around the spacious bar during the famous Buffalo weekends that really begin on Thursday.
According to Chad Rosenwasser, a senior business major and former Cloud 9 regular, Cloud 9 left "tough shoes to fill."
"[La Boom] was fun, but probably won't live up to the old Cloud 9," said Rosenwasser.
Jaime Lesser, a sophomore health and human services major, is more optimistic about the new nightspot.
"It's much roomier than other bars in the area," Lesser said. "It is nice to be able to walk around without getting bumped into and spilled on."
With a $4 cover charge and drinks starting at $2.50, La Boom is priced consistently with other bars in the immediate area. It is unique, however, in its inclusion of a VIP section. Adding a touch of class to the club, this section is reserved, like its counterparts in pricier clubs, for groups who buy bottles and would prefer to hang out on the couches and chat instead of dancing or haunting the bar all night.
The music selection also differs from the tunes played elsewhere on Main Street. A combination of hip-hop, house and dance music blasts over the new sound system, while drastic lighting adds to the club effect aimed for by the three anonymous owners.
While Cloud 9 regulars make light of the fine adjustments, the initial impression is best described as a facelift. The tops of both the main and side bars have been replaced, while the bathrooms have been gutted and repaired. The floors have received a well-needed scrubbing. Overall, the place is clean, and a welcome addition to the University Heights strip, while still maintaining the familiarity of an old favorite.
Due to La Boom's lack of advertising and the additional four-block walk from the Steer, many students probably haven't even had the opportunity to form an opinion about the bar just yet. Before the snow begins to fall and the extra walking seems more treacherous than the lines at the Steer, try to shake up your Main Street ritual. Instead of making a beeline for PJ's, start at La Boom before heading downtown. There just might be a stool available at Main Street's brand new old place to party.
Photo: Courtesy of Mitchell Kish
