Update: Life Nightclub OUT, The Foundry Hall IN at SLS Las Vegas

The W Las Vegas is set to take over a 289-room tower at the SLS Las Vegas on the north Strip and now a change in direction will affect the resort's nightlife scene and hopefully revive the fortunes of the drama-infested destination.

Life Nightclub will soon officially shutter and turned into 11,148-square-foot performance venue, specially for musical acts. The Foundry Hall will debut next year, with Live Nation Entertainment overseeing the booking of acts.

The estimated construction budget will spend $747,951 to remove booths, dance platforms and current seating plans to create a general admission standing room area, a new stage, screens to block sight-lines of the bars from the stage, but keep the bars intact. The existing DJ booth will also be demolished. A representative for SLS notes the budget for future "enhancements," once the room is stripped down, to rise to "several million."

The room has a maximum occupancy of 1,792, including staff, making it more than double the size of Vinyl's 650-person capacity at the Hard Rock Hotel and on par with the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay, which can fit 2,000 revelers inside when all levels of their venue are in use.

Life Nightclub has only been used sporadically since a July re-think for the space, most recently hosting a Halloween event featuring Lil Wayne. The shift to a live music venue and SLS' willingness in recent months to host alternative acts like veterans The Melvins and The Lemonheads at their 250-patron capacity The Sayers Club, suggests discovering new target audiences is a crucial factor in the resort's recovery.

Update: As reported here earlier, current work permits for mechanical, electrical, demolition and construction were all filed under the name "SLS Life Rock," hinting at a preliminary programming focus and an earlier willingness to fully embrace the SLS brand, an issue no longer necessary under the new official name.