This is video of the demolition of the Frontier Hotel in Las Vegas, which occurred on Tuesday, November 13, 2007. You see some of the fireworks display that preceded the bringdown…and I always think these say something about that city. It's not spectacular enough that they're about to blow up an entire building. Someone actually said, "Gee…it needs something. Maybe we oughta have a fireworks display first."
And I've never really understood the point of these. That's — what:? — a few hundred thousand dollars worth of fireworks. Why? Who profits from getting a big crowd to turn out for the demolition and making sure they're entertained? There's no two-drink minimum to watch it. No one sets up slot machines in the viewing areas. Of what value is that publicity to anyone? More to the point, aren't they just drawing crowds away from the gaming tables and other places where they'd be spending/losing money? I'm not groping for a bit here. I really don't understand how anyone profits from (a) drawing a crowd for the implosion and (b) spending money on fireworks to make the moment more special. There are those who'd say just exploding that hotel was memorable enough. It was a true Vegas landmark rich with history, some of it not the most pleasant history.
Here's the end of all that history…