2015-12-31 - Las Vegas Weekly by Greenspun Media Group

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TRY OUR NEW SEASONAL SHAKE FOR A LIMITED TIME

Contents 7 mail Carlito’s and Concussion.

44 noise Local love letters to the

8 as we see it Losing weight

Stones, and the albums and shows to put on your 2016 calendar.

by betting on it. Meet Sweetie the capybara (and die from cuteness). It’s Alon versus Resorts World.

47 the Strip The state of the

13 Profile Mark Rowland, DTP

48 fine art Abstract geometry.

Ventures CEO, on his first year.

mr chow courtesy; rose. rabbit. lie. oysters by patrick tregenza

14 Feature | Eating the

Boulevard in the brand new year.

49 Stage January happenings.

Cosmopolitan Meandering the tasty restaurant landscape as the resort celebrates big 5.

50 food & drink A killer new

16 Feature | year on deck

54 calendar Oh, Morrissey ...

The 16 things you will do in 2016.

24 nights Bring the Noisia.

snack bar, steak and eggs and a hot Miami import.

58 backstory Food. Magnets.

39 A&E Princesses on ice, a hike to hot springs and free NYE in 18b.

40 pop culture A spirited rant about Apple Music.

41 screen Shannara on MTV, and border issues in a cartoon.

Cover ILLUSTRATION By Cameron K. Lewis

KIDS EAT FREE TUESDAYS

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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.

LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM

MOST-READ STORIES OF 2015 The year’s end is a time to reflect, so we took a look at the stories that captured the most eyes over the past 12 months. Find out what kept Weekly readers clicking, from the best of Las Vegas brunch to drugs at EDC to Bellagio’s kabuki show, at lasvegasweekly.com.

LET’S BE FRIENDS!

/lasvegasweekly /lasvegasweekly /lasvegasweekly

MOST READ STORIES lasvegasweekly.com 1. The best new restaurants of 2015 2. Carlito’s Burritos returns at new Green Valley location 3. NYE 2015 Guide: How to survive the Strip 4. Who ruled Las Vegas in 2015, from dominant individuals to dynamic instutitions 5. NYE 2015 Guide: Kickass Vegas parties, concerts and meals to ring in 2016

Mail > To Strip or not For New Year’s Eve, that was the question.

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

PREP THE FIREWORKS

FIERY FOOD

It’s New Year’s Eve again in Las Vegas, and perhaps Don Grubbs said it best ...

Carlito’s Burritos has reopened in a new and bigger location. Have you been yet?

Nobody parties like Vegas. –Don Grubbs

New Mexican food is it. If you think Christmas-style is only one month a year, you’re seriously missing out! –Jason Creager

NYE guide for Vegas: Stay away from the Strip and storm drains! –Mike Conrad We enjoyed it on the Strip back in 2002. No problem with traffic. The crowd was well behaved. –Makiha Hatu Ah, pushing buttons and cashing paychecks. I’ll skip. Thanks. –Jeffery Engler I’m going with Jello [Biafra] at the Double Down. It’s the right price. –Luke Freteluco [I’m a] 44-year native and know better ways to experience New Year’s Eve than going to the nightmare known as the Strip. –Steven Weems I went to the bar at the top of Stratosphere to watch the fireworks display. It was definitely the best view. Only once, though. –Stephanie Milner First NYE outside of Las Vegas in four years [after spending] every year at a suite on the Strip. Going to miss the fireworks for the first time since the first time, and can’t stand the thought! –Gabrielle Visca If you live in Vegas and go to the Strip for any other reason but to work you are a douche. –Mark Newton

It’s really great. I always stay away from the green sauce; it’s too hot for my taste. But the red sauce is amazing. –Alberto Gutierrez

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SHOWS OF THE YEAR Las Vegas Weekly’s music heads geeked out over their favorite concerts of 2015. What was the best show you saw? Taylor Swift gets mentioned, but no love for Bruno Mars burning down Rock in Rio? –Niyen Iredia

MOES.com

Glad someone mentioned the Mew show at Sayers [Club]. –Tony Rodriguez Failure at Fremont Country Club was my fave. –Aaron Raeder

CONTROVERSIAL CONCUSSION Opinions vary on the new Will Smith football-medical drama.

Can’t wait to not see this clunker. –William D Niepert It is a great movie and although I’ll probably never look at football players the same way, it has a powerful message. –Lauren Spenser

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

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Losing is winning ∑ Gym membership will spike,

cigarettes will be tossed and dating websites will experience a surge of singles looking for new love. The season of resolutions is upon us. But for those looking to lose weight, willpower and the one-sizetoo-small “thinspiration” T-shirt don’t have to be the only motivators. Sure, many will turn to their neighborhood LVAC and be more discerning at the grocery store, but some will also rely on their financial security (or insecurity) and the Internet to slim down in 2016, thanks to trendy diet-betting websites like HealthyWage and DietBet. The premise is simple: Throw some money down, eat better and exercise, and in a short period of time you could maximize your bank account while minimizing your waistline. HealthyWage asserts that, since its 2009 founding, it has awarded more than 200,000 users more than $2.5 million for collectively losing more than 10 million pounds, while DietBet says its 300,000+ users have earned more than $16 million since 2013. Such sites offer various ways to win cash, from personal weight-loss bets with prizes calculated on loss percentages, to team challenges in which winning participants split the pot. One DietBet group contest starting this week includes more than 1,000 participants, each betting $25 with the hope of winning part of a $120,000-plus prize. “The thought of being a part of each player’s journey is heartwarming and encouraging,” says DietBet Success Story No. 103 Teresa, who won $857 for shedding 59 pounds. The sites monitor weight loss through video and photo verification

Spicy sauce A local taco joint jabs back at burglars

and have strict rules. DietBet requires participants to have specific body mass index numbers and prohibits the use of “unsafe and unsportsmanlike behavior” like purging, excessive dehydration and medical procedures. Does a potential financial hit really drive one to get fit more than a look in the mirror or a glance at the scale? HealthyWage points to a study pub-

∑ If jail time doesn’t deter burglars, maybe Internet shaming will. After a break-in at Frijoles & Frescas restaurant on Charleston Boulevard earlier this month, store manager Greg Carlson took matters into his own hands, turning security footage into a YouTube video titled “Burglars Just Want Tacos,” depicting the robbers as hungercrazed patrons seeking out Mexican food. Since its posting on December 17, the video has collected more than 3 million views. “Guy wants a taco,” the text reads as the clip shows a man attempting to break

8 LasVegasWeekly.com December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

lished by the Journal of the American Medical Association, which found that dieters with a financial incentive were nearly five times more likely to reach goals. HealthyWage also cites a 2013 study by the Mayo Clinic in which 62 percent of incentivized participants slimmed down, compared to 26 percent in the non-incentivized group. As someone who has lost 150

into the restaurant by throwing a rock through the door. “Sorry, bro,” it reads when the rock bounces back. “We felt like a lighthearted approach was both consistent with our company culture and would also be more likely to reach a larger number of people in the community,” Carlson says. The clip continues to show the burglars ravaging the store and stealing empty cash registers, all in the search for tacos, but according to Carlson, minimal damage was done and no money—or tacos—were stolen. –Leslie Ventura

pounds during my lifelong weightloss roller coaster, it’s difficult to dismiss those numbers. But as a Las Vegan, it’s also hard to ignore my hometown’s conventional wisdom: the house always wins. I’ll still order a salad and go for a run in the new year, but it’ll be for me, not for money. –Mark Adams

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as we see it…

> ANIMAL MAGNETISM Sweetie the Capybara (left) and her boyfriend JoeJoe are both Instagram stars.

Squee!

Sweetie is aggressively cute, unstoppably social and on a mission that’s not just about looking fly By Kristy Totten For a mere 6-month-old, Sweetie’s impressively accomplished: She’s a style icon, an Internet celebrity, an animal activist, a friend of Cirque du Soleil performers—how cool, right?!— aaaand she’s a rodent. More specifically, she’s a capybara, the world’s largest rodent, averaging 2 feet in shoulder height, 4 feet in length and about 144 pounds (the largest on record weighed 201, but Sweetie

should top out at 95). Her superior résumé also includes 12,300 Instagram followers, 8,700 Facebook fans and a cadre of entertainer pals, whom she hangs with in dance studios and circus gyms around Las Vegas. Time for a handstand? More like time for a smooch. “Sweetie is a wonderful member of the family,” says her mom, a professional ballroom dancer named Emily. “She loves attention from everyone, even strangers, and gives kisses. She sleeps in the bed every night and even tucks herself in under the covers.” Sweetie’s daily routine includes two to three hours of eating grass and swimming (fun fact: capybaras are semi-aquatic and can hold their

breath for up to five minutes). And though she was born with only two toes on each back foot (she should have three), the disability doesn’t deter her. “Sweetie does not let her two toes hold her back,” Emily reports. “She can run, swim and even do basic tricks.” (Now would be a good time to squee.) In her life as an activist, Sweetie acts as a diplomat for the South American rodents, who are hunted, eaten and used for leather and pharmaceuticals. By sharing Sweetie’s story online, Emily hopes to raise awareness of the animals, though she cautions that capybara companionship isn’t for everyone. “Having a capybara is very different from having a cat or dog,” Emily says.

“I would not recommend having a capybara family member to everyone, because they are only legal as pets in a few states and require constant supervision and care.” Sweetie is a highly social herd animal, so to spare her anxiety she’s never caged and never left alone. Also high-maintenance is her fashion habit. Sweetie rocked not one but two Christmas dresses on Instagram, and is known to don a dinosaur onesie, ladybug and bee costumes, lots of pink and leopard print and a hip American Apparel hoodie. With so many achievements, Sweetie’s fanfare is understandable, but sorry, rodent dudes—she’s taken by JoeJoe the Capybara, who’s also an Instagram star.

It burns Railing against Nevada’s live entertainment tax, Burning Man holds up its ticket onsale

10 LasVegasWeekly.com December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

burning man by Andy Barron

For burners and festival enthusiasts, December usually means the release of ticket information for the following year’s Burning Man. But a few weeks ago, the organization that runs the annual gathering in Northern Nevada revealed that it’s delaying the platformed onsale to contest the state’s expanded live entertainment tax, which could extract 9 percent from each attendee, or nearly $3 million overall. “While we support Nevada’s right to collect fair taxes, we don’t believe the LET applies to Burning Man, and we intend to challenge it,” Burning Man’s communications team wrote on the event’s blog, later stating, “It’s clear from this legislation the Burning Man event has been misunderstood.” Burning Man describes itself as an experiment in community and art, and has always rejected the music-festival descriptor. DJs (and the rare live act) do perform, but only at the attendees’ theme camps and art cars; they are not booked by BM. Aside from producing the big Saturday night burn, the primary objectives of BM’s staff are providing infrastructure for and managing the temporary city. As such, organizers have already argued in a clarification-seeking letter to the Nevada Department of Taxation that Burning Man is not an entertainment event, unlike exempted events like sporting games and NASCAR races. The aforementioned blog also claims that the gathering generates some $50 million for the state. “From our perspective, this is the latest attempt by an outside entity to unfairly tap the resources of Burning Man and its participants.” –Mike Prevatt

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AS WE SEE IT… > GOOD (BUT VAGUE) VIBES ... Resorts World and Alon hint at cool ambience with site signage.

IN BRIEF MAKING CONCESSIONS

SBE, the hospitality company that opened SLS Las Vegas and currently operates Hyde Bellagio among its Strip venues, will launch Hyde Lounge at the Las Vegas Arena in April, the “exclusive nightclub option” at the game-changing 20,000-seat MGM Resorts/AEG project between New York-New York and Monte Carlo. Considering there’s already a Hyde Lounge at the Staples Center in LA, there’s no huge surprise here. The 18,000-square-foot Vegas space will bring bottle service, plush couches, DJs and a VIP experience to complement arena events. –Brock Radke EXPANDING THE CANVAS

T H E I N C I D E N TA L TO U R I ST

BUILDING HYPE AT GROUND LEVEL What construction-site marketing signage says about Alon and Resorts World BY BROCK RADKE pictures are enough? There’s a lady in a beach-front cabana snagging a glass of white wine from a shirtless man and a thin couple clad in black getting their groove on. There are a couple of party portraits, with all different kinds of people wearing suits and furs and retro eyeglasses, smiling, enamored with each other or at least the scene they’ve created. And there’s a hotel bed, with a man face down wearing only his skivvies, his apparent paramour sitting up and smirking to herself, seemingly pleased with whatever just happened. Naughty. All of this clearly wants to be different, edgier than your average Vegas resort. But that sort of pre-opening claim has probably been made by every Strip resort since the conclusion of the themed-casino era. Alon’s site signage is very different, however, from that of its neighbor, the other big project we wanna get all excited about. The walls of plywood around the Resorts World Las Vegas site are decorated in a much more traditional—and even less informative—manner. They’re colorful and quite nice, but only at what will become a main entrance for the sprawling Genting Group resort (also set to arrive in ’18) at the intersection

12 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 31, 2015-JANUARY 6, 2016

of Convention Center Drive do we get to see a few renderings of what this sucker will look like. The rest of the Resorts World imagery is about being regal and red, decidedly Asian, and telling Las Vegas that this thing’s a big deal all around the world. The Bahamas section is crystal blue, with tropical fish and a bikini blonde staring into the horizon. The Malaysia section shows hotel towers jutting out of a rainforest. Singapore has a friendly, fuzzy anteater, just walking around. Both of these signage strategies are trying to create a vibe instead of giving legitimate hints about what kind of experiences await us. Alon’s stuff is specifically boastful, not only reminding us they’re bringing “a new name in leisure” to the Strip, but also reaching for “a new way of thinking about Las Vegas.” That seems hyberbolic and impossible, but hasn’t it been achieved a few times, by Caesars Palace and Mirage and Bellagio and maybe even the Cosmopolitan? So our takeaways: Resorts World is planning to go big, very big, and bring the wow factor back to the Strip, whereas Alon is planning to make us all very curious about what it’s going to look and feel like. We’ll have to wait at least two more years to find out.

PARTYING SMART

Ahead of the New Year’s Eve party cyclone, Planet Hollywood headliner and enduring pop princess Britney Spears partnered with the Rape Crisis Center and Caesars Entertainment to promote the Party Smart campaign, encouraging locals and tourists to make their good times safe, and potential offenders not to be “that guy” who takes advantage of a drunk situation. To check out Brit’s PSA and other Party Smart resources like safety apps and tips on being an active bystander, visit partysmartinlv.com. –ER

PHOTOGRAPH BY BROCK RADKE

“What’s next?” That question is always floating around the Las Vegas Strip, but right now, it’s actually plastered all over the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Fashion Show Drive. And there are answers, too: “Less about them, more about us.” “Less seeing, more being seen.” “Less goods, more best.” “Less service, more attention.” “Less frazzled, more frisson.” I don’t know about you, but I had to look up frisson. It means “a sudden, passing sensation of excitement; a shudder of emotion; thrill.” That sounds pretty cool, right? If that’s what’s going to be installed across from Wynn and Encore, a big pile of frisson, I could get down with that. These answers are all we have, so far, to answer the question of what comes next on the Strip, at least in regard to Alon. These words, and some flashy, hip, vacation-y imagery, are wrapped around the construction site fences surrounding the in-development resort, set to open in 2018. Details about the hotel and casino have been scant—we know Australian mogul James Packer is behind it, and he’s recruited a team of former Wynn executives, including Andrew Pascal, to make it go. But maybe these slogans and cool

Skin City Body Painting founder and Skin Wars producer/judge Robin Slonina is returning to her roots as a sculptor and painter with a solo studio in the Arts Factory. The grand opening is January 9 from 6-10 p.m. inside suite 250, with bodypainting demos, music, a raffle supporting local art programs and an exhibit of Slonina’s paintings. She sees this as carving out space and time for her fine art, including on bodies. “Let’s just say I’ve painted a lot of logos in my day!” she said in a news release. “I’d like to create more body-paint work with love instead of logos.” –Erin Ryan

The Weekly PROFILE

> HERDING the flock DTP’s Mark Rowland.

Tour de Downtown As DTP enters the final year of its five-year plan for the city’s core, exec Mark Rowland reflects on wins, losses and changes to come By Kristy Totten Mark Rowland compares Fremont Street’s growth to that of children: When you see them every day you don’t notice the changes; it’s only when you’ve been away for a while that you do, the 45-year-old CEO of Downtown Project Ventures says from Australia, his former home, during a holiday visit. Downtown today—almost a year since he took over DTP’s business operations—is worlds apart from what it was in 2012 when he first visited. “It’s like, ‘Oh my God, there’s restaurants, there are cafés. Wow, there’s Container Park. Gold Spike’s changed—you can’t smoke inside anymore.’ ... There’s a lot of things a lot of people should be really proud of. A lot of players have put a lot of effort ... into turning Fremont Street into something radically different than what it was before.” The Downtown Project, Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s effort to revitalize the city’s center with $350 million of investment into real estate, technology startups and small

businesses, is entering year five of its five-year plan. But Rowland says DTP isn’t going anywhere and never planned to; the hope was that in time it could scale back and let things unfold. “Overall it’s worked,” Rowland says of the Downtown Project’s mission, despite layoffs and business closures along the way. “When you start a community with entrepreneurial energy, you’re going to be taking risks. Some of those things you think will work, but you know by the law of averages that not everything will.” When asked what he’d still like to see Downtown, Rowland doesn’t hesitate: “more humans.” He says that’s DTP’s main focus for 2016, when the company will try to attract “four buckets,” or four key demographics to Fremont Street—locals who don’t live Downtown, tourists, new businesses and new residents. To address the latter, DTP will begin its residential-building phase in the new year, breaking ground in January on 250 studios, one- and two-

bedroom apartments next to Atomic Liquors, bringing hundreds more residents to Fremont Street, with the ultimate goal of attracting 1,000. When it comes to new business, Rowland says professionals like Downtown’s accessibility but complain there aren’t enough places to eat, forcing them to drive elsewhere. Whenever Rowland has a chance to personally show someone Fremont Street, they get it, he says, but that method isn’t scalable. “How do you explain the message of what Downtown Vegas is, without being able to grab their hand and show them?” he asks. For one, he plans to make sure neighboring markets are aware, capturing some of Las Vegas’ 41 million annual visitors. DTP will also spread the word through 60-second commercials about Downtown Las Vegas, which will play in taxis and on TV. Another tactic is to improve the information being shared on bus tours. He’s taken rides and listened to what tour guides had to say, and “it wasn’t the best,” he says. “It focused on the past.” Tours give information about where Fremont Street started and note that it took a turn for the worse, sometimes leaving it at that. “It became a high-crime area,” Rowland says, impersonating a tour guide. “If you’d like to get off now, please do.” Rowland points to positive additions, from a record store and bookstore to a juice bar and market. “There could always be more—more bars, more restaurants, more choice ... but we have enough now,” he says of the residential building blocks. And by the way, an Indian restaurant is in the works on the ground floor of City Center Apartments, which Englandborn Rowland can’t wait for. (It’s not affiliated with DTP.) If Downtown Project had a New Year’s Resolution, from Rowland’s perspective, it would be to tout Downtown’s overall growth. “For me, it’s being more vocal and letting the world know that this is here,” he says. “It’s very good to be humble, but sometimes you can go too far with that and not celebrate the successes you’ve had ... I’ve realized what we need to do is get out there and say [it]. It’s not just us, but Downtown Project has played a big part, and we’re really excited to show the world, this is what we are now, and we’re not what we used to be. ... My catch phrase has been, ‘You haven’t seen Las Vegas unless you’ve been Downtown.’”

“We’re really excited to show the world, this is what we are now, and we’re not what we used to be.”

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 LasVegasWeekly.com

> modern classic Oysters Rockefeller at the intriguing Rose. Rabbit. Lie.

By Jim Begley

My, how time flies. Earlier this month, the Cosmopolitan celebrated its 5th birthday. When it opened in late 2010, the resort was groundbreaking in numerous aspects: free Wi-Fi and nongaming amenities like pool tables, foosball and touring bands playing the lounge, along with elevators allowing locals to avoid the casino floor when visiting the best feature of all: a restaurant murderer’s row unlike any other on the Strip.

¶ From a culinary standpoint, the resort has been remarkably

resilient. While it’s common to see casino venues turn over, the majority of Cosmo’s opening-day restaurants are intact, apart from one sad casualty, French bistro Comme Ça. And the only opening since the start has been the underrated, strangely punctuated supper club Rose. Rabbit. Lie.

¶ In

an upcoming F&B overhaul, the players are set to change radically over the next year, with the openings of Tao Group’s Beauty & Essex, contemporary Japanese restaurant Zuma, a Strip-side Starbucks and my most anticipated opening—LA’s Eggslut, with its transcendent breakfast sandwiches. In the meantime, let’s celebrate the original offerings—with a perfect 24 hours of gluttony. Tough to think of a better spot for a daylong dine-around.

14 LasVegasWeekly.com December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

> so fresh Milos is about making “catch of the day” literal.

ROSE. RABBIT. LIE. by patrick tregenza; Milos sun file

9 a.m. This is Vegas, so let’s assume we’re not starting our day any earlier. Begin at Wicked Spoon, which revolutionized the all-youcan-eat concept on the Strip by turning the buffet into a full-on dining destination. Dive into vanilla and cinnamon-tinged French toast or the daily ricotta pancake selection, recently orange and chocolate. Less breakfast-like but no less tasty are pepperoni rolls made with pepperoni butter, jalapeño-forward Angry Mac and Cheese and rope sausage made in-house. Whatever you do, save room for dessert—gelatos, including a spot-on Thai tea flavor, await.

with wine from the hand-eye coordination intensive porron, and the experience is complete. Of course, visiting Jaleo assumes you haven’t scored what might be the most difficult seats in town, at the urban legend-esque culinary theater known as é. Tucked in the back of Jaleo, the performance kitchen showcases a tasting menu of avantgarde Spanish cuisine to an audience of eight. The peanut praline “pillow,” dusted with plum powder and the foie gras “empanada”—a cotton candy shell stuffed with foie and corn nuts—is dream-like, part of a once-in-a-lifetime dining event.

11 a.m. Because I’m such a fan of Second Breakfast, let’s wander upstairs to one of Cosmo’s more casual dining establishments, D.O.C.G. The little brother to Scott Conant’s Scarpetta is unsurprisingly Italiancentric, doling out some damn fine wood-fired pizzas. Opt for the smoky, spicy soppressata picante, then prepare for one of the Strip’s best desserts in the salted caramel budino, vanilla pudding smothered in caramel sauce and adorned with pretzel brittle.

9 p.m. Scarpetta is a sanctuary of pastas, ranging from the infamous tomato and basil spaghetti—buttery with a bit of bite—to rich duck and foie gras ravioli, savory short rib and bone marrow agnolotti swimming in sharp horseradish brown butter sauce. Thick pici—think obese spaghetti—delivers surprising heat in a dish overwhelmed with lobster.

12:30 p.m. There are several lunch options at Cosmo, but if you’re not doing it at Estiatorio Milos you’re doing it wrong. Ever since the restaurant began offering prix fixe lunch in 2011 for $20.11, savvy diners have flocked here for a discount taste of the otherwise expensive Greek seafood emporium. Although the price has increased to $25.15, it still ranks among the best deals in town. Begin with the lightly grilled, fork-tender octopus wading in olive oil (a $10 upcharge) before moving on to the dorade royale. A recent transition from the lavraki (European sea bass), the tender sea bream more than suffices as a replacement. Round out your meal with sweet karidopita walnut cake with kaimaki ice cream. 2 p.m. Cosmo’s opening was the harbinger of José Andrés’ Vegas takeover. China Poblano, his first fusion concept, draws upon the geographically inexplicable yet delicious pairing of Chinese and Mexican cuisines. Explore the silencio tacos with duck tongue (do ducks even have tongues?) and lychee, maybe the Valley’s best dan dan noodles and a ridiculously good shrimp mojo while watching adorable Asian grandmothers doting over their handprepared dumplings. Wash it all down with a salt air margarita, and you’ve got a quality lunch part deux.

cartoons with Cereal Bowl 2.0, combining Froot Loops-flavored vodka and Cap’n Crunch. Or camp out with the Campfire Smores shake, where marshmallow vodka elevates the cookout treat.

4 p.m. Take a break from stuffing your gullet to explore the bamboozled shakes at Holsteins—alcoholzapped dessert drinks that will let you relive an adult version of your youth. Regress to Saturday morning

7 p.m. Start your dinner procession with a visit to the second of Andrés’ restaurants, the Spanish tapas-oriented Jaleo. The smoky aroma from the centerpiece paella wood-fired grill beckons you to the third-floor venue,

blue ribbon Sushi by beverly poppe

> QUINTESSENTIAL CARBS Blue Ribbon’s oxtail and bone marrow fried rice (above) and Scarpetta’s signature spaghetti.

where the ringing of the cowbell foretells each arrival of the feature dish. Bring friends to share in the traditional Valencian rice and its crispy underside, and accompany it with a sampling of smaller dishes. Pan de cristal con tomate fresco (tomato bread) is a Jaleo staple, but gild the lily with the expert addition of nutty manchego slices. Sample José’s “tacos,” which can be forgiven for being not very taco-like—caviar swaddled in jamon Iberico de belotta. Wash it all down

11 p.m. Cosmo doesn’t lack for late-night dining. Blue Ribbon Sushi doles out raw fish, but don’t overlook its famous matzo mealcrusted chicken wings with wasabi and honey dipping sauce. Pick from a pair of memorable fried rices: a rich oxtail rendition topped with an even richer bone marrow omelet, or a sweet king crab version hiding beneath soft scrambled eggs. If you’re in a red meat mood instead, party-scene fixture STK has you covered. Affable executive chef (and Top Chef alum) Stephen Hopcraft has crafted a new menu befitting the clubby atmosphere, highlighting the appetizers and sides that separate Strip steakhouses from one another. The Lil’ BRGs, his play on the Big Mac, stacks Wagyu patties with special sauce, cheese and housemade Japanese pickles on sesameseed buns. Mac and cheese rife with mascarpone and gruyere is a fixture. And don’t miss the blue cheese-y pull-apart bread. Less visible since the departure of the Vegas Nocturne show, Rose. Rabbit. Lie. continues to thrive under the watchful eye of Strip veteran Dan Rossi. Crispy oysters Rockefeller remain fantastic, as do caviar pasta and bite-size caviar tacos. But Rossi demonstrates his influence on the menu with black bucatini intermingling with uni butter, smoked trout roe and Alaskan king crab. 2 a.m. There’s no good reason for finishing a night at the Cosmopolitan without a visit to the not-so-secret Secret Pizza, for textbook NYC thin slices that rank among Las Vegas’ best.

Happy birthday, Cosmopolitan. You’re still delicious.

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 LasVegasWeekly.com

Catch a show at the Las Vegas Arena. Will Southern Nevada get NHL hockey? Our guess is yes, but why wait to test drive that giant dome-y thing next to New York-New York? The LV Arena—which we’re assuming will have a glitzier (corporate-sponsored?) name by the time it opens in February—has some big acts lined up for its opening season, like George Strait, The Killers, Garth Brooks, Janet Jackson and the Dixie Chicks. We’re hoping a shiny new 20,000-capacity joint might entice recent Vegas avoiders like Bruce Springsteen and Pearl Jam to find their way back to town, but whether or not that happens in year one, we’re eager to cozy up to the Strip’s new main attraction, figure out where the hell to park and have a look around.

16 LasVegasWeekly.com December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

photograph by spencer burton

Losing the Riv for good will be sad, because how many casinos with ties to the Marx Brothers, Liberace and Dean Martin are still standing? And it will be exciting, because Las Vegas equals change, even if losing a storied casino for convention space isn’t the most thrilling progression in the town’s in-with-the-new tradition. But mostly, we’ll watch the Riviera’s finale because scheduled, giant explosions are weird and somewhat rare, and we haven’t had one on this scale since the Stardust came down in 2007. It’s a perfect excuse to host a party or crack open that bottle you’ve been saving since you first moved to town.

Two new nightclubs arrive on the Strip this spring, from two nightlife groups that have been battling each other for supremacy for the past two years. At Aria, Hakkasan Group is taking the downstairs space first occupied by Haze and transforming it into Jewel, which should show us what Hakkasan can do with a more intimate setting. At Wynn, the pioneering Tryst has shuttered to make way for Intrigue, which promises to make good on its name by moving away from DJ-focused programming in order to create an ever-changing, exclusive experience. The next wave of party is coming.

Focus on the Rebels’ 3-9 2015 record and you’re missing the big picture. In straight-from-high-school coach Tony Sanchez’s first collegiate season, his team made some serious strides, like staying within spitting distance of a quality Northern Illinois squad on the road, hanging tough against a top 25 Michigan team in Ann Arbor and toppling rival UNR to reclaim the Fremont Cannon. The season ended disappointingly, with six losses in UNLV’s final seven games, but Sanchez already has a head start on a better 2016, with ex-Nebraska QB Johnny Stanton committing last month. A few more recruiting wins like that, and the team’s victory tally might not be far behind.

riviera by steve marcus; unlv football by l.e. baskow; party by shutterstock

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 LasVegasWeekly.com

Famous for bouncing back from near death, the 27-year-old Contemporary Arts Center launches into 2016 with a group exhibition in a new permanent home at Soho Lofts. Planned as an annual winter show highlighting Las Vegas artists, Taste opens in the space January 15—a grand stride capping off more than a year of reorganizing and rebuilding by the nonprofit’s hyper-dedicated board, led by Melissa Petersen. Featured artists are: Wendy Kveck, Justin Favela, Chris Bauder, Mikayla Whitmore, Linda Alterwitz, Adam Morey, David Ryan, Daniel Habegger, Shawn Hummel, Sean Russell, Brent Sommerhauser, Alisha Kerlin, Mark Brandvik, Sierra Slentz and Elizabeth Blau.

With restaurants in London, New York City, Miami and California, Michael Chow’s artfully composed dining empire has been a sensation for more than four decades. And we should have had Mr Chow in Vegas a long time ago; the restaurateur has had five different deals with hotels and casinos that never came to fruition, the most recent being a potential location in the recently disappeared Harmon Hotel. Now the regal designs and Beijing-focused menu arrive on the Strip at last at Caesars Palace, in the plum poolside location formerly occupied by Empress Court. It seems a perfect fit, for Chow and Vegas.

This dude mounted a go-go platform, showing off Photoshopped abs and Tommy Hilfiger skivvies. A catty argument broke out near the women’s restroom, resulting in the requisite “let’s go to the bar and talk sh*t” session. There was drama at the off-Strip gay club, and there were cameras. This wasn’t promotional marketing material being filmed—it had to be The Real World. If you’ve been out on the town in the past three months—specifically Downtown, where Season 31’s cast has been living at the Gold Spike—you might have encountered the seven strangers. Will you be a blurred-out face in the background when the new installment airs?

18 LasVegasWeekly.com December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

CAC by christopher devargas

Now that we’ve stepped it up culturally with a stellar performingarts center, moved the Discovery Children’s Museum into a state-ofthe-art space and boasted plenty about the Mob Museum, the Neon Museum and the State Museum, it’s high time to give love to our Las Vegas Natural History Museum, which for more than 20 years has been building out its collection in a space much too small for dinosaurs and life-size dioramas. Recently designated a federal repository for Nevada artifacts, it’s able to stretch its wings with 10,000 square feet of new space and the same irrepressible energy. Check it out. Support it. Help it grow.

If you’re registered, turn up for February’s party caucuses and November’s general election, and if you’re not (why not?!), at least sign up by the October 18 deadline. If you don’t participate, you’ll only have yourself to blame—okay, and a bunch of other annoyingly apathetic Americans, but also YOU—when someone you absolutely detest becomes your senator, congressman or the freaking President of the United States. Looking at the lineup running for that office, there are even more crazy characters with a legitimate shot to win than usual. So please, get out there and do something about it, so when you’re considering moving to Canada, at least your conscience will be clear while you pack.

The roster of Vegas-based headliners expands further in 2016, with longtimers like Celine and Santana set to be joined by new luminaries up and down the Strip. Planet Hollywood will make a double-splash, with dancer/singer/actress Jennifer Lopez—yeah, J Lo’s coming to P Ho—and soul hitmaker Lionel Richie primed to touch down on Britney Spears’ Axis Showroom stage. Mix in rockers John Fogerty, who brings Creedence Clearwater Revival’s classic catalog to the Venetian, and Billy Idol, who takes his snarl and “Rebel Yell” to House of Blues, and you’ve suddenly got some cool, new neighbors.

natural history museum by steve marcus; jennifer lopez by al powers/powerS imagery

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 LasVegasWeekly.com

Downtown has dancefloors, but none as big as the one hiding in Oddfellows, Fremont East Entertainment District’s newish drink-dance-and-ouija spot on the Odgen’s ground floor. With every visit, it looks fuller and livelier, which portends a thriving 2016. Credit lies partially with word of mouth and the general lack of indie dance spaces, especially since the changes at the pioneering Beauty Bar. But one cannot overlook the curatorial expertise on offer at Oddfellows, from the consistently themed nights to its DJs’ song selections, and how closely it reflects Downtown—or at least the Downtown you’ve always wanted.

Makers & Finders. Sambalatte. Sunrise. PublicUs. Mothership. With so many quality local coffee shops, why are the lines at Starbucks still out-the-door during the morning rush? Sure, ’bucks has solid beans, and purchasing a red cup to wage war on the anti-War-on-Christmas crowd is the stuff Scrooge dreams are made of (especially if you tell the barista your name is Lucifer). But there are many reasons to fall in love with our local joints—painstakingly sourced beans, beautifully crafted beverages, unique character—and you deserve something special from your morning wake-up call.

20 LasVegasWeekly.com December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

Since word got out that Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone was planning a temporary, leave-no-trace art installation in the Mojave Desert’s Jean Dry Lake Bed, the Southern Nevada and Northern Nevada cultural connection seems to be getting cozier. With the support of the Nevada Museum of Art in Reno and New York’s Art Production Fund, the artist will complete his tower of brightly colored, large-scale rock totems, titled “Seven Magic Mountains,” in the spring. It will stand as commentary on 21st-century simulacra in destination cities.

oddfellows by adam shane; publicus by mikayla whitmore

Who hasn’t felt a twinge of guilt when scrolling through social media and stopping on a post of a dejected pooch without a home—or worse, without much longer to live due to shelter overcrowding and owner abandonment? If there’s a bright side to this phenomenon, culture has humanely evolved from “How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?” to “Do You See That Doggie in the Shelter?”—and we do, thanks to Facebook, Instagram and the like, which remind us not only to vet pet shops to ensure they’re not doing business with cash-over-compassion breeders and puppy mills, but also consider the life-saving upside of adopting over shopping.

In 2005, the Weekly compiled “The What We Need 100,” including IKEA alongside alternatives to Yucca Mountain and an actual ocean. In 2011, the magazine put a missing-person poster on the cover, with a snap of IKEA above the description: Swedish furniture giant. Smells like meatballs. Then in the summer of 2014, we learned that the company planned to build its 39th U.S. store in Las Vegas, at Durango Drive and Sunset Road, and the opening is nigh! The ground-breaking happened this past spring, and the launch is this coming summer. That means 351,000 square feet of köttbullar (meatballs!) sexy sofa beds (what?!), jumping sacks (finally!) and other goods made well at moderate prices. Plus 240,504 square feet of rooftop solar array to power the space. “Democratic design,” we welcome thee.

The little Vegas music fest that could went away for a while, but it’s back—and with Downtown Project onboard as a partner, it could be bigger than ever for its 11th edition and first in three years. Some of our favorite concert memories date back to late nights on the Reverb circuit, catching biggish acts like The Walkmen, Ty Segall and Moonface, sure, but also countless Vegas-based bands, the lifeblood of this DIY gathering. Catch the latest faces on the scene, with some to-beannounced touring talent thrown in, March 10-13 at familiar venues along Fremont East.

lieD animal shelter and Ikea by mikayla whitmore; black camaro at neon reverb by bill hughes

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 LasVegasWeekly.com

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2015 Hangover Edition JAVIER ALBA AT LAVO CASINO CLUB If you haven’t experienced the

intimate swank that is the new Lavo Casino Club at Palazzo, glide into the new year with fresh atmosphere and longtime Tao Group resident DJ Javier Alba. January 1, 8 p.m., no cover. BORGORE AT FOXTAIL What a difference a year makes in clubbing at SLS, where Steve Angello was at Life and Robin Thicke performed at Foxtail to ring in 2015. Its larger club is transforming into concert venue Foundry Hall, but the big dance party is still going strong at Foxtail with Israeli dubstepper Borgore. January 1, 10:30 p.m., $40+ men, $30+ women. LIL JON AT HAKKASAN After

> GET TICKETS A$AP Part of a packed weekend of headlining hip-hop at Drai’s, A$AP Rocky will heat up your Sunday.

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capping a rowdy, shot-fueled five-year Views of DJ Khaled’s residency at Wynn, “Lost at Sea!” video Lil Jon makes his on YouTube Hakkasan debut to kick off 2016. If you already have plans, he’ll be back for his birthday on January 7. January 1, 10:30 p.m., $30+ men, $20+ women. STEVE ANGELLO AT OMNIA The splashy Caesars megaclub, where he’ll get support from DJ Irie inside Heart Friday night, wasn’t the only new residency for Angello in 2015. He’s also taking over the third Thursday of the month on BBC Radio 1. January 1, 10:30 p.m., $30+ men, $20+ women. CHRIS BROWN, THE WEEKND, A$AP ROCKY AT DRAI’S Every club on the

Strip rolls out its all-stars for New Year’s Eve; Drai’s keeps it going all weekend long with live performances from its chart-topping exclusive residents Chris Brown and The Weeknd Friday and Saturday, then adds on the debut of A$AP Rocky for SunDrai’s. January 1-3, 10:30 p.m., prices vary. PARTY ANIMAL AT GHOSTBAR DAYCLUB Because you couldn’t

GALANTIS AT MARQUEE DAYCLUB DOME Winter magically becomes

summer as Marquee drops its parka to reveal a skimpy bikini for the dayclub dome weekend parties. Cedric Gervais plays Friday and Grammy-

TUESDAY BLEND 5-YEAR CELEBRATION AT HARD ROCK LIVE

nominated Swedish duo Galantis warms you up on Saturday. January 2, 1 p.m., $32+ men, $23+ women. TRAVIS BARKER AT HYDE Vegas mainstay Barker’s Give the Drummer Some residency continues at Hyde Bellagio, incorporating the pop-punk star’s live drumming and DJ skills into a unique musical hodgepodge. January 2, 10 p.m., $38+ men, $26+ women. EC TWINS AT SHARE The Wynn Road gay nightclub caps its big

24 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 31, 2015-JANUARY 6, 2016

NYE weekend with a Saturday set from Manchester-born twins Marc and Allister Blackham, who played Marquee last week with Firebeatz. January 2, 10 p.m., $38. DJ KHALED AT TAO The rap DJ and producer’s weirdly hilarious, “so focused” jet-ski adventure Snapchat video—which included lunch at Rick Ross’ place and some inspirational words in the dark—became something of a viral sensation in December. See how Khaled starts 2016 when he takes

The Waterhole Kingdom takes its R&B, hip-hop, house, trap and generally groove-infested party to the Strip with DJ Phase and live performances from Hypnotix, High Profile, Meccamee, Culture Shock and many more. January 5, 9 p.m., $20+. SKRILLEX AT SURRENDER Sonny John Moore celebrated Christmas by releasing a remix of his 2014 track “Stranger” with a video featuring lots of smoke grenades and flaming cars. But he’s got spirit: Proceeds from downloads of the remix from his website benefit children’s charities. January 6, 10:30 p.m., $45+ men, $35+ women.

A$AP ROCKY BY ROBB D. COHEN/AP

possibly have had enough bubbles, there’s an open Champagne bar for the ladies from 1-2 p.m. to jumpstart this jungle-themed costume party. January 2, 1 p.m., $20+ men, $10+ women.

the decks at Tao. January 2, 10 p.m., $32+ men, $23+ women.

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Noisia for the new year

The Dutch drum ’n’ bass trio opens 2016 at House of Blues By Deanna Rilling Hopefully you got a new pair of dancing shoes for Christmas, because the best chance to break them in is with Noisia. The Dutch trio of drum ’n’ bass DJs/producers—Nik Roos, Martijn van Sonderen and Thijs de Vlieger—is starting off the new year with a show at the House of Blues. With 2016 promising a new I Am Legion album with Foreign Beggars, plus a flurry of new offerings on all three of the guys’ record labels, it was time to catch up with at least one of Noisia’s members. Roos stepped in. Who are some of your biggest non- NOISIA drum ’n’ bass influ- with 119 ences? The Prodigy, Crew, Zaiaki, Daft Punk, Fatboy Wizdumb. Slim, James Brown, January 1, some punk rock and 10 p.m., $15. a lot of ’90s hip- House of Blues, hop and the beats, 702-632-7600. especially, from that time. For example, Busta Rhymes was really cool. You guys cross into many genres. What sound would you like to try incorporating that you haven’t yet? We would like to do something electro tempo, because we’ve done it on Split the Atom. We’re trying to find a way to make something at that tempo that we like, but it’s difficult because there hasn’t been the sound that we like. [It] has kind of died down a little bit, the French electro sound, people

> THREE LOUD MEN Van Sonderen, de Vlieger and Roos will make some Noisia at HOB.

like Justice and that sort of thing. But we would like to find a way to make something at that bpm sound cool. Are breakbeats due for resurgence? Maybe. It would be great. I think that genre, when it became nu-skool breaks, what they called it in the later stages, seemed to really consolidate the rhythm to a very simple pattern. And it would be great if there were breakbeats and it was really about

more interesting rhythmical patterns than just a 4/4 with a snare instead of a kick on the second count. I would like to hear the more organic drums and drum kits, where breakbeats are originally from, to come back a bit. What is a must-have tool that you guys are using in the studio? One thing that I really enjoy that I have in my studio is a Crane Song Avocet. This is a monitor controller—it’s basi-

cally a very expensive volume knob, but because of the functions it has, I wouldn’t want to live without it. Your music has been featured in many video games. If Noisia had its own game, what would the story be? (Laughs) It’d be really boring. Or it could be an ornithology game where you spot birds. All three of us used to go bird watching independently of one another.

Club hopping Nightlife News & Notes It’s never too early to start thinking about summer. Ever. Rehab at the Hard Rock is holding a casting call for its iconic dayclub operation on January 9 and 10 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Body English and January 14 and 15 from 1 to 4 p.m. inside Muse Hall. It’s never too early to start thinking about Intrigue, either. The Wynn club taking the place of Tryst has already announced IT Thursdays, a new industry night debuting May 5 with free admission for locals. Intrigue, scheduled to open April 28, also recently announced its management staff: John Wood and Pauly Freedman are co-executive directors, and Ronn Nicolli and Steven Lockwood are executive marketing directors. January bookings at Light include some DJs jumping from other venues: Laidback Luke (January 6) pops over from Wynn, and the Stafford Brothers (January 22) are coming from Foxtail. Is Red Rock Resort turning Crimson? That’s the current name of the nightclub space formerly known as Cherry, used these days exclusively for private events. But it’s coming to life for a New Year’s Eve party with a DJ and a $20 cover. With a certain hospitality company (with lots of club expertise) working on its third restaurant at the Summerlin property, could some fresh, red-tinted neighborhood nightlife be on the way? –Brock Radke

26 LasVegasWeekly.com December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

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Tickets can be purchased at any Station Casino Boarding Pass Rewards Center, the Fiestas, by logging on to SCLV.com/concerts or by calling 1-800-745-3000. Digital photography/video is strictly prohibited at all venues. Management reserves all rights. © 2015 STATION CASINOS, LLC.

NIGHTS | Party Playback December 26

Lavo casino club Photographs by Tony Tran

28 LasVegasWeekly.com December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

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LAS VEGAS WEEKLY CLUB GRID

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DRAI’S AFTERHOURS

NYE Afterhours

Doors at 1 am; $50+ men, $20+ women

DRAI’S NIGHTCLUB

Live; doors at 9 pm; $250+ men; $150+ women

EMBASSY NIGHTCLUB

DJ Nova

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

NYE Party

ARTISAN

FRIDAY

Hosts, with DJ Karma; doors at 9 pm; $75+ men, $50+ women

With Style, Morpheus Blak, Grenadier; 9 pm; no cover; doors at 5 pm

9 pm; no cover; doors at 4 pm

Nicki Minaj

NYE at Embassy

With Fuzion, Low, Cubano; doors at 9 pm; $25+

SPONSORED BY: Mondays Dark

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

With Sucio, Bad Antikz, more; doors at 10 pm; $20+

With DJ Mckenzie, Sucio; 10 pm; no cover; doors at 6 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

NYE with the Get Back

Doors at 5 pm

Skrillex

SKAM Sundays with DJ Five

Studio V

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

Skrillex

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

Doors at 8 pm; $5 donation

Alesso

Doors at 9 pm; $200+ men, $75+ women

Ruby Rose

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

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

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

Slander

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

Nights | Party playback

december 17

bad santa partY AT TAO Photographs by Tony Tran

38 LasVegasWeekly.com December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

Arts&Entertainment Entertainment MOVIES + MUSIC + ART + FOOD

> DO YOU WANT TO BUILD A SNOWMAN? If so, head to Thomas & Mack for Frozen on ice.

TRUST US

A welterweight title tilt between belt-holder Robbie Lawlor and Carlos Condit, who have combined for 35 wins by knockout, for one. January 2, 3:30 p.m., $104-$804.

HEAR

DISNEY ON ICE: FROZEN You know

MALADJUSTED The LA tribute act pays tribute to Morrissey after his show at the Joint, so whether you missed out on the Mozzer or just need to hear “Suedehead” again, here’s your chance. January 2, 8:30 p.m., Bunkhouse Saloon, $10.

Stuff you’ll want to know about

all the words to “Let It Go,” now sing along live with sisters Anna and Elsa and their beloved snowman friend Olaf when the Thomas & Mack Center gets transformed into Arendelle. January 6-8, 11, 7:30 p.m.; January 9-10, 11:30 a.m., 3 & 7 p.m., $25-$80.

FRANKS & DEANS WEENIE ROAST

MAZE WITH FRANKIE BEVERLY BY BARRY BRECHEISEN/AP

18B NEW YEAR’S EVE PARTY NYE

afternoon becomes crafternoon when it falls on Preview Thursday in the Arts District. Ring in the New Year with live music and raffles at the Arts Factory, including a chance to win an original painted portrait of yourself from artist Justin Lepper. December 31, 4 p.m.-2 a.m., free. UFC 195 Rousey vs. Holm was originally scheduled for this year-opening UFC bill, but there are still good reasons to kick-(get it?)-start your 2016 at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

You never need an excuse to hit the Double Down on a Wednesday, but team Las Vegas’ punk-rock Rat Pack act, a gaggle of their performing friends and giveaway hot dogs, and you’ve got your plans on lock. January 6, 10 p.m., free. MAZE WITH FRANKIE BEVERLY The

quiet storm icons headline Orleans Arena’s New Year’s Spectacular concert, which comedian Mike Epps was going to host before he booked two Orleans Showroom gigs. Don’t worry, ’90s-era R&B smoothies SWV and After 7 will be there to

round out the bill. January 2, 8 p.m., $39-$150.

January 2, 9 p.m., $40-$65.

LAUGH RALPHIE MAY The chub from Chat-

GOLD STRIKE HOT SPRINGS TRAIL HIKE Remember sitting there after

tanooga—the dude’s first Comedy Central special was called Girth of a Nation—has experienced a slow rise in the notoriously tough stand-up world, but he’s now on his second Netflix-exclusive special (Unruly), and he’s moved up the Boulevard, from a longtime stint at South Point to Treasure Island.

Thanksgiving dinner, telling everyone in earshot about initiating your new exercise regimen after the holidays? Here’s a great way to start, enjoying the invigorating scramble of the 4-mile Boulder City hike, which showcases the Colorado River. Great Basin Highway, Boulder City.

SWEAT

DECEMBER 31, 2015-JANUARY 6, 2016 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM

A&E | pop culture C U LT U RA L ATTAC H M E N T

Taking a bite out of Apple

> SONIC DECISIONS Enough Pharrell is enough.

c at e g o ry

Headline Goes here

Deck goes here and here deck goes here adn here deck By name here

A relationship sours when musical codependency goes bad By Smith Galtney Ever since 2004, when I bought my first laptop (rest in peace, iBook G4), I have happily handed my will over to the care of Apple. I’ve dumped thousands of CDs into iTunes. I’ve bought iMacs, iPods, iPhones (no iPad … yet), pledging longtime allegiance to the all-encompassing iLife. “It’s sexy,” a friend said a few years back. We laughed at how ridiculous we sounded, but yes, we actually thought Apple was hot! What’s sexier than something that archives all your jumbled stuff— mistreated photos, ignored home movies, disorganized music collection—and makes you believe it all amounts to something? But 2015 was marked by an increasing sense that Apple doesn’t care about my stuff anymore. And like an idiot who married quickly just because he/ she made me feel special, I’m wondering how and if I can get out. It all came to a head this summer, with the launch of Apple Music. Given my Mac love, you’d think a service that augments my iTunes library with streaming perks would be heaven, right? But Facebook friends’ horror stories made it sound like registering for Apple Music summoned a hologram of Tim Cook that broke into your house, tossed out your hard drive and replaced your library with nothing but U2 and Dr. Dre tracks. I’m joking, but not entirely—users who failed to check the proper boxes found their mp3s replaced with alternate versions, or encoded with rightsmanagement thingamajigs that prevented iPhone play, or, in one unfortunate case, copied over with 6 million Lorde songs. I’ve always known the purpose of iTunes was to lure me to the iTunes Store. For years, each upgrade redesigned the interface for maximum impulse

purchasing. They also introduced the iPod Touch and killed off the iPod Classic, because why the hell would anyone want a device that doesn’t let you buy sh*t? I was okay with all that. But now the primary function of iTunes is to push you into Apple Music, and Apple Music’s primary function is to suck your music collection into the cloud. And that’s not cool. Not for me, at least. Call me old-fashioned, but I still like having digital copies of my music stored on 4-terabyte hard drives. I’ve been streaming new releases for years, but the whole “lifestyle” ideology behind streaming services—how they’re like a cool friend who’ll introduce you to new things—is malarkey. My brother-inlaw recently got me into Spotify’s Discover Weekly, a playlist that updates every Monday based on your profile’s activity. I thought it was the coolest thing

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ever at first, but like anything driven by an algorithm, it was obvious only some of my activity was getting analyzed. Excuse me, but I do check in with 21st-century stuff like Azealia Banks and Kaputt and Butterfly Child, so why does it keep feeding me Van Morrison and Echo & The Bunnymen? Am I just “old guy” to you?! Remember that scene in Her when he tells his device, “Play a melancholy song”? That seems to be where all of this is heading, I guess. But that movie left me feeling really sad. And when I feel sad, I’m the kind of person who likes to choose and play my own melancholy song. Even more depressing, reports have surfaced that the new iPhone won’t even have a headphone jack, so it looks like my Apple relationship woes will continue to flourish in 2016. Happy Codependent New Year!

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A&E | screen TV

> elf power Butler, Drayton and Baquero venture into the unknown.

Run from the border Steer clear of animated comedy Bordertown

king. But even Rhys-Davies can’t salvage the show’s terrible dialogue, which is full of vaguely ominous pronouncements (“It has begun”; “There are dark days ahead”; “Your destiny awaits”) that mean nothMTV’s The Shannara Chronicles gives the ing. Because this is an MTV show, the lead actors are pretty, vacant young people, and they seem like they genre a bad name By Josh Bell belong anywhere but a magic-filled fantasy world. With his shaggy hair, knit cap, hoodie and fingerless Thanks to the massive success of Game of Thrones, gloves, Wil looks more like a hipster barista than an elf fantasy epics are hot commodities, and even MTV is on a quest, and Amberle dresses like she’s appearing in attempting to get in on the action with The Shannara an Evanescence video. Chronicles, adapting Terry Brooks’ long-running book The special effects are dodgy, and aside from series (Brooks has written 28 Shannara novsome sweeping shots of the New Zealand counels since 1977). Adapted mainly from 1982’s tryside, the visual style is pretty tacky (the inteThe Elfstones of Shannara, the first season fol- abccc rior of the elves’ palace looks like a holistic welllows young half-elf Wil (Austin Butler), elf prin- THE ness center). Between Shannara and their recent cess Amberle (Poppy Drayton) and human thief SHANNARA Eretria (Ivana Baquero) on a quest to restore a CHRONICLES AMC series Into the Badlands, show creators Al Gough and Miles Millar have really cornered the magical tree that has kept demons from over- Tuesdays, 10 market on terrible fantasy TV series, although at running their world (a post-apocalyptic version p.m., MTV. least Badlands had some cool fight scenes to disof Earth known as the Four Lands) for hundreds tract from the dismal writing and acting. With its of years. quests broken up into bite-sized pieces and its carefully With its elves, trolls, gnomes and demons, Shannara crafted band of adventurers, Shannara is like watching has more in common with The Lord of the Rings than someone else play a prepackaged Dungeons & Dragons it does with Game of Thrones, and Rings co-star John campaign, only not as much fun. Rhys-Davies lends some genre credibility as the elf TV

Fantasy fail

Seth MacFarlane’s toxic influence continues to infest Fox’s Sunday-night animated lineup with the premiere of Bordertown, a crass and excruciatingly unfunny comedy executive-produced by the Family Guy mastermind and created by longtime Family Guy writer and producer Mark Hentemann. Bordertown presents a pair of obnoxious, irritating Griffin-like families in the boorish Buckwalds and the smug Gonzalezes, who live next door to each other in the fictional American town of Mexifornia, right on the Mexican border. Buckwald patriarch Bud (voiced by Hank Azaria) is a belligerent nativist who works as a Border Patrol agent, while Mexican immigrant Ernesto Gonzalez (voiced by Nicholas Gonzalez) runs his acccc own landscaping BORDERTOWN business. Sundays, 9:30 The first two p.m., Fox. episodes center on, respectively, a restrictive new immigration law and the building of a border wall, so Hentemann certainly has his focus down. But the humor on Bordertown is more juvenile than satirical, full of Family Guy-style nonsensical cutaway jokes and bizarre tangents (a subplot in the pilot involves Bud’s co-worker repeatedly being abducted by aliens). The jokes that do take on topical issues rely on cheap stereotypes (about both Mexicans and working-class whites) rather than anything insightful. The character design makes everyone look ugly and vapid, which at least matches the dialogue that comes out of their mouths. –Josh Bell

film

Without the massive budget of a Hollywood movie like Everest or the genuine you-are-there footage of a documentary like the recent Meru, Korean mountain-climbing drama The Himalayas, based on the real-life exploits of mountaineer Um Hong-gil, instead relies on overwrought melodrama to fuel its awkwardly paced twohour running time. At the core of the movie is the friendship between the veteran Hong-gil (Hwang Jung-min) and his younger protégé Park Moo-taek (Jung Woo). Hong-gil teaches the less experienced climber patience and skills, and the two end up summiting many of the highest peaks in the world (some depicted in hasty montages). Far too much of the movie takes place on the ground, though, and even the climbing scenes focus more on emotional bonding (and later, emotional devastation). There’s a lot of crying and wailing for a movie about hardened adventurers, and it eventually drowns out any potential excitement. –Josh Bell

Climb ev’ry mountain

aaccc THE HIMALAYAS Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo, Cho Sung-ha. Directed by Lee Seokhoon. Not rated. Opens Friday.

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 LasVegasWeekly.com

A&E | screen FILM

The power of love

Carol beautifully explores a secret romance By Josh Bell

attraction between two women, and while it feaThe romance in Todd Haynes’ achingtures characters who judge and attack Carol and ly beautiful Carol is built out of small gesTherese, none of them are painted as cartoon viltures: a pair of gloves left on a counter, a hand lains. They are all people living their lives within on a shoulder, shoes hastily slipped back on. the confines of what they believe to be right. Elegant, composed housewife Carol Aird (Cate That includes Carol’s estranged husband Blanchett) and shy shopgirl/aspiring photogHarge (Kyle Chandler), who uses various underrapher Therese Belivet (Rooney Mara) have to handed tactics in what he believes is an effort hide their courtship in coded language, and thus to save his family (the couple has a every minute step they make toward young daughter together). But Carol each other carries almost unimagirefuses to back down even as she nable weight. They eventually face aaaac feels for a man who only wants the severe consequences for their love, CAROL Cate kind of happy marriage for which he but while they are constrained by Blanchett, Rooney genuinely thought he had signed up. the values of 1950s American society, Mara, Kyle Chandler. Blanchett’s Carol is both boldly selfthey are never defeated by them. Directed by Todd confident and deeply troubled, and Although it examines the ways that Haynes. Rated R. the actress pulls off the difficult feat the America of the past shamed and Opens Friday. of playing a character who is herself repressed gays and lesbians, Carol isn’t often putting on an act. a scolding or condescending look at Therese is much less demonstraoutdated morality. It helps that the tive, but Mara gives her a quiet strength that film is based on a novel actually published in the speaks to how much she must endure, even if same time period, The Price of Salt by Patricia it’s on a smaller scale than what Carol faces. Highsmith (who’s best known for suspense novHaynes brilliantly captures each of those small els like Strangers on a Train and The Talented Mr. moments of both grace and indignity, often with Ripley). As adapted by screenwriter Phyllis Nagy, a single, smart close-up that says everything the a longtime friend of Highsmith’s, Carol captures characters can’t. the excitement as much as the fear of forbidden

> just a touch Blanchett and Mara share an intimate moment.

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A&E | screen

> Finding Dory

coming attractions

10 multiplex movies to watch for in 2016 By Josh Bell Hail, Caesar! (February 5) The latest film from the Coen brothers features Josh Brolin as a Hollywood studio “fixer” in the 1950s, charged with tracking down a buffoonish star (George Clooney) who’s been kidnapped while filming a sword-and-sandal epic.

> Batman v Superman

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (March 25) DC’s efforts to match Marvel’s cinematic universe kick off here, with this superhero showdown between Batman (Ben Affleck) and Superman (Henry Cavill), plus appearances from other DC icons including Wonder Woman, Lex Luthor, Aquaman and more. Everybody Wants Some (April 15) Billed as a “spiritual sequel” to Dazed and Confused, the new feature from writer-director Richard Linklater follows the lives of a group of college freshmen in the early 1980s, as they smoke pot, hit on women and try out for the baseball team. Captain America: Civil War (May 6) Marvel’s superheroes take sides as the government attempts to control them, which pits Captain America (Chris Evans) against longtime ally and fellow Avenger Iron Man (Robert Downey Jr.). Co-starring pretty much every other Marvel superhero.

> Ghostbusters

Finding Dory (June 17) Forgetful fish Dory (voiced by Ellen DeGeneres) takes center stage in Pixar’s longawaited sequel to Finding Nemo, as young Nemo and his father Marlin, now reunited, help Dory search for answers about her past. Independence Day: Resurgence (June 24) Twenty years after humans defeated alien invaders with a computer virus in Roland Emmerich’s Independence Day, the aliens are back, presumably with better virus protection. Stars Jeff Goldblum, Bill Pullman, Judd Hirsch and Vivica A. Fox also return (but Will Smith does not). Ghostbusters (July 15) Who you gonna call? Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon and Leslie Jones are the busters of ghosts in this reimagining of the ’80s supernatural comedy, from director Paul Feig (Bridesmaids, The Heat).

> Rogue One

Star Trek Beyond (July 22) Director Justin Lin (veteran of many Fast and/or Furious movies) takes over the space-adventure franchise for the third installment of the rebooted series, featuring Idris Elba as a mysterious alien villain who menaces the crew of the Enterprise. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (November 18) Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling herself penned the screenplay for this series spinoff, which takes place in New York City in 1926, and stars Eddie Redmayne as a wizard who collects magical creatures—and inadvertently allows them to escape. Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (December 16) Disney’s strategy of bombarding the world with Star Wars movies continues with a story that takes place just before the events of the original 1977 film, following a group of rebel operatives as they plot to steal the plans for the Death Star.

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 LasVegasWeekly.com

A&E | noise C O N C E RT

> SEE yA LATER, FOREVER (From left) Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars, Vince Neil and (below) Tommy Lee bid their fans farewell, allegedly for good.

Home sweet home

Mötley Crüe showcases its stage power one last time in Vegas “One day somebody is going to say to you, ‘Remember that band Mötley Crüe? They were pretty cool,’” bassist Nikki Sixx told an almostsold-out crowd at MGM Grand Garden Arena Sunday night. “And you can say, ‘F*ck you, I was at their last concert in f*cking Las Vegas!’” This was marketed as “The Final Tour,” with the band going so far as to sign a “cessation of touring” contract. “So Long, Farewell” from The Sound of Music blared through the speakers just before the curtain was drawn to reveal the Crüe, opening with “Girls, Girls, Girls.” Vince Neil, who is physically morphing into the Cowardly Lion, manifested, but he was far from shy. “We’re here to celebrate 34 years of Mötley Crüe aaabc music. Make some f*cking MÖTLEY noise!” he declared to riot- CRÜE ous applause. December 27, Fans were geeked to be MGM Grand standing in the mere pres- Garden Arena. ence of these leather-clad men, as beer-drenched fist bumps were landed and the sign of the devil was thrown with reckless abandon. Many had dug out old, shredded jean jackets for the show; others had clearly never taken them off. The Mötley Crüe legion was in full force. The band ran through favorites like “Wild Side,” “Looks That Kill” and “Kickstart My Heart,” plus covers of Gary Glitter’s “Rock and Roll (Part 2)” and the Sex Pistols’ “Anarchy in the U.K.” while delivering a true arena rock spectacle. Sixx brandished a Mad Max-esque flamethrower guitar, setting a pentagram ablaze during “Shout at the Devil,” and Tommy Lee traveled along an upside-down roller-coaster track, drumming over a pre-mixed DJ set of Jack Ü and Mark Ronson cuts during the show’s most surreal moment. Remember that band Mötley Crüe? They were pretty cool ... –Mike Pizzo

C O N C E RT

I’ve been at the Bunkhouse four out of the past seven nights, and most have drawn a significant turnout. Vegas has pulled through again tonight, with the Downtown venue filled wall-to-wall for Tijuana Panthers. The surfy Long Beach, California, three-piece opens with chunky, riff-heavy cut “Foolish” from August LP Poster, (December 28, Bunkhouse) then dives into “Creature” with drummer Phil Shaheen singing lead vocals. The driving force behind the Panthers, Shaheen keeps my attention for most of the night as he flails and bangs his drum set with piercing precision, all while switching off singing duties with bassist Daniel Michicoff. During “Wall Walker,” Michicoff’s mic stand collapses, forcing him to sing into two different mics until an audience member finally fixes the stand. “Thank you—no dignity lost, I hope,” he says. Later, he returns to the stand for another show of gratitude. “Cheers for coming out on a Monday night. You’re all a buncha punks.” A young, leather-clad couple saunters onstage in the middle of “Send Down the Bombs,” and by the encore they’re back up there … along with security. After the show Shaheen tells me that kind of thing happens all the time. During “Monitor” the crowd starts throwing beer into the air and things remain rowdy until the end. “We’re gonna skip the charade of the encore,” Michicoff says before jumping into “Reaction,” “Crew Cut” and “This Town.” After a whopping 19 songs, eager fans bombard the group, swiping setlists from the stage—the mark of yet another successful show for Tijuana Panthers and the relaunched Bunkhouse. –Leslie Ventura

Five thoughts: Tijuana Panthers

44 LasVegasWeekly.com December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

tijuana pantHers by spencer burton

A&E | noise

> Roll Call (Clockwise) Mark Stoermer, The Lucky Cheats, The Laissez Fairs.

LO C A L S C E N E

Beggars banquet

photographs by corlene byrd

The scene pays tribute to the Stones By Leslie Ventura Angelina Jolie with a shaved head, running through New York City wearing nude satin lingerie and a black fur coat. That scene from the 1997 music video for “Anybody Seen My Baby” was my introduction to The Rolling Stones, and it changed my life forever. Nineteen years, four concerts, countless memorabilia and one tattoo later, Mick and the boys are still, unquestionably, my favorite band. When the Bunkhouse announced it would host a Stones tribute show the day after Christmas, I squashed plans for a Chicago trip to see family. Seriously. It was worth it, with one relatively minor complaint: Some bands took longer to set up than they did to perform, which slowed the energy during the show’s first half. But by 9:45 p.m. the crowd was lively and elbow to elbow during Same Sex Mary’s version of the raunchy “Schoolboy Blues” (aka “C*cksucker Blues”). “I ain’t got no money, but I know where to put it every time,” frontman James Adams yelled, right before guitarist Brian Cantrell exploded with a modernized solo. That song kicked off the evening’s louder half, which also included re-energized versions of “19th Nervous Breakdown” and “She Said Yeah” from The Astaires, featuring Cromm Fallon’s vocals and ’60s mod-look not far off from Jagger’s own.

Vegas rockabilly group The Lucky Cheats delivered a walloping, bluesy set—showcasing sizzling harmonica work from Jeffrey Koenig—starting with Exile on Main St. cut “Shake Your Hips” and ending with Let It Bleed’s “Midnight Rambler.” And we got a true-to-theoriginal rendition of “2000 Light Years From Home” by The Laissez Fairs (featuring Fallon’s father and Steppes guitarist John Fallon), with keyboardist Joe Lawless pushing the song’s psychedelic boundaries. The Bunkhouse Band, with Ryan Pardey on vocals, picked things up with a set of classics (“Beast of Burden” and “Get Off My Cloud,” to name a couple) and then it was time for the headlining act, The Satanic Majesty, led by Mark Stoermer, bassist for The Killers. The group opened with “Paint It Black,” driven by that iconic, swelling bassline (played by Jason Aragon), followed by a barrage of hits like “Satisfaction” and “Play With Fire,” the latter with a brooding Stoermer on vocals. But the standout moments of the set—and the entire night—revolved around Clydesdale singer Paige Overton, who added incredible intensity to “Angie” and “Brown Sugar,” and re-created Merry Clayton’s legendary, bursting vocals on “Gimme Shelter.” The crowd went wild, and it surely would have impressed the Stones, too.

A&E | noise

> Never Enough The Cure ‘s 2014 setlists were absolute monsters.

ALBUMS

David Bowie, Blackstar (January 8) Producer Tony Visconti said the goal was to “avoid rock ’n’ roll” on Bowie’s 25th studio album, and the title track’s music video suggests the pair made Blackstar with all creative cylinders firing. –LV Ty Segall, Emotional Mugger (January 22) The prolific garagerocker kept fairly quiet in 2015, releasing only an EP under his own name, along with a full-length from Fuzz. Judging from this new LP’s compositional creativity and twisted psychedelia, the recording “rest” did him good. –SP Eric Prydz, Opus (February 5) The beloved Swede—one of the few producer/DJs to successfully draw in the dance mainstream while appeasing more underground-inclined listeners—finally drops an artist album. Expect tuneful melodies, synth flourishes and hard-driving beats. –MP Animal Collective, Painting With (February 19) AnCo’s first group album since 2012 is said to stress pop punch, reflected by its 12 tracks’ shortish run times and dance-inyour-chair first single “FloriDada.” “We wanted to do something that blasted away the whole time,” member Geologist has explained. We’re ready for blast-off. –SP

The sound of 2016

A dozen shows and records that have the Weekly staff excited about the new year C O N C E RT S

Deafheaven (February 11, Brooklyn Bowl) Lamb of God and Anthrax top the bill, but the six-stringed swells of this San Francisco metal act make this one of the most intriguing concerts of 2016’s first quarter. –Mike Prevatt La Luz (March 23, Bunkhouse) If you haven’t seen the dreamy surfrock quartet yet, a live KEXP performance—featuring songs off the new Ty Segall-produced LP Weirdo Shrine—should send you to the ticket window. –Leslie Ventura Rihanna (April 29 & 30, Mandalay Bay Events Center) From that yel-

low Met Gala dress to her “Bitch Better Have My Money” music video, Bad Girl RiRi knew how to grab our attention in 2015. The release of eighth studio album Anti has been delayed, but we’ve got two Vegas stops to quell the anticipation. Expect her usual, over-the-top production. –LV The Cure (May 19, the Chelsea) Robert Smith’s gothy rock troupe hasn’t played here since 2009, and haven’t been anywhere since 2014, when sets often stretched past the 40-song mark. The tricky part will be finding a way in to this sold-outin-seconds performance. –Spencer Patterson

The Who (May 29, the Colosseum) As last year’s U.S. tour cancellation (for medical reasons) reminded us, you never know when Roger Daltrey and Pete Townshend will step off the road for good. An even better reason to go: Their last Vegas visit, in 2013, positively sizzled. –SP Chic (July 29, Mandalay Bay Events Center) Now that Nile Rodgers has your attention again (that’s his guitar on Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky”), it’s time American audiences take a second look at his influential groove outfit, Chic, opening here for Duran Duran. –MP

Underworld, Barbara, Barbara, We Face a Shining Future (March 18) A teaser from the English electronic act’s ninth studio album hints at both a sonic departure and a return to entrancing, uplifting form. Four decades on, they’re still giving us what we need—and what we want. –MP PJ Harvey, TBA (Spring) Between orchestrating a performance-art show in London and traveling to Kosovo, Afghanistan and Washington, D.C., as part of a book project, the singersongwriting great will release a new album—recently announced in a 28-second teaser that has me wishing spring were here. –LV

ALBUM | Hip-Hop

Pusha T King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude aaabc

46 LasVegasWeekly.com December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

the cure by Jack Plunkett/ap

Pusha T set the bar pretty high in 2013 with My Name Is My Name, which was meant to be a precursor to his assumed masterpiece, King Push. With fans anxiously awaiting that release, Clipse’s prodigal son holds us over with the awkwardly triple-titled King Push – Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude, which kind of says, “This is King Push but isn’t.” It’s clear, however, that T is saving his best material for his eventual pièce de résistance, as this record offsets strong tracks with filler. The production is sparse and pared down, despite the employment of usually loud producers like Timbaland, Kanye and Baauer—most likely to highlight T’s endlessly quotable lyrics, like on Biggie-sampling highlight “Untouchable” (“Ignore most requests for the feature/Unless it’s getting played on the beach in Ibiza”). Despite some lackluster cuts in the second half (“Got Em Covered,” “F.I.F.A.”), T pulls through at the end with the politicallycharged “Sunshine,” which finds Jill Scott doing a spot-on Nina Simone. The first half of the record feels worthy of King Push; the second half seems more like The Prelude. –Mike Pizzo

A&E | the strip

T H E K AT S R E P O RT

Let’s get small

photographs by denise truscello

Huge productions are history as Vegas gets cozy in ’16 By John Katsilometes The other day I was asked, “What’s missing in Las Vegas entertainment?” How about a bonfire of all equipment used for lip-syncing? We could use one of those. But we have arrived at the point where audio augmentation is fairly widespread. Even shows that appear to be live, starring some great entertainers, are boosted by recorded tracks. It is the epitome of “the suckage,” as Lon Bronson would say, but it is reality. We’ll live with it, if it helps keep shows onstage and performers employed. That’s one takeaway from 2015. But what is missing, seriously, in Las Vegas? How about more groovy, forreal, late-night music clubs? I’m feeling that genre is percolating more than ever around town, with such new hangs as the Golden Tiki in Chinatown putting on occasional performances featuring some top names on the local burlesque scene and the Dispensary Lounge on East Tropicana showcasing great jazz every weekend. The great music lineup at Tuscany Suites is another example. What we’ve seen in Las Vegas in the recent past is conducive to smallscale, intimate forms of entertainment in cozy venues. A quick, twostep list of what is vanishing from our landscape: • The grandeur of such singularly Las Vegas production shows as Jubilee, closing in February as the last showgirl spectacle on the Strip. The advancement of Cirque du Soleil productions, generous for their stagecraft and technology and populated with dozens of highly trained artists, seems done, too. Zarkana and its theater are being overtaken by a $154 million convention-space expansion at Aria. Cirque is moving forward with upgrades to Believe at Luxor and The Beatles Love at Mirage, but don’t expect a resident Cirque show to replace Zarkana ( joining Viva Elvis, in that same Aria theater, as the only Cirque show to close on the Strip) anywhere in Las Vegas. Conceivably, a touring show could be brought in to the new Monte Carlo theater, the 5,000-seat venue opening about a year from now, but with seven shows already in the neighborhood, why bother? • The appeal of Vegas institutions, in general. In the past year Elvis and Sinatra struggled to sell tickets in Las Vegas, even as both legends were

boosted by significant financial support. The Elvis tribute show, titled The Elvis Experience, ran for a few weeks in the spring at Westgate Las Vegas and remarkably underperformed. This was a note-for-note, almost documentary-styled resurrection of an Elvis show at the old International/Las Vegas Hilton showroom. But the idea of lines around the corner to see actor Martin Fontaine churn out Presley-performed classics quickly dissipated. Sadly, the same pattern unfolded for another laboriously detailed production, Frank: The Man, The Music at Palazzo Theatre. This show was backed by 32 musicians (24 were onstage for that Elvis tribute at Westgate) and the star of Frank, Bob Anderson, spent two hours before every show being made up as Sinatra. But despite a highly fulfilling production by Anderson and the Vince Falcone-led orchestra, the show never hit its numbers, and the hotel closed the production two weeks before Sinatra’s 100th birthday on December 12. As for the next big trend, look for smaller shows—or “entertainment experiences”—in reconfigured rooms. The Palazzo Theatre is being redesigned, reportedly, and reduced in capacity to allow for a more integrated production that will seep from the stage through the audience. There have been reports that show is the next adaptation of For the Record: Baz, which closed in August at Light, but neither the hotel nor the production company has formally confirmed this happening. Nonetheless, the concept for the theater would be to cut the two-level space down to just the floor, and allow enough room between aisles for artists to meander past. That venue’s capacity would be more than halved, to about 500 to 600 seats, for its next show (about full capacity for the Baz show at Light). I’m expecting at least one other large theater to undergo a similar downsizing in 2016. Also, an oft-discussed venue known as Liberty Loft at New YorkNew York is under construction, with a possible capacity of 300 to 400. Several producers and performers with show concepts have toured that space atop Tom’s Urban in the old ESPN Zone arcade area. Officials with

> That’s Entertainment Jubilee (above) is set to close in 2016. Could Baz be resurrected?

MGM Resorts, which owns the hotel and the space, have said it’s not to be specifically for entertainment, but rather a hybrid performance and convention venue. Still, the widespread interest in even the possibility of a new venue of that size (and, not insignificantly, location) has piqued a lot of interest around the scene. What else to look for? How about an anchor headliner at the Monte Carlo theater, that venue’s answer to Celine at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace and Britney Spears at Axis

at Planet Hollywood. There was a bubble of speculation about Justin Timberlake being courted, but nothing has materialized. That theater needs a Timberlake-scale artist the same way Las Vegas Arena needs an NHL team as an anchor tenant. Such a dependable box-office draw over a high volume of dates solves a huge booking challenge. But before any of that happens, some cool Vegas hangs would be a groovy way to spice up the Strip—and elsewhere—in ’16. Dial up the band, and save me a seat.

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 LasVegasWeekly.com

A&E | fine art

Sense of non-place

Valentin Yordanov’s bold abstracts explore urban vibrancy and the soul of cities By Kristen Peterson

48 LasVegasWeekly.com December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

> PRIMARIES THAT POP Yordanov’s Terminal works are generous with color.

photographs by steve marcus

Cities bear distinctive personalipaths and extend into the sky. ties, recognizable landmarks, layouts Within the boisterous works and designs. They burst with their are surprisingly tender details that own rhythm, rest in late-afternoon display the depth and character of quietude and pulsate with equal parts urbanism, whether it’s the line of a discord and harmony. History lives building motif, a steely grid, a long in their architecture and alleyways. shadow or the hint of a skyline. Some sleep. Others rarely slow down. Generous with color and unafraid While in Vienna, artist Valentin of primaries, Yordanov maps like a Yordanov found himself missing the draftsman and constructs like a lights and newness of Las builder in his paintings. In Vegas—two cities, entirea rare move, he shows his ly different worlds. The TERMINAL process in smaller works Bulgarian-born artist had Through January on paper, layering collagetraveled European cities, 8; Tuesday-Friday, style patterns, drawings and come to Las Vegas, trav- 10 a.m.-8 p.m.; juxtapositions. The assemeled Europe some more Saturday, 9 a.m.-6 bled works reveal the earand would return once p.m. Winchester lier grids, shapes and lines again to Las Vegas to take Cultural Center, removed in the finished up residence. Here his cities 702-455-7340. pieces, bringing in some texcoalesced in paintings, each ture and intimacy. Paintings becoming a “non-place,” a familiar become large billboards in the gallery, and resonant landscape of contempoconnected by apparatuses made from rary urbanism building off the past. black vinyl (silhouetted) and placed In Terminal at Winchester on the wall. Cultural Center, Yordanov’s nonBy mapping cities into non-places, places converge in bright colors, they become the everyplace in form dynamic angles and geometric and spirit. But it was the neon, the shapes and patterns. Angular, bold desert, the mountains and the colors and exultant, the large abstract of Las Vegas that influenced the resipaintings overlap perspectives and dent of five years in Terminal. “I want motifs, play with color and tone the viewer to find their own way, their and lead viewers into neighborown place in the painting,” Yordanov hoods rendered in reductive and says, adding that the exhibit title repdimensional shapes. In “Mainland” resents the beginnings of journeys. the windows become a city map. In “The buildings are real, but when I “Terminal” abstractions of architecgo through the process they lose the tural and engineering feats cross geographic location.”

A&E | stage > NEW YEAR’S SHOWS LVLT, Cockroach, the Onyx and Smith Center bring a slew of fresh productions in January.

Frisky business

The theater scene perks way up heading into the new season By Jacob Coakley Things are about to get interesting in Las Vegas theater. After a slow month thanks to the holidays, just about every local troupe is waking up from an eggnog coma, half buzzed and half hungover, ready to start something with your good-looking cousin. Here’s what you shouldn’t miss. First up is Tribes by Nina Raine at Las Vegas Little Theatre. Opening January 8, the show follows the story of Billy—a deaf adult forced by his family to rely solely on lip reading—who discovers the world of sign language and just how monumentally messed up his family is, through a romance with a

woman named Sylvia. “The things that we leave unsaid, the feelings that we assume our loved ones understand, and the inability to personalize what we too often intellectualize. Nina Raine examines these themes,” says the show’s codirector, T.J. Larsen, “as well as the nature of self-identity, focused through the lens of the ones we love.” Middletown opens at the LVLT the week after. It takes its inspiration from the classic Our Town, but remixes it with lyricism and a modern sense of casual despair. It’s a poetic, existential trip into how the current threads of detachment and overwhelming self-

awareness interface with community. Constellations at Cockroach Theatre opens January 7, and shares a love story smart enough to tackle quantum physics yet packed with heart enough to be called “emotionally devastating” by The New York Times. It’s a simple boy-meets-girl story—with the spin that every conversation these two ever had, in every permutation, exists somewhere. Boy woos girls, boy loses girl, boy and girl never get together. Tragedy, romance and transcendence tangle in a fuguelike play that takes people to the heart of the universe and themselves. The Onyx continues its irreverent revival with seduction and assault. Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Burlesque from burlesque troupe Va-Va-Voom takes it off on January 9. Hosted by “Walt Frozen Disney” himself, the show promises

R-rated takes on all your Disney classics—no “Private Mode” Googling required. Then on January 14 Troy Heard presents his latest pop-culture twist, a gender-swapped version of a Tarantino classic, Reservoir Dolls, which promises to put “Like a Virgin” in yet another whole new light. That same weekend (January 15-17) a presentation of the Pulitzer-winning Driving Miss Daisy from Broadway in the Hood pulls into the Smith Center. This classic play, tracking the relationship between a black driver and his elderly white passenger (and eventually very close friend) balances sweetness with sharp humor, and portrays a relationship that blossoms despite being fraught with societal and personal obstacles. It’s a sweet piece that never devolves into sentimentalism, and it’s worth the trip.

FOOD & Drink t h e s p e c tac l e c i r c u i t

> PERFECT BLENd Sugarcane chef Timon Balloo, bacon-wrapped dates and Miami-style cocktails.

Cranking the heat With Miami transplant Sugarcane, the Venetian adds a hit restaurant with its own scene By Andy Wang

Sugarcane is a tremendous multicultural triumph, an effortlessly cool spot that has energized Midtown Miami with a mix of Asian, European and Latin flavors. It’s like an inverted version of Nobu or Katsuya. Sugarcane is South Florida to its core, with its festive vibe, potent rum drinks, tropical trees and Gloria Estefan showing up for a late-night dinner. But it’s also a destination for good sushi and a scorching robata grill that reminds you the Japanese were way ahead of the current open-fire cooking trend. How many sushiand-robata joints, though, have a duck and waffle dish with mustard maple syrup that’s so revelatory it led to a spin-off restaurant in London? Now chef Timon Balloo, a Chinese/Indian/ Trinidadian fella who grew up in San Francisco eating his mom’s Asian-Caribbean mashups like stir-fry with pepper sauce, is bringing Sugarcane to Vegas. It has the makings of a blockbuster spring opening at the Venetian. This Sugarcane will be a 6,500-square-foot colossus that should immediately add heat to what was the long overlooked V Bar space. Just like in Miami, “we’ll have a raw bar and a hot kitchen,” Balloo says. “It’s an open kitchen with a robata and a wood-fire section. You’ll see the flames and soak up the smells. It’s just like that energy you get when you walk into Sugarcane Miami.” In Miami, the energy of Sugarcane pulsates through the room like you’re in a hot club. But unlike at lots of restaurants that blend in nightlife, the food is the star here. Expect lots of pretty people in Vegas eating Brussels sprouts with orange and sweet soy. Don’t be surprised to see adventurous steakhouse regulars trying kimchee beef tartare and

50 LasVegasWeekly.com December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

Korean BBQ short ribs or oxtail and sweetbreads before balling out with large-format meats. Maybe there will be lamb with harissa or za’atar, because Balloo is into Middle Eastern flavors at the moment. And why not try something a little unexpected when you’re in Vegas? “I think Vegas and Miami share a bit of that recreational vibe,” Balloo says. “Vegas is to the West Coast what Miami is to New York.” They’re getaways where people go to indulge, be naughty, do things they tend to avoid at home. But here’s the thing about Sugarcane: It’s a place for what Balloo calls a “free-spirit” vibe, but it’s also a damn good neighborhood restaurant where locals like South Beach Wine & Food Festival founder Lee Brian Schrager go again and again. One thing that makes Balloo proud is how chefs from other restaurants visit Sugarcane. It probably doesn’t hurt that they can mingle with beautiful people while feasting on nose-to-tail cuisine. Even though Sugarcane’s Vegas outpost will be in a luxury casino, it “will look a little neighborhood-y,” Balloo says. The chef mentions Wynwood,

an artsy on-the-rise area near his Miami restaurant, as inspiration, but also talks about embracing what’s in Williamsburg and Portland and Austin and Haight-Ashbury. Balloo recognizes that “so many great chefs have restaurants in Vegas,” and the idea of cooking here makes him both excited and nervous. He knows he has to bring his A-game, but he mentions all those cool, relaxed neighborhoods around the country because he believes the key to his success is cooking unpretentious food, dishes that “capture the soul of your food memories.” This is a chef who likes to talk to diners about what they ate at their grandma’s house over the holidays and then thinks about those conversations when he evolves his menus. Good thing for Vegas, he can out-cook most grandmas. Miami’s Sugarcane was a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best New Restaurant in 2011. “Ultimately, I just want to cook kickass food for kickass people and have a good time doing it,” says Balloo, sounding like a man who’s amped to start a fire.

> PAJAMA JAM Try the Ultimate Ribeye Steak & Egg Breakfast with two or three eggs.

WOLF & ALE

STEAK AND EGGS AND THEN SOME Now with two locations, Rise & Shine does big breakfast right

features a juicy ribeye, two eggs cooked to It’s billed as “a steak and eggs place,” and order (go over easy!), hash browns and a bread that particular breakfast item does live up to RISE & SHINE of your choice. The biscuit’s fine, but the move expectations. The truth is, they could call it 10690 Southern here is the pot of bread, like a cinnamon roll a chicken and waffles place, a pot of bread Highlands Parkway, place or a pancake place. It doesn’t really 702-202-4646; 9827 popover with a side of cream cheese sauce. Another option: Philly-style with shaved ribmatter, because everything I tasted at Rise & W. Flamingo Road, Shine is delicious, easily making it one of the 702-873-0155. Daily, eye, grilled onions, American cheese and an open-faced omelet. It’s good, but no match for best breakfast destinations in town. 7 a.m.-3 p.m. the classic. One item that does compete with the The decor is kitschy. Upside-down, flowtraditional steak and eggs is the crispy chicken breast and er-patterned umbrellas hang from the ceiling. The walls waffle ($13.95). The giant chicken breast has a really thick are brightly painted. Servers are dressed in pajamas. breading, providing excellent crunch, while the waffle But the food is serious. holds up, texturally and taste-wise. Both pair perfectly with As for steak and eggs, they’re done a number of ways. the cinnamon-maple syrup on the table. –Jason Harris The Ultimate ($14.95 for two eggs, $1 more for three)

> SNACK ATTACK Roasted marrow makes happy hour even happier.

A HAPPY-HOUR REVOLUTION Las Vegans enjoy discounted, after-work bites and libations as much as the next guy, but the TABLE 10 options aren’t as prevalent in our Valley as you’d Palazzo, 702guess. In fact, Las Vegas is a notoriously stingy 607-6363. happy-hour town. But Table 10 chef de cuisine Snack bar James Richards is hoping to create a happy-hour menu availhaven with the new Snack Bar. Hidden away past able daily the bar at the back of the restaurant is a shorter from 5 p.m. bar peering into the open kitchen. These seats until it’s gone. allow for interaction with the chefs, while Richards oversees an ever-changing menu with no rules: Emeril Lagasse’s infamous candied bacon; duck confit-strewn popcorn popped in duck fat; deep-fried rabbit tenders seasoned so well they’ll make your Southern grandmother shed a tear of joy; and Duroc pork burnt ends. “We just want the food to be really fun and very shareable,” Richards says. When a dish is gone for the evening, it’s scratched off the board and done for the night, so eat early and eat often. –Jim Begley

RISE & SHINE BY STEVE MARCUS; TABLE 10 BY CHRISTOPHER DEVARGAS

INGREDIENTS 1 oz. William Wolf Pecanflavored Bourbon Whiskey 1 oz. Mount Gay Black Barrel Barbados Rum 1 oz. apple cider 1 /2 oz. maple syrup 3 oz. BigLeaf Maple Autumn Red (Anchor Brewing) orange peel (garnish)

METHOD Combine the first four ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake thoroughly. Strain into a Trappist-style beer glass over ice. Top off with BigLeaf Maple Autumn Red ale. Garnish with an orange peel and serve.

If there was ever a cocktail made to be sipped while sitting fireside in a log cabin on a brisk winter’s day, it’s this one. Wolf & Ale combines all the best flavors of the season to create a drink that’s strong, smooth and rich, while the addition of the ale prevents it from becoming too heavy.

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

DECEMBER 31, 2015-JANUARY 6, 2016 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM

A&E | Short Takes Special screenings

> my two dads Mark Wahlberg (left) and Will Ferrell in Daddy’s Home.

Civil Rights Film Festival 1/2, documentaries Mr. Civil Rights: Thurgood Marshall and the NAACP and The Two Nations of Black America, plus panel discussion, noon-5 pm, free. West Las Vegas Library, 951 W. Lake Mead Blvd., 702-507-3989. Midnight Brewvies Mon, movie plus popcorn, midnight, free. Elixir, 2920 N. Green Valley Parkway, Henderson, 702-272-0000. The Rocky Horror Picture Show 1/2, augmented by live cast and audience participation, 10 pm, $9. Theaters: TC. Info: rhpsvegas.com. Sci Fi Center Mon, Cinemondays, 8 pm, free. 1/2, Fight Club, 8 pm, $5. 5077 Arville St., 855-501-4335, thescificenter.com. Sherlock: The Abominable Bride 1/5, 1/6, Sherlock episode plus behindthe-scenes features, 7:30 pm, $13-$15. Theaters: COL, ORL, SC, SF, SP, ST, TS. Info: fathomevents.com. Tuesday Afternoon at the Bijou Tue, 1 pm, free. 1/5, The Maltese Falcon. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, 702-507-3400.

New this week Carol aaaac Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara, Kyle Chandler. Directed by Todd Haynes. 118 minutes. Rated R. See review Page 42. Theaters: ST The Himalayas aaccc Hwang Jung-min, Jung Woo, Cho Sung-Ha. Directed by Lee Seok-Hoon. 125 minutes. Not rated. In Korean with English subtitles. See review Page 43. Theaters: TS, VS

Now playing 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. 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. Beauty and the Bestie (Not reviewed) Vice Ganda, Coco Martin, James Reid. Directed by Wenn V. Deramas. Not rated. In Filipino with English subtitles. Two estranged best friends reunite for a top-secret mission. The Big Short aaacc Steve Carell, Christian Bale, Ryan Gosling. Directed by Adam McKay. 130 minutes. Rated R. Adapted from Michael Lewis’ best-seller, this expository essay disguised as a narrative explains the 2008 subprime-mortgage crisis from the point of view of the few people who foresaw the disaster and profited from it. Director McKay works overtime to make complex financial concepts entertaining. –MD Brooklyn aaabc Saoirse Ronan, Emory Cohen, Domhnall Gleeson. Directed by John

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

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 brings Eilis to life in every small gesture and interaction. –JB

Concussion aabcc Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw. Directed by Peter Landesman. 123 minutes. Rated PG-13. Smith dials way back on his aggressive charm to play Dr. Bennet Omalu, the neuropathologist who first identified a degenerative brain disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) that’s contracted by as many as 28 percent of professional football players. Unfortunately, the movie makes Omalu a deadly dull plaster saint. –MD 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 Daddy’s Home aaccc Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg, Linda Cardellini. Directed by Sean Anders. 96 minutes. Rated PG-13. This reunion between Ferrell and Wahlberg (The Other Guys) finds both stars on autopilot, with Ferrell as a milquetoast, eager-to-please stepdad who feels threatened when his wife’s bad-boy ex (Wahlberg) comes to town. Their subsequent feud is predictable and unfunny, combining painful slapstick with uncomfortable gross-out jokes. –JB The Danish Girl aaacc Eddie Redmayne, Alicia Vikander, Matthias Schoenaerts. Directed by Tom Hooper. 120 minutes. Rated R. Hooper’s pretty but somewhat lifeless biopic about Lili Elbe (Redmayne), the first person to undergo a documented

52 LasVegasWeekly.com December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016

gender reassignment surgery, focuses equally on her wife Gerda (Vikander), a passionate, iconoclastic artist. Lili made enormous sacrifices to live her life authentically, but the movie about her remains disappointingly timid. –JB

almost entirely inside a cabin during a blizzard on the Wyoming frontier. The increasingly bloody payoffs don’t quite make up for the sluggish first half, and Tarantino’s wordy dialogue has lost some of its charm, especially in its showy and often misguided use of the N-word. –JB

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.

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.

Everest aaacc Jason Clarke, Jake Gyllenhaal, Josh Brolin. Directed by Baltasar Kormákur. 121 minutes. Rated PG-13. This bigbudget 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 aweinspiring visuals. The characters don’t make much of an impression, but the mountain and the storm do. –JB 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 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 The Hateful Eight aabcc Samuel L. Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh. Directed by Quentin Tarantino. 167 minutes. Rated R. Tarantino’s hyper-violent, hyper-talky Western takes place

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 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 Joy aaabc Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, Edgar Ramirez. Directed by David O. Russell. 124 minutes. Rated PG-13. Russell’s biopic about inventor Joy Mangano (Lawrence) has a jazzy energy as it barrels through some unlikely events. The tension between the fanciful and the mundane never quite resolves over the course of the movie, and Joy is more successful at impressionistic family drama than laying out the facts of Mangano’s career. –JB 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 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. 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 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 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

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A&E | Short Takes Point Break abccc Luke Bracey, Edgar Ramirez, Teresa Palmer. Directed by Ericson Core. 113 minutes. Rated PG-13. This remake of the 1991 Keanu Reeves/ Patrick Swayze thriller is even dumber than the original, with Bracey as a dudebro FBI agent infiltrating a criminal gang of extreme athletes led by a dippy guru (Ramirez). The stunts are cool, but the acting and the plotting are completely DOA. –JB 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 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 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 inter-agency 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 Sisters aaacc Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Ike Barinholtz. Directed by Jason Moore. 118 minutes. Rated R. Fey and Poehler join forces again as siblings with diametrically opposed personalities who decide to throw a massive party in their soon-to-be-sold family home. That scenario is

Theaters (AL) Regal Aliante 7300 Aliante Parkway, North Las Vegas, 844462-7342 ext. 4011 (BS) Regal Boulder Station 4111 Boulder Highway, 844-462-7342 ext. 269 (PAL) Brenden Theatres at the Palms 4321 W. Flamingo Road, 702-507-4849 (CAN) Galaxy Cannery 2121 E. Craig Road, North Las Vegas, 702-6399779 (CH) Cinedome Henderson 851 S. Boulder Highway, Henderson, 702-5661570 (COL) Regal Colonnade 8880 S. Eastern Ave., 844-462-7342 ext. 270 (DI) Las Vegas Drive-In 4150 W. Carey Ave., North Las Vegas, 702646-3565 (DTS) Regal Downtown Summerlin 2070 Park Center Drive, 844-462-7342 ext. 4063 (FH) Regal Fiesta Henderson 777 W. Lake Mead Parkway, Henderson, 844462-7342 ext. 1772

strictly a thin delivery system for semi-improvised riffing, with the jokes achieving roughly a 65-35 ratio of hits to misses. –MD 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 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 Star Wars: The Force Awakens aaabc Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Adam Driver. Directed by J.J. Abrams. 135 minutes. Rated PG-13. The long-awaited seventh movie in the space-opera series is a carefully crafted brand extension with a familiar story and some appealing new characters. Everything about it seems calculated to entertain the widest audience possible, and for the most part, it succeeds. –JB 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

INVITE YOU AND A GUEST TO ATTEND A SPECIAL ADVANCE SCREENING

TUESDAY, JANUARY 12 7:00 PM AT AMC TOWN SQUARE Please go to www.lasvegasweekly.com/giveaways

for your chance to win a pass (admits 2) to the special advance screening.

All entries must be received by 12:00 PM on Thursday, January 7. Winners will be notified via email and must pick up passes by 5:00 PM on Tuesday, January 12. Each pass admits two. While supplies last. RIDE ALONG 2 has been rated PG-13 (Parents Strongly Cautioned – Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13) for sequences of violence, sexual content, language and some drug material. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY

IN THEATERS JANUARY 15

JMA Jeffrey M. Anderson; JB Josh Bell; MD Mike D’Angelo

(ORL) Century Orleans 4500 W. Tropicana Ave., 702-889-1220

INVITE YOU AND A GUEST TO SEE

(RP) AMC Rainbow Promenade 2321 N. Rainbow Blvd., 888-262-4386 (RR) Regal Red Rock 11011 W. Charleston Blvd., 844-462-7342 ext. 1756 (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 ext. 522 (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, 844-4627342 ext. 268 (TX) Regal Texas Station 2101 Texas Star Lane, North Las Vegas, 844462-7342 ext. 271 (TS) AMC Town Square 6587 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-362-7283

(GVR) Regal Green Valley Ranch 2300 Paseo Verde Parkway, Henderson, 844462-7342 ext. 267

(TC) Regency Tropicana Cinemas 3330 E. Tropicana Ave., 702-438-3456

(GVL) Galaxy Green Valley Luxury+ 4500 E. Sunset Road, Henderson, 702-442-0244

(VS) Regal Village Square 9400 W. Sahara Ave., 844-462-7342 ext. 272

ON JANUARY 6 FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A PASS, PLEASE GO TO GOFOBO.COM/ REDEEM AND TYPE IN THE CODE REVLV *WHILE SUPPLIES L AST

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IN THEATERS JANUARY 8! RevenantMovie.com | #TheRevenant | /RevenantMovie /RevenantMovie | /RevenantMovie

Calendar LISTINGS YOU CAN PLAN YOUR LIFE BY!

> HOW SOON IS SATURDAY? After a series of postponements and cancellations, Morrissey’s almost here.

IN MOZ WE TRUST Morrissey’s 2014 album was titled World Peace Is None of Your Business, but for all of the English singer-songwriter’s 2012 to 2013 tour, it was he who was none of our business. Morrissey canceled an initial November 2012 date to be with his ailing mother in England, and then both of the 2013 make-up dates due to various maladies he suffered. Las Vegas could hardly be blamed for not giving the performer another chance, though we were far from alone, as Moz dissolved entire tours, save for a handful of dates that mostly took place in LA. I caught two of them (one in 2013 and the other last August at FYF Fest), both featuring a full setlist—solo and Smiths favorites, along with robust versions from the underrated World Peace—and Moz in vigorous, sonorous voice. Throw in his taunting of security guards and assailing of authority figures; his prolific (and often hilarious) bon mots; and his MORRISSEY January 2, well-oiled and versatile sextet, and you have the potential for a truly 8:30 p.m., $45-$200. memorable show—one we’ve earned, baby. –Mike Prevatt The Joint, 702-693-5222.

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,

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. The Who 5/29, 7:30 pm, $96-$501. 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, $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 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 1/1-1/2, 7:30 pm, $69-$139. 702-733-3333. The Foundry X Ambassadors, Seinabo Sey, Savoir Adore 3/26, 6:30 pm, $25. SLS, foundrylv.com. Gilley’s Scotty Alexander Band 12/31, 1/1-1/2, 10 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 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 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 4/29-4/30, 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. 702632-7777. MGM Grand (Garden Arena) 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) Chyna 12/25-12/26, 9 pm, free. Machine Gun Kellys 12/26, 9 pm, free. Volume 1 12/31, 9 pm, free. (Showroom) Big Bad Voodoo Daddy 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. The Robert Cray Band 1/23-1/24, 8 pm, $33-$55. Dion 2/5-2/6, 8 pm, $55-$82. Love Affair 2/13, 7:30 pm, $30. Marilyn McCoo & Billy Davis Jr. 2/13-2/14, $33$55. 702-365-7075. Palms (Lounge) 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,

CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE CALENDAR LISTINGS AT LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM/EVENTS 54 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 31, 2015-JANUARY 6, 2016

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 12/30-12/31, 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 Kane Brown 12/31, 10:30 pm. Shows 10 pm, free unless noted. Town Square, 702435-2855. 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 Carly Rae Jepsen 12/30, 8 pm; 12/31, 10 pm; 1/2, 8 pm; $56-$75. R5 12/31, 7:30 pm; 1/1, 8 pm, $55$150. John Fogerty 1/8-1/9, 1/13, 1/151/16, 1/20, 1/22-1/23, 8 pm, $60-$350. 702-414-9000. Vinyl The Bones 1/2, 10 pm, free. Mullett 1/9, 10 pm, free. 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, 702-693-5000. Wynn (Eastside Lounge) Michael Monge Wed, Thu, Sun, 9 pm; Fri, Sat, 10 pm; $10. 702-770-7000.

D OW N TOW N Artifice 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 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. 601 E. Fremont St., 702-382-2227. Beauty Bar Pet Tigers, Holes and Hearts, Flight of Ryan 1/1, 9 pm, free. The Generators, The Civilians, The Astaires 1/16, 9 pm, $5. Love Cop 12/28, 9 pm, free. JD McPherson, HoneyHoney 1/22, 9 pm, $18-$22.Love Cop 1/28, 9 pm, free. Valley Queen, Boroughs 2/8, 9 pm, free. Metalachi 2/11, 9 pm, $12-$15. Hunter Valentine, Crash Kit 3/3, 9 pm, $8-$10. LA Witch, Dirty Ghosts, Candy Warpop 3/25, 9 pm, $5. 517 Fremont St., 702-598-3757. Bunkhouse Saloon The Lique, Totescity, Ryan Pardey (DJ set) 12/31, 8 pm, $10. Brumby, The National Parks, Avalon Landing,

Calendar

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

Without Wolves 1/1, 9 pm, free. Tin Toy Cars 1/15, 9 pm. 124 S. 11th St., 702-854-1414. City Bar Chip & Al’s Blues Band 12/31, 10 pm, free. The Wayne David Band 1/9, 9 pm, free. Dayzend 1/16, 9 pm, free. 1000 E. Sahara Ave., 702-4764422. Downtown Container Park Josh Royse, Union Drifters, Jessica Manalo, Daniel Park 12/31, 7 pm, free. 707 Fremont St, downtowncontainerpark.com. Fremont Country Club Hawthorne Heights, Mest, The Ataris 2/16, 7 pm, $20-$25. 601 E. Fremont St., 702-3826601. Fremont Street Experience (Main Street Stage) Ashley Red 10 pm. Spandex Nation 10 pm. ‘80s Station 10 pm. Empire Records 10 pm. (1st Street Stage) Yellow Brick Road 8 pm. Las Vegas Bowl Pep Rally 6 pm. Alter Ego 1 8 pm. Tyler James Elvis Tribute 8 pm. (3rd Street Stage) ‘80s Station 10 pm. RockIt 10 pm. Alter Ego 9 pm. Tony Marques 9 pm. Monroy 9 pm. Zowie Bowie 9 pm. Shows free unless noted. Downtown Las Vegas, vegasexperience.com. Griffin Bobby Meader Music, Hard Pipe Hitters, Twin Cities 12/30, 9 pm, free. Live music Wed, 10 pm, free. 511 Fremont St., 702-382-0577. 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. 1675 Industrial Road, 702-384-8987. LVCS Late Night Vice, Doolin, Sweet Home Alabama 1/2, 8 pm, free. Christian Death, Maension, Phoenix Siren 1/28, 8 pm, $12. 425 Fremont St., 702-382-3531.

Mickie Finnz Live music Daily, 4-7 pm. Shows free unless noted. 425 Fremont St., 702-382-4204. 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) Susan Anton 1/81/9, 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 1/291/30, 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 2/262/27, 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.

The ’Burbs Cannery Cannery Luggnutt Thru 1/2, Wed-Thu, 8:30 pm, free. Luggnutt, Clifton James Thru 1/2, Fri-Sat, 7 pm, free. 2121 E. Craig Road, 702-507-

5700. Elixir Stefnrock 1/1. Yvonne Silva 1/2, 1/16. Nick Mattera 1/8, 1/22. Shaun South 1/9, 1/23. Marty Feick 1/15, 1/29. Tim Mendoza 1/30. 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. M Resort (M Pavillion) Elvis Tribute show ft. Justin Shandor 1/23, 7 pm, $30-$42. M Resort, 800-745-3000. 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., 702-360-3358. Silverton (Veil Pavilion) 3333 Blue Diamond Road, 702-263-7777. South Point 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 Flock of Seagulls 1/9, 7:30, $22-$49. Mary Wilson 1/16-1/17, 7:30 pm, $22-$44. The Bird Dogs: The Everly Brothers Experience 1/231/24, 7:30 pm, $22-$49. Man in Black: A Tribute to Johnny Cash 2/20-2/21, 7:30 pm, $24. Sheena Easton 3/53/6, 7:30 pm, $24. Ambrosia 3/123/13, 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 Smashing Alice 12/31. 5901 Emerald Ave., 702435-7545. Boomers Live music Wed, 10 pm, $5-$10. 3200 Sirius Ave., 702-3681863. Boulder Dam Brewing Shows Thu, 7 pm; Fri & Sat, 8 pm. Shows free

unless noted. 453 Nevada Way, Boulder City, 702-243-2739. Boulder Station (Kixx Bar) Reflection Fri & Sat, 8 pm. 702-432-7777. Count’s Vamp’d The Hooligans, D, Alex Papa 12/30, 9:30 pm, free. TailGun 12/31, 9 pm, free. Sin City Sinners 1/1, 10 pm, free. The Moby Dicks 1/2, 10 pm, free. Hurry 1/3, 10 pm, $5. John Zito Electric Jam 1/6, 9 pm, free. Eric Martin, Long Gone Day, Burn Unit 1/7, 8 pm, free. Metal Allegiance, Dollskin, Cage, Dinner Music for the Gods 8 pm, $20-$23. High Voltage, Children of the Grave 1/9, 9:30 pm, free. 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. Craig Ranch Regional Park Amphitheater 628 W. Craig Rd., 702-633-2418. Dispensary Lounge Uli Geissendoerfer Trio Fri & Sat, 10 pm. 2451 E. Tropicana, 702-458-6343. Dive Bar Blasphemous Creation, Toxic Dump 1/7, 9 pm, $7. Cruel Hand, Drug Church, Culture Abuse, Unfair Fight 1/15, 9 pm, $12. Lambs to Lions, Illicitor, Yosemite Slam, Jerk 1/22, 9 pm, $5. 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 Henderson (Coco Lounge) All shows 7:30 pm. 702-558-7000. Fiesta Rancho (Club Tequila) Sherry

FRESCO ITALIANO INVITES YOU TO DINE WITH OUR FAMILY TONIGHT! NO PASSPORT REQUIRED! 3000 PARADISE ROAD, LAS VEGAS, NV 89109 702.732.5755 | WESTGATEVEGAS.COM

CALENDAR Gordy: Take the Stage Thu, 7 pm, $5-$10. (Cabo Lounge) Shows free unless noted. 702-631-7000. German American Social Club Vintage Classic Jazz Night Tue, 7 pm, $4. 1110 E. Lake Mead Blvd., 702-649-8503. Milo’s Cellar Live Music Thu, 8 pm, free. 538 Nevada Hwy., 702-2939540. Ron DeCar’s Event Center Swingin’ New Years Eve 12/31, 7 pm, $100$300. 1201 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702453-8451. Sam’s Town Los NiteKings Sun, 7 pm, free. Shows free unless noted. 5111 Boulder Hwy., 702-284-7777.

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

> FUNNY LADY Whitney Cummings stands up at the Venetian on Saturday.

COMEDY Boomers Side Splitting Sundays Sun, 9 pm, free. 3200 Sirius Ave., 702-368-1863. Caesars Palace (The Colosseum) Jerry Seinfeld 4/8-4/9, 7:30 pm, $83$165. 702-731-7333. 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. Netflix presents Adam Sandler, Norm Macdonald, Rob Schneider 2/13-2/14, 8 pm, $50. 702-693-5000. Harrah’s (Main Showrom) Mac King Tue-Sat, 1 & 3 pm, $33. (The Improv) Steve White, Paula Bel, Chris Crofton Thru 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. 702-369-5000. Luxor Carrot Top Wed-Mon, 8 pm, $50$60. 702-262-4900. MGM Grand (Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club) Butch Bradley, Mike Merryfield, Shayma Tash Thru 1/3. Kivi Rogers, Collin Moulton, Dave Williamson 1/4-1/10. 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. 702-891-7777. 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. Orleans (Showroom) Norm Macdonald 1/15, 9 pm, $44-$65. 702284-7777. 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 Charlie Murphy 1/8-1/10, 7:30 pm, $30. Louie Anderson 1/221/23, 7:30 pm, $15. Jon Lovitz 2/52/6, 7:30 pm, $25. 702-797-8005. Tropicana (The Laugh Factory) Bill Dawes, Giulio Gallarotti, Paul Scally Thru 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 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. Bright Side 5/12-5/14, 5/19-5/21, 5/26-5/28, 8 pm; 5/15, 5/22, 5/29, 2 pm, $16-$20. Art Square Theater, 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, 702693-5000. Onyx Theatre Bibbidi-BobbidiBurlesque 1/9, 8 pm, $12. Reservoir Dolls 1/14-1/16, 1/21-1/23, 1/28-1/30, 8 pm; 1/24, 1/31, 5 pm. Geek! 2/11-2/13, 2/18-2/20, 2/25-2/27, 8 pm; 2/21, 5 pm, $15-$20. Del Shore’s Sordid Lives 3/10-3/12, 3/17-3/19, 3/24-3/26, 8 pm; 3/20, 5 pm, $20. Heathers the Musical 4/7-4/9, 4/14-4/16, 4/21-4/23, 4/28-4/30, 8 pm; 4/17, 5 pm. Titus Andronicus Jr. 5/12-5/14, 5/19-5/21, 5/26-5/28, 8 pm; 5/22, 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. (Judy Bayley Theatre) Nevada Conservatory Theatre: The Magic of Seth Grabel 10/17, 7 pm, $30. 702895-3332. Winchester Cultural Center 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 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. An Evening with Sophia Loren 3/26, 8 pm, $70 and up. The Venetian, 702414-9000. Bluegrass Festival 4/9, 10:30 am, free. Durango Hills Park, 3501 N. Durango Drive, 702-229-4653. 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 Book 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. Illeana Douglas Book Signing and Reading 1/3, 2 pm, free. Barnes & Noble, 2191 N. Rainbow Blvd., 702631-1775. Downtown Podcast Thu, 9 pm, free. Inspire Theater, 107 Las Vegas Blvd. S., downtownpodcast.tv. 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 Vintage Motorcycle Auction 1/7-1/9, times vary, $25-$60. South Point, 702-796-7111. 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. Piff the Magic Dragon Mon thru Wed, 8 pm, $50-$70. Bugsy’s Cabaret at Flamingo, 702-733-3333. 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. Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage 4/4, 7:30 pm, $50. Orleans Arena, orleansarena.com. Super Toy Con 8/5, 4 pm; 8/6-8/7, 10 am, $12. Orleans Arena, orleansarena. com. Switch: Trans* Clothing Swap Thu, 5 pm, free. Gay & Lesbian Community Center, 702-733-9800. William Logan Hebner & Michael Plyer Signing and Reading 1/28, 7 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. South Point, 702-796-7111. D3 Hoops Classic Thru 12/30, times vary, $10. LVCHA Weekend Winter Championship Horse Cuttiong Event 2/10-2/15, times vary, free. South Point, 702-796-7111. 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. Silver Dollar Nationals 1/8-1/10, times vary, free. South Point, 702-796-7111.

CHECK OUT OUR COMPLETE CALENDAR LISTINGS AT LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM/EVENTS 56 LASVEGASWEEKLY.COM DECEMBER 31, 2015-JANUARY 6, 2016

UFC 195 1/2, 3:30 pm, $104-$804, MGM Grand Garden Arena, ticketmaster.com. Vegas Shoot National Field Archery 1/29-1/31, times vary, free. South Point, 702-796-7111. WFG Continental Cup of Curling 1/14-1/17, $22. Orleans Arena, orleansarena.com. WORCS Racing 2/26-2/28, times and prices TBA. South Point, 702-7967111.

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, 702-483-8844. 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

John Koenig is an artist who invents new words. Here’s one that’s applicable to your journey in 2016: “keyframe.” Koenig defines it as being in a seemingly mundane phase of your life that is in fact a turning point. Major plot twists in your big story arrive half-hidden amid a stream of innocuous events. They don’t come about through “a series of jolting epiphanies,” Koenig says, but rather “by tiny imperceptible differences between one ordinary day and the next.” In revealing this secret, I hope I’ve alerted you to the importance of acting with maximum integrity and excellence in your routine.

The silkworm grows fast. Once it hatches, it eats constantly for three weeks. By the time it spins its cocoon, it’s 10,000 times heavier than it was in the beginning. On the other hand, a mature, 60-foottall saguaro cactus may take 30 years to fully grow a new side arm. It’s in no hurry. From what I can tell, Leo, 2015 was more like a silkworm year for you, whereas 2016 will more closely resemble a saguaro. Keep in mind that while the saguaro phase is different from your silkworm time, it’s just as important.

In many cases, steel isn’t fully useful if it’s too hard. Manufacturers often have to soften it a bit. This process, which is called tempering, makes the steel springier and more malleable. Car parts, for example, can’t be too rigid. If they were, they’d break too easily. I invite you to use “tempering” as one of your main metaphors in 2016. You’re going to be strong and vigorous, and those qualities will serve you best if you keep them flexible. Do you know the word “ductile”? If not, look it up. It’ll be a word of power for you.

TAURUS

VIRGO

CAPRICORN

April 20-May 20

Aug. 23-Sept. 22

Dec. 22-Jan. 19

The coming months look like some of the best times ever for your love life. Old romantic wounds are finally ready to be healed. You’ll know what you have to do to shed tired traditions and bad habits that have limited your ability to get the spicy sweetness you deserve. Are you up for the fun challenge? Be horny for deep feelings. Be exuberantly aggressive in honoring your primal yearnings. Use your imagination to dream up new approaches to getting what you want. The innovations in intimacy that you initiate will keep bringing you gifts and teachings for years to come.

“The sky calls me,” wrote Virgo teacher and poet Sri Chinmoy. “The wind calls me. The moon and stars call me. The dense groves call me. The dance of the fountain calls me. Smiles call me, tears call me. A faint melody calls me. The morn, noon and eve call me. Everyone is searching for a playmate. Everyone is calling me, ‘Come, come!’” In 2016, I suspect you will have firsthand experience with feelings like these. Sometimes life’s seductiveness may overwhelm you, activating confused desires to go everywhere and do everything. On other occasions, you will be enchanted by the lush invitations, and will know exactly how to respond and reciprocate.

In his essay “The Etiquette of Freedom,” poet Gary Snyder says that wildness “is perennially within us, dormant as a hard-shelled seed, awaiting the fire or flood that awakes it again.” The fact that it’s a “hardshelled” seed is a crucial detail. The vital stuff inside may not be able to break out and start growing without the help of a ruckus. I propose, Capricorn, that in 2016 you find an equally vigorous but less disruptive prod to liberate your dormant wildness. Like what? You could embark on a brave pilgrimage or quest. You could dare yourself to escape your comfort zone. Are there any undomesticated fantasies you’ve been suppressing? Unsuppress them!

GEMINI

LIBRA

AQUARIUS

May 21-June 20

Sept. 23-Oct. 22

Jan. 20-Feb. 18

In ancient times, observers of the sky knew the difference between stars and planets. The stars remained fixed in their places. The planets wandered around, but now and then, a very bright star would suddenly materialize out of nowhere, stay in the same place for a while, and then disappear. Chinese astronomers called these “guest stars.” We refer to them as supernovae. They are previously dim or invisible stars that explode, releasing tremendous energy for a short time. I suspect that in 2016, you may experience the metaphorical equivalent of a guest star. Learn all you can from it. It’ll provide teachings and blessings that could feed you for years.

In the 19th century, horses were a primary mode of personal transportation. But as cities grew larger, a problem emerged: the mounting manure left behind on the roads. It became an ever-increasing challenge to clear away the equine “pollution.” In 1894, a British newspaper predicted that the streets of London would be covered with 9 feet of the stuff by 1950. But then something unexpected happened: cars. Gradually, the threat of an excremental apocalypse waned. I present this story as an example of what I expect for you in 2016: a pressing dilemma that will gradually dissolve because of the arrival of a factor you can’t imagine yet.

Frederick the Great was King of Prussia from 1740 to 1786. He was also an Aquarius who sometimes experimented with eccentric ideas. When he brewed his coffee, for example, he used Champagne instead of water. Once the hot elixir was ready to drink, he mixed in a dash of powdered mustard. In light of the astrological omens, I suspect that Frederick’s exotic blend might be an apt symbol for your life in 2016: a vigorous, rich, complex synthesis of Champagne, coffee and mustard. (P.S. He testified that “Champagne carries happiness to the brain.”)

CANCER

SCORPIO

PISCES

June 21-July 22

Oct. 23-Nov. 21

Feb. 19-March 20

Be alert for an abundance of interesting lessons in 2016. You will be offered teachings about a variety of practical subjects, including how to take care of yourself really well, how to live the life you want to live, and how to build the connections that serve your dreams. If you are even moderately responsive to the prompts and nudges that come your way, you will become smarter than you thought possible. So just imagine how savvy you’ll be if you ardently embrace your educational opportunities. (Please note that some of these opportunities may be partially in disguise.)

The longest river in the world flows through eastern Africa: the Nile. It originates below the equator and empties into the Mediterranean Sea. Although its current flows north, its prevailing winds blow south. That’s why sailors have found it easily navigable for thousands of years. They can either go with the flow of the water or use sails to harness the power of the breeze. I propose that we make the Nile your official metaphor in 2016, Scorpio. You need versatile resources that enable you to come and go as you please—that are flexible in supporting your efforts to go where you want and when you want.

My Piscean acquaintance Arturo plays the piano as well as anyone I’ve heard. He tells me that he can produce 150 different sounds from any single key. Using the foot pedals accounts for some of the variation. How he touches a key is an even more important factor. It can be percussive, fluidic, staccato, relaxed, lively and many other moods. I invite you to cultivate a similar approach to your unique skills in 2016. Expand and deepen your ability to draw out the best in them. Learn how to be even more expressive with the powers you already possess.

December 31, 2015-January 6, 2016 LasVegasWeekly.com

photograPh by corlene byrd

The BackStory

souvenir shop | LAS VEGAS STRIP | DECEMBER 20, 2015 | 9:32 P.M. When three question marks ask about your hunger, the only answer is a magnetic burger with a side of fries growing off the bun like a goiter. You see a lot of weird sh*t in the windows of Vegas souvenir shops, but a life-size hot dog shining under a sensual, uninterrupted squirt of mustard and a perfect relish mosaic? It’s much more wonderful than a shot glass or a key chain or a onesie that says “I’m what happened in Vegas.” And yet, the “Hungry???” becomes so unforgivably mocking when you think about that scoop of strawberry never melting on your tongue. At least, not without a blowtorch. –Erin Ryan