“BRETT’S VEGAS VIEW”
DATE: Sunday, April 3, 2016
BY: Jackie Brett
VEGAS COLUMN
WAYNE NEWTON IS OPENING ALL-NEW SHOW AT BALLY’S
Las Vegas entertainment legend, Wayne Newton will make his return to the stage after more than five years with an original production, “Wayne Newton: Up Close and Personal,” at the Windows Showroom at Bally’s beginning April 21. Tickets start at $75 with a VIP package for $150. All shows are scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
Newton, who took performing time off to get his Casa de Shenandoah estate open for tours, is back. He will sing crowd favorites including platinum “Danke Schoen,” play instruments, and engage the audience by answering questions. Newton will share fantastic stories and videos that were impactful and influential on his legendary 50-plus year career that included performing more than 30,000 shows in Las Vegas.
CHLOE CRAWFORD WILL APPEAR IN CRISS ANGEL’S ‘MINDFREAK® LIVE!’
Criss Angel has signed British bombshell, magician and dancer, Chloe Crawford as a co-star within his new Vegas production “MINDFREAK® LIVE!” opening at the Luxor in May. Crawford has been a movement artist for more than two decades and in magic for the last 10. She skyrocketed to fame performing her original magic on “Britain’s Got Talent,” as a model in “Sports Illustrated” and “Playboy,” and in live performances in Las Vegas, Hollywood, and the United Kingdom.
“MINDFREAK® LIVE!” will begin preview performances on Wednesday, May 11 and officially open on Thursday, June 23. Show times will be 7 and 9:30, Wednesday through Sunday.
“CRISS ANGEL BeLIEve” from Cirque du Soleil will end its run on Sunday, April 17 after more than 3,000 performances since opening in October 2008.
ANDREA BOCELLI WILL VISIT LAS VEGAS IN DECEMBER
Andrea Bocelli will be returning to the United States for seven special concert dates in select cities starting at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday Dec. 3. Bocelli’s performances will feature a new popular repertoire from his latest album, “Cinema” along with a repertoire of arias, love songs, and crossover hits. Bocelli will be joined onstage by conductor Eugene Kohn, guest artist Katharine McPhee and soprano Ana Maria Martinez at each stop on the tour.
SAKE ROK OPENS AT THE PARK
Sake Rok is a theatrical hotspot opening at The Park on April 4 for lunch and dinner with a late-night bar and lounge. There will be an array of sushi, Japanese cuisine and private-label sake. At night there will be DJs and sporadic theatrical vignettes. Sake Rok’s hours are Sunday through Thursday noon to 10 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday 11a.m. to late.
Sake Rok’s design mixing modern industrial elements with bold, bright and colorful accents is meant to transport guests to a Japanese warehouse. Distressed murals inspired by the underground graffiti scene line the walls while Japanese signage hangs from above. Above the main dining room and mezzanine is a private event space, dubbed “Sakura Terrace at The Park,” that opens up to a 1,300-square-foot balcony with sweeping views.
IN-N-OUT BURGER AMONG EIGHT OUTLETS OPENING AT LINQ PROMENADE
Eight more restaurants and retail outlets will open at the LINQ Promenade this year. In the fall, In-N-Out Burger will open its first Strip location.
Other restaurants opening in late summer include: Gordon Ramsay Fish & Chips takeaway-style British restaurant; Canter’s Deli 24-hour Jewish-style delicatessen with a full-service bar; and Virgil’s Real Barbecue with live music entertainment nightly.
Retail outlets will include: C&E Studio Tony Vegas art studio opening this month with two resident artists performing live art; in May Amorino with gelato and other pastry selections; the reopening of Purple Zebra self-serve daiquiri bar in early summer; and Basin White with luxury bath and body products.
FASHION SHOW OPENS SHARK DAYMOND JOHN POP-UP BOUTIQUE
The first-ever pop-up location of The Shark Daymond John Store will open for a limited time at the Fashion Show mall on Saturday, April 9. The grand opening on Wednesday, April 20 will be highlighted by a personal appearance at 4 p.m. by Daymond John, entrepreneur, creator of FUBU and co-star of ABC’s Emmy Award winning series, “Shark Tank,” who will sign his “New York Times” bestselling book, “The Power of Broke” on the runway in the Great Hall.
The common area pop-up store will feature a variety of items from Shark Tank contestants including Power Decals, Sun Staches, Mo’s Bows, Three Jerks and Spatty along with signature Daymond John merchandise.
PIZZA FORTE WILL OPEN ITS FIRST STRIP LOCATION AT T-MOBILE ARENA
On April 6, Pizza Forte will open its third local location and first on the Strip at the new T-Mobile Arena. Loosely translated from Italian as “powerful pizza,” Pizza Forte’s new location will have a 60-foot frontage on the main concourse of the sports and entertainment venue.
Pizza Forte serves New York-style and square, Roman-style pan pizzas by the slice as well as a gluten-free option. Additionally, the new location will be the first to offer sandwiches and also “Handwiches” like the Jalapeño Sausage and the Cheddar Frank that will feature a German Hofmann hot dog stuffed with cheese and wrapped in an artisan roll.
MONTECRISTO CIGAR BAR OPENS AT CAESARS PALACE
Caesars Palace expands its empire with the addition of Montecristo Cigar Bar. The cigar lounge pairs notable cigar offerings with fine whiskeys, small bites and more, in a contemporary, organic 4,000-square-foot environment with a state-of-the-art ventilation system. The 100-seat bar/lounge and gaming area offers guests four distinct experiences -- The Signature Bar, The Library, The Courtyard and The Vault Room that seats 10.
The centerpiece is the round bar with bar-top gaming and plush upholstered seating. Wood paneling on the walls and ceiling add warmth. The library’s neutral material palette is both industrial and luxe, and provides a residential feel. An extra-large video wall with nine television screens allows for watching big games. The courtyard space envelopes the rear part of Montecristo with lush eco-friendly design elements.
The Montecristo Cigar Bar is Michael Frey’s second cigar bar in Caesars, he owns the Casa Fuente in the Forum Shops.
LAS VEGAS SOUTH PREMIUM OUTLETS GAINS TWO NEW RETAILERS
This weekend, HIM, a 1,000-square-foot discounted menswear store, opened at Las Vegas South Premium Outlets near Starbucks. In addition, Steve Madden, a store named after the world-renowned American fashion designer, will be opening a new 2,500-square-foot storefront in the mall near Banana Republic this summer.
ABC’S ‘NASHVILLE IN CONCERT’ PLAYING ONE NIGHT AT THE VENETIAN
ABC’s “Nashville In Concert” with Clare Bowen, Chris Carmack, Charles Esten, Jonathan Jackson, and Aubrey Peeples will stop at The Venetian Theatre on Friday, April 16 at 8 p.m. and perform various songs from the hit television series. This visit follows a successful tour that “Nashville” stars made last year. Tickets start at $49.95.
Since its debut, “Nashville” has inspired seven “Music of Nashville” soundtracks, as well as a Christmas album, which have collectively sold more than one million soundtracks and millions more single tracks.
THE 2016 GREAT VEGAS FESTIVAL OF BEER INCLUDES CULINARY LINEUP
The 2016 Great Vegas Festival of Beer will take over Las Vegas’ Downtown streets on Saturday, April 9 from 3 to 7 p.m. In addition to sampling 400 brews, festival goers can purchase craft beer-inspired dishes from more than a dozen Las Vegas restaurants and food trucks inside the Gastropub, including Cantina Laredo, Cousins Maine Lobster, D.O.C.G., Dragon Grille, Gals Hot Dogs, Glutton, Good & SLO, MTO Café, Pot Liquor, Sausagefest, Stripchezze, TruckUBarbeque and Urban Turban. New to this year’s festival, Chef Joshua Clark of The Goodwich will team up with Chef Justin Kingsley Hall of SLO-Boy to create Good & SLO. Tickets are $40 and $50 for Early Entry at 2 p.m.; at the door $45 and $55.
‘50 SHADES! THE PARODY’ CELEBRATED ONE-YEAR AT BALLY’S
“50 Shades! The Parody” at the Windows Showroom in Bally’s celebrated its first anniversary with a VIP event last week. The 69-minute parody based on the best-selling “Fifty Shades of Grey” trilogy has been performed nearly 350 times for more than 50,000 guests in Las Vegas. The show is performed Tuesday through Sunday at 7:30 p.m. The time will be changing to 9:30 p.m. as of April 19.
BUBBLE-LICIOUS AT VENETIAN KICKS OFF 42nd ANNUAL UNLVINO
UNLVino 2016 will start with Bubble-Licious on Thursday, April 14 from 7-10 p.m. at The Venetian Las Vegas®’ Doge’s Palace Plaza. The evening will highlight cuisine from restaurants at The Venetian and Palazzo®, feature “Human Nature” performing, have sommeliers from Southern Wine & Spirits and representatives from UNLV celebrating with its signature 21 Cork Salute with bottles of Dom Pérignon, and honor Robert G. Goldstein, president and chief operating officer of Las Vegas Sands, with the Dom Pérignon Award of Excellence. Tickets are $100 in advance and $125 at the door.
In addition, UNLVino 2016 includes two additional signature events, including Sake Fever on Friday, April 15 at Red Rock and the Grand Tasting on Saturday, April 16 at Paris.
BORDER GRILL MANDALAY BAY’S BACKYARD BBQ RETURNS
Border Grill Mandalay Bay is kicking off its second summer-long patio Backyard BBQ series transforming its lower patio into a pop-up BBQ destination on April 9 in tandem with the Concerts on The Beach at Mandalay Bay. Border Grill will host its BBQ dinners with a Mexican twist prior to each performance from 6:30 to 8 p.m.
The Concerts on the Beach lineup includes: Cole Swindell April 9; Katchafire with Mystic Roots Band May 21; I Love The ‘90s May 28; Sublime with Rome June 25; Slightly Stoopid July 1; 311 July 2-3; UB 40 July 30; Huey Lewis and The News Aug. 19; and Lost ‘80s Live Sept. 10.
STEVE GARVEY AND PETE ROSE WILL TALK BASEBALL AT THE SUNCOAST
Steve Garvey and Pete Rose will “Talk Baseball Rivalries.... Past and Present” at the Suncoast Showroom on Saturday, April 30 at 7 p.m. Garvey was a 10-time All Star and 1974 National League MVP playing for the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres. Rose is an American former professional baseball player and manager. Rose has won three World Series rings and batting titles, and made 17 All Star appearances among other awards. Tickets start at $19.95.
SECOND PICNIC BY DESIGN AUCTIONS DESIGNER BASKETS AND TABLES
In partnership with Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS (DIFFA), The Gay and Lesbian Community Center of Southern Nevada (The Center) will host the second Picnic by Design fundraising buffet-style dinner event, themed “Parasols in the Park,” at Symphony Park by The Smith Center on Saturday, April 30 at 5:30 p.m. Over-the-top picnic baskets and tables have been created by 56 designers and are currently being auctioned online through April 18.
Entertainment will be provided by the UNLV Jazz Ensemble, songstress Toscha Comeaux, Gary Fowler and male quartet These Guys. Lawn games and a VIP cocktail hour begin at 4:30 p.m. Catering will be done by downtown restaurants Chow and Rock’N’oodles as well as the Palms’ N9NE Steakhouse.
Picnic baskets for two being auctioned start at $300 each, and picnic tables for eight begin at $1,500. Exclusive VIP chef tables are also available for purchase. For $125, guests may also enjoy the dinner and activities.
TEEN BANDS WILL BE ‘BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE’ OF BLUES
From more than 250 bands/solo artists nationwide, 51 top teen bands/solo artists have been selected for Music Forward Foundation’s “Bringing Down the House” Class of 2016. From the 51 bands/solo artists selected nationally, the Las Vegas class includes Kiara Brown, Incarnate, Isabella Brito, Noah Stephens, Noelle Chiodo, Prism Tribe, and Social Amnesia. They have been granted an opportunity to perform live on stage at House of Blues Las Vegas on Thursday, April 7 at 7 p.m. Free tickets are available at the box office on the day of the show.
DOG HAUS VEGAS ROLLS OUT NEW HAPPY HOUR SPECIALS
The new Dog Haus Vegas on Paradise Road, the latest addition to the celebrated California-based concept known for its gourmet hot dogs, sausages, burgers, and one-of-a-kind creations, started a happy hour menu offered weekdays from 3 to 6 p.m. and nightly from 1 to 4 a.m. Sliders, fries and tater tots are $1.25 each.
‘GOTTA DANCE!’ WILL APPEAR AT SOUTH POINT
The husband and wife, Las Vegas-based song-and-dance team Michael Kessler and Melinda Jackson, will bring their choreographed and directed “Gotta Dance!” back to Las Vegas after touring the East Coast. With their company of artists from Broadway and the Strip, the show tells backstage stories through songs and a wide range of dance styles. The show’s title song is written by Keith Thompson, music director of Jersey Boys, and Michael Kessler. “Gotta Dance!” will be performed at the South Point on Sunday, May 1 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets range from $25 to $35.
Native New Yorkers, Kessler and Jackson recently formed a new nonprofit company, M&M American Dance Theater Works, focusing on educating the local communities in Las Vegas and South Florida and reaching out to and mentoring up and coming performers.
BROOKLYN BOWL WILL HOST RUN OF INDIO, CALIF., CROSSOVERS
Brooklyn Bowl Las Vegas at the Linq Promenade will be hosting a string of performances by artists who are also making the annual pilgrimage to Indio, Calif. Brooklyn Bowl will be the place to catch the hottest acts and up-and-comers between April 16 and 24, bookended by the Indio festival weekends.
The schedule includes: M83 also known as Anthony Gonzalez April 16; Protoje April 17; Glasgow-based CHVRCHES with Wolf Alice April 21; indie rockers The Front Bottoms April 23; and Oxford, England-based Foals April 24.
NEWS TIPS
The Westgate introduced its new non-smoking policy in the seating areas and at betting windows at its Race and Sports SuperBook®.
The Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is working on bringing the Riviera resort down in two separate implosions in different months with the first possibly being June. No doubt the authority will promote the experiences seeking a big bang in PR.
The BLT Burger at The Mirage will close on April 5 and reopen on April 7 at a Mirage owned and operated venue called LVB Burger & Bar.
The “Let’s Dance” Tour featuring Silentó planned for April 8 at The Pearl Concert Theater has been canceled.
The Golden Nugget continues with its 52 Fridays Concert Series. This month’s line up includes: Grand Funk Railroad April 8; Richard Marx April 15; Taylor Dayne April 22; and Atlanta Rhythm Section April 29.
Carson Kitchen located Downtown has introduced new spring menu selections including an array of new flatbreads, sandwiches, entrées and desserts, along with handcrafted cocktails. All dishes are priced under $20.
International superstar Justin Bieber stopped by XS Nightclub at Wynn on Friday, March 25 while he was in town for his “Purpose World Tour” and hung out in the DJ booth with David Guetta. Spotted in Bieber’s entourage, professional football player Odell Beckham Jr., singer Maejor and Bieber’s Shots app partner Johnny Shahidi.
Mike Tyson’s five-bedroom Las Vegas mansion with six bathrooms, three fireplaces, a pool, and an LED rain shower is on sale for $1.5 million in Henderson. Tyson bought the home in 2007 from former NBA player and current analyst Jalen Rose, and recently purchased a new $2.5 million home in the same neighborhood.
The High Roller, the world’s tallest observation wheel, is celebrating its second anniversary at the LINQ Promenade throughout April. Guests may purchase a day or night ticket on the High Roller for $22 when they shop or eat at any LINQ Promenade retail store or restaurant and spend at least $20. Guests must show proof of purchase to receive this offer good for a maximum of four tickets per guest.
The Park Theater at Monte Carlo marked a significant milestone in the venue’s development with the signing and installation of the final steel beam of more than 2,700. When it opens later this year, the 5,000-seat Park Theater will feature one of the largest stages in the nation, telescopic seating and an architectural design with curved windows.
In honor of National Autism Awareness Month, Gaudin Ford at 6625 Roy Horn Way – 215 at Rainbow Blvd. will present Fuel the Fight Car Show and Family Fair on Saturday, April 9 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be a car exhibition, complimentary food and drinks, raffle prize giveaways, and kid-friendly attractions. United Service’s Bloodmobile will be onsite to collect blood donations.
The 3rd Annual Splashdown for Kids benefitting After-School All-Stars (ASAS) and Communities in Schools of Nevada (CIS) will be held at Wet ‘n’ Wild on Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tickets are $24 in advance, $35 day of event.
