2015-12-17 - Las Vegas Weekly by Greenspun Media Group

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THE CUTTING EDGE OF PERFECTION

Contents 7 mail “Dawson’s Creek with

45 the strip Melody Sweets is

lightsabers” and God Sauce.

oh so sweet, and up to something.

8 as we see it Saying goodbye

46 fine art Blackbird’s final

to the iconic Jubilee. Lyft joins the party. So long (again), White Cross.

show nods to Wes Anderson.

12 Q&A Don Barnhart directed Saved by the Bell, and more.

rio carnival world & Seafood buffet by mikayla whitmore

14 Feature | In the drop

48 print A meticulous take on ancient Rome.

49 scene Trying to describe the indescribable, impossible DVDA.

with Dj trel He’s 14, and he’s not nervous behind the big decks.

50 food & drink Rivea brings

16 Feature | buffetiquette

new flavor to Delano, and Andiron’s founding chef chooses ideal dishes.

And other ways to maximize the all-you-can-eat experience.

54 calendar It’s time for an

24 nights Encore Player’s Club

even crazier Vegas light show.

2013 & 2015 Best Dining Establishment in the State of Utah 2013, 2014 & 2015 Best of State® Steakhouse

throws down.

2014 & 2015 Wine Spectator Award of Excellence

39 A&E Santa. Rampage.

Cover

Tina Fey + Amy Poehler = Sisters!

Rio CARNIVAL WORLD & SEAFOOD Buffet

43 noise Chris Brown, Baroness

photographs By mikayla whitmore

40 screen The Force Awakens!

and Par on our radar.

3000 Paradise Road | Las Vegas, NV 89109 702.732.5755 | westgatevegas.com

LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM

EXPLORE THE OTHER SIDE OF VEGAS B M W M OTO R CYC L E S O F L A S V E G A S

CARLITO’S NEW DIGS Chile verde sopapillas equal life, so we almost died when Carlito’s Burritos closed for a few days while moving to a new location. Luckily, the Sunset Road shop is open, and will soon serve barbecue, too, under the name Live Fire Q. Get your fix at lasvegasweekly.com.

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SEXY SWEEPSTAKES Pahrump brothel Sheri’s Ranch reports it will expect the “usual” 70 percent spike in profits during January’s annual Consumer Electronics Show, and as a token of customer appreciation the cathouse will offer a “free lay” to three Vegas visitors. Find more info—and quote gold from owner Chuck Lee—at lasvegasweekly.com.

FAREWELL, O FACE White Cross Market (see Page 10) wasn’t the only Downtown casualty announced this week. Local favorite O Face Doughnuts will bake its last batch of breakfast bounty this month. Let us know what morsel you’ll miss most (we vote maple-bacon) at lasvegasweekly. com.

LET’S BE FRIENDS!

/lasvegasweekly /lasvegasweekly /lasvegasweekly

MOST READ STORIES lasvegasweekly.com 1. Downtown’s White Cross Market will close December 15 2. It’s not Jar Jar, it’s you: In defense of the prequels 3. A Strip chef finds a strip-mall home and serves up the goods at the Rice Shop FLAMINGO • WEST SAHARA • SOUTH RAINBOW • GREEN VALLEY PARKWAY

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4. Jessie Rae’s BBQ is smoking and serving some intriguing meat 5. Promoting peace, a UNLV Muslim student asks for hugs in a campus demonstration

Mail > BLAME IT ON THE GUNGAN Jar Jar won’t mind.

FEVER FOR THE FORCE We’re all excited about the new Star Wars movie, so much so that we explored why we love to hate the prequels.

Hayden Christensen and Jar Jar ruined the prequel films! Jar Jar is too modern and obnoxious. And Hayden, the dude couldn’t act his way out of a paper bag! Oh and really with Sam Jackson? Bad casting all around for the prequels. –Joshua D. Arnold Considering the prequels were basically Dawson’s Creek with lightsabers, you’re right to say I was too old for that crap. I’m really looking forward to the new movies which will just be The Vampire Diaries with lightsabers. –Jack Timar The prequels are far from perfect, and I think a lot of people, probably myself included, thought because it was 20+ years later these movies would be fantastic. At that point, special effects and the whole movie-making process was way more advanced than when the original trilogy was created. Some of the acting was bad, not all of it. The love story wasn’t solid and that was mainly due to the acting. The best part for me was Obi-Wan and the Jedi Council and of course Yoda. Everyone just likes to jump on the hate train because it’s cool. –Manuel Dunn Am I the only one who finds the anti-Lucas tone of The Force Awakens buildup off-putting? –Wendel Borg

TO SUE OR NOT TO SUE? A recent local suit brings back that age-old question: Can you take

someone to court for giving you an STD and get anywhere?

Maybe if that person is running a legitimate hook-up-with-me business. I wouldn’t hand my keys to somebody then try to sue them for wrecking the car. Personal responsibility is too easily avoidable. –Danimal Van Diowitz If they knew they had it, and they failed to disclose that fact, you most certainly should be able to. –Jon Smith

MEAT HUNT Add Jessie Rae’s to the list of new local ’cue restaurants worth a bite.

SO GOOD THAT SANTA IS STAYING

FOR BREAKFAST

It is amazing and hands down the best barbecue I’ve ever had. The God Sauce is named appropriately as it makes you say, “Oh my God!” You guys have to try this! –Jennifer Crossman I have not found authentic barbecue in Las Vegas but am always eager to keep trying! –Ducky Wolf Is it made of rattlesnakes and jackalopes? –Denise Bolaños

CULTURAL HISTORY There’s a new effort to save the Reed Whipple building in the Cultural Corridor, once home to all kinds of artsy, rootsy stuff.

I did Las Vegas Youth Symphony Orchestra here as a middleschooler. –Brandon Summers It’s main purpose in 2015 seems to be providing shade to the homeless in the library parking lot next door. The space could be put to better use. –Matt Keller

LVWeekly@GMGVegas.com Letters and posts may be edited for length/clarity. All submissions become the property of Las Vegas Weekly.

KIDS EAT FREE TUESDAYS

4 P.M. - 10 P.M.

Ask your server for details about additional Kids Eat Free Nights. Restrictions may apply. © 2015 DFO, LLC. At participating restaurants for a limited time only. Offer not valid for the Las Vegas Strip locations. Selection and prices may vary. *See server for details.

AsWeSeeIt N E W S + C U LT U R E + S T Y L E + M O R E

A RHINESTONED R.I.P.

With Jubilee’s closing, the Las Vegas showgirl goes extinct ∑ I would have liked to be in Oscar Goodman’s office when the news of Jubilee’s closing at Bally’s broke. I picture the former mayor wearing pinstripes, sipping a martini instead of a morning coffee and reading that tragic headline in stunned disbelief, a single tear rolling down his ruddy cheek. If the light in his office was just right, the tear might have sparkled as it slid, shining for just a moment like a rhinestone sewn into the glittering thong of one of the leggy showgirls who graced the Jubilee stage during its 34-year run. Every time a showgirl hangs up her thong an angel loses its wings. When the curtain closes on Jubilee for the last time on February 11, the Las Vegas showgirl will go extinct. Sure, there will be women who don the costume, but wearing a leopard-skin coat does not make one a leopard. The showgirl isn’t a mannequin in ostrich feathers; she’s a performer, an ambassador, an archetype, an ideal. She is Las Vegas’ favorite mascot: elegant and alluring, strong and sophisticated. She struts and spins and kicks and glides. She floats under 30 pounds of crystals. She makes the impossible look easy. Mere mortals would crumble with

a bejeweled sculpture affixed to their skulls, sprinting backstage staircases for the seventh costume change of the eighth show of the week. But the showgirl isn’t human. She’s our topless lady of the perpetual smile and natural breasts. Hallowed be thy headdress. Why do we ignore our icons until they disappear? Jubilee has struggled. Ensconced in Bally’s, Donn Arden’s spectacular has gotten slightly less so. Like the rest of us, it has aged. It has sought relevance in production updates and new choreography, injections of entertainment Botox that didn’t so much fix a problem as smooth out wrinkles that were part of the show’s enduring charm. Now, Jubilee’s fate is sealed. Its billboards will come down, its cast and crew will move on, its glorious costumes—Swarovski starbursts, cascading feathers, regal plumage—will go into storage. Caesars Entertainment has hinted at some hypothetical future production, so perhaps the Vegas showgirl will be resurrected, emerging from the grave in high heels and a healthy tan. Posed just so. But when the tuxedoed showboys and high-kicking showgirls take their final bows, a chapter of Las Vegas history will close with that curtain. The Strip will shine a little less brightly. I just hope Oscar’s tear lands in his martini glass. –Sarah Feldberg

PRESERVING AN INSTITUTION The residential Las Vegas Showgirl Museum faces an unknown future ∑ As social media began to circulate

8 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 17-23, 2015

museum’s CEO, Grant Philipo. “We don’t really know how to get people interested and to even try to save something so vital in this community.” The petition, asserting that the museum is “under attack,” is certainly helping. It rejects the claims of a filed complaint—the only one it has ever received, Philipo says—accusing LVSM of charging admission, a no-no for residential museums (Philipo maintains he has only ever accepted donations). Now, despite operating for over

five years with a state-issued business license, LVSM must get approval of a land-use permit by the Clark County Commission or close in February, as it lacks funds to open in another building. Philipo is appealing to the community to voice support online and at a January 5 planning commission meeting. “Now that Jubilee is closing for good, there’s no other place in Vegas where you can go to learn about showgirls,” Philipo says. “And they want to shut us down as well.” –Mike Prevatt

PHOTOGRAPH BY DENISE TRUSCELLO

a petition for the Las Vegas Showgirl Museum last week, the general response seemed to be: We have such a thing? It turns out that a portion of a 20,000-item collection has been quietly observed by student groups, tourists and local celebrities in a Paradise Palms home since 2010. “Mary [Dee Mantle, owner of the residential location of the museum] has never believed in advertising, so that’s why no one in Vegas seems to know we exist,” says the

AS WE SEE IT…

GLOWSTACHE ON THE SCENE Lyft is weaving its brand with pillars of Vegas fun

> NICE TRY Taking these looks from the lobby into the theater might be ... problematic.

MAY YOUR FACE BE WITH YOU

Theaters and casinos forbid masks—and lightsabers—ahead of Star Wars opening BY MIKE PREVATT

You’re ready. You unbuckle the little one, grab the two Star Wars: The Force Awakens opening-day tickets you’ve been holding since October and finish assembling your kickass costumes—you as Darth Vader, junior as Yoda. But as you beeline past the slots toward the cineplex, you’re stopped by a security guard. It’s not because you’re running like a crazy person—it’s those masks you and your kid are wearing. They’re not allowed anywhere on property. Back to the car goes your cosplay contraband, along with your dignity, as a helmet-less Darth Vader is a dead man walking. Those who celebrate Halloween at casinos know that masks and face paint are strictly prohibited—mostly due to security concerns and facial-recognition needs—and

the same will hold true this weekend as neighborhood gambling halls prepare for spirited fans to descend on their resident movie houses. Not only do all the properties with Star Wars-screening theaters hold this policy, every theater does. AMC, which operates both the Town Square and Rainbow Promenade multiplexes, has promoted its ban nationwide. So has Cinemark, which will show The Force Awakens at locations like Suncoast and the Orleans. Regal Cinemas’ corporate office didn’t respond to queries, but a rep at its Red Rock Resort outlet confirmed the company’s mask/face-paint ban. And it doesn’t stop at your face: Toy weaponry is also outlawed. “Anything that could be mistaken for a real weapon is something we do not allow on property,” says Boyd Gaming corporate communications director David Strow. Yes, that includes lightsabers. But the costume-armament embargo does not include Brenden Theatres and IMAX at the Palms. Granted, it can only be plastic, Star Wars-related and worn and holstered at all times. Furthermore, security may disallow anything that makes sounds, lights up or otherwise distracts from the movie. After all, cell phones don’t need any competition.

ROYAL PURPLE LAS VEGAS BOWL, BY THE NUMBERS $38.25

Cheapest tickets before the December 19 game between BYU and Utah sold out.

$98

Cheapest tickets on StubHub at press time.

$131

Priciest tickets before the game sold out.

$2,844.51 Priciest tickets on StubHub at press time.

2.5

Point spread, per the South Point Sports Book, with No. 20 Utah favored to beat its in-state rival.

57-34-4

Series record between the schools, with Utah in the lead. The Utes won the last matchup, in 2013.

There were mustaches next to the vodka, plush ones in unmistakable pink. Lyft’s icon was all over Heart of Omnia— at VIP tables, dancing with hot girls, posing for selfies. It painted the brand a friend of Vegas beyond just being an on-demand ride for revelers. That was a few weeks before the December 3 announcement that the ride-hailing company is teaming with concert promoter AEG Live as its Preferred Transportation Network, meaning Lyft will have marketing support and a presence at events at the Hard Rock Hotel’s Joint and the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, and opportunities to woo new passengers with special offers and prizes tied to ride receipts (think seat upgrades, backstage tours and artist meet-andgreets). It’s a keen strategy in the entertainment capital, where services like Lyft and Uber have only been permitted since mid-September. “We’ve actually been working with Marquee Nightclub to have Lyft featured as a transportation option at several of their upcoming events,” says Lyft Communications Manager Paige Thelen. “We’ll look for partners in that same kind of vein.” While the brand’s layers include building community and changing the transportation paradigm, Thelen says Lyft has always promoted memorable good times (just like Vegas), whether with zombie drivers, Justin Bieber ride-alongs or dynamic alliances. AEG Senior VP of Global Partnerships Andrew Klein says Lyft’s work with Major League Baseball made an impression, as did its impact with the “all-important millennial audience.” In Las Vegas, millennials flock to hot spots where traffic piles up and finding a ride can be a pain. So strong positioning in nightlife and entertainment circles is good for Lyft’s business and brand identity. “It’s fun, it’s irreverent, it’s lighthearted,” Thelen says. “I think especially in a market like Vegas ... the Lyft brand can really fit into that entire experience.” The local fleet doesn’t have a strobe wagon like Salt Lake City’s or a karaoke van like San Diego’s yet, but that dashboard Glowstache looks ready to party. –Erin Ryan

DECEMBER 17–23, 2015 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM

as we see it…

Tough business This time, White Cross might stay gone

> CULTURAL CONNECTION Works by Matthew Couper (here) and Justin Favela.

‘Contemporary Nevada’

Connecting the most stirring work by artists in the north and south By Kristen Peterson

10 LasVegasWeekly.com December 17-23, 2015

and Rachel Stiff. The 16 artists from Northern Nevada are Megan Berner, Rebekah Bogard, Galen Brown, Erik Burke, Nate Clark, Tim Conder, Joseph DeLappe, Russell Dudley, Jeffrey Erickson, Jen Graham, Ahren Hertel, Eunkang Koh, Nick Larsen, Katie Lewis, Sarah Lillegard and Omar Pierce. Six artists’ work will be shown in depth, highlighting materials and evolving styles. Locally, they are Favela, Ryan, Sommerhauser and Stiff. “With some artists, such as Galen Brown [in Carson City], one piece just didn’t tell the story of them. With David Ryan, so much is changing in his work. There’s so much dialogue you need to tell that story,” Quinn says. The idea for the exhibit came from the Nevada Museum of Art’s executive director David Walker and is a feather in the cultural cap for both cities. As Northrup said in a statement announcing the show: “The exhibition aspires to provide contemporary dialogue aimed at enlightening our broader audiences to the richness of our entire arts community and how it can be a powerful tool in the growth of the great state of Nevada.” Northrup added that Nevada artists are creating innovative work informed by popular culture, the natural environment and landscape, along with cultural identity, politics and current events. We can hardly wait.

justin favela by mikayla whitmore; white cross by steve marcus

In putting together a museum show that would feature the most accomplished contemporary artwork currently being created in Nevada, curators conducted more than 50 studio visits with artists working in the northern and southern parts of the state, settling on more than 30 for Contemporary Nevada: State of the State, opening August 5 at Reno’s Nevada Museum of Art. The show is designed to connect artists, and marks the first time in recent memory that a museum of this scale and prominence has focused exclusively on contemporary work coming out of the state, giving a voice to artist communities in both Northern and Southern Nevada. For Las Vegas (where the exhibit will travel after it closes in October 2016), it not only provides an opportunity to see work being created in Reno and Carson City—it highlights what’s happening in a community often overshadowed by Strip culture. Moreover, it takes the work out of the studios and galleries, placing it in a much larger conversation and on an elevated platform, showcasing different approaches and media: painting, sculpture, installation, fiber arts, photography, interactive and sound art. There’s even an artist from Northern Nevada whose work will be created during the show and featured in step online. Though the intent was to show the best work being done in Nevada, Michele Quinn of MCQ Fine Art Advisory, who’s co-curating with Nevada Museum of Art’s director of contemporary art initiatives JoAnne Northrup, says it was also imperative to consider work by artists committed to their communities, dedicated to their work and demonstrating its continuing evolution. “The work itself had to show longevity,” she says, adding that they looked at early works and current practice to get a sense of each artist’s trajectory. For those following the local scene, the 17 artists representing Las Vegas are familiar and almost expected selections: Chris Bauder, Mark Brandvik, JW Caldwell, Matthew Couper, Gig Depio, Justin Favela, Sush Machida, Shawn Hummel, Wendy Kveck, JK Russ, David Ryan, David Sanchez Burr, Sean Slattery, Brent Sommerhauser, Brent Holmes, Krystal Ramirez

Downtown Las Vegas is losing a staple grocery store, as White Cross Market is in the last throes of total liquidation before it closes. The space is known for its great selection of craft beer, but White Cross’ history makes the blow much heavier than losing that boozy goodness. The building dates back to the 1950s, the original White Cross Drugs boasting clients like Elvis and the Rat Pack. It was a popular neighborhood place, combining the pharmacy counter with a diner, video slots, groceries and sundries, and reports of its March 2012 closure were full of wistful memories and tearful hugs. When it reopened as White Cross Market in July 2013 under the ownership of Bells Market’s Jimmy Shoshani, the community rejoiced. Watching it shutter again just two years later, one online commenter expressed the collective sigh: “How sad. We lose all the awesomeness.” Deli manager Karole Denning says the staff saw the closure coming, and that there’d been rumblings about new development since August. While that development is taking shape in the same building, a representative insists it isn’t connected to White Cross’ fate. “It hasn’t been finalized, but it shouldn’t have affected White Cross Market or the café, because what we’re doing is at [Myers Market],” the rep says. “I don’t know anything about [White Cross].” Proposed for that adjacent space is a tavern, brewery and restaurant that would, according to a public-planning report, “occupy the remaining portion of the building, which totals 21,890 square feet of interior space.” In a justification letter written in August to the City of Las Vegas Planning Department, the prospective occupant is tentatively named So.Down Food District, a “global street market that specializes in refined street food.” According to the letter, So.Down would also feature a brewery, a craft cocktail and wine bar and reservation-only Japanese sake speakeasy. And the building would be renovated to feature nine different food kitchens, a coffee shop, juice bar and 12 smaller “pushcart” vendors for retail space. As for greasy-spoon favorite Vickie’s Diner (formerly Tiffany’s) inside White Cross, Denning says he believes the attached restaurant will stay open. “She’s not part of us at all. As far as I know, she’s staying.” –Leslie Ventura

Weekly Q&A

> BRing It On These days, Barnhart hosts an Internet radio show—and doesn’t watch TV.

worry about the audience, just themselves. They were not tapped out.

f*ck the cameras.” Everybody just stopped. I said, “I’m only interested in the story.”

You worked as an assistant director on musical variety shows in the ’70s. That seems like the golden age of that type of programming. I worked

Did Garry Marshall keep his word? He was one of the very

on the Donny & Marie show. We were in rehearsal one day, and they couldn’t figure out a blow-off line for the sketch. Donny was being kind of a jerk in the sketch. I was sitting there next to the director, Art Fisher, and I said, “Why doesn’t she say to him, ‘Cute, Donny. Real cute.’” Everybody laughed. And they took the line. And for 13 weeks that was always the blow-off line for their sketches. I never got a dime or a thank you for it. Any bad ones? I did The Sonny Bono Comedy Revue. This was after he and Cher split. It was Sonny and everybody who was on the old Sonny & Cher show. No Cher. It was like the Last Supper without Christ. How did you end up directing Mork & Mindy? I started as a

The director’s cut TV veteran Don Barnhart on Mork, Zack Attack and professional ballsiness the other cast members made fun of [Elizabeth Berkley], because it was dealing with caffeine. They were joking about heroin. She was caught between her peers and what the director, me, wanted. She wanted to go 100 percent. I had to keep pulling her back. I would go to her and I would look her in the eye and say, “Don’t let it out yet. I’ll get you there.” When we got to Friday on shooting day, I looked at her and said, “Okay, now’s the time.” She was so thankful, because she had saved up this energy and she wasn’t afraid anymore. We did it and she kicked it loose.

Vulture.com ranked every episode of Saved by the Bell. “Jessie’s Song,” where the character gets hooked on caffeine pills, was No. 1. What do you remember about making that episode? Some of

One of my favorite episodes is “Rockumentary,” about the band Zack Attack. One of the best

shows we ever did. I dealt with it like a film. The actors dug into it. They didn’t have to

What was it like working with Robin Williams? He went out

and performed all over the place, and he would drink and come in the next morning with one or two hours sleep. He was a genius. He would come in and his eyes were slanted and his hair was askew and he would go right to Mindy’s couch and go to sleep. We worked out a deal with the stand-in so when we blocked the show, the stand-in would go over and wake him up, kindly, and say, “Okay, here’s what we’re doing.” He would walk the areas so that Robin could hit his mark. Robin hit every mark, knew all his lines. It was amazing. How do you feel about the way Williams died? It was a big

shock when he died. But as time progressed and they mentioned how and why and what reasons, I came to understand it, because I have the same feelings. I told my sister if I get Alzheimer’s or some kind of thing with my memory shady, what would I do? ... I kind of respected him. He taught me a lot. What was the most valuable thing he taught you? To not

be afraid. Where did you go? I went over

to Benson with Robert Guillaume. Tony Thomas told me I could A.D. five shows, and the last one of 1980 I could direct. ... First day on my first big network television show on ABC, Bob stopped rehearsal and said, “Excuse me, what are you going to do with your cameras?” He was testing me. This is where it gets dicey. I could have been fired like that. I said, “Bob,

What are your goals now? I

spent years in the radio business. I didn’t make the big time. Now I’m back in radio and it’s like full circle. My show is on Fridays at noon— Bring It on With Barnhart— on Internet radio station VANR. It’s organized chaos. What do you like that’s on TV today? Not much.

–Jason Harris

“It was Sonny … no Cher. It was like the Last Supper without Christ.”

12 LasVegasWeekly.com December 17-23, 2015

photograph by bill hughes

If you grew up in the ’90s, you should give Don Lewis Barnhart a hug. Now 77, he likely played a major part in your childhood without you knowing. A television director since the 1970s, Barnhart reached his peak in the ’90s, directing the bulk of Saved by the Bell. The gang from Bayside still holds a special place in his heart, as does Robin Williams, whom Barnhart directed on Mork & Mindy. We caught up with the Vegas-based radio host to delve into his past behind the camera and his thoughts on the onscreen present.

second assistant director. It is the worst position on the set. One day, here comes Garry Marshall with his entourage. He was the executive producer on Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Who’s Watching the Kids?, Mork & Mindy. ... I said to Garry, “I would really like to be a director. Do you think you can help me do that?” Everybody thought, what balls I had. Garry said, “I can’t do it. But I tell you what I will do. You go out and get yourself a director’s job and come back to me and we’ll talk.”

few people I met in my whole career who did what he said he was going to do. ... They hired me back on as a second [for Mork & Mindy]. After a month, I moved up to first and [ran] the set. I ended up directing three or four episodes.

thank you for your drive.

From all of us at Greenspun Media Group, we would like to thank each and every one of our drivers that deliver our publications each week. We truly appreciate all your hard work and dedication. We could not do it without you!

TEEN BEATS

FOR 14-YEAR-OLD DJ TREL, UNLEASHING HIS SOUND IS A ‘SUPERPOWER’ BY BROCK RADKE

Trevor Larsen should be nervous. At least a little bit. He’s not. He’s about to play the biggest gig of his career, but he’s too excited to be nervous. It’s 8:38 p.m. and he’s bouncing through a quick soundcheck inside Vinyl at the Hard Rock Hotel just east of the Las Vegas Strip. This place reinvented Vegas cool 20 years ago and was one of the first casinos to open a real-deal dance club. Those things are not lost on this lanky 14-year-old, aka DJ TreL, even though he’s the opening act on this four-DJ bill at RVLTN’s 18-and-over Circuit show at the casino’s smaller concert venue. It’s still his biggest gig ever. He’s still playing the Hard Rock. And he’s not nervous. He looks the part, skinny jeans with stylish rips in the knees and

14 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 17-23, 2015

a single gold chain dangling over a slick Milk Money sweatshirt. Kids are filing into the venue, tiny girls without pants and boys with rolls of raver kandi around their arms. TreL is waiting, impatient but calm, until he can take the stage. He’s done this before, sort of. At 9:27, with around 60 people gathered, house DJ Tony Sinatra turns it over to TreL, who grabs the mic: “Are you ready to turn this sh*t up? Let’s go, let’s go!” He grins as he unleashes the first of many drops, the crowd already intrigued. Bryan Larsen, TreL’s dad, is near the stage, shuffle-dancing a bit. Alexis Whitney, TreL’s mom, is a bit farther back, snapping phone pics.

***** It might be unusual for a Vegas DJ’s parents to be up in the club dur-

ing his set, but not if the DJ isn’t even old enough to get into the club. TreL’s situation is a bit different. “My father was a musician, and we grew up around music,” Bryan Larsen says. “But the crazy thing is our family is more into sports; we’re all athletes. We put Trevor into baseball, and he hated it. We put him into soccer, and he was nowhere near the ball.” Bryan’s father, Bruce Larsen, owns a small local recording studio, and when TreL first started spending time there, no one was sure what would happen. “I’ve always loved music and had a passion for it, and every time I went to my grandpa’s studio I wanted to get in there and make music, but I didn’t know how to play anything,” TreL says. Everything changed when he went to his first music festival, iHeartRadio,

in 2012 and saw Deadmau5. He was entranced, not just by the music but by the lights, the chaotic party exploding around him, the people who were as hypnotized as he was. But he didn’t want to be in the crowd. He wanted to be in control of the chaos. “I get the same feeling every single time I perform, no matter what the gig is,” TreL says. “I just love the energy and people being able to vibe off my energy. It kind of feels like a superpower. Making people dance is one of the best feelings ever. I think I could do this for the rest of my life and be completely happy with it.” TreL was 12 when he DJ’d his first real gig. He warmed up by playing his cousin’s sweet 16, then played for a couple hundred people at a Fourth of July party. “It was pretty nervewracking,” he admits. “I barely knew what I was doing, but it was still pretPHOTOGRAPH BY L.E. BASKOW

night, says, “Love you guys,” and he’s done. He can’t stay to watch Dirty Lazrs or headliner 4B, though he’s a fan. He’s not allowed.

*****

He’s all over the sonic map, and it’s intentional. ty cool.” His first experiences only reinforced what he already knew— he’d finally found his niche.

***** “I remember when he was 5 years old, looking through the glass doors of the studio, listening to me and my boys jamming to Eric Clapton,” says Bruce Larsen, TreL’s granddad, standing at the bar at Vinyl during the show. The set just moved through insanely different genres at rapid-fire pace, from Drake’s “Hotline Bling” to a few seconds of Soulja Boy’s “Crank That,” and then, inexplicably, Drowning Pool’s “Bodies” and the

Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike crowd favorite “The Hum” before transitioning into the Calvin Harris/Disciples smoothie “How Deep Is Your Love.” He’s all over the sonic map, and it’s intentional. “I feel like I’ve been changing my style every few months, or even weeks,” TreL says later. “I’m constantly changing, and just when I get stuck on something, it changes again, because I’m still developing my own style.” He loves the big-room EDM sound of Vegas, DJs like Tiësto and Hardwell—even though he can’t go see them—but he’s more influenced by genre-jumping artists like Diplo

and Skrillex. “I play a lot of different stuff, trap and dubstep and big room and hardstyle and future and whatever, not the same thing over and over. I want to keep people guessing.” It’s working. His Vinyl set is so aggressive and moves so fast, the kids can barely keep up, but they’re enjoying themselves. TreL occasionally gets on the mic to pump up the crowd, which has grown larger and rowdy, or he gets in front of the decks to take selfie-videos bouncing along with them. He finishes his hour by asking his audience to follow his social media channels, and then, clearly wishing he could stay onstage all

When you think of a Vegas DJ’s life, images of big parties, bigger clubs, late nights and late flights to even more exotic locations spring to mind. What 14-year-old wouldn’t aspire to that lifestyle? Despite the allure, TreL is attacking his goal with a quiet maturity—and the support of his family. Dad, who essentially serves as TreL’s manager, agent, soundman and anything and everything else, worked for years in design and construction and made connections at many Strip resorts, and mom is a team member at Wynn Las Vegas. Once TreL got serious about becoming a DJ, he scored a meeting with Wynn nightlife executives Sean Christie, Jesse Waits and Jonathan Shecter. The club bosses gave him some valuable advice. “Producing is definitely essential to being a DJ nowadays,” TreL says. “If you look at the Top 100 list in DJ Mag, every single one of them is producing. If you don’t produce, you don’t have a sound, and people know DJs now for their songs more than their live sets.” After his Wynn meeting, he started studying piano and composition. Though he hasn’t released his own tracks yet, they’re coming soon. “I can’t wait for this winter break. I’m just going to lock myself in the studio and write a bunch of music.” He knows he has a long way to go before he plays a Vegas megaclub— although technically, it could happen sooner. “I believe he could do it,” says Christie, vice president of operations at Wynn. “When Madeon was 18, he was coming in and playing and leaving right after, but I don’t know if we’ve had anyone under 18 [perform].” Christie remembers being impressed with TreL. “He is a really nice kid, and if that’s what he wants to do and he stays focused on it, I would imagine he would have success. He was very serious at age 12. “The biggest thing we said to him was, the only way to get notoriety is you have to produce and people have to like your music.” TreL’s next big gig is lined up for March. He’ll be part of another 18-and-over show, this one assembled by NightHowl, which promoted successful events at Hard Rock Live on the Strip in October and November. But as much as he loves performing— more than anything else he’s experienced—the focus is definitely on making his own music. That’s his pathway to sustaining this creative niche. “I’m just trying to find that sound and that vibe that’s something different,” he says, “and hopefully other people will like it.” December 17–23, 2015 LasVegasWeekly.com

ILLUSTRATION BY FILTHY LITTLE HANDS

It was an ugly scene. A war zone, almost. Cocktail sauce oozed from stacked plates. Discarded animal bones littered the table. At one point the waitress got so sick of refilling Mountain Dews, she brought four carafes and never returned. The year was 2010. The place: Paris Las Vegas’ Le Village Buffet. The occasion was a bachelorette weekend dinner, but what most of us remember is the battle. “No excuses at the buffet,” Carolyn sneered at Ted over dinner at the charming faux-French village. Blind to the bucolic decor, the two locked horns, diving head first into a gluttonous yet glorious competitive-eating spat. What ensued was an hours-long parade of plates, featuring meats, sweets and vegetables of all colors. Eight rounds later, Carolyn, the bride-to-be, demolished our trash-talking friend, who outweighed her by at least 100 pounds. Ted sputtered in defense. He had eaten a big lunch, he had too much soda, he … Carolyn interrupted, cutting his ego. “No excuses.” That night, “buffetiquette” was born, an indispensable portmanteau, a name for a set of social norms that tells us how to act in all-you-can-eat situations. And we can all use some help. Manners were a second thought, but strategy was not. So strap on a bib, use a napkin, tip your server and follow these buffet-maximizing tips from Carolyn, a competitive-eating queen in her own right.

It’s delicious, it’s basically pure protein and it won’t fill you up, so start with shrimp, crab, lobster or any other seabug you fancy. It’ll whet your appetite. (Get it? Wamp.)

Bottomless mimosas are par for the course at Vegas

Pile on the prime rib and ribeye and all the other ribs and steaks in this crucial round, a sweep where diners break even with the price of admission. If there’s sashimi or sushi that’s not overly loaded with rice, get that, too.

buffets, but how about a real-live open bar? That’s the situation at the M Resort’s Studio B Buffet, which offers

We all want the mashed potatoes and the mac and cheese—and we can have it, in moderation. Salad is basically a waste of space on your plate, according to Carolyn, but if you’re really into it, have a few leaves between big-kid rounds or at the end of the meal. Ditto that mac.

complementary wine, beer and cider to go along with its 200-plus dishes. I was there on a weekend, when

It’s the classic potluck syndrome: You’re hungry, so you dish up normal portions. No. This is an active situation, so get a tiny bit of everything that interests you and go back for larger portions of the stuff you love. Also like potlucks: Leave the leftovers for the host.

sparkling wine to spike your OJ is added to the mix, and found myself seated all the way across the room from

If you’re going to have ice cream, do it now. It’s not very filling, and you can still move on to …

the booze station. Sometime between plates one and two I started double-fisting—at

Although you’ve gotten the sweet party started, it’s not too late to revert to savory for those things you wanted but weren’t sure about. Charcuterie, potatoes, salad, that weird pasta? Go!

brunch, not a toga party at a frat house. But I wasn’t alone; every other table had diners

All right, go ape. Get all the mini cakes and puddings, the dipped strawberries and the cake pops. Hell, get some more ice cream. It’s nearly the end of this experience, and you need to make it work.

working with two mimosas, beers or ciders, and some mimosa fans even asked to upgrade their Champagne

This step is only for the shameless and the hopeless sweet tooths, but if you’re so inclined, take cookies home. Yes, cookies, plural. Carolyn recommends two.

flutes to larger wine glasses.

That’s it. That’s how it’s possible to conquer multiple rounds at the buffet and live to tell about it. Another thing: If you’re trying to go big, go slow. Buffets have time limits, and they’re meant to be tested. Can’t top eight trips? It’s okay. Just remember: No excuses.

but that cider is damn good.

Was I still ashamed? Slightly, –Mark Adams DECEMBER 17–23, 2015 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM

There was a time when the Rio was the center of the Vegas buffet universe, and not just because the magnificently huge Carnival World was known for serving more than 300 different dishes every day well before Caesars Palace’s Bacchanal came along and outsized everything. The Rio had a whole other thing, the smaller yet specialized Village Seafood buffet, dishing up plenty of the ocean treasures that make up a favorite part of the buffet experience for many diners. Last month, the Rio debuted a new combo experience, the Carnival World & Seafood Buffet, which has a separate line of more than 70 seafood dishes added to Carnival World’s 200-dish-strong smorgasbord. How does it work? If you want more fun with fish, you’ll pay a $15 upgrade and get an invisible sea creature stamp on your hand. A buffet team member with a black light will check to make sure you have access to what kinda feels like Club Shrimp Scampi before you enter the roped-off area; When I went, I was asked to show off my glowing lobster mark to some non-English-speaking eaters who wanted in but didn’t understand. Once inside seafood world, I was impressed with the variation of dishes and improved quality. Sashimi was much better than my last visit to the Village Seafood buffet a couple years ago, and exotic goodies like octopus provencal and black mussels in spicy Thai tom yum broth waited beside Cajun crawfish and Jonah crab claws. There are some seafood dishes available in the regular buffet area—which remains particularly strong in the dessert, meat and Chinese food categories, FYI—but they’re not quite as good as in the upgraded space. So you can get clam chowder, but the VIP chowder is worthy of a second bowl. Lunch, $24.99; dinner, $32.99-$49.99; brunch Saturday & Sunday, $31.99.

18 LasVegasWeekly.com December 17-23, 2015

> MASH IT ALL UP Carnival World was always strong on sweets. Now sea treasures like oysters, crab and takoyaki are all up in the mix.

rio buffet by mikayla whitmore

I love Chinese buffets. My mom loves Chinese buffets. And though I can’t know for certain, I imagine I come from a long line of devotees. They’re a cheap thrill for the adventurous eater, honoring the pillars of the Asian palate with a fount of seafood, soups and greens. Crawfish and choy sum, eggy broths and chicken wings … for these delights I can overlook the fact that they’re basically a slurry of cornstarch and MSG—until I can’t anymore. Nearing the end of my second-ish plate, this good idea turns decidedly bad. But no matter: I always leave in a state of self-loathing, and I always enthusiastically return, as if it’s in my blood. –Kristy Totten

The Buffet at Excalibur After a $6.2 million renovation, this 35,000-square-foot mega-eatery came back to life in January with a sleek new look, but it was the food that really needed a refreshening. It’s much tastier now, and there’s a lot more of it: more stations to accommodate different cuisines, an interactive dessert display, and all-you-can drink beer and wine for $10. Breakfast, $17.99; lunch, $18.99; dinner, $23.99-$26.99; brunch Saturday & Sunday, $21.99.

CHINESE BUFFET ILLUSTRATION BY FILTHY LITTLE HANDS

The Buffet at Wynn Always situated in the upper echelon, Wynn’s buffet didn’t need to be improved in terms of cuisine or setting. But that’s what they do here, always adding elegance and sophistication—and in this case, 120 new dishes. South American rodizio-style barbecue is served from the open-flame parilla grill, and a giant rotating griddle doubles for pancakes or street tacos. The color scheme is “Swiss coffee and delicate vine,” with wasabi-colored marble floors and canopies above each service station, while the dessert pâtisserie offers 39 options including a rotating gelato display and other sweet treats meant to be hand-dipped in dark, white or milk chocolate. Breakfast, $23.99; lunch, $26.99; dinner, $42.99-$49.99; brunch Saturday & Sunday, $34.99.

The Buffet at Aria Often overlooked because of all the fancy eating options at Aria, this second-level buffet was made over when it was just 3 years old. Now it’s a Strip secret, full of artisanal cheeses and carved meats, exquisite desserts and fresh seafood, bottomless Champagne or sangria and stellar Indian cuisine— you won’t find that at your average buffet. Breakfast, $21.99; lunch, $25.99; dinner, $36.99-$41.99; brunch Saturday & Sunday, $31.99. –Brock Radke

DECEMBER 17–23, 2015 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM

Maybe it’s the weekly coupons. Or the fro-yo that doesn’t melt in five minutes. Or its appearance of healthiness. But I occasionally find myself lunching at Sweet Tomatoes, the neighborhood grazing spot for herbivores and macaroni fiends (that still offers a meat option or two), and I do so with the shamelessness of a naked toddler sprinting across the front lawn. ¶ I blame the immediate seduction of a fresh and full salad spread, which, unlike my local Whole Foods, boasts exactly the vegetables and garnishes I favor. Then there’s its famously girthy chicken noodle soup, which can erase both a bad morning and any memory of Mom’s barren broth. And while I might betray my Italian heritage by admitting indulgence of its foccacia bread, I nonetheless consider taking the whole pan to my booth—and why not? My $8-after-coupon covers as much qualitycontrol beige bingeing as I want. I’m not one for casual buffets, but Sweet Tomatoes is just non-buffet enough. –Mike Prevatt

From time to time, there’s something undeniably satisfying about a meal that doesn’t end until you decide it should. When no matter how much you eat, it costs the same. And where no one’s going to judge you for grabbing yet another plate, since you’re all there on the same mission. This town is filled with such endless experiences, from casino buffets to all-you-can-eat sushi joints, Brazilian steakhouses to bottomless Sunday brunches. Asian and Indian buffets, salad bars, unlimited baskets of fries … the list goes on and on. Here are five of our favorite all-you-can-eats you might not have tried. FISH & CHIPS AT CROWN & ANCHOR (Mondays, 5 p.m.-midnight, $13.95) You already

know Crown & Anchor has some of the tastiest fish and chips in Las Vegas, but are you aware the fun doesn’t have to end after one serving? And just think, the longer you sit there eating the golden-fried fish, the more time you’ll have to keep working your way through that draft beer list. What a wonderful world. 1350 E. Tropicana Ave., 702-739-8676; 4755 Spring Mountain Road, 702-876-4733. STREET TACOS AT EL DORADO CANTINA (Thursdays, 5 p.m.-midnight, $19.99) El Dorado’s tacos are stuffed far fuller than average, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t push way past the spot’s regular three-taco combo. We recommend the diced al pastor, the slow-roasted cochinita, the flavorful carnitas … Who are we kidding?

SWEET TOMATOES SHUTTERSTOCK; ROLLIN SMOKE BY MIKAYLA WHITMORE

I take great pleasure in assembling odd and possibly offensive plates when I buffet. It’s less about wanting to bite everything and more about creative consumption; I won’t conform to standard social-eating structures. Meatloaf and mashed potatoes? Psh. Try lox and egg rolls. I think it’s funny and ironic to sculpt sushi swishes around chunks of deep-fried cod and beerbattered scallops. I make sandwiches out of expensive strips of imported charcuterie using greasy slabs of pizza as bread. I drop glops of fruit cobbler atop a breakfast latticework of bacon and sausage. My masterpiece so far: a mountain of lanky crab legs cradling a single, solemn taco—crunchy shell, ground-beef sludge, nacho cheese, guac-ish ooze. How did it not topple on the way to the table, DayGlo orange sauce dangling over crustacean limbs? It’s my art. –Brock Radke

You might as well try ’em all. 3025 Sammy Davis Jr. Drive, 702-722-2289. CHICKEN WINGS AT HEARTHSTONE (Mondays, 5-10 p.m., $12) When a dozen just won’t do, look west toward Red Rock Casino, where you can chomp on Hearthstone’s tangy, slightly spicy wings until your stomach says stop (then maybe get just one more bowlful). But don’t dawdle; this is a Monday Night Football special, and the season ends soon. 702-797-7344. CATFISH, CRAB LEGS, RIBS OR SHRIMP AT RHYTHM KITCHEN (5 p.m.-close) This Louisiana-style seafood and steak outfit is so dedicated to all-you-can-eating, it features

ILLUSTRATIONS BY FILTHY LITTLE HANDS

four distinct deals: crab legs on Tuesday ($32), baby back ribs on Wednesday ($26), fried and boiled shrimp on Thursday ($26) and catfish on Sunday ($18). Whenever you go, be sure to ask for a side of the addictive Cajun sauce. 6435 S. Decatur Blvd., 702-767-8438. BARBECUE AT ROLLIN SMOKE (anytime, $34.99) Pulled pork or brisket? Baby back or spare ribs? Collard greens or mac and cheese? Skip the decisions and try it all at the hut many rank atop the Valley’s growing ’cue class. It’s a great way to figure out which meats and sides you like best, and if you really feel like getting funky, toss in a shrimp po-boy, some meatloaf or a burger. You only live once. 3185 S. Highland Drive, 702-836-3621. –Spencer Patterson

DECEMBER 17–23, 2015 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM

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NIGHTS

> HEART OF MARQUEE Catch longtime resident Vice at Cosmo’s club Friday.

HOT SPOTS

STEVE POWERS AT LIGHT NYC

Credible theories about where and when the mimosa was invented

DJ/producer Powers’ new track “The Tribe” on Sosumi Records drops on Christmas Eve. Think you’ll get a preview Friday at Light? December 18, 10 p.m., $30+ men, $20+ women. HEART OF VICE AT MARQUEE This

was a special year for LA’s Vice, the first resident DJ at Tao Group’s flagship Vegas club when it opened 10 years ago. Catch his Heart of Vice residency Friday night at Cosmo, also the home of his CRSVR sneaker

shop. December 18, 10 p.m., $41+ men, $23+ women. CHAMPAGNE PARTY BRUNCH WITH M!KEATTACK AT LAVO Don’t

even tell us you haven’t hit Lavo’s party brunch yet this season. Fuel up on white polenta blueberry pancakes and mimosas before the confetti comes down and M!KEATTACK has you up on your table. December 19, 2 p.m. WINTER WONDERLAND AT DLVEC

The Downtown Las Vegas Events Center continues to diversify its programming, dipping a toe in the EDM

waters with a holiday rave featuring Fergie DJ and DJ Twisted dropping beats under a 20,000-square-foot tent. December 19, 8 p.m., $20. DJ P-JAY AT CHATEAU LA’s hiphop headquarters is still Power 106, and one of its DJs is coming to the Strip Saturday night. December 19, 10:30 p.m., $35+ men, $25+ women.

clubs close down for the pre-NYE holiday season, but great industry parties never stop rocking. Join Blackout Artists mainstay Karma and keep on swinging this Sunday. December 20, 10:30 p.m., $30+ men, $20+ women. JERMAINE DUPRI AT SURRENDER

PHOREYZ AT LING LING CLUB While

the big room won’t be back until after Xmas, take advantage of the opportunity to chill in Hakkasan’s intimate Ling Ling lounge with Get Back beatlord Phoreyz. December 19, 10:30 p.m., $30+ men, $20+ women.

CLUB HOPPING Nightlife News & Notes

Midweek parties at Wynn/Encore are in short supply. Thankfully, Surrender’s still holding it down, this week with resident DJ and Atlanta producing legend JD. December 23, 10:30 p.m., $45+ men, $35+ women.

December 19 and pops up next in Hakkasan’s main room on January 1. A new gay Sunday night on the Strip has bubbled up. Fizz in Caesars Palace—the Champagne bar located where the casino meets the Forum Shops—is now the home of Equality Sundays, which kicked off December 13. The weekly event soundtracked by DJ Brandon Godfrey starts at 9 p.m. and benefits AFAN. Surrender’s recent hip-hop vs. house night was successful enough to launch the new Thursday night Back 2 Back party, which will see two headliners on one stage. The open-format night launches January 14, and locals get in free. –Brock Radke

FETTY WAP BY TONY TRAN

Marquee might have been the last major nightclub to announce its New Year’s Eve talent, and it’s a doubleheader: Fetty Wap will perform and conduct the midnight countdown, followed by a 1 a.m. appearance by Bruno Mars, with DJ Politik playing all night. The Cosmo club will host a two-hour open bar and three hours of passed hors d’oeuvres at 9 p.m. Tickets cost $78-$151. Looks like longtime Wynn nightlife resident Lil Jon is sneaking off to Hakkasan. He plays at Surrender

24 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 17-23, 2015

INDUSTRY SUNDAY WITH DJ KARMA AT THE BANK Lots of local

NIGHTS

> TIME TO PLAY Encore and Christie (inset) are raising the stakes with their new Player’s Club; (below) actor Joe Manganiello at the September opening of Lavo Casino Club.

t h e i n c i d e n ta l to u r i st

More than millennials Encore Player’s Club and other venues look to diversify Vegas nightlife By Brock Radke

26 LasVegasWeekly.com December 17-23, 2015

sion and more discerning with their money,” Christie says. “But if you look at any generation, when they were 21 to 35, they probably gambled the same way and frequency these people do, there’s just a spotlight on it because they grew up with a video-game console and a [smartphone] in their hands.” For Wynn and Encore, adding Encore Player’s Club to the mix—and putting it in this lively nightlife corner of the twin resort complex—is more about updating the casino-floor model than specifically targeting Generation Y. Christie said that area of the casino was one of the worst performers in gaming revenue in both resorts. It needed a boost, and it only makes sense to create some flow between the clubs and the hip Andrea’s. Wynn Resorts has often been the tip of the spear when it comes to these types of innovations, but Tao Group already opened Lavo Casino Club in the early fall, an intimate venue with a VIP vibe combining traditional gaming— blackjack and craps so far, and roulette and baccarat could be on the way—with a full Italian food menu from the Lavo restaurant, bottle service and intense mixology. That venue has become a great football weekend spot, something Encore Player’s Club is aiming for as well. Both new party spots represent the diversification of Vegas nightlife. The era of the dominant, DJ-oriented megaclub is most likely coming to a close as audiences—including the kids getting stuck with the M-word—are craving more and different experiences. Some of the new lounges, bars and clubs on the Strip will incorporate gaming and sports, others will take a greater musical focus, and most will find a way to incorporate technology in a more meaningful way. “I know the target is millennials, but it’s not just for them,” Christie says of Encore Player’s Club, which will hold its grand opening party during CES week on January 6. “That’s the trick. It has to speak to that group so they’ll go in, but it also has to feel good for everybody else. They may not be the people who use it most.”

encore beach club by erik kabik; SEAN CHRISTIE BY DENISE TRUSCELLO; lavo CASINO CLUB by al powers

Encore Player’s Club is opening this weekend, on December 19. It’s a 5,000-square-foot area carved out of a corner of Encore’s casino, surrounded by Surrender nightclub (and closed-for-the-season Encore Beach Club), Andrea’s restaurant, the VDKA bar and Society Cafe, a restaurant that closes this month to make room for a new Wynn/ Encore poker room. Encore Player’s Club has been touted as a lounge-casino mashup, “built specifically to appeal to millennials,” according to a release from the resort. You can play roulette, craps, blackjack and slots, or you can grab one of the Suzo Happ InteractivePro tables with your crew and play a variety of games for money or just for fun; the tables can also function as Internet-connected TVs. You can watch football or you can bet on football. There’s a DJ booth, so there’ll be music, but not loud, clubby music. And the music played here will be heard throughout Encore’s casino floor, something that’s already been happening from Andrea’s every night starting at 6 p.m. So the music has to appeal to everyone, which is kind of the idea behind Encore Player’s Club, too, despite the millennial shout-outs. “Just because something appeals to millennials—like our nightclubs, for example—doesn’t mean it can’t be good for a much wider segment,” says Sean Christie, Wynn Las Vegas vice president of operations. “Maybe we’re skewing that way because of technology, but that doesn’t mean someone in their 60s can’t be comfortable and have a drink and gamble. That’s when a space will do well.” Targeting millennials has been the big thing for a while now, and in Las Vegas that means finding a way to get a younger visitor—one who spends most of his or her time and money in nightclubs, bars and restaurants—to roll the dice. It has been assumed this crowd doesn’t like to play slots or care to sit at blackjack tables. “There is the idea that they’re [not gambling] because they were very young coming out of the reces-

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LAS VEGAS WEEKLY CLUB GRID

Listings are accurate as of press time. For more info, contact venues directly.

VENUE

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

1 OAK

Closed

Doors at 10:30 pm; $30+ men, $20+ women

Kerfoot

ARTIFICE

Doors at 5 pm

With Dau & Sterling, Banana Hands, Little Red Lung; 10 pm, no cover

Nerdlesque Burlesque

ARTISAN

Lounge open 24 hours

DJ Ikon

SATURDAY

SPONSORED BY: Embassy Nightclub

Listings are accurate as of press time. For more info, contact venues directly.

VENUE

THURSDAY

FRIDAY

SATURDAY

SUNDAY

MONDAY

TUESDAY

WEDNESDAY

OMNIA

Closed

Sinful Sundays

Tops & Bottoms 90s

La Noche Latin Night

Open 24 hours

Hosting, with India Ferrah; 7 pm; no cover; open 24 hours

Drag Queen Bingo

PIRANHA

Hosted by Michelle Holliday; 7 pm; no cover; open 24 hours

Two for Thursday

REVOLVER

Latrice Royale

Feel the Burn

Closed

DJ set; doors at 10:30 pm; $45+ men, $35+ women

Doors at 10 pm; $32+ men, $23+ women

Closed

The Rapture

Wind Down

Unprotected Decks

Share Thursdays

Stripper Circus

Share Saturdays with Derrick Barry

Ladies’ Night

SURRENDER

Closed

With DJ MVRK; doors at 10 pm; no cover

Brodie Stewart

Live; doors at 7 pm; $15 men/women, $5 locals

Battle Track

Bad Santa Party With DJ Five; doors at 10 pm; $23+ men, $14+ women

Soulkitchen

Hip-hop vs. house DJs; doors at 10:30 pm; $35+ men, $25+ women

Enferno

Doors at 10 pm; $23+ men/women

Run DTWN

Live; doors at 10 pm; no cover

Doors at 7 pm; $15 men/women, $5 locals

Lil Jon

DJ set; doors at 10:30 pm; $35+ men, $25+ women

Eric D-Lux

With Edgar Reyes, others; 10 pm; no cover; doors at 4 pm

With DJs Mckenzie, Sucio; 10 pm; no cover; doors at 4 pm

With DJ Soulcutz, 10 pm; no cover; doors at 6 pm

With Pr3nup; 9 pm; no cover; doors at 6 pm

With DJ Duran, others; 10 pm; no cover; doors at 4 pm

VELVETEEN RABBIT

Doors at 5 pm

Closed

Manufactured Superstars

A-Trak

SKAM Sundays with Jerzy

Doors at 10 pm; $30+ men, $20+ women

With India Ferrah; no cover; open 24 hours

Ladies’ Night

Saddle Up

Doors at 8 pm; $5 after 10 pm, no cover for military; $2 Jell-O shots

Doors at 7 pm; $10 men, $5 women; $1 well, wine and drafts for women

VANGUARD LOUNGE

Plus Piranha Idol Karaoke with Shiela at 7 pm; no cover; open 24 hours

Doors at 8 pm; $5 after 10 pm; $20 all-you-candrink Busch

STONEY’S

TAO

Hosted by Desree St. James; no cover; $20 liquor bust, 11 pm-4 am

2 hours of 2-step line dancing; doors at 7 pm; $2, no cover for military

With Nick Ayler; doors at 10 pm; no cover

Boylesque

With India Ferrah and guests, 1:30 am; El Deseo show, 1 am; no cover; open 24 hours

Doors at 10:30 pm; $30+ men, $20+ women

XS Academy

Doors at 10:30 pm; $30+ men, $20+ women

Studio V

$1 drinks for ladies until midnight; line dance lessons at 8 pm; doors at 8 pm; $5 after 10 pm

Jermaine Dupri

Can I Kick It?

With DJs Sucio, Exile; 10 pm; no cover; doors at 4 pm

With Byra Tanks, Zack the Ripper; 10 pm; no cover; doors at 4 pm

Doors at 5 pm

Closed

NIGHTS | PARTY PLAYBACK

DECEMBER 12

LIL JON AT SURRENDER Photographs by Tony Tran

FOR MORE PHOTO GALLERIES VISIT LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM/PHOTOSTRIP 38 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 17-23, 2015

Arts&Entertainment Movies + Music + Art + Food

Home for the Holidays

> when holidays attack Strap on your red suit and hit Fremont.

Kristen Hertzenberg returns for a Smith Center one-off When Kristen Hertzenberg, known for her powerful soprano vocals on the Strip and off, moved away last summer, she promised she’d return—and this weekend she’s back, performing at the Smith Center with pianist Philip Fortenberry. What have you been working on in Houston? For the first month I pretty much spent my time getting us settled, getting my little one acclimated to a new state and reconnecting with family. This will be my third trip back to Vegas to perform, so I’ve been preparing for these shows and planning future engagements.

Trust Us

Stuff you’ll want to know about go

see metropolis with michael shane The Sci Fi Center brings the pianist back for its latest presentation of a classic silent movie with live musical accompaniment. Shane will perform alongside Fritz Lang’s landmark 1927 science-fiction film. December 17, 8 p.m., $10.

santa rampage You might have done the Santa Run,

but you haven’t done Santa till you’ve stormed the Fremont Street Experience in full St. Nick drag, clutching a plastic, fishnetted leg full of PBR and belting out holiday parodies like “Walking ’Round in Women’s Underwear.” Come fully costumed and ready to participate, or don’t come at all. December 18, 8 p.m.-3 a.m., santarchy.com.

santa rampage by mikey mcnulty; UNLV basketball by L.E. Baskow

winter art bazaar Snag original art, prints, jewelry and crafts at the pop-up event by Las Vegas Tattooers’ Alliance and Dick Blick Art Materials, with proceeds benefitting local sellers. December 19, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., 6300 W. Charleston Blvd.

Hear edgar winter Random places you’ve heard the Texas blues-rocker’s songs (like “Frankenstein” and “Free Ride”): movies like Encino Man and Tupac: Resurrection, and TV’s The Simpsons and Queer as Folk. On Friday, hear his chestnuts live at the Golden Nugget. December 18, 8 p.m., $29-$99. serial The addictive, investigative podcast returns with Bowe Bergdahl, the U.S. soldier who walked off his post in Afghanistan only to be captured by the Taliban. His story is far-reaching; he’s “an interesting and unusual guy, not like anyone I’ve encountered before,” says host Sarah Koenig. serialpodcast.org

preston lacy You know him as a frequent mark and Wee-Man’s buddy in the Jackass TV series and films, and if you saw him perform at Adrenaline Sports Bar in July, you know his self-abusing, stunt-comedy past comprises a big part of his stand-up routine. He circles back for a gig at Dive Bar as part of the Fat Chance Tour, coheadlined by fellow Midwestern comedian Tom Garland. December 18, 8 p.m., $12-$15.

cheer unlv basketball The Rebels look pretty legit this year, having beaten ranked Indiana and Oregon teams, and this week brings another chance to topple a Top 25 foe, when UNLV travels to No. 13 Arizona on December 19. Catch that one on ESPN2 at 6:30 p.m., then welcome the squad back to town for (what should be) an easier bout on December 22, versus South Dakota. 7 p.m., $11-$137, Thomas & Mack Center.

Tell us a bit about this weekend’s Holidays From the Heart show. It will be a little classical, a little country, a little theater and a whole lot of beautiful playing by my brotherfrom-another-mother/pianist extraordinaire Philip Fortenberry. And several original songs by my dear friend Keith Thompson! How does it feel to be away, and how Holidays would you sum From the up your cultural Heart experience here? December I miss my Vegas 19, 2:30 & friends dearly. 7 p.m. $26I’ve never been $36. Smith surrounded by Center’s so many artists Cabaret Jazz, in my life. I grew 702-749so much, not only 2000. because of the opportunities I had but because of the abundance of theater, dance, music, visual art and performance art I was able to take in. It was truly a gift. –Kristen Peterson

FREE DAY AT THE NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM What does everybody love? Pizza

and dinosaurs! And now we can love both even more, because Grimaldi’s is sponsoring a day of free admission at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum. It coincides with the kickoff of the museum’s December to Remember cultural celebration, including a visit from another thing everybody loves—Santa. December 19, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

December 17–23, 2015 LasVegasWeekly.com

A&E | SCREEN FILM

RETURN OF THE MOJO

> RESCUE MISSION Ridley’s Rey frees BB-8 from a suspicious scavenger.

J.J. Abrams fulfills his mission with Star Wars: The Force Awakens BY JOSH BELL When George Lucas decided to embark on the Star Wars prequel trilogy, misguided as it may have been, it was the artistic and personal vision of a single filmmaker, revisiting the defining work of his career. Now that Disney owns the Star Wars franchise, though, personal considerations are no longer part of the decisionmaking process. J.J. Abrams might be the director and co-writer behind the space opera’s seventh installment, Star Wars: The Force Awakens, but the true auteur is the Walt Disney Company, carefully crafting a brand extension for its multibillion-dollar investment. In a way, that benefits The Force Awakens, since everything about it seems calculated to entertain the widest audience possible. Abrams and co-writers Michael Arndt and Lawrence Kasdan (who worked with Lucas on The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi) know how to put together an exciting story, and they’ve come up with some excellent new additions to the Star 1977 series opener. Its main characWars character canon. It’s hard to ter is a struggling peasant who lives imagine any fans coming away from on a desert planet. Its primary villain The Force Awakens feeling the anger (Adam Driver as the helmeted Kylo and betrayal that some expressed Ren) is a literal Darth Vader wannabe. after watching Lucas’ prequels. But Its story is set in motion by a droid it’s also hard to imagine anyone holdhiding a message about a Jedi master ing this up as their favorite movie in in exile. And its climax centers around the franchise. It’s an entertaining but the destruction of a planetultimately lightweight bridge size weapon (like the Death between the classic movies Star, only much bigger). and Disney’s apparently nev- aaabc All of these elements are er-ending slate of upcoming STAR WARS: handled with style and verve feature films. THE FORCE by Abrams and a talented Even the much-hyped AWAKENS crew, and Ridley and Boyega return of classic characters Daisy Ridley, make for engaging and likhas been a bit overstated. John Boyega, able new series leads (Ridley The main characters of The Adam Driver. in particular should become Force Awakens are not the Directed by a major star after this). Han original-trilogy trio of Luke J.J. Abrams. Solo is the only classic charSkywalker (Mark Hamill), Rated PG-13. acter with a significant role Han Solo (Harrison Ford) Opens Friday. (Leia, now a general, gets and Princess Leia (Carrie maybe 10 minutes of screen Fisher), but rather scaventime, and Luke far less than that), ger Rey (Daisy Ridley) and reformed but the plot sets up bigger things for stormtrooper Finn (John Boyega), those old favorites in future installwho team up to protect the ultra-cute ments. As he did with his Star Trek droid BB-8 from the evil First Order. movies, Abrams balances nostalgia BB-8 is holding a top-secret map to with modernization, and here he the location of Luke Skywalker, who’s also preserves Lucas’ visual style, gone into hiding as the First Order full of wipes and irises and pans has risen from the ashes of the sinisacross fields of stars. He proves to ter, galaxy-spanning Empire. be a responsible steward for a vitally In broad strokes, The Force Awakens important corporate portfolio. rehashes the plot elements of Lucas’

40 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 17-23, 2015

STAR WARS STARS Five Force Awakens characters to look for in the future CAPTAIN PHASMA Played by Gwendoline Christie of Game of Thrones, this helmeted commander of the First Order has been compared to Star Wars favorite Boba Fett for her air of badass mystery, and producers have announced that she’ll play an important role in future movies. BB-8 Even months before the release of The Force Awakens, merchandise featuring this incredibly adorable droid was flying off shelves. Expect an even higher demand for toys and other memorabilia once fans get a glimpse of BB-8 in action. RATHTAR This deadly monster that runs wild on the Millennium Falcon is pretty much all teeth and tentacles, and should make for some pretty fun playsets for younger (and/or imaginatively twisted) fans. MAZ KANATA A thousand-year-old alien played by Lupita Nyong’o, Maz runs a bar for shady characters and has a long, mostly unexplained history with the Force. That’s the kind of thing just begging to be explored in novels and comic books. LOR SAN TEKKA Billed by the opening crawl as a longtime ally of Leia and the Rebels, Lor (played by Max von Sydow) only appears briefly, but his back story could fill in many details of the time between the original trilogy and the new movies. –Josh Bell

A&E | screen

> bargain hunting Fey and Poehler stock up on party supplies.

FILM

Dynamic duo

Tina Fey and Amy Poehler hold the flimsy Sisters together By Mike D’Angelo Tina Fey and Amy Poehler make a terrific comedy duo, which is both the primary strength and most significant weakness of the films they’ve starred in together. On the one hand, the chemistry they first honed behind the desk of Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update—with Fey’s sardonic wit bouncing off of Poehler’s irrepressible energy—translates quite well to the big screen. On the other hand, their joint hilarity tends to be taken for granted, which means

nobody puts much work into crafting a script that’s funny independent of what they’ll bring to it. Like Baby Mama, Sisters (which was penned by longtime SNL writer Paula Pell) is little more than a thin scenario meant to function as a delivery system for semi-improvised riffing. Some jokes hit, others miss, but the movie as an actual movie feels almost irrelevant. As the title suggests, Fey and Poehler play siblings this time, improbable though that may seem from a strictly genetic standpoint. Maura (Poehler) is the more responsible and sensible of the two, though she’s still reeling from a divorce two years ago. Kate (Fey), by contrast, lives strictly for the moment, which explains why she’s just been evicted from her apartment. When Kate heads to the family home in Orlando to regroup, she’s stunned to

mode), Bobby Moynihan (overdoing discover that Mom and Dad (Dianne his character’s coke-fueled mania), Wiest and James Brolin) have just and Kate McKinnon (underutilized sold it, and are moving into a retireas half of a lesbian DJ team). Director ment community. Asked to remove Jason Moore (Pitch Perfect) does little their old belongings, Kate and Maura more than point the camera at the rebel by throwing a ludicrously lavactors, which only intensifies the feelish house party, during which Maura ing that you’re watching an attempts to make up for lost unusually raunchy and foultime by “going wild” and mouthed sketch-comedy bit. Kate struggles to belatedly aaacc The laughs are there, but learn how to be a fully func- SISTERS given that Sisters runs nearly tioning adult. Tina Fey, two hours, it’s disappointing This hackneyed opposites- Amy Poehler, that it aims no higher than meet-in-the-middle narra- Ike Barinholtz. a distaff version of the early tive plays like a contractu- Directed by Tom Hanks vehicle Bachelor ally obligated afterthought, Jason Moore. Party. Fey and Poehler which is probably just as Rated R. could be our Jack Lemmon well. Sisters exists primarily Opens Friday. and Walter Matthau, if only as an excuse for its extended someone would write them an Odd house-party set piece, which allows Couple or Fortune Cookie. Right now, Fey and Poehler to share the spotthey’re settling for a contemporary light with various past and present equivalent of the Bob Hope and Bing SNL cast members, including Maya Crosby road movies. Rudolph (in spectacularly snooty

FILM

Thanks to movies like Searching for Sugar Man and A Band Called Death, the story of the forgotten genius has become a sort of aaabc music-documentary subgenre, and Orion: The Man Who Would Be ORION: THE King builds up a similar mystique around Jimmy Ellis, an Alabama MAN WHO Orion tells the story of a singer who became a brief sensation in the late 1970s. Ellis’ story is WOULD BE would-be Elvis less one of unappreciated genius than a cautionary tale about the KING Directed record business, and it ends not in triumphant rediscovery but in tragedy. Still, it’s an affecting and often by Jeanie Finlay. bizarre story that director Jeanie Finlay handles in a straightforward but mostly satisfying way. ¶ Ellis, who Not rated. Opens had a voice that sounded uncannily like Elvis Presley’s (and who bore a passing resemblance to the King), Friday. emerged as a masked singer known as Orion in the months following Elvis’ death. After years of musicbusiness struggle, Ellis struck a Faustian bargain to allow Sun Records to market him as the potential resurrection of Elvis, and for a while, fans bought into it. Finlay details the strange confluence of events that led to Orion’s existence, and the sad later years when Ellis attempted to take back his musical identity. The movie shines a light on a talented man who was never able to escape the shadow of a legend. –Josh Bell

All shook up

December 17–23, 2015 LasVegasWeekly.com

A&E | screen TV

> saddle up Sandler and Schneider mosey into a saloon.

Father knows least Bill Burr voices a clueless 1970s dad in F Is for Family

F i l m | VO D

How the west was dumb

Adam Sandler brings his typical idiocy to The Ridiculous 6 By Josh Bell

Sandler gives a typically lethargic performance as Adam Sandler went through three movie studios Tommy, a white man raised by Apaches who discovers over several years in his attempt to make his Western he’s the long-lost son of noted outlaw Frank Stockburn comedy The Ridiculous 6, but the final result (the first (Nick Nolte). When Frank gets kidnapped by a gang of of a four-film exclusive deal Sandler made with Netflix) bandits, Tommy gathers up Frank’s five other illegitimate doesn’t exhibit any more passion or creative vision than sons (played by Rob Schneider, Taylor Lautner, Jorge the average production from Sandler’s lowest-commonGarcia, Luke Wilson and Terry Crews) to help rescue denominator comedy factory Happy Madison. Although him. Running jokes include a burro with proit does boast an actual concept beyond givjectile diarrhea and vulgar names for Tommy’s ing Sandler and his buddies a paid vacation, fellow Apache (within the first five minutes, Ridiculous is still a lazy, slapdash exercise, abccc THE someone has referred to an Apache woman as with repetitive, stale jokes and a parade of RIDICULOUS 6 “Poca-hot-tits”). one-dimensional characters based on cultural Adam Sandler, Indifferently directed by Sandler associstereotypes. Rob Schneider, ate Frank Coraci (The Wedding Singer, Click, Unlike Seth MacFarlane’s moronic A Million Taylor Lautner. Blended), Ridiculous is well-suited for the Ways to Die in the West, Ridiculous isn’t even par- Directed by ticularly interested in mocking the conventions Frank Coraci. Not lowered expectations of home viewing (even the Western landscapes look bland). The best of Western movies or the historical Old West. It’s rated. Available that can be said for the movie is that it’s not just another excuse for Sandler and his regular on Netflix. as offensive as it could have been, given the troupe to engage in the same obvious lowbrow early controversy about the treatment of Native humor while riding horses and wearing cowAmerican characters. As in most recent Sandler movies, boy hats. Even worse, it drags on for two full hours, with its main offense comes not from any specifically insensinumerous detours that seem to exist primarily to cram tive jokes, but from how little regard anyone involved in appearances from everyone who’s ever worked with seems to have for the viewing audience. Sandler (including Vanilla Ice as Mark Twain).

42 LasVegasWeekly.com December 17-23, 2015

Comedian Bill Burr drew partially on his own upbringing to create F Is for Family, but the Netflix animated comedy doesn’t feel particularly distinctive. Aside from its salty language and a couple of brief sexually explicit moments, F Is for Family would be right at home on Fox or FX. Burr’s co-creator, Michael Price, is a veteran of The Simpsons, and while F Is for Family is more realistic and grounded than that longrunning series, many of its characters and plot elements are similar. Burr voices Frank, the patriarch of the Midwestern Murphy family, a shorttempered but well-intentioned guy working a blue-collar job (as an airport baggage handler) and trying to provide for his often ungrateful kids. The show is set aabcc in 1973, which mainly F IS FOR serves as an opportuFAMILY nity for Frank to voice Season 1 his politically incorrect available opinions without conseDecember quence, although some 18 on of the period detail in Netflix. the animation is strong. The first season’s six episodes are fairly self-contained, but there’s an ongoing storyline about Frank’s job that builds to a melancholy finish suggesting a potentially more insightful look at the struggles of a working-class family in the 1970s. Mostly Burr and Price are content to settle for predictable jokes about angry dads, rebellious teenagers and weird neighbors. F Is for Family most closely resembles Fox’s King of the Hill in its gentler moments, and the short-lived FX cartoon Unsupervised in its more cynical depictions of family life. The animation is mostly simple and straightforward, and the character designs lean toward realism (as opposed to the surreal world of fellow Netflix animated series BoJack Horseman). The tone is more restrained than outrageous, but Burr and Price don’t have a strong enough perspective to compensate for the mediocre humor. Their average family is a little too average. –Josh Bell

A&E | noise C O N C E RT

The gift of rock

> Bastille Day Holiday Havoc’s headliners weren’t the night’s top highlight.

Holiday Havoc delivers musical treats to the Joint By Jason Harris If Holiday Havoc at the Joint is the musical equivalent of unwrapping your Christmas or Hanukkah gifts, then the last three bands that played, like December presents themselves, left varying degrees of satisfaction for those who received them. Let’s start with Tuesday night’s big present, the bicycle wrapped in the shape of a bicycle. That would be Silversun Pickups from Silverlake in LA. The band’s jarring, noisy sound helped it break beyond corner bars a decade or so ago, and played live, a lot of the Pickups’ songs take on an even fiercer feel. Opener “Cradle (Better Nature)”—also the leadoff track on September album Better Nature—set the tone, allowing the four-piece to fill the room with loose guitar work backed by precise keyboards. Unlike last time in town, the band featured bassist/ backing vocalist Nikki Monniger, who missed a 2012 show in the same room because she was giving birth to twins. This time, her kids got to see momma rock out. Frontman Brian Aubert joked about how Monniger gets nervous playing new song “Circadian Rhythm (Last Dance),” a more methodically paced tune than other Silversun numbers, but here both she and the song shined. Still, no matter how many new tracks the band puts out, it’ll have a tough time finding a better closer than early single “Lazy Eye,” here filled with glorious distortion while keeping its

catchy vibe. Then there’s the gift you might not expect to love that turns out to be more valuable as time goes on. A great book maybe. In Havoc terms, that would be Fidlar, another LA-based band, with a more traditional garage feel. “Drone” is an excellent example of the fast, dirty and surfy West Coast cuts the four-piece plays. “Cocaine” might be the band’s hardest rocker and was well-placed to close out the

set, leaving the audience with a proverbial punch to the mouth. That brings us to the present you really wanted that, played with a few times, left you underwhelmed. A video game that doesn’t live up to the hype. In this case, that was headliner Bastille, the English pop quartet that conquered the world with 2013 hit “Pompeii.” Bastille sparkled at House of Blues in 2014, but this time, the Brits got off to a rocky start, with an

apparent lack of energy marring the set’s first third. The band did recover nicely—on highlights like “oldie” “Bad Blood,” new song “Snakes” and a “No Angels” mashup of The xx’s “Angels” and TLC’s “No Scrubs”— but the performance felt a bit overpolished, lacking in musical danger. The final five songs achieved a nice crescendo, but by the time we got there I was focused on the fun other presents I’d already received.

puSCifer by denise truscello; bastille by Wayne Posner/Kabik Photo Group.

C O N C E RT

Get in the ring Puscifer’s live show is part rock concert, part wrestling match While his more popular bands Tool and A Perfect Circle remain in endless holding patterns, singer Maynard James Keenan has the freedom to cut loose with Puscifer, which is more or less a solo project. The collective’s third album, Money Shot, was released in October, and the supporting tour is Puscifer’s biggest production yet, a goofy stage show in contrast to the more austere, aaabc serious live performances by Keenan’s other groups. Saturday’s concert PUSCIFER at the Pearl began not with an opening band but with a performance December from a Mexican-style wrestling troupe dubbed Luchafer, and the five 12, the Pearl. wrestlers remained onstage throughout the entire Puscifer set. ¶ After half an hour of suplexes and body slams, the band took the stage, with a luchador-masked Keenan and fellow singer Carina Round performing frequently from within the wrestling ring. The wrestlers riled up the crowd between songs, periodically grappled with each other both in and out of the ring, and even occasionally served as roadies. In the meantime, the band performed a set filled with songs from Money Shot, with Keenan and Round sharing the vocals pretty much equally. ¶ Live, the band’s sound is heavier and more organic than on record, dominated by guitars over electronics. Keenan has assembled a strong lineup to tour with, and his penchant for remaining in the shadows allowed his bandmates (especially Round) to shine. Even if the music was sometimes repetitive, the audience remained enthusiastic, and anyone who might have gotten bored would have perked right up when wrestlers in chicken and turtle costumes started battling it out between songs. –Josh Bell

December 17–23, 2015 LasVegasWeekly.com

A&E | noise

> Three of a kind All three members of Par have children.

a l b u m | m e ta l

Baroness Purple aaaac

LO C A L S C ENE

Getting to know: Par

The dad-rockers are out of the garage and aiming to have fun Lineup: Singer/guitarist/songwriter Kevin Hejmanowski, bassist Bryan Thomas and drummer Charlie Mabel. The band’s been around since 2005, but the current lineup coalesced four years ago. Sound: ’90s college rock, the type of you might find on the Reality Bites or Empire Records soundtracks. Says bassist Thomas, “Garage-y, a little lo-fi.” The group might also be described as “dad rock,” since all three members have kids—and Thomas, 54, has one grandchild. Spin: “I Will,” with pacing and guitar/bass interplay reminiscent of Marquee Moon-era Television. Influences: A wide range, from The Smashing Pumpkins to Roxy Music to the Grateful Dead. Why they seem to be building momentum

now: “Desperation,” according to Thomas. “We have very mature people in the band. We all have good, clear heads. Do you want to be a rock star and sputter out like an explosion or do you want to just have fun? I play from the heart, to have fun.”

Shortly after releasing 2012’s sprawling double album, Yellow & Green, Georgia band Baroness got in a devastating bus accident, which seriously injured vocalist/guitarist John Baizley and eventually led to the departure of its rhythm section. The band regrouped with two new members (Trans Am drummer Sebastian Thomson and studious jazzbo bassist Nick Jost) and producer Dave Fridmann for follow-up Purple. The resulting tunes find Baroness digging in and honing in on its strengths. “Shock Me” and “Try to Disappear” are metallic hard rockers with well-defined chorus hooks and furious guitar licks, while opus “Chlorine & Wine” blends Pink Floydian atmospherics and prog-leaning riff outbursts. Despite Purple’s more streamlined sound, Baroness hasn’t reigned in its experimental tendencies. “Desperation Burns” has an underbelly of eerie keyboards, while taut, space-grunge standout “The Iron Bell” ends with Baizley repeatedly howling, “I’m born again.” It’s a sentiment fit for a stellar comeback record. –Annie Zaleski

Goals: Thomas says the band has a clear plan. “To come out with another CD, market it and play locally as much as possible. Not going out on a nationwide tour; just playing in dive bars and having a good time.” Next Show: December 26 at the Bunkhouse as part of a local tribute night to The Rolling Stones. The threepiece will cover “2000 Man” and “Hang Fire.” Social media: Parmusic.net. “We also have a Facebook page,” Thomas says, “but good luck finding that.” –Jason Harris

a l b u m | R& B

album | electronic

Chris Brown Royalty aaacc

RICHIE HAWTIN From My Mind to Yours aaabc

It’s hard to believe there aren’t protesters outside RCA Records asking why it still employs Chris Brown after he assaulted Rihanna. Following the money will reveal that even with his sordid past, he still manages to churn out endless Auto-Tuned hits. On Royalty, he doesn’t attempt to make a cohesive album, but looks to solidify his position by producing another handful of radio-ready cuts, attempting to satisfy multiple audiences at once. Sliminess notwithstanding, it’s hard not to nod your head to the cheesy ’80s grooves of “Fine by Me” or “Zero,” even if the message is endlessly eye rolling. There’s trend chasing on the Jack Ü-esque “Anyway” or Future ripoff “Wrist,” neither of which features the aforementioned artists. His strongest moment is the G-Funk “Picture Me Rollin’,” which clearly borrows from 2Pac, Nate Dogg and Warren G. But strip away the trends and you only have Brown’s lyrics, which still define him as a royal heel. –Mike Pizzo

44 LasVegasWeekly.com December 17-23, 2015

Last week, techno trailblazer Richie Hawtin pulled a Beyoncé and dropped an album nobody saw coming—almost. He had recently copped to sneaking out a handful of productions for his Plus 8 label and hinted at their inclusion on a future longplayer. From My Mind to Yours—the title an homage to Plus 8’s first compilation—honors its legacy by not only amassing 15 tracks credited to eight different Hawtin projects/musical personalities, but acknowledging its aesthetic roots. Hawtin’s signature use of the Roland 808 and 909 drum machines is all over the release, from the squelchy, peak-hour drive of Circuit Breaker’s “Systematic” to the deep, dubby minimalism of Childsplay’s “Stretching.” Repeated listens allow one to differentiate between, say, Plastikman and Fuse—the former more meditative and minimal, the latter more indicative of the dancefloor—but the tracklisting congeals nonetheless, ultimately resulting in a musical (and updated) C.V. of a rhythmic craftsman. –Mike Prevatt

A&E | THE STRIP

> SWEETS MUSIC “Santa Maybe…” puts a new spin on Christmas.

T H E K AT S R E P O RT

UNCHAINED MELODY

The girl with the curl has supplanted Burl. We’re speaking of Melody Sweets, the singing starlet of Absinthe, and how she’s taken the spirit of Burl Ives’ holiday ditties and turned it on its head. This is no “Holly Jolly Christmas” or “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer.” Instead, Sweets has made Santa blush with this one. Tie her up, in little bow ties, ’cause she’s the gift that keeps on givin’. Her words, not mine. The song is the sugar-spicy “Santa Maybe…” released December 1 on iTunes and melodysweets.com. A party celebrating the single’s release, and Sweets’ birthday (from a non-specific year) is set for December 19 at 11:30 p.m. at Fizz at Caesars Palace. Sweets will perform a rendition of the song, and burlesque star Michelle L’amour will make an appearance during the event. The song is novelty by definition and a parody in execution, hearkening to the Eartha Kitt classic “Santa Baby” and the sultry delivery of Mae West. Those are a pair of Sweets’ inspirations, and the song took development as Sweets worked on a concept for a follow-up album to her 2012 release, Burlesque in the Black. That project is a full album of Sweets covers, aptly titled Covered in Sweets. Set for recording by spring of 2016, that CD would be full of songs that evoke thoughts of sugary noshes or any naughty temptation. Performing on the album are some of Las Vegas’ top players. “I thought this would be a fun way to start recording again, to experiment with different musicians and a different sound,” Sweets says. “I wanted something different, and

something that sounded organic and that was quirky and fun.” By the time Sweets asks the musical question, “Who can that be, comin’ down my chimney?” she has achieved the quirk and fun. But even as the song is three minutes of satirical shtick, the musicianship and Sweets’ vocal quality are no joke. In the parlance of “Santa Maybe…” this song is not tossed off. The single has been expertly produced by O music director and sax man Eric Plante, joined on the recording by such high-achieving Vegas musicians as trumpet master David Perrico (founder of Pop Strings and Pop Evolution and a former touring musician with the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra), guitarist Steven Lee (of the Donny & Marie band) and drummer Mike “Beans” Benigno (of the stage show MJ Live at Stratosphere). The song’s co-writer is Mike Williams, who worked with Sweets on Burlesque in the Black, which is effectively hooky in the same spirit of “Santa Maybe…” The tree topper is the audio mixing work of Tim O’Heir, nominated for a Grammy for Best Musical Theater Album as producer of Hedwig and the Angry Inch. The lineup is a mix of longtime colleagues and artists Sweets has met since arriving in Las Vegas. She has known Williams, Benigno and O’Heir for years dating to her time in New York. The others appearing on the single musicians have become collaborators since Sweets’ arrival in Las Vegas with Absinthe in the spring of 2011. She worked with Perrico, Plante and Lee on her recurring productions in the Spiegeltent. The most recent late-night

show produced and hosted by Sweets was a rowdy tribute to Coney Island. Those productions mix Sweets’ originals with some often obscure covers, the Kermit the Frog version of “Lydia the Tattooed Lady” among them. Always, Sweets is seeking inventive ideas, whether exhuming old cover tunes or in her originals. When she lived in New York, she often holed up in a small sushi bar in Manhattan and watched the chefs work and customers file in and out while she caught the muse. In Las Vegas, these moments are achieved while lounging at the pool or tooling around the city. Then she seeks someone to work with to animate these ideas. “I enjoy working with different people, because you can become linear if you don’t,” she says. “If you have different minds, different musicians and different sounds coming together, you become more creative.” Look for the great Lon Bronson, especially, to play a creative and recording role in the upcoming Sweets album. She is revising a song she has long been eager to record, “Sugar Daddy.” Because she is a stage perform-

er, shedding her attire nightly as the Green Fairy in Absinthe, Sweets always considers the “look” of a song. “I often think, ‘What am I saying here?’ because a song, especially in burlesque, is a story. You’re telling a story,” she says. “So I’m thinking of something that can be produced and I can act out onstage.” As has been the case since she arrived in Las Vegas, Absinthe continues to feature Sweets and her originals at the top and closing of the production. “Slice of Heaven” is the lilting opening number and “Taboo,” the reverse striptease, closes. “Up All Night,” her number in the middle of the production, is in the process of being replaced with a new segment. But for now, it’s time for Sweets to celebrate in a salacious sort of way, with “Santa Maybe...” “When I listened back to it, I thought, ‘It’s fun,’ and that’s what I was after,” she says. “It’s sexy and naughty. It makes me giggle. Hey, it makes a lot of people giggle.” With that, there is a giggle. Why not? It’s the gift that keeps on giving …

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A&E | fine art

> Wes World Artists pay tribute to Anderson’s work inside Blackbird.

Fantastic kingdom

Blackbird’s quirky Wes Anderson-inspired exhibit makes for a fitting finale By Kristy Totten from The Life Aquatic With Steve Gina Quaranto is standing in Zissou (complete with oceanic referThe Royal Tenenbaums’ pink living ence books and taxidermied sea birds), room, its shelves lined with Wes then into The Grand Budapest Hotel Anderson-esque curios. “These are (with Mendl’s sweets) and summerthe things that look like they’d be in camp scenes from Moonrise Kingdom. that Brooklyn brownstone,” she says, Homages to Fantastic Mr. Fox, Bottle pointing to board games, trophies, a Rocket and Rushmore are sprinkled tennis racket, antlers, an Indian chief throughout, and paper versions of Chas figurine and bird-shaped bookends. Tenenbaum’s Dalmatian mice, created On a desk are texts the prolific fictional by Quaranto, peek from unexpected brood has penned: Family of Geniuses, corners. (She considered real mice, but Three Plays, Dudley’s World. And on opted for goldfish in the Zissou room on the walls are works by more than 30 opening night.) artists, some of whom have For the show, Nancy never shown publicly, a Brown created an elaborate trademark of Quaranto’s A LIFE ARTISTIC: Mr. Fox sculpture, Ashley Blackbird Studios, which A TRIBUTE TO Popplewell drew trio of will close permanently in WES ANDERSON January. Through January 15, mixed-media works and Quaranto says she has call for hours. 1551 S. Das Frank painted of Richie Tenenbaum shaving. A penwanted to pay tribute to Commerce Street A, cil drawing of Bill Murray the filmmaker for years, 702-782-0319. embodies elements of all and decided to make it the his Anderson characters, final show at her 6-year-old and Annie Wildbear used the quirky Commerce Street gallery. “I’m such a aesthetic to portray an angry candyfan,” she says of Anderson. “He’s such stand owner from her youth. a brilliant artist and inspiration.” Quaranto will host a Bye Bye A Life Artistic: A Tribute to Wes Blackbird party January 15 before Anderson is organized loosely by movie, closing its doors. “It will be bitterwith rooms decorated to recall sets sweet, but I truly hope to see all the from specific films. Visitors start in faces that were such a huge part of this the eclectic home of the Tenenbaums place along its journey,” she says. and move into an underwater lair

46 LasVegasWeekly.com December 17-23, 2015

A&E | fine art

> data set Kilker’s photographs ask viewers to take in all the information.

this gu y’s very touchy feely.

Long exposure

Julian Kilker’s photos are worth slowing down for By Kristen Peterson In Aesthetic Evidence: Place, Julian Kilker has us on the Context and Process in the phone to 1953. We hear a crowd Southwest at Nevada Humanities interacting and a voice over a P.A. Program Gallery, Kilker’s low-light system, a blast, a countdown, prophotographs, mostly double images fanities—ghosts from the past playof the same object taken from difing into the telephone receiver he’s ferent perspectives or at different plugged into a device inside a vintimes, ask viewers to slow down tage ammo box. and put information in context. The recording was made at the “You need to have some context to nuclear detonation of “Annie” at understand information,” he says. the Nevada Test Site and directs “It’s saying, look, there viewers to a more curare stories behind this.” rent large-scale photo“Flight Paths in graph of Mount Irish at AESTHETIC Henderson” features dusk, the orange glow of EVIDENCE: the moon rising in one PLACE, CONTEXT time-lapse images of half of the sky, stars in AND PROCESS IN planes descending on the other. Illuminated THE SOUTHWEST McCarran. Layered in Photoshop, it reveals a text and numbers cut Through January plane slightly off course across the horizon line 28, Monday-Friday, for a moment, an excepas if standing on it. They 1-5 p.m. Nevada tion only noticeable by detail in typewriter Humanities looking at all the inforfont a partial transcript Program Gallery, mation. Images from of the recording, and 702-800-4670. Kilker’s photo history the common assumpproject at Walking Box tion is that the phrase Ranch and the automobile gravewas added in Photoshop. Instead, yard at Zzyzx show his fascination Kilker created it on location by with interactions between landrunning back and forth with a light scape and people. stick and a 30-second exposure. Two works on Lake Mead illus“Think of a dot matrix printer,” trate his examination of how data he says. The documenter is docusets age. One shows his GPS placing menting the documentation in real him directly in the lake. The other time by merging contemporary features his car on dry ground. Fold photography and data in images into that the wear and tear of phothat, on closer inspection, reveal tochemical prints versus the binary additional data through star trails switch of digital files having gone or other artifacts appearing during from readable to unreadable as long exposure. technology advances and software Kilker is a UNLV professor changes. We see how Kilker pushes whose research focuses on emergthe edge with advances in phoing technologies and social interactography and technology at a time tions, as well as exploring relationwhen ever-upgraded sophisticaships between location and data. tion is in the hands of mainstream He considers cameras sophisticatconsumers. Hoping to prompt ed data-collecting tools and looks dialogue, he shares his research at ways data can be measured visutechniques in video, audio and text ally. Every step of his work is disthroughout the exhibit. It’s worth closed. No secrets here, and the slowing down for. photographer wants it that way.

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A&E | PRINT

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DISSECTING POWER

Mary Beard pieces together a meticulous picture of the machinery of ancient Rome BY CHUCK TWARDY animalfoundation.com 702-384-3333 x137

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ing empire strained the legal and If you want an empire, you’re political apparatus of a city. The going to need an emperor. That’s conquering legions were raised a key takeaway from Mary Beard’s and led by strongmen, eventulively and enlightening SPQR: A ally including Julius Caesar and History of Ancient Rome. As Beard Pompey. Decades of civil war culnotes, the Latin word imperium at minated in Caesar’s adopted son first meant power to give orders. Octavius, later Augustus, becomBy the time of Augustus, near the ing the first emperor. end of the 1st century BCE, it sigThenceforth, the emperor ruled nified the state’s power to rule colthe legions, and the senate mostly onies. But Rome had been giving administered. But Augustus and orders to other lands for several later emperors sustained the basic centuries by then. machinery of the republic, includAt the end of the 6th century ing consuls. Imperial succession, BCE, the Romans embraced liband the role the legions played in ertas when they overthrew the it, would provide plenty of last of seven kings—the drama long after the first first, supposedly, was frat14 emperors whose reigns ricidal founder Romulus. aaaac Beard chronicles. Afterward, they elected SPQR: A Although she covers two consuls who had to HISTORY OF nearly a millennium of hisshare power and super- ANCIENT tory, Beard starts, like an vise the election of their ROME epic poet, en medias res, in replacements each year. By Mary the middle of things, relyThe consuls appointed Beard, $35. ing on the letters of Cicero members of the senate to detail the decades of strife in and, along with other elected the 1st century BCE that served magistrates, joined it when their as the hinge between republic and terms of office ended. The senate empire. Later, she turns to the controlled the purse and policy, letters of Pliny the Younger, a conwhile consuls and magistrates sul, senator and envoy of Trajan, ran civic government and the to examine how a talented soul military legions. navigated imperial service. And As the republic subdued Italy throughout, she takes care to conand other nearby lands, it did so sider how history’s turns affected by blending martial power and women, slaves, conquered peoples shrewd diplomacy. Rome, Beard and millions of unheralded and writes, “made it possible not just powerless Romans. to become Roman but also to be a citizen of two places at once: Find more by Chuck Twardy at one’s hometown and Rome,” a chucktwardy.com. novel concept. But the expand-

A&E | scene

> PERFECT TIMING Ernest Hemmings and Breon Jenay act with near-seamless chemistry.

Impossible scenes

photograph by spencer burton

DVDA layered on the sounds, images and absurdist laughs By Leslie Ventura You’re in self-checkout, staring at the useless hunk of machinery in front of you when those foul, monotone words come out. “An item has been removed from the bagging area.” What was supposed to be a quick stop turns into an ordeal as you’re forced to flag down a disgruntled attendant. The machine nags you again. “Please remove item from the bagging area.”

That familiar annoyance is how TSTMRKT’s absurdist sketch comedy, DVDA, begins. Written by Ernest Hemmings and performed by Hemmings and Breon Jenay, DVDA is set-less, prop-less theater synced with pre-recorded audio and looping film projections. As you can imagine, such time restraints create a tricky challenge, and the entire performance hinges on

the duo’s ability to act (and react) in perfect time against the show’s visual and sound elements. Debuted as a oneoff on December 11, this is only part one of a two-part series. In that same skit, tensions rise as the checkout kiosk becomes unruly— then downright crass. “Show me your dick,” the kiosk demands. Seated in camping chairs inside the Attic,

the audience erupts with laughter. Hemmings obliges, shedding all but his boxers when the scene ends. DVDA is littered with offbeat humor— goofy, unexpected, dark and cynical. Throughout the show, pre-recorded scenes of Smith’s grocery store and Downtown Las Vegas are projected onto a cloth screen behind the duo, adding dimension and context to their performance. Unbeknownst to him, my roommate even made an appearance in one of the recordings. Seeing said roomie onscreen only added to the absurdity, and throughout the next hour things got increasingly bizarre. From awkward online dating and having serious bowel issues on an airplane to ordering chicken nuggets at the drive-thru, each unpredictable scene is delivered with near-seamless chemistry. As each starts with a somewhat relatable theme, they get more outlandish as the clock ticks on. In one scene, an angry sex-worker tries to return a dress at the mall, only to find out that the manager is dead and the assistant manager has sold her soul to the Devil. “This was like a test run-through. In about four more weeks or so we’ll redo some stuff and add more material and take out things we didn’t think worked really well,” says Hemmings, who wrote, recorded and filmed all the components for part one of DVDA within a matter of weeks. And while the performance seemed to be well received, a high level of risk went into creating it. “There’s supposed to be four screens,” Hemmings told me after the show. “We were gonna just do it with two, and then the one projector failed tonight, so we were like, eff it.” TSTMRKT will continue to tweak DVDA until a January 26 performance in Pittsburgh. “We’re trying to break into the NACA [National Association for Campus Activities] market,” Hemmings says, “so we can try to quit our corporate living and just do that.”

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FOOD & Drink

The Perfect Meal

Matzo balls to doughnuts Chef Kim Canteenwalla goes start to finish at Andiron By Brock Radke Kim Canteenwalla is the managing director of Blau & Associates, the company’s chief culinary mind consulting on numerous restaurant projects across the country and overseeing four popular Las Vegas dining destinations. When we asked the Canadian-turned-veteran of Vegas hospitality to put together his perfect meal, he understandably got excited about the food at his newest project, Downtown Summerlin steakhouse Andiron. Let the chef ’s tasting commence.

50 LasVegasWeekly.com December 17-23, 2015

1. NUESKE BACON-WRAPPED MATZO BALLS ($12) “This has been on the menu

since we started, and for me it’s about getting a lot of flavor into something very plain and simple. I think we get it flavorful with horseradish infused into the crème fraiche plus a little fresh horseradish on top, and of course the bacon. We do get a lot of comments about that, but it works.”

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2. MIDNIGHT RAMBLER NO. 2 ($14) Call it

Kim’s cocktail. “Instead of Bulleit Bourbon, which we use on the original at Honey Salt, we use rye, a perfect ice sphere, Angostura bitters, a dash of maple syrup and a flamed orange peel. It’s got all the right elements with a little twist.” 3. RIB CAP ($34) “This is where all the flavor is,” Canteenwalla says of his favorite steak on the menu. “Major marbling, good fat content there and we use apricot wood and do it on the charbroiler first, then the grill for the smoke finish. And any steak, if someone gives me the opportunity to [cook for them], I’ll

do medium rare.” This cut is garnished with confit cherry tomatoes, charred shishito peppers and peppercorn sauce. 4. MARY’S ORGANIC CHICKEN ($28)

Andiron is known for terrific fish and vegetarian entrées, but Canteenwalla is in love with this updated chicken dish. “It’s simple, but I really like it. We confit the leg and brine the breast, which is seared and finished with brioche stuffing, and the drumstick meat is incorporated into the stuffing. The thigh is left whole and served with the breast, with black truffle jus. It’s my new favorite.” Roasted carrots and parsnips and braised kale round out the flavors. 5. ASHLEY’S CRÈME BRULÉE DONUTS ($10) “These

were made by a pastry chef who worked with us for years, starting with Simon. They’re simple doughnuts: we proof ’em, fry ’em, sugarcoat them, let them cool a little then put the piping bag in and get the brulée in. Then, finish it with sugar and torch it.”

photographs by steve marcus; portrait courtesy

> DELICATE AND DECADENT Rivea’s Nicoise-stuffed baby vegetables and (below) paccheri with ox cheek.

BELLS & WHISTLES

EUROPEAN EXPEDITION Dig into the Mediterranean with a trip to Rivea BY JIM BEGLEY

combination became a delicious, avant-garde reinterpretaA little less than two months ago, Alain Ducasse’s Mix tion of my grandmother’s stuffed peppers and cabbage. She was reborn—rechristened as Rivea at the Delano, which would be proud. itself is a metamorphosis from what was TheHotel at Crispy socca ($6) are unleavened chickpea crisps Mandalay Bay. that pair perfectly with an addictive olive tapenade, While its adjoining lounge, now known as Skyfall, underwhile cured ham tigelle ($8) are bitewent a major overhaul, little needed to be sized sandwiches reminiscent of haute, tweaked with the restaurant, which already charcuterie-laden Bagel Thins. Both are afforded some of the best Strip views with worth exploring. If tuna-sauced veal is an incomparable sightline to the north. A your thing, then Rivea’s vitello tonnato color shift to blues paralleled a menu over($14) is a textbook representation of the haul with a new focus on Mediterranean storied dish. I’m not much of a fan, since fare, encompassing France and Spain. Only I don’t understand the point of obscura single dish, the pepper-crusted bison tening perfectly good veal with tuna. Maybe derloin, remains from Mix. it’s just me. Rivea’s menu is largely dominated by Pasta seems to be where the kitchen small plates with a smaller selection excels most (outside of passable artiof mains, and that’s good because the choke and spinach ravioli). The sage and small plates are where the remade resparmesan potato gnocchi ($12) adorned taurant shines. The well-balanced mariwith parmesan tuiles are light and nated sea bream ($14) is highlighted with fluffy, with the sage simply highlightchunks of citrus, enhancing the mild ing a pasta presentation reminiscent of fish without obscuring its taste. My cura high-end Italian bistro. Even better is rent infatuation is the focaccia di recco RIVEA Delano Las Vegas, the paccheri with ox cheek ($12), thick ($12), essentially a paper-thin, cheese- 702-632-9500. Sundaynoodles swimming in a rich, slightly filled flatbread. The dish is flavorful yet Thursday, 6-10 p.m.; Friday & acidic, daube-style sauce begging to be fragile, crispy and savory and exuding a Saturday, 6-10:30 p.m. sopped up with baguette. And while sharp, lingering funkiness while remainit’s technically not pasta, the seasonal ing completely ethereal. mushroom risotto ($12) is yet another example of Rivea When ordering the Nicoise-stuffed baby vegetables ($16), running a clinic on Italian dish presentations. don’t be surprised when the dishes aren’t brimming with Save room for dessert, as limoncello baba ($12) awaits. the traditional tuna-laden salad. Instead, you’ll be introA light yeast cake soaked in sweet-but-not-cloying duced to vegetables filled with myriad ingredients “in the lemon liqueur, it’s a lovely finish to your whirlwind style of Nice,” which on a recent visit meant sweet red Mediterranean tour. peppers loaded with rice with cabbage-swaddled pork. The

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INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 oz. Belvedere Wild Berry Vodka 1 /2 oz. Fruitations Pure Bottled Cranberry

4 oz. Lindemans Framboise Lambic Beer Cranberries for garnish

METHOD Combine the first two ingredients in a mixing glass and stir with ice. Strain into a coupe glass and top off with Lindemans Framboise. Garnish with cranberries. (Sparkling wine can be used in place of Lindemans Framboise.)

Reminiscent of a classic vodka cranberry, this version really does have all the bells and whistles. Ideal for any holiday party, this cocktail is perfectly festive, distinctive and complete with a sparkling twist.

Cocktail created by Francesco Lafranconi, Executive Director of Mixology and Spirits Education at Southern Wine & Spirits.

DECEMBER 17–23, 2015 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM

A&E | Short Takes 121 minutes. Rated PG-13. This big-budget drama about the day in 1996 when eight climbers died on Mount Everest is not as informative as any of the several books on the subject, but it is viscerally exciting, with awe-inspiring visuals. The characters don’t make much of an impression, but the mountain and the storm do. –JB Theaters: TC

Special screenings Cinemark Classic Series 12/24, It’s a Wonderful Life, 2 & 7 pm, $5. Theaters: ORL, ST, SF, SP, SC Midnight Brewvies Mon, movie plus popcorn, midnight, free. Elixir, 2920 N. Green Valley Parkway, Henderson, 702-272-0000.

The Good Dinosaur aaacc Voices of Raymond Ochoa, Jack Bright, Frances McDormand. Directed by Peter Sohn. 100 minutes. Rated PG. Pixar’s long-in-the-works animated movie is gorgeous to look at, and it’s solid, pleasurable entertainment for kids. But it’s only slightly more sophisticated than the similarly themed Ice Age movies, with a straightforward story about a young dinosaur conquering his fears while on a quest through the wilderness. –JB Theaters: AL, CAN, CH, COL, FH, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SF, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS

Miracle on 34th Street 12/20, 12/23, 1947 movie plus introduction from Turner Classic Movies, 2 & 7 pm, $5-$12.50. Theaters: COL, ORL, SF, SP, ST, VS. Info: fathomevents.com. Sci Fi Center Mon, Cinemondays, 8 pm, free. 12/17, Metropolis with live musical accompaniment, 8 pm, $10. 12/19, Labyrinth, The Dark Crystal, The Neverending Story, 3 pm, $3. 5077 Arville St., 855-501-4335, thescificenter.com.

New this week Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (Not reviewed) Voices of Matthew Gray Gubler, Justin Long, Jesse McCartney. Directed by Walt Becker. 86 minutes. Rated PG. Chipmunks Alvin, Simon and Theodore travel to Miami to stop their guardian Dave from getting married. Theaters: AL, CAN, CH, COL, DI, FH, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SF, SHO, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS

> pest control The stars of Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip.

> rap battle Nick Cannon in Chi-Raq.

Hotel Transylvania 2 (Not reviewed) Voices of Adam Sandler, Selena Gomez, Andy Samberg. Directed by Genndy Tartakovsky. 89 minutes. Rated PG. Dracula and his fellow monsters try to get Dracula’s half-human grandson to embrace his vampire side. Theaters: TC

Bajirao Mastani (Not reviewed) Ranveer Singh, Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra. Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. 156 minutes. Not rated. In Hindi with English subtitles. Historical romance exploring the relationship between 18th-century Indian warrior and ruler Bajirao and his second wife. Theaters: ST, VS

The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 aaacc Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth. Directed by Francis Lawrence. 137 minutes. Rated PG-13. The second part of Mockingjay wraps up the entire four-movie Hunger Games series (based on Suzanne Collins’ dystopian sci-fi novels) in a mostly satisfying way. Although it’s overlong and sometimes oppressively bleak, the movie features some creative action set pieces and surprisingly complex themes about the costs of warfare. –JB Theaters: AL, BS, CH, FH, GVR, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SHO, SP, SS, TS, TX

Dilwale (Not reviewed) Kajol, Shah Rukh Khan, Varun Dhawan. Directed by Rohit Shetty. 154 minutes. Not rated. In Hindi with English subtitles. A man is torn between his criminal brother and the woman he loves. Theaters: ST, VS Orion: The Man Who Would Be King aaabc Directed by Jeanie Finlay. 86 minutes. Not rated. See review Page 41. Theaters: TC Sisters aaacc Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Ike Barinholtz. Directed by Jason Moore. 118 minutes. Rated R. See review Page 41. Theaters: AL, CAN, CH, COL, DI, FH, GVL, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SF, SHO, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS Star Wars: The Force Awakens aaabc Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver. Directed by J.J. Abrams. 135 minutes. Rated PG-13. See review Page 40. Theaters: AL, BS, CAN, CH, DI, FH, GVL, GVR, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SHO, SP, SS, TS, TX

Now playing The 33 aabcc Antonio Banderas, Rodrigo Santoro, Juliette Binoche. Directed by Patricia Riggen. 120 minutes. Rated PG-13. A movie about the 2010 incident that saw 33 Chilean miners trapped underground was inevitable, but there was no need for it to be so patently phony. Apart from a hammy Banderas, most of the characters amount to a grimy,

Goosebumps aabcc Jack Black, Dylan Minnette, Odeya Rush. Directed by Rob Letterman. 103 minutes. Rated PG. Black is fun as teen horror author R.L. Stine, but the bigscreen Goosebumps movie is more focused on fast, loud action, dorky humor and special effects than it is on being spooky. Monster lovers may get something out of it, but it’s all rather graceless. –JMA Theaters: TC

bearded look of concern and a single tossed-off trait. –MD Theaters: GVR, VS

brings Eilis to life in every small gesture and interaction. –JB Theaters: COL, DTS, SC, SP

Bridge of Spies aaabc Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Amy Ryan. Directed by Steven Spielberg. 135 minutes. Rated PG-13. In his fourth film for Spielberg, Hanks plays a lawyer who’s strong-armed into defending an accused Soviet spy (Rylance). Based on actual events, the film unfolds with superb old-school efficiency, and achieves something very difficult: It makes rooting for integrity fun. –MD Theaters: COL, SC

Burnt aabcc Bradley Cooper, Sienna Miller, Daniel Brühl. Directed by John Wells. 100 minutes. Rated R. Adam Jones (Cooper) is a recovering alcoholic and drug addict starting over as the executive chef of an upscale London restaurant, but the movie never conveys any kind of anguish over addiction or recovery. Instead it breezes through a predictable plot about a self-absorbed jerk becoming slightly less selfabsorbed. –JB Theaters: VS

Brooklyn aaabc Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson. Directed by John Crowley. 111 minutes. Rated PG-13. This 1950s-set drama, based on Colm Tóibín’s award-winning novel, is oldfashioned in its optimism about life for Irish immigrant Eilis Lacey (Ronan) as she starts over in New York City. Ronan

52 LasVegasWeekly.com December 17-23, 2015

Chi-Raq aaccc Teyonah Parris, Nick Cannon, Angela Bassett. Directed by Spike Lee. 127 minutes. Rated R. Lee has never had much use for subtlety, and his movie about gang violence in Chicago, based loosely on the ancient Greek play Lysistrata,

handles the topic about as gracefully as a screaming op-ed. Chi-Raq is a jumble of ideas and approaches that clash and fall flat more often than they connect. –JB Theaters: TS Creed aaabc Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson. Directed by Ryan Coogler. 132 minutes. Rated PG-13. Retired boxer Rocky Balboa (Stallone) reluctantly agrees to train Adonis Creed (Jordan), illegitimate son of his late friend/rival Apollo Creed. Not only is Creed a solid, rousing boxing drama, but it’s also an unexpectedly affecting look at Rocky in his twilight years, with Stallone’s best performance in a long time. –JB Theaters: AL, BS, CH, COL, DI, DTS, FH, ORL, PAL, RP, SC, SF, SHO, SP, SS, TS, TX Everest aaacc Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur.

In the Heart of the Sea aabcc Chris Hemsworth, Benjamin Walker, Brendan Gleeson. Directed by Ron Howard. 121 minutes. Rated PG-13. Howard’s dramatization of the actual 1820 whaling disaster that inspired Moby Dick is a workmanlike, middle-ofthe-road crowd-pleaser with some solid performances and a couple of rousing moments. Stacked up against one of the most celebrated novels of all time, though, it looks pretty paltry. –JB Theaters: AL, CAN, CH, DI, FH, GVR, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SF, SHO, SP, SS, ST, TS, TX, VS Krampus aaacc Adam Scott, Toni Collette, Allison Tolman. Directed by Michael Dougherty. 98 minutes. Rated PG-13. This Christmas-themed horrorcomedy gets off to a bit of a slow start, with some overly broad humor about holiday family discord, but once it brings in the horrors (courtesy of a sort of evil reflection of Santa Claus), it becomes gleefully nasty and surprisingly inventive. –JB Theaters: AL, BS, CH, COL, DI, FH, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SP, SS, TS, TX The Last Witch Hunter aaccc

A&E | Short Takes > waterlogged The intrepid sailors of In the Heart of the Sea.

Theaters (AL) Regal Aliante 7300 Aliante Parkway, North Las Vegas, 844-462-7342 (BS) Regal Boulder Station 4111 Boulder Highway, 844-462-7342 (PAL) Brenden Theatres at the Palms 4321 W. Flamingo Road, 702-5074849 (CAN) Galaxy Cannery 2121 E. Craig Road, North Las Vegas, 702-639-9779 (CH) Cinedome Henderson 851 S. Boulder Highway, Henderson, 702-566-1570 (COL) Regal Colonnade 8880 S. Eastern Ave., 844-462-7342 (DI) Las Vegas Drive-In 4150 W. Carey Ave., North Las Vegas, 702-646-3565 (DTS) Regal Downtown Summerlin 2070 Park Center Drive, 844-4627342

Vin Diesel, Rose Leslie, Elijah Wood. Directed by Breck Eisner. 106 minutes. Rated PG-13. This noisy, cluttered movie with cheap, globby-looking digital effects features a paltry battle between one-dimensional bad guys and a one-dimensional hero. Diesel plays his character cool, but is no fun to be around, and his co-stars suffer for it. A cursed affair from director Breck Eisner (Sahara). –JMA Theaters: TX The Letters abccc Juliet Stevenson, Max von Sydow, Rutger Hauer. Directed by William Riead. 114 minutes. Rated PG. This biopic about renowned Catholic nun and missionary Mother Teresa (Stevenson) functions literally as an argument for her sainthood, featuring as much liveliness and dramatic tension as a Bible study class. Writer-director Riead doesn’t have to include the various criticisms of Teresa’s work, but he could at least make her an interesting character. –JB Theaters: VS Love the Coopers (Not reviewed) John Goodman, Diane Keaton, Ed Helms, Olivia Wilde. Directed by Jessie Nelson. 106 minutes. Rated PG-13. Four generations of the Cooper family face unexpected events when they get together for Christmas. Theaters: COL, FH, SP, ST, VS The Martian aaaac Matt Damon, Jeff Daniels, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Ejiofor. Directed by Ridley Scott. 141 minutes. Rated PG-13. Astronaut Mark Watney (Damon) is left behind on Mars when the rest of his team believes him dead. Damon carries the film with an excellent performance that conveys Mark’s mix of ingenuity and loneliness, and the story makes furious calculations and engineering simulations into gripping, can’t-lookaway drama. –JB Theaters: AL, GVR, ST, VS Maze Runner: The Scorch Trials aaccc Dylan O’Brien, Kaya Scodelario, Thomas Brodie-Sangster. Directed by Wes Ball. 131 minutes. Rated PG-13. There are no mazes in this sequel to The Maze Runner, but there sure is plenty of running. The second movie in the dystopian sci-fi series based on the

popular YA novels just throws together a bunch of overused post-apocalyptic elements and careens haphazardly from one to the next. –JB Theaters: TC Minions aabcc Voices of Pierre Coffin, Sandra Bullock, Jon Hamm. Directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda. 91 minutes. Rated PG. In the two animated Despicable Me movies, the little yellow pill-shaped creatures were reliable sources of pratfalls, pranks and puns, but given the task of carrying their own 90-minute feature, they quickly wear out their welcome. It’s just a series of silly set pieces barely held together by a halfformed plot. –JB Theaters: TC The Night Before aabcc Seth Rogen, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Anthony Mackie. Directed by Jonathan Levine. 101 minutes. Rated R. This Naughty Christmas Comedy lacks the surprise of the very similar A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas, and is too limited by its simplistic character arcs. But the actors complement one another well, and their bond gives the movie a dose of good cheer. –JMA Theaters: AL, COL, DI, FH, ORL, PAL, RP, RR, SC, SF, SP, SS, TS, TX Pan aaccc Levi Miller, Hugh Jackman, Garrett Hedlund. Directed by Joe Wright. 111 minutes. Rated PG. This Peter Pan prequel gives the character a cluttered and unnecessary origin story, retrofitting him with a clichéd Hollywood “chosen one” narrative. It’s a rush of special effects that signify nothing, telling a story that pretends to add to a beloved mythology while instead mostly just cheapening it. –JB Theaters: TC The Peanuts Movie aaacc Voices of Noah Schnapp, Hadley Belle Miller, Alexander Garfin. Directed by Steve Martino. 86 minutes. Rated G. This big-screen computer-animated version of Charles Schulz’s beloved comic-strip characters is faithful almost to a fault. The central plot is about hapless kid Charlie Brown trying to win the affections of the mysterious Little Red-Haired Girl, but it makes room for plenty of diversions that incorporate almost every well-known Peanuts moment. –JB

Theaters: BS, COL, SC Room aaacc Brie Larson, Jacob Tremblay, Joan Allen. Directed by Lenny Abrahamson. 118 minutes. Rated R. Emma Donoghue’s acclaimed 2010 novel, about a woman (Larson) and her young son (Tremblay) who’ve spent years held prisoner in a small garden shed, needed a singular directorial vision to work as a film, and it didn’t get it. Still, Larson is terrific, and the scenario’s inherent pathos is off the charts. –MD Theaters: SC A Royal Night Out aabcc Sarah Gadon, Bel Powley, Jack Reynor. Directed by Julian Jarrold. 97 minutes. Rated PG-13. Set in London after Germany’s WWII surrender, this is a heavily fictionalized story about teenage princesses Elizabeth (Gadon) and Margaret (Powley) cavorting around the city on the night of V-E Day. The silly fun and the rudimentary personal reflection come off as equally superficial, and end up equally forgettable. –JB Theaters: VS A Second Chance (Not reviewed) John Lloyd Cruz, Bea Alonzo, Billy Crawford. Directed by Cathy GarciaMolina. Not rated. In Filipino with English subtitles. A young couple experiences troubles after getting married. Theaters: ORL, VS Secret in Their Eyes aabcc Chiwetel Ejiofor, Julia Roberts, Nicole Kidman. Directed by Billy Ray. 111 minutes. Rated PG-13. An FBI agent (Ejiofor) and a prosecutor (Kidman) investigate the murder of their colleague’s daughter in this unremarkable thriller, a remake of the 2009 Oscar-winning Argentine film. Kidman and Roberts (as a traumatized, vengeful mother) are miscast, and both the central unrequited romance and the plot’s political connections are poorly realized. –JB Theaters: SC, SP, TS Sicario aaaab Emily Blunt, Benicio Del Toro, Josh Brolin. Directed by Denis Villeneuve. 121 minutes. Rated R. Blunt plays an FBI agent who gets in over her head when she agrees to join a special interagency task force intended to take down a Mexican drug kingpin. Brolin and Del Toro co-star as operatives with

questionable tactics and loyalties; the tension throughout is palpable. –MD Theaters: ST, TC, TX Spectre aaacc Daniel Craig, Christoph Waltz, Léa Seydoux. Directed by Sam Mendes. 148 minutes. Rated PG-13. Craig’s possible final outing as secret agent James Bond focuses a bit too much on wrapping up his story and bringing back familiar elements of the Bond franchise. Spectre succeeds mainly as a series of dazzling set pieces connected by a thin plot. –JB Theaters: GVR, ORL, RR, SHO, SP, ST, TS, TX, VS Spotlight aaaac Michael Keaton, Mark Ruffalo, Rachel McAdams. Directed by Tom McCarthy. 128 minutes. Rated R. Director and co-writer McCarthy’s drama about the Boston Globe reporting on the Catholic Church molestation scandal applies the same meticulous attention to detail as the Globe writers did in their reporting. The stars manage to turn sitting and listening into riveting drama, and the acting is powerful in how subdued it is. –JB Theaters: COL, DTS, SF, ST, VS Suffragette aabcc Carey Mulligan, Anne-Marie Duff, Helena Bonham Carter. Directed by Sarah Gavron. 106 minutes. Rated PG-13. Mulligan plays an ordinary wife and mother in early 20th-century London who joins the fight to secure women the vote and gradually turns into an outright militant. That ought to be exciting and thought-provoking, but instead it’s mostly dully worthy—history as self-congratulation. –MD Theaters: VS Trumbo aaacc Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Michael Stuhlbarg. Directed by Jay Roach. 124 minutes. Rated R. Dalton Trumbo was a brilliant writer who sacrificed his career and his family life to stand up for what he believed in, but the movie about him features neither brilliant writing nor daring social commentary. Trumbo is, however, a fitfully entertaining biopic, featuring a cast of recognizable faces playing other recognizable faces. –JB Theaters: COL, ST, VS JMA Jeffrey M. Anderson; JB Josh Bell; MD Mike D’Angelo

(FH) Regal Fiesta Henderson 777 W. Lake Mead Parkway, Henderson, 844-462-7342 (GVR) Regal Green Valley Ranch 2300 Paseo Verde Parkway, Henderson, 844-462-7342 (GVL) Galaxy Green Valley Luxury+ 4500 E. Sunset Road, Henderson, 702442-0244 (ORL) Century Orleans 4500 W. Tropicana Ave., 702-8891220 (RP) AMC Rainbow Promenade 2321 N. Rainbow Blvd., 888-262-4386 (RR) Regal Red Rock 11011 W. Charleston Blvd., 844-4627342 (ST) Century Sam’s Town 5111 Boulder Highway, 702-547-1732 (SF) Century Santa Fe Station 4949 N. Rancho Drive, 702-655-8178 (SHO) United Artists Showcase 3769 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 844-462-7342 (SP) Century South Point 9777 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-260-4061 (SC) Century Suncoast 9090 Alta Drive, 702-869-1880 (SS) Regal Sunset Station 1301-A W. Sunset Road, Henderson, 844-462-7342 (TX) Regal Texas Station 2101 Texas Star Lane, North Las Vegas, 844-462-7342 (TS) AMC Town Square 6587 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-362-7283 (TC) Regency Tropicana Cinemas 3330 E. Tropicana Ave., 702-438-3456 (VS) Regal Village Square 9400 W. Sahara Ave., 844-462-7342

For complete movie times, visit lasvegasweekly.com/ movies/listings.

December 17–23, 2015 LasVegasWeekly.com

Calendar LISTINGS YOU CAN PLAN YOUR LIFE BY!

SEASON’S TWINKLINGS Magical Forest Opportunity Village illuminates its West Oakey campus with aweinspiring light displays at the annual event, where kids can ride the Forest Express train, brave the Avalanche slide and enjoy Boris the Elf’s 3D Experience—all before sitting down for a snap with Santa. Sunday-Thursday, 5:30-9 p.m.; Friday & Saturday, 5:30-10 p.m., $9.99-11.99. Glittering Lights Now in its 15th year, the event is “Nevada’s largest holiday drive-thru light

LIVE MUSIC T H E ST R I P & N E A R BY Brooklyn Bowl Pretty Lights 12/31-1/1, 10 pm, $60-$80. Beck 1/7, 9 pm, $75$125. Alice: A Steampunk Concert Fantasy 1/12, 2/24, 3/23, 10 p.m., $15-$30. Erykah Badu 1/15, 9:30 pm, $48-$50. Warren G 1/17, 9 pm, $25. Stick Figure, Fortunate Youth 1/23, 8:30 pm, $15. Madeon, Skylar Spence 1/25, 8 pm, $25. The Motet 1/29, 9 pm, $17. Iration, Anuhea 1/31, 8:30 pm, $30-$105. Lamb of God, Anthrax, Deafheaven, Powertrip 2/11, 7 pm, $35. Hoodie Allen, Super Duper Kyle, Blackbear 2/12, 9 pm, $30. Nahko and Medicine for the People 2/13, 8:30 pm, $20-$24. Phil Lesh & Friends 2/26-2/27, 8 pm, $65. Phil Lesh & The Terrapin Family Band 2/28, 1 pm, $30. Metric, Joywave 2/29, 8 pm, $26. Galactic, Son Little 3/1, 9 pm, $22-$25. Vance Joy, Elle King, Jamie Lawson 3/5, 8:30 pm, $40. Gary Clark Jr. 3/12, 9 pm, $30-$50. Underoath 3/26, 7:30 pm, $25. Coheed and Cambria,

show”—and while we don’t know of another mobile, holiday light-viewing experience in the Silver State, its 2.5-mile course of yuletide illumination is worth your consideration. Through January 3; Sunday-Thursday, 5:30-9 p.m.; Friday, Saturday & holidays, 5:30-10 p.m.; $20, Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Holiday Cactus Garden The local chocolate company again transforms its desert landscape into a winter wonderland, which gets even more festive on weekends with visits from Santa (Friday-Sunday until Christmas, 5-9 p.m.) and entertainment from local school choirs (Friday-Sunday, 6-8 p.m.). Through January 1, 5-10 p.m.,

Glassjaw, I the Mighty, Silver Snakes 3/25, 8 pm, $27. Underoath 3/26, 7:30 pm, $25. The Used 5/24-5/25, 8 pm, Linq, 702-862-2695. The Colosseum Celine Dion 12/3012/31, 1/2, 1/6, 1/9-1/10, 1/12-1/13, 1/161/17, 2/23-2/24, 2/26-2/27, 3/1-3/2, 3/43/5, 3/8-3/9, 3/11-3/12, 5/17-5/18, 5/205/21, 5/24, 5/27-5/28, 5/31, 6/1, 6/3-6/4, 7:30 pm, $55-$500. Reba, Brooks & Dunn 5/3, 5/6-5/7, 5/10, 5/13-5/14, $60$205. Elton John 1/20, 1/22-1/23, 1/261/27, 1/29-1/31, 4/16, 4/17, 4/19-4/20, 4/22-4/23, 4/26-4/27, 4/29-4/30, 6:30 pm, $55-$500. Mariah Carey 2/2, 2/52/6, 2/10, 2/13-2/14, 2/17, 2/19-2/20. 8 pm, $55-$250. Tsai Chin 2/12, 9 pm, $58-$188. Steve Martin, Martin Short 3/6, 6:30 pm, $50-$180. Rod Stewart 3/19-3/20, 3/23, 3/25-3/26, 3/29, 4/14/2, 4/5, 7:30 pm, $49-$250. Caesars Palace, 702-731-7333. The Cosmopolitan (Chelsea) Bruno Mars 12/31, 9 pm, $150. The Cure 5/19, 8 pm, $50-$100. Bryan Adams 7/2, 7 pm, $32-$57. Willie Nelson & Family 1/8, 8 pm, $20-$45. The 1975, The Japanese House 4/23, 8 pm, $25-$45. The Band Perry 4/29, 7 pm,

free, Ethel M Chocolates. Bellagio Conservatory The garden’s holiday display is the most anticipated of the year, as the Strip resort seems to pull out its big botanical guns to make the season come to life. This year’s installment uses 34,000 flowers and includes a 42-foot White Fir tree (with 7,000 lights and 2,500 ornaments), a 12-foot jack-in-thebox, polar bears made of white carnations, penguins peeking out of igloos, and two 12-foot snow globes. Let the photo ops begin. Through January 3, 24/7, free. –Mark Adams For more holiday events visit lasvegasweekly.com.

$35-$75. (Rose. Rabbit. Lie.) Scott Bradlee’s Postmodern Jukebox 12/30-1/2, 9 pm, $50. 702-698-7000. Double Barrel Roadhouse DB Live! Sat, 9 pm, free. Monte Carlo, 702222-7735. Double Down Thee Swank Bastards, Thee Ooo Wops 12/18. Vatican Assassins, Three Rounds, Thoughtcrime, Devil McCoy, Broken Cuffs 12/19. The Blooze Bros. 12/20. The Psyatics, The AllTogethers, Water Landing, Jinky Bear 12/26. Jello Biafra’s Incredibly Strange Dance Party ft. Bargain DJ Collective 12/31, 9 pm. Bargain DJ Collective Mon. Unique Massive Tue, midnight. The Juju Man Wed, midnight. Shows 10 pm, free unless noted. 640 Paradise Road, 702-791-5775. Flamingo Olivia Newton-John Thru 12/19, 1/1-1/2, 7:30 pm, $69-$139. 702733-3333. The Foundry X Ambassadors, Seinabo Sey, Savoir Adore 3/26, 6:30 pm, $25. SLS, foundrylv.com. Gilley’s Easy 8’s 12/26, 10 pm. Scotty Alexander Band 12/31, 1/1-1/2, 10 pm.

Chad Freeman and Redline 12/3, 10 pm. Chancey Williams and the Younger Brothers Band 12/4-12/6, 10 pm. Locash, Rainey Qualley 12/712/12, 11 pm. Shows $10-$20 after 10 pm unless noted. Treasure Island, 702-894-7722. Hard Rock Live Queensrÿche 1/9, 8:30 pm, $25-$35. Europe, War of Kings 1/23, 8 pm, $30. Hard Rock Cafe (Strip), 702-733-7625. House of Blues Falling in Reverse, Atreyu, From Ashes to New, Assuming We Survive 12/19, 5 pm, $23-$26. Noisia 1/1, 10 pm, $15-$20. Elvis Monroe, 1/2, 8 pm, $10. Steel Panther 1/8, 1/15, 1/22 8 pm, $22. Dave Matthews Tribute Band 1/9, 8 pm, $12. Marianas Trench, Secret Someones 1/16, 6 pm, $22-$25. Carlos Santana 1/27, 1/29-1/31, 2/3-2/6, 5/18, 5/20-5/22, 5/25, 5/27-5/29, $90-$350, 8 pm. Charles Kelley, Maren Morris 1/28, 7 pm, $25-$28. Cradle of Filth, Butcher Babies, Ne Obliviscaris 2/16, 8 pm, $25. At the Gates, The Haunted & Decapitated 2/18, 5:30 pm, $23-$25. Billy Idol 3/16, 3/18-3/19, 3/26, 5/4, 5/6-5/7, 5/11, 5/13-5/14, $80$150. Badfish: A Tribute to Sublime 4/23, 8:30 pm, $24. (Crossroads) Looped Sun, Thu, 9-11 pm, free. Nothing but the Blues Mon-Wed, 8-11 pm, free. Rockstar Karaoke Fri, 9 pmmidnight, free. Get Up and Dance Sat, 9 pm-midnight, free. Gospel Brunch Sun, 10 am, 1 pm, $60. Mandalay Bay, 702-632-7600. The Joint Rvltn ft. Seven Lions, Ookay, Botnek, Dr. Fresch 12/26, 8 pm, $30-$45. Morrissey 1/2, 8:30 pm, $45. Bullet for My Valentine, Asking Alexandria, While She Sleeps 2/6, 7:30 pm, $32. Rascal Flatts, Rhythm & Roots 2/17, 2/19-2/20, 2/2, 2/262/27, 3/2, 3/4-3/5, 8 pm, $40. Slayer, Testament, Carcass 3/26, 8 pm, $40$125. Twenty One Pilots 7/15, 7 pm, $43. Hard Rock Hotel, 702-693-5222. Las Vegas Arena The Killers, Wayne Newton, Shamir 4/6, 8 pm, $35-$90. George Strait 4/22-4/23, 9/9-9/10, 12/2-12/3, 8 pm, $75+. Janet Jackson 5/14, 8 pm, $58, $198. Garth Brooks 6/24-6/25, 7/2, 7 pm; 7/3, 7 & 10 pm; 7/4, 5 pm; $85. Dixie Chicks 7/16, 7 pm, $54-$154. 3780 Las Vegas Blvd. S. Mandalay Bay (Events Center) Maroon 5 12/30-12/31, 8 pm, $100$225. Muse, Phantogram 1/9, 7:30 pm, $37-$69. Black Sabbath, Rival Sons 2/13, 7:30 pm, $45-$164. Iron Maiden, The Raven Age 2/28, $62$103. Ellie Goulding 4/9, 7:30 pm, $36-$55. Rihanna, Travis Scott 4/29, 7:30 pm, $36-$160. Selena Gomez 5/6, 7:30 pm, $43-$116. Duran Duran, Chic 7/29, 8 pm, $46-$124. Journey, Doobie Brothers, Dave Mason 8/27, 7 pm, $45-$183. 702-632-7777. MGM Grand (Garden Arena) Mötley Crüe, Alice Cooper 12/27, 7 pm, $25$150. Michael Bublé 1/1, 8 pm, $60$183. AC/DC 2/5, $129. Justin Bieber 3/25, 8 pm, $46-$116. Demi Lovato, Nick Jonas 8/13, 7 pm, $28-$92. Black Sabbath, Rival Sons 9/17, 7:30 pm, $45-$164. 702-891-7777. Orleans (Arena) Midnight Star, The Emotions, Heatwave, Debra & Ronnie Laws, Jody Watley, Malo, GQ, The Jets, Evelyn King 2/13, 7:30 pm, $30-$79. Stellar Gospel Music Awards 2/20, 6 pm, $45-$200. (Bourbon Street Cabaret) Jukebox Heroes 12/17-12/19, 9 pm, free. Chyna 12/25-12/26, 9 pm, free. Machine Gun Kellys 12/26, 9 pm, free. Volume 1

CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE CALENDAR LISTINGS AT LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM/EVENTS 54 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 17-23, 2015

12/31, 9 pm, free. (Showroom) Josh Turner 12/4-12/5, 8 pm, $55. Charlie Daniels Band 12/11-12/12, 7 pm, $30$55. Ronnie Spector’s Christmas Party 12/19-12/20, 8 pm, $33-$55. Big Bad Voodoo Daddy 12/29-12/30, 8 pm, $22-$44. One Night With the King 1/9-1/10, 8 pm, $22-$44. Burton Cummings 1/14, 1/16-1/17, 9 pm, $44$65. 702-365-7075. Palace Station (Jack’s Irish Pub) Forget to Remember Fri & Sat, 9 pm, free. 702-547-5300. Palms (Lounge) Sin City Sinners 12/18, 10 pm, free. Franky Perez 12/26, 10:30 pm, free. Paul Charles 12/30, 8 pm, 9 pm, 10 pm, free. WolfCreek 12/31, 10:30 pm, free. Jeremy James 1/1-1/2, 8 pm, free. David Perrico Pop Strings Orchestra 12/19, 11 pm, free. 4321 Flamingo Rd., 942-7777. The Pearl Styx 1/16, 8 pm, $40-$86. Megadeth, Suicidal Tendencies, Children of Bodom, Havok 2/26, 7 pm, $50-$86. Joe Satriani 3/4, 8 pm, $40-$95. Il Volo 3/25, 8 pm, $40$95. Il Divo 11/18/16, 8 pm, $68-$150. Palms, 702-942-7777. Planet Hollywood Britney Spears 12/27-12/28, 12/30-12/31, 2/13-2/14, 2/17, 2/19-2/20, 2/24, 2/26-2/27, 4/6, 4/8-4/9, 4/13, 4/15-4/16, 4/20, 4/22, 9 pm, $57-$180. Jennifer Lopez 1/20, 1/22-1/23,1/27, 1/29-1/30, 2/3, 2/5-2/6, 2/9, 5/22, 5/25,/ 5/28-5/29, 6/1, 6/3-6/4, 6/8, 6/11-6/12, 9 pm, $95-$219. Lionel Richie 4/27, 4/30-5/1, 5/4, 5/7-5/8, 5/11, 5/14-5/15, 5/18, 9/21, 9/24-9/25m 9/28, 10/1-10/2, 10/5, 10/8-10/9, 10/12, 8 pm, $57-$190. 702-777-2782. The Sayers Club Plain White T’s 12/31, midnight, $50. Buckin Fridays Fri, 10 pm, $10. SLS, 702-761-7618. Stoney’s Rockin’ Country Brodie Stewart 12/18, $5-$10. Kane Brown 12/31, 10:30 pm. Shows 10 pm, free unless noted. Town Square, 702-4352855. Tuscany Nik at Nite Sun. Laura Shaffer & The Noir Nightingale Trio Mon. The Mixx w/ Enrique Corro & Co. Tue. Nieve Malandra Soul Cabaret Wed. Naomi Mauro Thu. Kenny Davidsen Celebrity Piano Bar Fri, 8:30 pm, Tommy Ward Sat. All shows 7:30 pm, free unless noted. 255 E. Flamingo Road, 702-893-8933. Venetian R5 12/29, 1/1, 8 pm; 12/31, 7:30 pm, $55-$150. Carly Rae Jepsen 12/30, 8 pm; 12/31, 10 pm; 1/2, 8 pm; $56-$75. John Fogerty 1/8-1/9, 1/13, 1/15-1/16, 1/20, 1/22-1/23, 8 pm, $60$350. 702-414-9000. Vinyl Party Thieves, Bombmakers, Sloves, Andrew Stolle 12/17, 9 pm, $10-$15. High Voltage 12/18, 9 pm, free. Sin City Sinners 12/19, 8 pm, free. Jake Miller, Los 5 12/20, 6:30 pm, $20-$50. Otherwise, Conflict of Interest 12/26, 9 pm, $15. The Fighter & The Kid, Brendan Schaub, Bryan Callen 1/10, 7:30 pm, $28. Anti-Flag, Leftover Crack, War on Women, Homeless Gospel Choir, Blackbird Raum 2/28, 7 pm, $18. Nonpoint 3/18, 9 pm, $20-$35. Bag Raiders, Plastic Plates 4/2, 8 pm, $15-$35. Hard Rock Hotel, 702-6935000. Wynn (Eastside Lounge) Michael Monge Wed, Thu, Sun, 9 pm; Fri, Sat, 10 pm; $10. 702-770-7000.

D OW N TOW N 11th Street Records Hungry Cloud, Hassan, James Howard Adams & Tsvetelina Stefanova, Special-K,

Calendar Snailmate 12/19, 8 pm, donations accepted. 1023 Fremont St., 702-527-7990. Artifice Kerfoot & Dau, Banana Hands 12/18, 9 pm, free. Scarlet Goth Night 12/19, 10 pm, free. Vegas Jazz Tue, 7 pm, $15. Thursday Request Live First Thu, 10 pm, free. 1025 S. 1st St., Ste. 100., 702-489-6339. Backstage Bar & Billiards Kottonmouth Kings, Marion Asher, Chucky Chuck, C4mula 12/19, 9 pm, $11-$12. T.S.O.L., Left Alone, The Civilians, Sheiks of Neptune 1/20, 8 pm, $12-$15. The Soft Moon, Close to Modern, DJ Fish, Dark Black 1/27, 8 pm, $10-$12. Mustard Plug, Dan Potthast, The Retrolites, Light Em Up, Dj Jr. Ska Boss 1/29, 8 pm, $11-$13. Mike Zito & The Wheel, Katy Guillen & The Girls 2/12, 8 pm, $16-$21. Dance Yourself Clean 2/26, 8 pm, $11. Unwritten Law, Fenix TX, Guilty By Association, Rayner, Leatherbound Crooks 4/13, 8 pm, $13-$16. 601 E. Fremont St., 702-382-2227. Beauty Bar Cadalack Ron, Existereo, Late For Dinner, Astro Blunt, Dine Krew 12/18, 9 pm, free. Avenues, Mercy Music, War Called Home 12/19, 9 pm, free. The Generators, The Civilians, The Astaires 1/16, 9 pm, $5. Love Cop 12/28, 9 pm, free. Metalachi 2/11, 9 pm, $12-$15. 517 Fremont St., 702-598-3757. Bunkhouse Saloon The Astaires, Leather Lungs 12/17, 9 pm, $5. Toyboxx presents A Very Merry Sexmas Showcase 12/18, 9 pm, $5. A Holiday Tribute to The Rolling Stones 12/26, 9 pm, free. Tijuana Panthers, Mercy Music, No Tides, Jacob Savage 12/28, 8 pm. The Lique, Totescity, Ryan Pardey (DJ set) 12/31, 8 pm, $10. Brumby, The National Parks, Avalon Landing, Without Wolves 1/1, 9 pm, free. Tin Toy Cars 1/15, 9 pm. 124 S. 11th St., 702-8541414. Downtown Container Park Jill & Julia 12/19, 8 pm, free. Haleamano 12/26, 7 pm, free. 707 Fremont St, downtowncontainerpark. com. Downtown Las Vegas Events Center Winter Wonderland ft. Fergie DJ, DJ Twisted 12/19, 8 pm, $18. 200 S. 3rd Street, dlvec.com. Fremont Country Club Hawthorne Heights, Mest, The Ataris 2/16, 7 pm, $20-$25. 601 E. Fremont St., 702-382-6601. Fremont Street Experience (Main Street Stage) Ashley Red 12/17, 12/23, 10 pm. Spandex Nation 12/18-12/20, 12/25, 10 pm. ‘80s Station 12/21, 12/23, 10 pm. Empire Records 12/22, 10 pm. (1st Street Stage) Yellow Brick Road 12/17, 12/23, 8 pm. Las Vegas Bowl Pep Rally 12/18, 6 pm. Alter Ego 12/18-12/19, 12/22-12/23, 12/25, 8 pm. Tyler James Elvis Tribute 12/20-12/21 8 pm. (3rd Street Stage) Zowie Bowie 12/17, 9 pm. ‘80s Station 12/18, 12/25, 10 pm. RockIt 12/19, 10 pm. Alter Ego 12/20, 9 pm. Tony Marques 12/21, 9 pm. Monroy 12/22-12/23, 9 pm. Zowie Bowie 12/23, 9 pm. Shows free unless noted. Downtown Las Vegas, vegasexperience.com. Golden Nugget Edgar Winter 12/18, 8 pm, $32-$65. (NFR) Tanya Tucker 12/3, $43-$87. Big and Rich 12/4, $54-$142. Trace Adkins 12/5, $109-$164. Terri Clark 12/6, $43-$87. LeAnn Rimes 12/9, $54-$109. Alabama 12/10-12/11, $163-$252. Shows at 10 p.m. 129 E. Fremont St., 866-946-5336. Griffin Bobby Meader Music, Hard Pipe Hitters, Twin Cities 12/30, 9 pm, free. Live music Wed, 10 pm, free. 511 Fremont St., 702382-0577. Hard Hat Lounge The Funk Jam Wed, 10:30 pm, free. Florescent Flames Second Sat, 9 pm, free. Foundation Factory Fourth Sat, 8 pm, free. Aloha Saturdays ft. Band of Braddahs, A.P. Latu 12/19, 9 pm, $5. Vintage Vegas Karaoke Christmas Party 12/18, 10 pm, free. 1675 Industrial Road, 702384-8987. LVCS Obie Trice, Chemis, King Qp, Anglo Sax, Donnie Menace, Slykat & Spyder, The Poke Masters, Vessel 12/18, 9 pm, $15-$20. Flotsam and Jetsam, The Thrill Killers, Spun in Darkness, My Own Nation 12/20, 8 pm, $10-$12. 425 Fremont St., 702-382-3531. Mickie Finnz Live music Daily, 4-7 pm. Shows free unless noted. 425 Fremont St., 702-3824204. Punk Rock Bowling ft. Flogging Molly, Descendents, Cock Sparrer, Flag, Exploited, Dagnasty, Subhumans, Dillinger Four,

Anti-Nowhere League, Youth Brigade, The Dwarves 5/26-5/30. Downtown Las Vegas, punkrockbowling.com. The Smith Center (Reynolds Hall) Erich Bergen, Norm Lewis, Capathia Jenkins, Clint Holmes, Patina Miller 12/31, 7 pm, $39-$125. The Tenors 2/20, 7:30 pm, $24$95. (Cabaret Jazz) Kristen Hertzenberg & Philip Fortenberry 12/19, 2:30 & 7 pm, $26-$36. Susan Anton 1/8-1/9, 7 pm, $35$59. Lucie Arnaz 1/15-1/16, 7 pm, $39-$55. Bronson, Brody & Beatles 1/20, 8 pm, $15-$35. Christine Ebersole 1/22-1/23, 7 pm, $39-$59. Keola Beamer, Henry Kapono, Moanalani Beamer 1/29-1/30, 7 pm, $37$59. Lisa Fischer 2/19, 7 pm; 2/20, 6 & 9 pm, $37-$65. The Tenors 2/20, 7:30 pm, $24$95. Esteban, Teresa Joy 2/21, 3 & 7 pm, $45-$55. Lucy Woodward 2/26-2/27, 7 pm, $39-$49. The Ronnie Foster Organ Trio 3/6, 2 pm, $19-$35. Cheyenne Jackson 3/11, 7 pm; 3/12, 6 & 9 pm, $39-$65. Engelbert Humperdinck 3/19, 7:30 pm, $29-$85. Lon Bronson Band 3/19, 8 pm, $15-$35. Yanni 3/21, 7:30 pm, $29-$99. Kristin Chenoweth 3/25, 7:30 pm, $29-$115. 361 Symphony Park Ave., 702-749-2000.

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The ’Burbs Cannery Cannery Brett Rigby Thru 12/19, Wed-Thu, 8:30 pm, free. Brett Rigby, Toto Zara Thru 12/19, Fri-Sat, 7 pm, free. Luggnutt 12/23-1/2, Wed-Thu, 8:30 pm, free. Luggnutt, Clifton James 12/23-1/2, Fri-Sat, 7 pm, free. 2121 E. Craig Road, 702-507-5700. Elixir Music from 8-11 pm, free unless noted. 2920 N. Green Valley Parkway, elixirlounge. net. Green Valley Ranch (Grand Events Center) Ronnie Milsap 2/20, 8 pm, $20-$50. (Hanks) Dave Ritz Tue, Thu, 6 pm; Sat, 7 pm. Rick Duarte Wed, 6 pm. Nick Mattera Fri, 6 pm; Sat, 7 pm. Shows free unless noted. 702367-2470. Rampart Casino (Addison’s Lounge) Wes Winters Tue, 6 pm. Mark O’Toole Wed, 6 pm. Shows free unless noted. JW Marriott, 221 N. Rampart Blvd., 702-507-5900. Red Rock (Rocks Lounge) Zowie Bowie Fri, 10 pm. The Dirty Sat, 11 pm, $10. (Onyx) Jared Berry Fri & Sat, 9 pm. The Dirty Sat. 11 pm, $10. (T-Bones) Dave Ritz Wed, 6 pm; Fri, 7 pm. Rick Duarte Thu, 6 pm; Sat, 7 pm. Shows free unless noted. 11011 W. Charleston Blvd., 702-797-7777. Santa Fe Station (Revolver) Bro Country Thu, 8 pm. (4949 Lounge) Jared Berry Thu, 7 pm, free. 4949 N Rancho Drive, 702-658-4900. Sienna Italian Authentic Trattoria Vegas Good Fellas Thu, 7:30 pm. Red Velvet Fri & Sat, 8:30 pm. 9500 Sahara Ave., 702-3603358. South Point Tony Orlando Christmas Show 12/17-12/20, 7:30 pm, $45. Frankie Avalon 1/15-1/17, 7:30 pm, $45. The McCartney Years 1/29-1/31, 7:30 pm, $25. Santa Fe and the Fat City Horns Mon, 10:30 pm, $5-$10. Dennis Bono Show Thu, 2 pm, free. Wes Winters Fri & Sat, 6 pm, free. Spazmatics Sat, 10:30 pm, $5. 702-797-8005. Suncoast Merry Christmas Darling: Carpenter’s Christmas 12/19-12/20, 7:30 pm, $33-$44. The Fab Four 12/26-12/27, 7:30 pm, $33-$55. Mary Wilson 1/16-1/17, 7:30 pm, $20. 9090 Alta Drive, 702-636-7075. Sunset Station (Club Madrid) Yellow Brick Road Fri, 9:30 pm. Zowie Bowie Sat, 10 pm. (Gaudi Bar) Ryan Whyte Maloney, Cali Tucker Fri, Sat, 7 pm. Willplay Sat, 7 pm. (Rosalita’s) Tony Venniro Fri, 7 pm. Peter Love Sat, 7 pm. (Sunset Amphitheater) 1301 W. Sunset Road, 702-547-7777. Texas Station (A-Bar) Darrin Michaels Fri & Sat, 7 pm. (South Padre) VooDoo Band Fri, 9 pm. Yellow Brick Road Sat, 9 pm. 702-631-1000.

E v e ry w h e r e E l s e Arizona Charlie’s Boulder (Palace Grand Lounge) Live music Fri & Sat, 9 pm, free. 4575 Boulder Highway, 888-236-9066. Arizona Charlie’s (Naughty Ladies Saloon) Jerry Tiffe Fri, 4 pm. 740 S. Decatur Blvd., 702-258-5200. Babes Rockin’ Sports Bar The Bones 12/19. Smashing Alice 12/31. 5901 Emerald Ave., 702-435-7545.

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CONCUSSION HAS BEEN RATED PG-13 FOR THEMATIC MATERIAL INCLUDING SOME DISTURBING IMAGES, AND LANGUAGE. PLEASE NOTE: PASSES RECEIVED DO NOT GUARANTEE YOU A SEAT AT THE THEATER. SEATING IS ON A FIRST-COME, FIRST-SERVED BASIS, EXCEPT FOR MEMBERS OF THE REVIEWING PRESS AND SELECT GUESTS ON A GUEST LIST. THEATER IS OVERBOOKED TO ENSURE A FULL HOUSE. NO ADMITTANCE ONCE SCREENING HAS BEGUN. ALL FEDERAL, STATE AND LOCAL REGULATIONS APPLY. A RECIPIENT OF TICKETS ASSUMES ANY AND ALL RISKS RELATED TO USE OF TICKET, AND ACCEPTS ANY RESTRICTIONS REQUIRED BY TICKET PROVIDER. COLUMBIA PICTURES, LAS VEGAS WEEKLY AND THEIR AFFILIATES ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY IN CONNECTION WITH ANY LOSS OR ACCIDENT INCURRED IN CONNECTION WITH USE OF A TICKET. TICKETS CANNOT BE EXCHANGED, TRANSFERRED OR REDEEMED FOR CASH, IN WHOLE OR IN PART. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE IF, FOR ANY REASON, GUEST IS UNABLE TO USE HIS/HER TICKET IN WHOLE OR IN PART. NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR LOST, DELAYED OR MISDIRECTED ENTRIES. ALL FEDERAL AND LOCAL TAXES ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE GUEST. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. PARTICIPATING SPONSORS, THEIR EMPLOYEES & FAMILY MEMBERS AND THEIR AGENCIES ARE NOT ELIGIBLE. NO PHONE CALLS. SCREENING WILL BE HELD ON MONDAY, DECEMBER 21ST AT 7PM.

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CALENDAR Boomers Live music Wed, 10 pm, $5-$10. 3200 Sirius Ave., 702-3681863. Count’s Vamp’d Gary Hoey 12/20, 8:30 pm, $18-$22. Y&T 2/5, 8:30 pm, $20-$25. Geoff Tate’s Operation Mindcrime 2/6, 9 pm, $20-$25. Glenn Hughes, Joanne Shaw Taylor & Jared James Nichols 3/5, 7:30 pm, $20-$25. 6750 W. Sahara, 702-2208849. Dispensary Lounge Uli Geissendoerfer Trio Fri & Sat, 10 pm. 2451 E. Tropicana, 702-458-6343. Dive Bar Nashville Pussy, The Dive, Crackerman, Beau Hodges Band 12/19, 9 pm, $8-$10. The Mentors 12/26, 10 pm. The Toasters 2/19, 9 pm, $10-$12. 4110 S. Maryland Parkway., 702-586-3483. Eastside Cannery (Marilyn’s Lounge) Claudine Castro Band Mon, 10 pm. Phoenix Wed, 9 pm. Spazmatics Sun, 9 pm. Shows free unless noted. 702507-5700. Fiesta Rancho (Club Tequila) Sherry Gordy: Take the Stage Thu, 7 pm, $5-$10. 702-631-7000. German American Social Club Vintage Classic Jazz Night Tue, 7 pm, $4. 1110 E. Lake Mead Blvd., 702649-8503. Pioneer Saloon Michael DeGreve & Kris 12/17, 7 pm. Krazy Karaoke 12/18, 5 pm. Bud MIckie 12/19, 5 pm. Seth Turner 12/19, 11 a.m. Chris Heers 12/20, noon. Shows free unless noted. 310 W. Spring St., Goosprings, NV, 702-874-9362. Ron DeCar’s Event Center A Soul Dance Holiday 12/18, 7 pm, $22-$35. Michael Ray Tyler & His Big Band Orchestra 12/19, 1 pm, $17-$24. Vintage Holiday Live ft. Art Vargas, Laura Shaffer 12/19, 7 pm, $20-$35. Swingin’ Sundays 12/20, 5 pm, $11$28. LVBGC Holiday Masquerade 12/26, 10 pm, $15. Swingin’ New Years Eve 12/31, 7 pm, $100-$300. 1201 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-453-8451. Sam’s Town Los NiteKings Sun, 7 pm, free. Shows free unless noted. 5111 Boulder Hwy., 702-284-7777.

COMEDY Boomers Side Splitting Sundays Sun, 9 pm, free. 3200 Sirius Ave., 702368-1863. Caesars Palace (The Colosseum) Jerry Seinfeld 12/26-12/27, 7:30 pm, $105-$165. 702-731-7333. Craig Ranch Regional Park Amphitheater 628 W. Craid Rd., 702633-2418. Dive Bar Preston Lacy of Jackass, Tom Garland 12/18, 8 pm, $12-$15. 4110 S. Maryland Pkwy., 702-586-3483. The D Laughternoon Starring Adam London Daily, 4 pm, $20-$25. 702388-2111.. Hard Rock Hotel (The Joint) Cedric the Entertainer 12/30, 9 pm, $50. Martin Lawrence 1/16, 7 pm, $40. Bo Burnham 1/30, 8 pm, $50. 702-6935000. Harrah’s (Main Showrom) Mac King Tue-Sat, 1 & 3 pm, $33. (The Improv) John Henton, Jodi Borrello, Jessica Michelle Singleton Thru 12/20. Tommy Savitt, Paula Bel, Chris Crofton 12/22-12/27. Steve White, Paula Bel, Chris Crofton 12/29-1/3. Don McMillan, Brian McKim, Traci Skene 1/5-1/10. Bob Zany, Jodi Borrello 1/12-1/17. Tue-Sun, 8:30 pm; Fri & Sat, 10 pm; $30-$45. 702-3695000. Luxor Carrot Top Wed-Mon, 8 pm, $50$60. 702-262-4900. MGM Grand (Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club) Jay Black, Mitchell Walters, Jodi Miller Thru 12/20. Drew Thomas, KT Katara, Matt Markman 12/21-12/27.

TO SUBMIT LISTINGS: Email listings@gmgvegas.com. Submissions received after Friday will be published in the following week’s issue.

Butch Bradley, Mike Merryfield, Shayma Tash 12/28-1/3. Kivi Rogers, Collin Moulton, Dave Williamson 1/41/10. Danny Bevins, Vargus Mason, Heath Harmison 1/11-1/17. Brad Garrett, Paul Ogata, Dave Landau 1/18-1/24. Quinn Dahle, Rick Overton, Greg Vaccariello 1/25-1/31. Richard Vos, Zoltan Kaszas, Derek Richards 2/1-2/7. Brad Garrett, Debi Gutierrez, Andrew Norelli 2/8-2/14. Darrell Joyce, Mark Eddie, Randy Kagan 2/15-2/21. Scott Henry, Frances Dilorinzo, Drew Thomas 2/22-2/28. Brad Garrett, Michael Sommerville, Landry 2/29-3/5, 3/7. Dark Christmas Day. Nightly, 8 pm, $43-$87. 702891-7777. Mirage Daniel Tosh 1/15, 2/5, 3/25, 4/8, 10 pm; 1/16, 2/6, 3/26, 4/9, 7:30 pm, $65-$105. Jay Leno 2/26, 5/13, 6/4, 7/2, 10 pm, $66-$87. Ron White 2/122/13, 3/4-3/5, 4/29-4/30, 6/10-6/11, 10 pm, $66. Sebastian Maniscalco 4/22-4/23, 10 pm, $44-$65. Gabriel Iglesias 3/18-3/19, 5/28-5/29, 10 pm. Nick Swardson 4/2, 10 pm, $55. Tracy Morgan 5/6-5/7, 10 pm, $55. 702-792-7777. Planet Hollywood (Las Vegas Live Comedy Club) Edwin San Juan Nightly, 9 pm, $56-$67, V Theater. (PH Showroom) Jeff Dunham WedSun, 7 pm; Sat-Sun, 4 pm, $72.. (Sin City Theatre) Failure is an Option Nightly, dark Tue-Wed, 5:30 pm, $60. 702-234-7469. Sin City Comedy & Burlesque Show Nightly, 8:30 pm, $38-$49. 702-777-2782. Quad Jeff Civilico Sat-Mon, Wed-Thu, 4 pm, $39-$50. 888-777-7664. Rampart Casino (Bonkerz Comedy Club) Thu, 7 pm, free., 702-507-5900. Red Rock (Rocks Lounge) Hal Sparks 1/23, 8 pm, $25-$35. Justin Willman 2/20, 8 pm, $25-$35. 702-797-7777. Rio Eddie Griffin Mon-Thu, 7 pm, $73$136. 702-777-2782. The Sayers Club (Bonkerz Comedy Club) Thu-Sat 8 pm, $10. SLS, 702761-7000. South Point Dat Phan 12/26, 7:30 pm, $15. Charlie Murphy 1/8-1/10, 7:30 pm, $30. Louie Anderson 1/22-1/23, 7:30 pm, $15. Jon Lovitz 2/5-2/6, 7:30 pm, $25. 702-797-8005. Tropicana (The Laugh Factory) Rich Little 12/17-12/18, 12/20, 7 pm. Harry Basil, Allan Stephan, Traci Skene 12/19-12/20, 8:30 & 10:30 pm. Shang, Brandon Gooch Hahn, Josh Florhaug 12/21-12/27. Bill Dawes, Giulio Gallarotti, Paul Scally 12/28-12/31. $35-$55. 702-739-2222. Treasure Island Ralphie May 1/2, 9 m, $40-$65. David Alan Grier, Tommy Davidson 2/12, 9 pm, $44-$71. Jo Koy 3/18, 9 pm, $44-$76. Wanda Sykes 4/15, 9 pm, $60-$80.702-894-7111. Venetian Lisa Lampanelli 12/26, 8 pm, $50-$118. Whitney Cummings 1/2, 8 pm, $50-$118. 702-414-9000.

PERFORMING ARTS Christ Church Episcopal Adam J. Brakel 1/8, 7:30 pm, $15. Hans Uwe Hielscher 2/5, 7:30 pm, $15. David Dorway 4/29, 7:30 pm, $15. 2000 S. Maryland Parkway, sncago.org. Cockroach Theatre Constellations 1/7-1/9, 1/14-1/16, 1/21-1/23, 8 pm; 1/10, 1/17, 1/24, 2 pm $16-$20. The Nether 2/25-2/27, 3/3-3/5, 3/10-3/12, 8 pm; 2/28, 3/6, 3/13, 2 pm, $16-$20. Art Square Theatre, 1025 S. 1st St., Ste. 110, 702-818-3422. Las Vegas Philharmonic Cabrera Conducts Rachmaninoff 1/9, 7:30 pm, 1/10, 2 pm, $26-$96. Pink Martini 2/6, 7:30 pm, $100-$250. Spotlight Series 2/16, 4/26, 5/3, 7:30 pm, $168. Smith Center, 702-749-2000.

Mondays Dark With Mark Shunock 1/25, 8:30 pm, $20-$50, Vinyl. Nevada Ballet Theatre The Nutcracker 12/18, 7:30 pm, 12/19, 2 pm $ 7:30 pm, 12/20, 1 & 5:30 pm, $29$179. Smith Center’s Reynolds Hall, 702-749-2000. Onyx Theatre Elf U: A Crash Course in Christmas thru 12/19, Sat, 11 am & 1 pm, $10. A Super Top Secret Staged Reading 12/19, midnight, donations accepted. The Eight: Reindeer Monologues thru 12/19, Fri & Sat, 10 pm, $15. The Blanche DeBris Emergency Xmas Broadcast 12/1712/19, 8 pm; 12/13, 5 pm, $20. 953 E. Sahara Ave., 702-732-7225. Smith Center (Reynolds Hall) New Year’s Eve at the Smith Center 12/31, 7 pm, $39-$125. The Cat in the Hat 1/13, 6:30 pm, $15-$23. Riverdance 1/26-1/21, $29-$129. Panties in a Twist 2/2-2/6, $35-$43. The Symphonic Rockshow Presents: The Best of British Rock 2/5, 7:30 pm, $29-$59. Cinderella 2/13, 7:30 pm, 2/14, 2 pm, $29-$139. Elephant & Piggies We Are in A Play 2/17, 6:30 pm, $15-$23. The Bridges of Madison County 2/232/28, $29-$129. A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder 3/8-3/13, $29-$139. One Night For One Drop 3/18, 7 pm, $104-$329. (Troesh Studio Theater) Driving Miss Daisy 1/15-1/17, 8 pm; 1/16-1/17, 3 pm; $34. Shen Yun: A Gift From Heaven 1/21, 7:30 pm; 1/22, 8 pm; 1/23, 3 pm & 7:30 pm, 1/24, 1 pm. Bad Jews 3/3-3/5, 8 pm; 3/6, 2 pm, $35-$45. (Cabaret Jazz) Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill 2/12-2/14, 8 pm; 2/13-2/14, 3 pm, $34. 702-749-2000. UNLV (Rando-Grillot Recital Hall) Amernet Quartet ft. Rachel Calloway 1/28, 7:30 pm, $27-$30. Andrew York 2/20, 8 pm, $41-$45. Chelsea Chen 2/26, 7:30 pm, free.Jens Korndorfer 4/8, 7:30 pm, free. Duo Deloro 4/13, 8 pm, $41-$45. Dorothy Young Riess 5/20, 7:30 pm, free. (Artemus W. Ham Hall) Sarah Chang and Julio Elizalde 2/6, 8 pm, $25-$75. Polish Baltic Philharmonic 3/17, 8 pm, $25$75. Orlowsky Trio 4/2, 8 pm, $20$70. (Judy Bayley Theatre) Nevada Conservatory Theatre: The Magic of Seth Grabel 10/17, 7 pm, $30. 702895-3332. Winchester Cultural Center James and the Giant Peach 12/18, 7 pm; 12/19, noon & 6 pm, $5-$7. Naomi Emmerson plays Edith Piaf 3/4, 7 pm; 3/5, 1:30 pm, $25-$30. 3130 S. McLeod Drive, 702-455-7340.

SPECIAL EVENTS A Winter Festival 12/18, 5:30 pm. Walnut Recreation Center, 3075 N. Walnut Rd., 702-455-8402. All You Need Is Light: Jewish Film Festival 1/9-1/24, $10 per film, times vary. Adelson Educational Campus Theater, 9700 W. Hillpoint Road, 702239-2277. The Bourbon Book Club Dennis Johnson’s Jesus’ Son 1/21, 6 pm, free. The Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St., thewritersblock.org. Sally Denton Signing and Reading 2/18, 7 pm, free. The Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St., thewritersblock. org. Disney on Ice presents Frozen 1/61/11, times vary, $38-$83. Thomas & Mack Center, unlvtickets.com. Ethel M Chocolates Holiday Cactus Garden 5 pm to 10 pm, free. Ethel M Chocolate Factory and Cactus Garden, 2 Cactus Garden Dr., ethelm. com. For the Love of Cocktails Meet the Masters of Cocktails 2/10, 6 pm,

Hotel Bound Bar at Cromwell; Meet the Masters of Wine 2/10, 7:30 pm, $175, Giada at Cromwell. Downtown Bar Crawl 2/11, 5 pm. Locations vary. USBG Food Truck Wars 2/11, 10 pm, $25, Gold Spike. Micro-Experiences & Seminars 2/12, noon-5 pm. Mandalay Bay & Delano; The Grand Gala 2/12, 7 pm, $100, Mandalay Bay & Delano, ftloc.vegas. Helen: A Literary Magazine’s animal issue celebration 1/8, 6 pm, free. The Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St helenpresents.com. Human Love Experience: Poetry Music and Song ft. Lee Mallory, Philena Carter and Mizz Absurd 2/8, 7 pm, free. Hop Nuts Brewery, 1120 S. Main St., 702-816-5371. Hypnosis Unleashed Tue-Sun, 8:30 pm, $30-$40. Binion’s, 128 E. Fremont St., 702-382-1600. Julia Lee Signing and Reading 1/22, 7 pm, free. The Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St., thewritersblock.org. Las Vegas Ultimate Wine Run 1/29, 3:30 pm, $60-$90. Lake Las Vegas, 2030 Lake Las Vegas Pkwy., theultimatewinerun.com. Laura McBride & Walter Kirn Signing and Reading 1/20, 7 pm, free. The Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St., thewritersblock.org. Motley Brew’s Great Vegas Festival of Beer 4/9, 3 pm, $30-$80. Fremont East, greatvegasbeer.com. Neon Lit 1/29, 2/26, 3/18, 4/29, 7 pm, free. The Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St., thewritersblock.org. New Year’s Spectacular ft. Frankie Beverly, Maze, Mike Epps 1/2, 8 pm, $34-$150. Orleans, 702-284-7777. Paws on the Patio 12/29, 6 pm, free. Brio Tuscan Grille, Tivoli Village, 420 S. Rampart Blvd., 702-433-1233. J. Aaron Sanders Signing and Reading 3/19, 7 pm, free. The Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St., thewritersblock.org. Sevens Live Music, comedy & spoken arts. Tue, 7 pm, one-drink minimum. Silver Sevens, 4100 Paradise, 702733-7000. The Big Beat Kristmas Stomp: ‘60s soul, garage & frat-rock shindig ft. DJ Lucky LaRue, Cromm, Viva La Vivi, DJ Maybelline, Thee NoCount 12/19, 10 pm, free. Davy’s Locker, 1149 E. Desert Inn Rd., 702-735-0001. Toys for Tots ft. David Perrico 12/18, 7 pm, $20. Orleans, orleanscasino. com. William Logan Hebner & Michael Plyer Signing and Reading 1/28, 7 pm, free. The Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St., thewritersblock.org. Windmill Music Club Highway 61 Revisited 12/20, 4 pm, free. Windmill Library, 7060 W Windmill Lane, 702-507-6030. Winter Art Bazaar presented by Las Vegas Tattooers Alliance & Dick Blick 12/19, 9 am to 6 pm, free. 6300 W. Charleston Blvd. Ste #130, 702743-3017. Writer’s Block Book Club Graham Greene’s The End of the Affair 12/18, 6 pm, free. The Writer’s Block, 1020 Fremont St., thewritersblock.org.

SPORTS Amsoil Arenacross 5/6, 8 pm; 5/8, noon, $29. Orleans, orleansarena. com. Monster Energy Supercross Finals 5/7, 6:30 pm, $180. Sam Boyd Stadium, unlvtickets.com. Monster Jam World Finals 3/17, 5:30 pm; 3/18-3/19, 7 pm, $80-$180. Sam Boyd Stadium, unlvtickets.com. National Finals Rodeo 12/3-12/12, 6:45 pm, $58-$232. Thomas & Mack, unlvtickets.com.

CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE CALENDAR LISTINGS AT LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM/EVENTS 56 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 17-23, 2015

Royal Purple Las Vegas Bowl 12/19, 12:30 pm, $24-$110. Sam Boyd Stadium, unlvtickets.com. UFC 195 1/2, 3:30 pm, $104-$804, MGM Grand Garden Arena, ticketmaster.com WFG Continental Cup of Curling 1/14-1/17, $22. Orleans Arena, orleansarena.com. World Series of Fighting 26 12/18, 6 pm, $30. Cosmopolitan, cosmopolitanlasvegas.com.

GALLERIES Amanda Harris Gallery of Contemporary Art By appointment. 900 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-7696036. Arts Factory 107 E. Charleston Blvd, 702-383-3133. Galleries include: Joseph Watson Collection Wed-Fri, 1-6 pm; Sat, noon-3 pm; Sun, 11 am-2 pm. Suite 115, 858-733-2135. Sin City Gallery Wed-Sat, 1-7 pm; Sun, 11 am-2 pm. Suite 100, 702-608-2461. Suite 135, 702-366-7001, trifectagallery.com. Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art Picasso: Creatures and Creativity Thru 1/10. Daily, 10 am-8 pm, $11-$16. 3600 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-693-7871. Brett Wesley Gallery Thu-Fri, 12-6 pm, Sat, 12-4 pm. 1025 S. First St. #150, 702-433-4433. Clark County Government Center Rotunda 500 Grand Central Parkway, 702-455-7030. Clay Arts Vegas Mon-Sat, 9 am-9 pm; Sun, 11:30 am-6:30 pm. 1511 S. Main St., 702-375-4147. Downtown Spaces 1800 Industrial Road, dtspaces.com. Galleries include: Candy Wolves Studio 702-6003011. Skin City Body Painting 702-4317546. Solsis Gallery 702-557-2225. Spectral Gallery Sat, noon-10 pm & by appointment. Urizen Gallery First Fri, 6-10 pm. Wasteland Gallery Mon-Fri, 10 am-2 pm. 702-475-9161. Emergency Arts 520 Fremont St. Galleries include: Satellite Contemporary 973-9643050. Rhizome Gallery 702-907-7526. Gainsburg Studio & Gallery Mon-Sat, 10am-5pm. 1533 West Oakey Blvd, 702-249-3200. Las Vegas City Hall Chamber Gallery In Focus: Downtown Architecture by Ryan Reason & Jennifer Burkart Mon-Fri, 7 am-5:30 pm, 495 S. Main St., 702-229-1012. Left of Center Tue-Fri, noon-5 pm; Sat, 10 am-3 pm. 2207 W. Gowan Road, 702-647-7378. Michelle C. Quinn Fine Art By appointment. 620 S. 7th St., 702-3669339. P3Studio Wed-Thu, 5-10 pm; Fri-Sun, 6-11 pm. Cosmopolitan. UNLV Barrick Museum Mon-Fri, 9 am–5 pm; Thu, 9 am-8 pm; Sat, noon-5 pm. 4505 S Maryland Parkway., 702-8953381 Donna Beam Fine Art Mon-Fri, 9 am-5 pm; Sat, 10 am-2 pm. 702-8953893. Lied Library The French Connection Thru 10/31. Mon-Thu, 7:30 am-midnight; Fri, 7:30 am-7 pm; Sat, 9 am-6 pm; Sun, 11 am-midnight. West Las Vegas Arts Center Wed-Sat, 9 am-7 pm. 947 W. Lake Mead Blvd., 702-229-4800. Winchester Cultural Center Art Gallery Tue-Fri, 10 am-8 pm; Sat, 9 am-6 pm. 3130 S. McLeod Drive, 702455-7340.

HOROSCOPE

free will astrology

By Rob Brezsny

ARIES

LEO

SAGITTARIUS

March 21-April 19

July 23-Aug. 22

Nov. 22-Dec. 21

The Neanderthals were a different human species that coexisted with our ancestors, Homo sapiens, for at least 5,000 years. They eventually died out while our people thrived. One reason, says science writer Marcus Chown, is that we alone invented sewing needles. Our newborn babies had well-made clothes to keep them warm and healthy through frigid winters. Neanderthal infants had a lower survival rate. Chown suggests that although this provided us with a mere 1 percent survival advantage, it was significant. I think you’re ready to find and use a small yet ultimately crucial edge like that.

The English word “fluke” means “lucky stroke.” It was originally used in the game of billiards when a player made a good shot that he or she wasn’t even trying to accomplish. Later its definition expanded to include any fortuitous event that happens by chance rather than because of skill— good fortune generated accidentally. I suspect that you are about to be the beneficiary of what may seem to be a series of flukes, Leo. In at least one case, though, your lucky break will have been earned by the steady work you’ve done without any fanfare.

Garnets are considered less valuable than diamonds. But out in the wild, there’s an intimate connection between these two gemstones. Wherever you find garnets near the surface of the Earth, you can be reasonably sure that diamonds are deeper down in the same location. Let’s use this relationship as a metaphor for your life, Sagittarius. I suspect you have recently chanced upon a metaphorical version of garnets, or will do so soon. Maybe you should make plans to search for the bigger treasure toward which they point the way.

TAURUS

VIRGO

CAPRICORN

April 20-May 20

Aug. 23-Sept. 22

Dec. 22-Jan. 19

Artist Robert Barry created “30 Pieces,” an installation that consisted of pieces of paper on which he had typed the following statement: “Something which is very near in place and time, but not yet known to me.” According to my reading of the astrological omens, this theme captures the spirit of the phase you’re now entering. But I think it will evolve in the coming weeks. First it’ll be, “Something which is very near in place and time, and is becoming known to me.” By mid-January it could turn into, “Something which is very near and dear, and has become known to me.”

You may not have to use a literal crowbar in the coming weeks, but this rough tool will serve you well as a metaphor. Wherever you go, imagine that you’ve got one with you. Why? It’s time to jimmy open glued-shut portals, to pry loose mental blocks, to coax unyielding influences to budge, to nudge intransigent people free of their fixations. Anything that is stuck or jammed needs to get unstuck or unjammed through the power of your willful intervention.

Ready for the Cool Anger Contest? You can earn maximum points by expressing your dissatisfaction in ways that generate the most constructive transformations. Bonus points will be awarded for your ability to tactfully articulate complicated feelings, as well as for your emotionally intelligent analyses that inspire people to respond empathetically rather than defensively. What are the prizes? First prize is a breakthrough in your relationship with an ally who could be crucial to your expansion in 2016. Second prize is a liberation from one of your limiting beliefs.

GEMINI

LIBRA

AQUARIUS

May 21-June 20

Sept. 23-Oct. 22

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

“There is in every one of us, even those who seem to be most moderate, a type of desire that is uncanny, wild, and lawless.” Greek philosopher Plato wrote that in his book The Republic, and I’m bringing it to your attention just in time for your Season of Awakening and Deepening Desire. The coming days will be a time when you can more fully tune in to the uncanny, wild and lawless aspects of your primal yearnings. I’m not suggesting you should immediately take action to gratify them. For now, just feel them and observe them. Find out what they have to teach you. Wait until the new year before you consider the possibility of expressing them.

The coming weeks will be a favorable time for you to consort with hidden depths and unknown riches. Cultivate a more conscious connection with the core resources you sometimes take for granted. This is one time when delving into the darkness can lead you to pleasure and treasure. Keep in mind this advice from author T. Harv Eker: “In every forest, on every farm, in every orchard on Earth, what’s under the ground creates what’s above the ground. That’s why placing your attention on the fruits you have already grown is futile. You can’t change the fruits that are already hanging on the tree.”

A 4th-century monk named Martin was a pioneer winemaker in France. According to legend, Martin’s donkey had a crucial role in lifting viticulture out of its primitive state. Midway through one growing season, the beast escaped its tether and nibbled on a lot of the grapevines. All the monks freaked out, fearing that the crop was wrecked. But ultimately the grapes grew better than they had in previous years, and the wine they produced was fabulous. Thus was born the practice of pruning, which became de rigueur for all grape-growers. What’s your equivalent of Martin’s donkey, Aquarius? I bet it’ll exert its influence very soon.

CANCER

SCORPIO

PISCES

June 21-July 22

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

Feb. 19-March 20

Congratulations! You have broken all your previous records for doing boring tasks that are good for you. On behalf of the other 11 signs, I thank you for your heroic, if unexciting, campaign of self-improvement. You have not only purified your emotional resources and cleared out some breathing room for yourself, but you have also made it easier for people to help you and feel close to you. Your duty has not yet been completed, however. There are a few more details to take care of before the gods of healthy tedium will be finished with you. But start looking for signs of your big chance to make a break for freedom.

In the coming weeks, the pursuit of pleasure could drain your creative powers, diminish your collaborative possibilities, and wear you out. But it’s also possible that the pursuit of pleasure will enhance your creative powers, synergize your alliances and lead you to new opportunities. Which way will you go? It all depends on the kinds of pleasures you pursue. The dumb, numbing, mediocre type will shrink your soul. The smart, intriguing, invigorating variety will expand your mind. Got all that? Say “hell, no” to trivializing decadence so you can say “wow, yes” to uplifting bliss.

“The deepest urge in human nature is the desire to be important,” said educator John Dewey. If that’s true, Pisces, you are on the verge of having your deepest urge fulfilled more than it has been in a long time. The astrological alignments suggest that you are reaching the peak of your value to other people. You’re unusually likely to be seen and appreciated and acknowledged for who you really are. If you have been underestimating your worth, I doubt you will be able to continue doing so. Here’s your homework: Take a realistic inventory of the ways your life has had a positive impact on the lives of people you have known.

December 17–23, 2015 LasVegasWeekly.com

The BackStory

photograph by steve marcus

ERIC VOZZOLA MURAL | CULTURAL CORRIDOR | DECEMBER 6, 2015 | 11:40 A.M. There’s something to be said for color psychology, and the relation to culture shock. Bright colors are said to enhance energy, but those same bright colors can make a calm person nervous. Nervous in the way disco teleportation really speaks to your soul. Picture this: You’re walking through a classic neighborhood, minding your own, and then a rainbow attacks the building to your right. How would that make you feel? How would it make you feel if some wild unicorn with a passion for geometric paradise schemes, fluent in the language of saturation, just flew by and changed the world and the way you see it? Would it reconnect you to your inner Lisa Frank? That’s what it does for me. When rainbows attack, I feel like glitter. Eric Vozzola named this piece “An External Expression of an Internal Struggle,” which is pretty much what dance is. So unleash the cabbage patch, transition into the Tootsie Roll, mashed potato, whip and nae nae. –Corlene Byrd

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