“BRETT’S VEGAS VIEW”
DATE: Sunday, Dec. 13, 2015
BY: Jackie Brett
VEGAS COLUMN
THE KILLERS PERFORM FIRST CONCERT AT NEW LAS VEGAS ARENA
Las Vegas’ hometown band, The Killers, will be the first act to perform in the new Las Vegas Arena for the grand opening on April 6, 2016. The concert will serve as a tribute to Las Vegas’ unique history of timeless talent and will include special guests “Mr. Las Vegas” Wayne Newton and newcomer and North Las Vegas local Shamir whose debut EP “Northtown” was released in 2014 and first LP, “Ratchet,” in May 2015. Tickets start at $35.
The opening will celebrate Las Vegas and its homegrown talent. The Killers are a Las Vegas-based four-piece band formed in 2003 featuring singer/keyboardist Brandon Flowers, drummer Ronnie Vanucci, guitarist Dave Keuning and bassist Mark Stoermer.
GARTH BROOKS ADDS MORE DATES TO LAS VEGAS ARENA TOUR STOP
Garth Brooks has added more dates to the tour stop next summer at the new Las Vegas Arena. The added dates are Friday and Saturday, June 24-25 at 7 p.m. The previously announced dates are Saturday, July 2 at 7 p.m., Sunday, July 3 at 7 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. and Monday, July 4 at 5 p.m. Tickets will cost $85.
RIHANNA’S TOUR STOP ANNOUNCES SECOND SHOW AT MANDALAY BAY
Due to extraordinary demand for her Friday, April 29 concert, eight-time GRAMMY Award®-winner Rihanna will bring The Anti World Tour back to the Mandalay Bay Events Center for a second electrifying performance Saturday, April 30, 2016.
Rihanna has become a modern music, entertainment and fashion icon. As an accomplished performer, she has sold 54 million albums and 210 million digital tracks worldwide making her the top-selling digital artist of all time. She’s released seven albums in seven years, achieved 13 No. 1 singles and won eight GRAMMY Awards.
COMEDIAN CARROT TOP GETS FIVE-YEAR EXTENSION AT THE LUXOR
After an unprecedented 10-year run, the Luxor has signed a five-year contract renewal through 2020 with resident comedian Scott “Carrot Top” Thompson. Carrot Top performs six nights a week inside the Atrium Showroom.
Carrot Top’s storied career has allowed him to develop a genre of comedy that is self-explained as a combination of George Carlin for his “observational humor,” Steven Wright for his “dark, sick humor,” and Gallagher for his use of props. His resident show is ever-evolving reflecting current headlines, consistently poking fun at pop culture, politics and music.
ARIA REVEALS NEW TOWER SUITES AND PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS
Promotiong luxury, ARIA is introducing ARIA Tower Suites, a collection of 258 suites with exceptional amenities including the new Tower Suites Lounge located via a separate entrance in the ARIA lobby, curbside greeting, welcome amenity, special turn down service, signature horticulture designs, priority taxi line access and more. The accommodations range from the 920-square-foot Corner Suite to the 2,000-square-foot Executive Hospitality Suite.
Other recent enhancements include a convention center refresh, The Event Space at Crystals and two new restaurants, Carbone and Herringbone.
Scheduled for completion the end of this month, upgrades to the 300,000-square-foot convention space will feature four new fully customizable media walls, high-tech furniture, charging stations, registration areas and more.
Adjacent to ARIA, The Shops at Crystals now include 13,000 square feet of multi-level, flexible meeting space that is able to accommodate up to 980 guests.
One new culinary Italian-American cuisine option is Carbone, a celebrated concept from New York that opened in October with Captain tableside service. The restaurant has several distinctive spaces including a striking private dining room with one long table that can accommodate up to 40 guests or that can be divided into two smaller rooms. Other spaces include a semi-private 30-seat White Room, the 60-seat Blue Room with walls composed of tiles from New York subway stations, and the 105-seat Red Room with a floor-to-ceiling Murano Glass Crystal Chandelier.
Late this month, Herringbone will open with the first indoor, outdoor dining experience seating 111at ARIA while the lounge will accommodate up to 66 guests.
THE VENETIAN WILL PRESENT ‘AN EVENING WITH SOPHIA LOREN’
Award winning, Italian icon and actress Sophia Loren will grace the stage at The Venetian Theatre inside The Venetian® on Saturday, March 26 at 8 p.m. She was part of the opening ceremony of The Venetian when the hotel and casino debuted in 1999. Loren will treat fans to an unforgettable night of firsthand, personal accounts including such topics as her life in Italy, film career and private memories. Guests will also have the opportunity to ask questions for the actress through a moderator and to be answered by Loren on stage. Tickets start at $69.95.
Loren, born Sophia Scicolone in Rome, started her career when she entered a beauty pageant at the age of 14, which caught the eye of producer Carlo Ponti, who would sign her to a contract and later become her husband.
JOURNEY AND THE DOOBIE BROTHERS SET 2016 TOUR
Journey and The Doobie Brothers will bring the “San Francisco Fest 2016” tour to Mandalay Bay Events Center Saturday, Aug. 27, 2016, bringing together two groups that helped define the “San Francisco Sound” with special guest legendary rocker Dave Mason.
Neal Schon founding member and lead guitarist, original member bassist Ross Valory, and longtime members keyboardist Jonathan Cain and lead singer Arnel Pineda, are welcoming drummer Steve Smith back into Journey, marking the first time he will perform with the band since 1998. Smith has lent his talent to several of Schon’s solo albums, including critically acclaimed “The Calling,” and most recently, “Vortex.” In 2016, Schon will start his “Neal Vortex Schon” Japan tour in February before the summer tour with Journey.
DURAN DURAN WILL VISIT MANDALAY BAY IN 2016
Multi-platinum superstars Duran Duran will make a stop at the Mandalay Bay Events Center Friday, July 29 in support of its current album “Paper Gods.” The legendary band, CHIC, led by guitarist Nile Rodgers, will appear as special guests.
Every ticket purchased online for Duran Duran’s 2016 headline tour will receive redemption instructions for a standard physical copy of “Paper Gods,” which was release worldwide Sept. 11.
MEGADETH BRINGS ‘DYSTOPIA WORLD TOUR’ TO THE PALMS
MEGADETH’s North American leg of their Dystopia World Tour will include a stop at The Pearl inside the Palms on Feb. 26, 2016, at 7 p.m. Joining MEGADETH will be special guests Suicidal Tendencies, Children of Bodom and Havok. Tickets start at $54.
MEGADETH will be on tour in support of their new album “Dystopia” being released on Universal Music Enterprises /Tradecraft / T-Boy Records on Jan. 22, 2016. Along with band visionary Dave Mustaine at the helm, MEGADETH’s current touring lineup will be Kiko Loureiro (formerly of Angra) on guitar, David “Junior” Ellefson on bass, and drummer Chris Adler (Lamb of God), all of who are featured on the new album.
MEGADETH burst onto the scene 30 years ago, virtually inventing a Thrash Metal genre with their debut album “Killing Is My Business…And Business Is Good!” that sold more than 38 million albums worldwide and earned 11 Grammy® nominations.
ANDREW DICE CLAY HEADLINES LAUGH FACTORY AT TROPICANA
America’s outrageous comic Andrew Dice Clay will bring his controversial persona to the stage to the Laugh Factory Showroom at the All New Tropicana Dec. 11,12, 13, plus Jan. 1, 2, 4, 21, 22 and 23 at 10 p.m.
Dice’s rise to fame was meteoric, creating Dicemania. He was the first and only comedian to sell out over 300 sports arenas across the country to an audience of more than 12 million people. He was also the first comedian to sell out Madison Square Garden two nights in a row. In 1992, Dice performed in front of the largest audience ever by a comedian when he shared the stage with Guns & Roses at the Rose Bowl. Along the way, Dice starred in numerous feature film and television roles. In 2016, the Dice Man will star in a scripted comedy series on Showtime that will be very loosely based on the actor-comedian's own life titled DICE.
‘CIRCUS XTREME’ WILL VISIT THOMAS & MACK CENTER
Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey® will present Circus XTREME blending traditional circus elements with contemporary spectacles at the Thomas & Mack Center from Thursday-Sunday, June 16-19 for seven performances. All ticket holders can go behind the scenes at the Animal Open Hour one and a half hours prior to show time. Adult tickets start at $20 and children’s at $10.
ARIZONA CHARLIE’S HAS REMODELED CHARLIE’S MARKET BUFFET
Arizona Charlie's Decatur has unveiled a totally-renovated Charlie’s Market Buffet in a sleek, modernized environment. Known for its variety and value the buffet serves diners American and international cuisine and has carving stations as well as weekly specials such as “Specialty Steak Night,” where diners can feast on superior cuts of cooked-to-order New York steak on Fridays and carved strip steak on Saturdays from 4–9 p.m. Dinner is served daily, lunch Monday-Saturday, brunch on Sunday, and breakfast on Friday and Saturday.
NEVADA’S GAS CHAMBER CHAIR IS ON DISPLAY AT THE MOB MUSEUM
The newest exhibit at The Mob Museum downtown is the execution chair from Nevada’s gas chamber, which is on loan from the Nevada State Museum in Carson City, Nev. The first state to execute criminals using lethal gas was Nevada. Its last gas chamber, built in 1951, was modeled on California’s gas chamber at San Quentin. Nevada executed a total of 32 people in its gas chamber through 1983, when the state switched to lethal injection as its method of execution.
GRIMALDI’S PIZZERIA SPONSORS NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM VISITATION
Grimaldi’s Pizzeria is sponsoring free admission to the Las Vegas Natural History Museum for all families in Southern Nevada on Saturday, Dec. 19 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The Museum’s 9th annual cultural celebration “A December To Remember” will also kick off on Saturday, Dec. 19 with special programs including a visit from Santa from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., as well as displays featuring a variety of cultural traditions celebrated around the world during this time of year.
In addition, patrons who visit Grimaldi’s Pizzeria throughout December may bring their receipt to the Museum and receive 2-for-1 admission through Wednesday, Dec. 30.
FAST TRACKING NEWS
Grammy Award-winning sibling trio The Band Perry with front woman Kimberly Perry and her brothers Reid and Neil Perry has been added to the entertainment lineup at The Chelsea inside The Cosmopolitan on Friday, April 29. Tickets start at $35.
The Bellagio’s Conservatory & Botanical Gardens holiday season display running through Jan. 3 highlights a 42-foot White Fir holiday tree adorned with 7,000 twinkling white lights and 2,500 colorful ornaments. The display is complimentary and open to public seven days a week, 24 hours a day.
Tony Orlando will celebrate the holiday season with his Christmas show at the South Point from Dec. 17-20 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets start at $45.
“Christmas with the Celts” will be held in the Access Showroom at Aliante on Saturday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. The show will feature a blend of traditional Irish and Scottish Christmas Carols mixed with American holiday classics performed using uilleann pipes, Irish whistles, drums, mandolin, banjo and accompanied by Irish step dancers. Tickets start at $27.50
Recently, international superstar Tom Cruise was spotted at XS Nightclub at Wynn for his first-ever Las Vegas nightclub experience where Nick Hissom performed. Cruise was with movie director, producer and screenwriter Christopher McQuarrie following the NASCAR Spirit Cup Awards Ceremony where Cruise honored racing legend Jeff Gordon.
In commemoration of the 59th anniversary of the legendary night that inspired the hit musical “Million Dollar Quartet” the Las Vegas company celebrated with a MDQ-themed cake presentation. The cake, designed to replicate the Sun Records studio, featured the members of the quartet in a creative and fun ‘50s-style creation.
The innovative and internationally renowned photography company LUMAS will launch a new flagship store/gallery on Dec. 17 at the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian and The Palazzo. LUMAS was established by two collectors in 2003 and has grown with 40 galleries worldwide featuring more than 1,800 hand-signed limited edition works at affordable prices.
The Venetian® and The Palazzo® will hold their culinary event of the year Ultimo - A Weekend of Excellence Dec. 17-20. This year’s featured entertainer at The Grand Banquet, the weekend’s marquee event, will be Christina Grimmie best known as a top three finalist on season six of “The Voice” on Team Adam Levine. Grimmie has opened for Selena Gomez and independently released two albums.
A lucky guest won big while playing the Wheel of Fortune slot machine at SLS Las Vegas. Robert Quni, who was visiting Las Vegas from Rochester Hills, Mich., turned his 75-cent bet into $743,401.77.
Wednesday nights at Downtown Summerlin have Hal Savar, nicknamed the “Human Jukebox,” is bringing his interactive, live acoustic music to CRAVE American Kitchen & Sushi Bar through Jan. 27 from 6-9 p.m. Food and drink specials are available in the bar area during his sets and there is no cover charge.
For Opportunity Village’s 11th annual Las Vegas Great Santa Run 9,079 Kris Kringle lookalikes were joined by celebrities: Wayne Newton; Jabbawockeez; cast members of “Jersey Boys” Las Vegas; male revue stars The Chippendales; Miss Nevada USA, Emelina Adams and Miss Teen Nevada USA, Carissa Morrow; and Jaime Lynch and the girls of FANTASY.
Nacho Daddy is celebrating its fifth anniversary at all three valley locations with a variety of $5 food and drink specials Dec. 14–18 from 2–7 p.m. Locally owned and operated, Nacho Daddy has had a local presence since 2010 when it opened a Henderson location followed by venues Downtown and in Summerlin.
The Golden Nugget is hosting family-friendly Movies at the Tank showing film classics alongside the 200,000 gallon Shark Tank aquarium. The December movie, “A Christmas Story” will be shown on Dec. 19 at 7 p.m. with first come, first served seating.
The city of Las Vegas is looking for artisan vendors to showcase and sell their work at the 2016 Bluegrass Festival’s Craft Market scheduled Saturday, April 9, 2016, from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Durango Hills Park. Applications are free and due by Feb. 29.
SOUTH POINT EQUESTRIAN CENTER ADDS VIP HORSE STALLS
With more than 40 weeks of equestrian events booked in 2016, South Point Arena and Equestrian Center has partnered with Triple Crown Nutrition and Stotz Equipment to create an enhanced boarding environment for horses and competitors staying at the premier equestrian facility.
Triple Crown Nutrition will sponsor the arena’s VIP stalls, complete with five state-of-the-art stalls located near the arena main entrance. The hand crafted 10 foot by 10 foot stalls offer all the comforts a horse could need. In addition, Stotz Equipment will sponsor the facility’s barn equipment, including John Deere Gators, used to guarantee the 1,200 stall area is clean and well maintained, and John Deer tractors, used to groom the arena.
HOLIDAY CHOCOLATE DISPLAY BY CHEFS CAN BE SEEN AT NEIMAN MARCUS
Neiman Marcus is presenting Sugar and Spice & Everything Nice, an edible holiday display custom created by Las Vegas chefs, Robert Teddy and Travis Martinez. The scene features two figures measuring more than four feet tall - Jack and Jewel Frost - fashioned from more than 300 pounds of chocolate, 275 pounds of sugar, 50 pounds of cake, plus icing and sugar glass. Each figure is adorned with sugar cookie jewelry, including a specially designed tiara for Jewel Frost.
Teddy is owner of M. Antoinette Cakes and pastry instructor at Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts. Martinez is a renowned pastry chef at Caesars Palace. They are both current competitors on Food Network’s “Cake Wars.” Guests are invited to view the display.
VELVETEEN RABBIT WINS ANNUAL BOSS OF THE BARS CONTEST
The third-annual Boss of the Bars cocktail contest was held at The Mob Museum downtown and Velveteen Rabbit won the coveted Repeal Day Cup. Andrew Schumaker competed on behalf of the winning bar, preparing the “Here’s Looking at You Fizz” and “Tomoka Sour.” Runner-up was Oscar’s Steakhouse represented by bartender Celeste Peterson. The designated People’s Choice award went to Glutton, whose bartender Dean Howard prepared “The Dewdropper.”
In addition, the Prohibition-era-inspired costume contest was won by Las Vegan Rene Munoz.
