Clock Strikes E11EVEN: How the Most Popular Club in America Mined a Decade of Moments in the Magic City

M
onths before Shaboozey had a number one song on the charts, he was having the time of his life at E11EVEN.

On a recent June evening — nay, early morning — the rapper and singer made his way into the famed Miami hotspot to celebrate his breakout single, and the popular “ultraclub’s” milestone tenth anniversary. As the DJ played “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” over the club’s speakers, the rapper was living it up at his private booth, showering neighboring tables and partygoers with wads of cash, while taking shots of Jack Daniel’s with the crowd (to make sure both Shaboozey and E11EVEN have a history with the whiskey brand). He eventually took the mic to perform a remix of the song, pulling fans onto the stage to sing along with him. The clock was about to strike 4 a.m., but for the hundreds of guests who packed E11EVEN that night, the party was just beginning.

Ten years into their storied run, E11EVEN continues to be one of the biggest clubs in the world, drawing the likes of everyone from Leonardo DiCaprio and Kendall Jenner, to UFC stars and the hometown Florida Panthers, who celebrated their recent Stanley Cup win at the venue. To hear the owners tell it though, the story of how E11EVEN came to be, begins with a whimper, and not a bang.

On an un-extraordinary February in 2014, a couple hundred guests from Miami’s social scene filed into a newly-constructed club that sat on the site of what was once a seedy dive bar and gentleman’s club called Gold Rush. The building had been vacant since 2012 and like so many abandoned properties in the city’s downtown westside, people in Magic City were skeptical that there was any magic left to mine from the space.

But still, curiosity got the best of them. And so, on opening night of E11EVEN, a crowd of local press, socialites and entertainers filed into the previously undesirable space to see what all the buzz ws about. “We had everyone from VIPs to everyday club goers to locals,” operating partner Gino LoPinto tells Rolling Stone. “But it wasn’t that aha moment that you would think of at a grand opening, with a line around the building and some big performer. Everyone was skeptical of the space,” he says. “Still, we could feel that something special was going to happen here.”

It’s been ten years since E11EVEN opened in Miami, heralding not only a new venue for the city, but a new era of nightlife for locals and visitors alike, offering an unrivaled mix of music, dance and visual performances. A self-described “ultraclub,” a typical night at E11EVEN now features everything from live DJs and musicians, to aerialists, acrobats, contortionists, light shows and yes, exotic dancers too. Sister restaurant, Giselle, opened on the rooftop in 2023, offering guests a one-stop-shop for dining and entertainment.

E11EVEN reflects the diversity of Miami too, having booked Latin and reggaeton artists like Dandy Yankee, Nicky Jam and Ozuna long before they were on the mainstream radar, while giving local DJs a literal platform on the club’s massive stage.

Even their merchandise is clicking, with E11EVEN logo baseball caps bringing in a reported seven figures a year, per the venue. E11EVEN vodka, meantime, is the fastest-growing vodka in Florida, available at everywhere from restaurants to fine hotels. They’ve even partnered with home accessories brand Hotel Collection for a line of candles and room sprays (and yes, they’re selling out too). And they’ve sold out twin 65-story high-rise towers downtown dubbed the “E11EVEN Residences.”

For founder Dennis DeGori, who made his name as a Las Vegas club owner in the Nineties and early aughts, the concept for E11EVEN was simple: “I thought, this would be a fun place if you could incorporate theater and cabaret into the nightclub experience,” he says, “because nobody was really doing that.”

And then there was the other inspiration for E11EVEN: “I built it with the vision of Yankee Stadium,” DeGori says, smiling, “because I went there as a very young man, and coming out of the corridor and seeing the field open up, is one of my favorite memories.”

Today, the entrance to E11EVEN is reminiscent of walking out from the locker room and into the iconic ballpark, with bright lights illuminating a circular stage rather than a baseball diamond, and a stadium-worthy jumbotron flickering high above the frenzied crowd. It may be in Miami rather than the Bronx, but there’s a championship atmosphere every night. As DeGori puts it: “It’s probably the best vision I have ever had in my life.”

Rolling Stone caught up with LoPinto, DeGori and operating partner Daniel Solomon to talk about the early days of E11EVEN, how the ultraclub has evolved, and what’s next for the now globally-recognized brand.

I want to start from the very beginning. South Beach has always been a popular nightlife destination, but downtown Miami wasn’t always the most desirable location right?

DeGrosi: Downtown Miami was un-gentrified to say the least. And this original building was an old, decrepit, and horribly cold space.

Solomon: It was a three-walled venue with a little bit of random clutter and debris in the middle of it and on a street full of hundreds of homeless people in a very rundown neighborhood with graffiti and trash all over the place. And I was like, “There’s just no way we’re going to have a successful venue; I just don’t see it.” But Gino and Dennis called me and they kind of gave me an ultimatum: this is your chance to join us and you’ll regret it if you don’t do it.

And?

Solomon: I have no regrets.

E11EVEN is known as an “ultraclub” rather than a nightclub. Explain the concept for me.

DeGrosi: I think nightclubs were getting a little bit tired. I think cabarets were getting tired. I think theater is always spectacular. So just in my mind, I wanted to create something different, and something which incorporated all the different concepts, and put it all together.

Solomon: You know, we’re not just a cabaret, we’re not just a nightclub, we’re not just an after hours, we’re not just a show club, and we’re not just a party restaurant; we’re a true hybrid of all those categories. And really creating this hybrid concept is where we coined the phrase “Ultraclub,” for really creating an amazing gel of what entertainment can be on a different level. We have so many friends and guests and clients that come into the club and they’ve also used the phrase, “adult Disneyland.” It’s amazing to hear that.

What was the draw for you Gino, to move to Miami after having established yourself as a nightlife mogul in Las Vegas?

LoPinto: I went through a lot of turmoil with the financial distraught of ’09, 2010 — I lost a lot. So I was in kind of like the perfect time in life to where I was really starting over, but still wanting to be in nightlife and the hospitality industry. But I had nothing major going on at the time in Vegas. I mean, I always landed on my feet there, so I was director of operations with Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club. And Dennis was coming in a lot. I told my wife, “I think Dennis is going to offer me something.” I thought he was buying a club across town. But he said, “Take a trip to Miami with me.” He showed me the plot of land, showed me the blueprints, the concept and said, “I’m offering you a partnership with me on this. And we’re going to do major things. And this is going to lead to other things. Let’s create something special together.”

Daniel, you were also a Vegas transplant.

Yeah, I came from Vegas, where I was operating Tao Group properties for almost 10 years. And Dennis approached me around May of 2013. He was like, “I want to create the kitchen sink concept of nightlife where it’s everything thrown against the wall, and whatever sticks, sticks.” And I was like, “I will never go to Miami. I’ll never live in Miami. I’ve never even been to Miami.” At the time, I was the general manager of the number one club in the world. So I’m like, “Why would I leave to go to work at this 20,000-square-foot venue in Miami that you’re telling me is not in a great area?” But like with Gino, Dennis was very persistent and helped me to see the vision.

Which takes me back to opening night… What was the vibe like with the crowd that evening?

LoPinto: We had this black box invite party, and those people that showed up got an E11EVEN black card that was titanium, just like an American Express black card, and it was loaded with $11,000 in credit on it. And then we opened at midnight to the public with the 24/7 moniker right off the bat that everyone thought was crazy (the club does not close). No, we did not have that line around the building, but oh my god, the feel of the place. Everybody was smiling, high-fiving, and very receptive.

Solomon: As Gino said, there was definitely the “who’s who” that we wanted in the building, but it wasn’t like the critical mass. And, you know, for that first weekend, it was slow. But as guests continued to come into the venue, things evolved. And it continued to evolve for months and months, years and years, to where it’s become the product that we see today.

Most people would open a club or venue with a big-name DJ or performer, but you didn’t have a splashy entertainer on opening night. Why?

LoPinto: Coming from Vegas, you know, these DJs at the time were getting a quarter million dollars. And there wasn’t really a table or bottle sale club that was not based around talent. And I think that still rings true today. You don’t get big table sales unless you have big talent. And part of Dennis’ vision was, “You know, can we create that without relying on talent?” We did not really book our huge initial talent until our first New Year’s party, when we had Usher. That was 11 months after opening.

What is something else you tried to do differently that maybe didn’t work as well?

LoPinto: When we opened, we thought for sure that we would turn this space into a monster dance floor, and it sucked the energy out of the room. Literally, as that stage went down, it looked like a bunch of ants crawling to the wall.

DeGori: We were like, “Okay, put the stage down at 12 o’clock or one o’clock or two o’clock and let’s make this a party and get people to dance.” That’s the one thing we did try. We put it back up in 15 minutes. We knew that was a mistake.

That’s interesting because I noticed there really isn’t much of an official “stage” in the club.

DeGori: That’s intentional. Gino loves to tell this story.

LoPinto: Our second year in business, we had Drake [performing] and his management asked for a soundcheck that day. I was really nervous and getting the tech guys together and it’s like a little bit of a frenzy in there. Drake arrives and he’s like, “Where do people perform here?” I said, “Well, they often perform there,” and I point to the gogo [dancers] box. I said “We’ve had a few performers up in the DJ booth too.” And Drake points to the center stage and says, “Who performs there?” I said, “Actually, we just do our theatrics and extravagant entertainment there,” and he says, “I’m performing there.”

So Drake kind of created that center stage for a musical performance, which we actually tripped out on. We were there that night and the 360 [stage] was something we had never really experienced. You know, there is no backstage — the crowd is the backstage, everybody’s backstage, it’s intimate. You’re right there and he’s high-fiving everyone in the front. And Drake went on to perform eight more times after that over the years. And I think maybe the last time he performed, he bragged about it. He pointed over to our table and said, “I created the center stage. I was the first one to perform here. I broke those boundaries.”

Everyone from Drake to Travis Scott to Cardi B have since graced the E11EVEN stage. What are some of your most memorable celebrity moments?

LoPinto: Leo DiCaprio just walking through and dropping his baseball hat down low. He doesn’t really roll with bodyguards, and he had like one guy. And he had his hat way down like this (*pulls hand over face). He’s sitting there and some people are doing a double take, but not really understanding that Leo DiCaprio is right in front of them.

Solomon: Mine would be Doja Cat, who had just dropped this new album and we kind of discussed the idea of doing a show with her. Traditionally for us, we do a 20-minute minimum and she had maybe two or three radio hits back then, but she literally plays the entire album from start to finish. She did this amazing, hour-long performance and sang every one of her songs. She was big in the social world but it was really the first time I would say that a lot of people were introduced to Doja Cat on a big level.

LoPinto: Post Malone was also one of my favorite nights. We said, “We can’t do a regular presentation with Post.” So Danny put together like, I think it was 11 cases of Bud Light, cut the top off, and put sparklers in it. And we brought a parade of Bud Light out with him. Post ended up ordering $50,000 in singles and had the time of his life.

Who is someone that has yet to come by that you would really like to bring by?

DeGori: That’s easy, Eminem.

Solomon: And I think really the next big category that we will probably go after is trying for Morgan Wallen or Chris Stapleton, doing sort of the country thing.

You now have E11EVEN Vodka and E11EVEN Hotel and Residences and even E11EVEN Crypto. Where do you see the brand going next?

DeGori: The brand’s really translating and resonating with different markets. I think because the club isn’t locked down in one vertical, we have the potential to do festivals; I think we have the potential to do beach clubs around the world; and I definitely think we have the potential to get into casino gaming. So the sky’s the limit of what we can do next.

LoPinto: You know, I wake up and still pinch myself every day and just appreciate the grind that we’ve done. And it never is lost on me that I appreciate the journey even more than the success. The times we’ve had together at the Starbucks on Lincoln Road till five in the morning, talking about the 14-hour day we just had on the construction site — those things are never lost on me. In fact, I’d say that the grind and the hustle is sometimes what I enjoy the most. It never stops.