DJ Kygo’s New Palm Tree Club Is The Latest Transformation Of Downtown Kansas City
Kansas City sits at a unique intersection of the United States–a Midwestern mainstay bordering the Plains with a sprinkle of Southern charm. That location is its superpower which contributes to its evolving identity, and the ascension of the Chiefs doesn’t hurt either.
It’s also home to the latest endeavor of the growing empire of DJ Kygo’s Palm Tree Crew, known for its lavish clubs in Miami and Vegas, and music festivals in destinations like Aspen and St. Tropez, now making its mark in the Midwest with the opening of Palm Crew Club Kansas City.
Recent changes seen in downtown Kansas City’s Power & Light District are a reflection of the deep investment in the city as a growing market with more to offer than one may assume. “We change people’s perceptions of what they think about an area and create a vibrancy,” Reed Cordish, Principal at The Cordish Companies, tells me. “There’s a pride in Kansas City that's palpable.”
“We’ve got great restaurants and great entertainment concepts,” says Cordish, who also acts as CEO of Cordish’s Live! Hospitality and Entertainment division, including Kansas City Live!. “But [Palm Tree Club] marries the two into one venue.”
That marriage distinguishes Palm Tree Club as a new global destination for an all-inclusive vacation even in the most unassuming places. “The vibe is supposed to be relaxing, but upbeat,” Palm Tree Club co-owner Myles Shear tells me. “We try to make it feel like a tropical paradise.”
Miami Meets The Midwest
The casual luxury of Miami always makes its mark at Palm Tree Crew events around the world. That feeling is what has defined Palm Tree Crew in all its different forms.
Temperatures during opening weekend in Kansas City broke 90 degrees with sunny skies and muggy air, making it feel as if Miami itself made a cameo. Although the Indian summer will end at some point, Palm Tree Club is permanently a new getaway in downtown Kansas City.
The experience begins as you approach the corner of 14th and Main with playful greens against natural wood frames and neon pink lights–a sight that wouldn’t pop into mind right away when thinking ‘Kansas City.’ But that’s exactly the goal.
Shear has represented Kygo in his music career for the past 12 years and together they formed Palm Tree Crew, a tropical-inspired lifestyle brand that stretches music festivals, nightclubs and hospitality venues along with its management, investment and activation arms. “The first thing we started with was music festivals. That’s what we know,” Shear says. “All of a sudden, people wanted to bring that lifestyle experience to restaurants and hotels.”
Kansas City is Palm Tree’s fourth iteration of the concept, with a beach club at the MGM Grand in Vegas and a restaurant-club at Live! at The Pointe Orlando, most similar to the Kansas City venue. “In the beginning, it started by creating a brand for Kygo’s fans,” Shear says. “Now it’s a much bigger community.”
The open air feeling inside Palm Tree Club KC revolves around a blue fusion quartzite bar encasing a wavy bar-to-ceiling backbar acting as the spiral centerpiece for the entire space. Backlit in pink, it draws attention up as it bulges towards the ceiling, where the eye is met with shrubbery and more waves, here in the format of mirrors for a 360 degree visual playground.
A custom DJ booth, honoring Kygo’s own music roots, overlooks the dining room and patio with surrounding projections of paradise as the flow leads upstairs towards the lounge. But a detour showcasing photos of Kygo and his Palm Tree Crew friends leads to the other event space, the outdoor rooftop with another full bar and DJ booth where headlining events will occur. The surrounding skyscrapers envelop anyone who steps outside and looks up, reminding you you’re in Kansas City.
The design was led by Beth Bloom of Beth Bloom Designs, who also spearheaded Palm Tree Crew Orlando. “We wanted to evoke the same feeling of a never-ending summer and carry that over, but also respect the urban environment," Bloom tells me. “We left the [external] exposed brick…but once you walk into the door we added lush botanicals, botanical tones and natural textures…It’s fun, it's flirty. We don’t take ourselves too seriously.”
Such a concept would simply be another addition to the Miami and Vegas market energies. “But in the Midwest, sometimes that’s lacking,” Shear says. “We wanted to bring this concept to places that need a good tropical escape.”
The Palm Tree approach is to offer everything someone may desire in a night out all in one single venue, whether they be a tourist or a local. “Each city has their own thing,” Shear says. “No one was bringing a concept like this to Kansas City…with a music element, drinks and good food…an experience.”
A New Chapter In KC
Shear and his business partner, Michael Diaz, were eager to test out a Palm Tree restaurant concept, starting in Orlando. It worked, so the next goal was to find its next home. His affinity for the Chiefs helped get his eyes set on Kansas City.
“We’re not trying to go in and do things alone,” he says, which sparked his eagerness to work with The Cordish Companies, which owns Kansas City’s Power & Light District, a 10-block radius of culture, dining and business in downtown Kansas City. “The middle of a city where action's happening is where our brand belongs.”
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