It’s been years since the neon lights dimmed for good at 10910 North Rodney Parham Road, yet people still talk about Power Ultra Lounge Little Rock like it happened yesterday. Why? Because it wasn't just a club. It was the epicenter of a moment that changed how an entire city viewed nightlife, safety, and the intersection of entertainment and local government.
For some, it was the "it" spot. A place to see and be seen. For others, it’s a cautionary tale written in police reports and emergency room records.
Most people remember the headlines from July 2017. They remember the chaos. But if you want to understand the actual legacy of this venue, you have to look past the sensationalism and see the messy, complicated reality of a business that tried to be everything to everyone and ended up losing it all.
The Rise and Fall of the Rodney Parham Vibe
The space occupied by Power Ultra Lounge Little Rock wasn't always a lightning rod for controversy. Located in a shopping center in West Little Rock, it sat in a part of town that usually trends toward quiet retail and casual dining. It was a second-story venue. It had that tucked-away, exclusive feel that club promoters dream of.
You’d walk up those stairs and feel like you were leaving the strip mall vibes behind. Inside, it was all about the booths, the bottle service, and the heavy bass. In its prime, the club pulled in massive crowds. It filled a void in the local scene, offering a high-energy urban nightlife experience that was hard to find elsewhere in the city at the time.
But the energy was volatile.
Running a nightclub is a balancing act. You need the crowd to stay profitable, but you need control to stay open. By early 2017, the scales were tipping. Neighbors were complaining. Property owners were getting nervous. The police were becoming regulars, and not for the music.
A Summer Night That Changed Everything
We have to talk about July 1, 2017. Honestly, it’s the only reason many people outside of Central Arkansas even know the name Power Ultra Lounge Little Rock.
That night, a concert featuring Finese 2Tymes was underway. The room was packed way beyond what anyone would call "comfortable." The air was thick. Then, in a matter of seconds, everything broke.
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Over 20 people were shot.
Think about that number for a second. In a single room. In a single city. It remains one of the largest mass casualty shootings in Arkansas history where, miraculously, no one died from their injuries. But the physical scars were only half of it. The psychological impact on the city was massive. Little Rock woke up the next morning to national news cameras and a heavy question: How did this happen?
The investigation revealed a messy web of permit violations and security lapses. The club was operating under a "restaurant" permit but was clearly functioning as a full-scale lounge and concert venue. This is a common trick in the industry—using a food-focused license to bypass the stricter requirements of a "private club" or tavern permit— but when things go wrong, that paperwork trail becomes a noose.
Why the City Moved So Fast
Usually, city bureaucracy moves at the speed of a tired snail. Not this time. Within hours of the shooting, the city’s leadership, led by then-Mayor Mark Stodola, moved to shut the place down.
They didn't just pull the business license. They went after the "public nuisance" angle.
The city revoked the club’s privilege license. The Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) board stepped in. The landlord, perhaps sensing the legal tidal wave coming, issued an eviction notice almost immediately. It was a scorched-earth approach to local governance.
This aggressive response wasn't just about one shooting, though. It was a reaction to months of escalating tension. There had been previous incidents—noise complaints, smaller fights, reports of weapons. The July 1st event was just the breaking point that allowed the city to flex its muscles.
The Lingering Impact on Little Rock Nightlife
If you go to a club in Little Rock today, you’re feeling the ghost of Power Ultra Lounge Little Rock.
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The city tightened its grip on how venues are permitted. The "restaurant-to-nightclub" pipeline got a lot narrower. Law enforcement began coordinating more closely with the ABC to perform "walk-throughs" of popular spots.
But there’s a flip side to this.
A segment of the community felt like the crackdown was targeted. There’s always a fine line between "public safety" and "killing the vibe." When the city shuttered Power, it also created a vacuum. People still wanted a place to go, but now every venue owner was terrified of a single incident ending their livelihood.
The Legal Aftermath
The lawsuits were, predictably, a mess.
Victims sued the club. They sued the promoters. They sued the property owners. The legal battles dragged on for years, highlighting a grim reality: when a tragedy like this happens at a private business, there is rarely enough insurance or assets to truly compensate the victims for what they’ve lost.
The promoter of the event eventually faced his own legal troubles, including federal weapons charges that were unrelated to the shooting itself but surfaced during the heat of the investigation. It was a domino effect of bad luck and bad decisions.
What Most People Get Wrong About the Venue
There’s a misconception that Power Ultra Lounge Little Rock was a "death trap" from day one.
That’s not really true.
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Early on, it was seen as a legitimate business venture in a growing part of the city. It had investors. It had a vision. The failure wasn't in the concept; it was in the execution and the lack of oversight. When you stop prioritizing the "boring" stuff—capacity limits, professional security teams, permit compliance—you’re basically building a house on a fault line.
It’s also worth noting that the shooters weren't "the club." They were individuals who took advantage of a chaotic environment. However, the venue is always the one left holding the bill for the atmosphere it permits.
The Reality of Rodney Parham Today
Today, that stretch of Rodney Parham has moved on, sort of.
The physical space has seen changes, but the stigma of "The Power Ultra Lounge Shooting" still hangs over the address. For real estate developers, it’s a "stigmatized property." For locals, it’s a landmark of a night they’d rather forget.
Little Rock has seen a resurgence in other areas—Soma, Argenta, the River Market—but the "Ultra Lounge" model has largely been replaced by smaller, more controlled "cocktail bars" or larger, dedicated concert halls with intense security protocols.
Lessons for Business Owners and Patrons
If you’re looking at the history of this venue, there are actual, actionable takeaways here. It's not just a story; it's a blueprint for what to avoid.
- Verify the Permit: If you’re a promoter, ask to see the venue’s ABC permit. If they’re running a 500-person concert on a "Cafe" license, you are at risk.
- Security isn't just "Guys at the Door": Real security involves metal detection, crowd flow management, and communication. Power lacked the infrastructure to handle the volume of people it admitted that night.
- The "Exit" Strategy: Always know where the back stairs are. In the Power shooting, the fact that it was a second-story venue with limited exit points contributed heavily to the panic and the injuries sustained during the crush to leave.
- Community Relations Matter: A business that ignores its neighbors is a business that will have no allies when things go wrong.
Power Ultra Lounge Little Rock serves as a stark reminder that the hospitality industry is about more than just hospitality. It’s about the silent contract between a business and its patrons: You give us your time and money, and we provide a space where you can be reasonably safe. When that contract is broken, the lights don't just go out. They stay out.
To stay informed on current local regulations or to find the latest vetted entertainment spots in Central Arkansas, check the Little Rock City Board’s public records for active business licenses or visit the official Arkansas ABC website to see venue ratings and history. Knowledge of where you're going is the first step in ensuring a night out doesn't become a headline.