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THE MUSIC OF MANILOW STARRING MARK O’TOOLE GREEN VALLEY ★ AUGUST 5
NASHVILLE UNPLUGGED – HALL OF FAME WITH DANNY MYRICK & REGGIE HAMM SUNSET ★ AUGUST 5
DENNIS WISE KING FOR A NIGHT SANTA FE ★ AUGUST 13
LOS LONELY BOYS BOULDER ★ SEPTEMBER 3
38 SPECIAL & MARSHALL TUCKER BAND SUNSET ★ SEPTEMBER 9
PETER CETERA SUNSET ★ SEPTEMBER 16
SAMMY KERSHAW BOULDER ★ SEPTEMBER 17
OTTMAR LIEBERT SUNSET ★ SEPTEMBER 24
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BOULDER BLUES
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in the railhead
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2 THOUSANDS OF NEW JOBS & REVENUE: THOUSANDS OF NEW REVENUE: Regulating and taxing marijuana will JOBS create over & 6,000 new jobs in our state and will pump one billion dollars intoover the local annually. Regulating and over taxing marijuana will create 6,000economy new jobs in our state and will pump over one billion dollars into the local economy annually.
Removing Drug Cartels and the Criminal Market: Marijuana be Cartels produced and to adults by Removingwill Drug and thesold Criminal Market: legal marijuana out Marijuana will beestablishments, produced and taking sold tosales adults bythe hands of Mexican drug cartels and violent gangs. legal marijuana establishments, taking sales out the The licensed, taxpaying Nevadaand businesses will be hands of Mexican drug cartels violent gangs. required to comply withNevada stringent regulations. The licensed, taxpaying businesses will be
More Effective Law Enforcement: Forcing police to direct their attention to marijuana More Effective Law Enforcement: Forcing is not making ourtheir communities By making police to direct attentionsafer. to marijuana is the limited possession of marijuana legal for not making our communities safer. By making adults in Nevada, we will law enforcement the limited possession of allow marijuana legal for to focus on more serious and violent crimes. adults in Nevada, we will allow law enforcement
required to comply with stringent regulations.
to focus on more serious and violent crimes.
FOR JOBS, FOR SAFETY, FOR US. FOR JOBS, FOR SAFETY, FOR US. YES ON QUESTION 2: REGULATE MARIJUANA LIKE ALCOHOL YES ON QUESTION 2: REGULATE MARIJUANA LIKE ALCOHOL TO LEARN MORE: WWW.REGULATEMARIJUANAINNEVADA.ORG INFO@REGULATENEVADA.ORG TO LEARN MORE: WWW.REGULATEMARIJUANAINNEVADA.ORG INFO@REGULATENEVADA.ORG Paid for by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol. Paid for by the Coalition to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol.
06 las vegas weekly 0 7. 28 . 1 6
30 Sat., 8 p.m
THE TRACK AT THE BEAT The Best Local Feature winner at this year’s Las Vegas Film Festival is a drama about the unlikely friendship between a middle-aged woman and a teenage prostitute in Las Vegas. Cast and crew will be on hand for a screening to benefit antihuman trafficking organization the Embracing Project. Free, donations welcome. –Josh Bell
29
30 & July 31
HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD BOOK RELEASE The boy wizard is now a dad in a new London stage production. Grab its hardcover/ digital script at the midnightcountdown book release parties at all Zia Record Exchange (9 p.m.) and Barnes & Noble (8 p.m.) locations, the latter also hosting events on Sunday (doors at 9 a.m.). Free. –Mike Prevatt
Friday, 10 p.m.
LESLIE JONES AT THE MIRAGE Leslie Jones has made audiences laugh since 2014, first as a writer for Saturday Night Live, then as a cast member. But it’s her role as the indelible Patty Tolan in the recent reboot of Ghostbusters that set social media ablaze. It’s no huge surprise that Jones, a famous comedian and actress working in the age of the no-holds-barred Internet, has been a target of Twitter trolls. But no one could’ve imagined the racist backlash she’s received for her participation in Ghostbusters. Three days after the film’s release, Jones wasn’t celebrating a successful opening weekend, but reporting and retweeting hundreds of racist tweets. “I feel like I’m in a personal hell. I didn’t do anything to deserve this. It’s just too much. It shouldn’t be like this. So hurt right now,” she posted on July 18. “I leave Twitter tonight with tears and a very sad heart. All this ’cause I did a movie. You can hate the movie but the sh*t I got today ... wrong.” Jones got serious in highlighting Twitter’s allowance of racism, hate speech and bullying on its platform, but she’s still the same funny-as-hell performer who routinely leaves us in stitches. Since returning to Twitter, the comedian has been devoting equal time to live-tweeting about sexy baseball players while continuing the dialogue about harassment on social media. For that, we’re even more excited to see what she does onstage. $44-$66. –Leslie Ventura
Thru September 9
CHRISTOPHER JONES’ USUS GLORIA AT COUNTY GOVERNMENT CENTER Lost dogs, garage sales, political signs, DIY advertisements, business handbills and corporate proclamations offering promises and rewards, great customer service and anything else that will get you in a door. According to artist Christopher Jones, that’s the stuff we see peripherally in different ways, or more importantly, “messages we actually ignore on three different levels.” In Usus, Gloria at the Clark County Government Center Rotunda Gallery, Jones takes the rhythmic mantra of the streets, layers it on a towering, 10-foot cylindrical sculpture and encourages visitors to add to, tear from or spin (like a prayer wheel) the three segments, each level representing “different inadvertent subversions of consciousness.” Here, the repurposed materials—the evolving literature, graphics and familiar ephemera —go from ignored to noticed. Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; free. –Kristen Peterson
07 LAS VEGAS WEEKLY 0 7. 28 . 1 6
Trust Us E V E R Y T H I N G Y O U A B S O L U T E LY, P O S I T I V E LY MUST GET OUT AND DO THIS WEEK
The baddest of the Ghostbusters brings her comedy act to the Mirage on Friday night. (Courtesy)
LVWEEKLY .COM/FIX
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29 FRIDAY, 7:30 P.M.
29 FRIDAY, 1-3 P.M.
ANDERSON .PAAK & THE FREE NATIONALS AT HOUSE OF BLUES
GRINGO BANDITO CHRONIC TACOS EATING CONTEST AT THE PALMS
After guesting on six tracks on Dr. Dre’s Compton last year, the fast-rising Paak dropped his own 60-minute party in January, the funky, soulful and consistently interesting Malibu. Hear what happens when the singer/rapper and his crack band bring it to life onstage. With Pomo, Duckwrth; $20. –Spencer Patterson
Gringo Bandito, the hot sauce created by the Offspring’s Dexter Holland, and Chronic Tacos team up again for a taco party during Ditch Fridays at the Palms Pool. Takeru Kobayashi will compete, and he can eat more tacos than you— 150 in 10 minutes, as he proved last year. $10-$20. –Brock Radke
08 LAS VEGAS WEEKLY 0 7. 28 . 1 6
RIDING THE CURRENT
the inter W H E R E
I D E A S
The City of Las Vegas gets pop-social to stay connected BY KRISTEN PETERSON
I
n June, the City of Las Vegas celebrated its 100,000th Twitter follower by participating in Justin Timberlake’s “Can’t Stop the Feeling” dance and lip-sync challenge. The video—which shows city employees and local residents shaking it to the song from the animated film Trolls—tallied more than 70,000 views and 1,100 shares on Facebook, a small triumph for city officials hoping to engage the community through social media. Local governments here and elsewhere are trying to stay relevant and connected with broad audiences. Thus, the City of Las Vegas public information department getting funky with sanitation workers and firefighters. But that’s not all. The city’s video shorts about community centers, free parking, floods and other topics play on its social media platforms via Daily Dose segments, which offer entertainment and news Mondays through Thursdays. The Daily Dose has drawn more than 185,000 views since its launch in February, among 1.5 million views the city’s Facebook page notched over the past year. “The end goal is to engage the viewer,” city social media manager Jennifer Davies says. “In today’s world, media realms are shrinking. There are so many things happening. We’re only limited by our own creativity.” When a Gillette commercial referred to Downtown Las Vegas as “cheap,” the city responded with its own hilarious ad—locals sharing what they’d prefer over a Gillette razor, including going to the Writer’s Block and eating a Homer at the new Donut Bar, ultimately summing up that, “Downtown Las Vegas is funner, betterer and more comfortabler than Gillette razors.” “The Mayor wanted to respond,” Davies says. “Before social media, we would have called a press conference to address this.”
HASHTAG A GO GO SOME OF OUR FAVORITE VEGAS-RELATED SOCIAL MEDIA LABELS
#WhatHappensHereStaysHere: Just when the 2003 marketing phrase appeared to be on the wane, it saw new life as a hashtag. Also see: #WhatHappensInVegasStaysInVegas and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authorityshortened #WHHSH. #bottlerats: These VIP service-moochers might not be exclusive to Las Vegas, but the Strip dominates this tag. #vegasmeansbusiness: Another LVCVA creation, it aims to lure industry leaders and
conventions to Sin City. #vegaslife: Whether it’s tourists revelling in their escape or locals keeping it real, this label covers the wide spectrum of Vegas experiences. #vegasbound: They’re excited to be coming. And we’re excited to take their money. #pokemongolasvegas: A new favorite. Also see: @PokemonGoLAS. #poolparty: See #bottlerats. #vegasishockey: Clearly, we’re YAAASSSS for hockey. Meanwhile, a search for #vegasisfootball yields zero results. Maybe #stayinOakland, #RaiderFam. –Mike Prevatt
rsection A ND L IF E M E ET
09 LAS VEGAS WEEKLY 0 7. 28 . 1 6
TUNES WITHOUT TACT Dan Reynolds joins in the “Don’t Use Our Song” political protest
+
1 BIG PHOTO
Wild burros roam around Spring Mountain Ranch. (Corlene Byrd/Staff)
SHRUNKEN FOR POSTERITY Frank Marino’s name has been in lights all around Las Vegas for three decades now, so it might be natural for the iconic drag performer to get a big head. Sunday night he received the exact opposite when the Golden Tiki unveiled his shrunken-head replica. The knick-knack, which took four weeks to complete, was fashioned in honor of the bar’s first anniversary and is now on display in the kitschy nightspot’s “cabinet of curiosities.” “I’ve been here for 30 years and they’ve given me a street, a star and now a little head,” Marino says. –Mark Adams
BY JOHN KATSILOMETES
Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons has taken part in an all-star song that mixes parody and protest. “Don’t Use Our Song” serves as a warning to presidential candidates—Donald Trump, chiefly—to stop using music in campaign rallies and commercials without authorization. The video premiered on the HBO series Last Week Tonight With John Oliver. The frontman for the Vegas-based Dragons appears with Cyndi Lauper, Usher, John Mellencamp, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, Michael Bolton, and Heart’s Ann and Nancy Wilson. Lyrically, Reynolds states, “Don’t use your song; it just seems wrong,” “Why would Reagan be playing ‘Born in the U.S.A.?’” and, “Just to be clearer, you can’t use this song, either.” The unauthorized use of music dates back several presidential campaigns. Bruce Springsteen called out Ronald Reagan in the ’84 race for playing “Born in the U.S.A.,” a song about disaffected veterans of the Vietnam War, during Reagan’s rallies. In 2012, Lauper complained when a leftleaning group used “True Colors” to attack Mitt Romney in an online ad. More recently, and more aggressively, Trump and his supporters have cherry-picked classic rock and R&B numbers without the consent of the artists who composed and wrote them. During and after last week’s Republican National Convention, acts like Queen (“We Are the Champions”), The Rolling Stones (“You Can’t Always Get What You Want”) and Earth Wind & Fire (“September”) all ripped Trump for unlicensed use of their music. The estate of George Harrison also reminded fans that The Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun,” written by Harrison, was used without permission. During Sunday’s broadcast, Oliver joked that Trump’s use of “We Are the Champions” likely led to the second death of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury. Trump’s use of R.E.M.’s “It’s the End of the World,” drew a succinct response from Michael Stipe: “Go f*ck yourself.” These artists, and those who contributed to “Don’t Use Our Song,” have simply had it. As Usher sings in the video, “Don’t use our song, ’cause you’ll use it wrong.” Catch it on YouTube; it should be a big hit.
10
LAS VEGAS WEEKLY 0 7. 28 . 1 6
the intersection
W H E R E
I D E A S
A N D
L I F E
M E E T
WATER WINGS + A
BY MARK ADAMS
A tourist looks on, waving as I guide the gondola toward the Ponte di Rialto, the morning sun illuminating Doge’s Palace behind me. “Buon giorno!” I shout, smiling wide and taking a break from directing the barge to reciprocate a stranger’s friendly gesture. In a red-and-white-striped shirt and straw hat adorned with a long ribbon, I certainly look the part. But aside from simple greetings, I don’t speak a lick of Italian, and I just stepped foot onto a gondola for the first time about 20 minutes ago. I’m on the Strip at the Venetian, which recently began offering tourists and locals the opportunity to pilot and perform for a day through its Gondola University program. After I change into stripes, my journey to gondolier certification begins with a crash course on the history of Venice and the centuries-old profession. A quick video informs us that these watercraft were once the most common mode of transportation in the City of Canals, that it used to take a decade to become a gondolier, and that Venetian blinds originated on the gondola when the boats had small cabins called felze. Who knew? Tino, short for Constantino, knew. He’s our professor of sorts. He continues class with a tour of the property, imparting info about the Italian monuments replicated here (the St. Mark’s Campanile bell tower collapsed in the 1900s) and providing other fun nuggets. (About those felze ... the Pope totally has a badass, bulletproof one.) After Tino gives us a quick ride around the canals, showing the three main strokes used to pilot the boat and serenading us in Italian—resort gondoliers are required to know eight songs—it’s our turn to take command of the oar, er, remo. “It’s all about the finesse,” he says. “You’re going too fast.” I slow down and get the hang of it, but then I get a little cocky and attempt a rendition of “O Sole Mio.” I can tell from Tino’s laughter that I’ve butchered a classic, and soon our gondola is headed toward the dock, just missing one of the striped mooring poles. Despite the near-collision, Tino gives me a pass, and it’s soon time for the sash and scarf ceremony, which also concludes the three-week training each resort gondolier completes. The “graduation” comes complete with certificates and ceremonial Italian names. I definitely still need to work on my Italian, but Piero Adams has a nice ring to it.
GONDOLA UNIVERSITY Daily, 8-10 a.m., $199. Venetian, 702-607-3982.
Mark Adams (holding oar) is ready to serenade on the Venetian’s canals. (Yasmina Chavez/Staff)
NEW SINGLE FAMILY HOMES IN LAS VEGAS
MODEL GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION!
Join us Saturday, July 30th from 11 a.m to 2 p.m. for some refreshing fun as we celebrate the opening of the model homes. Cool homes, cool prices, cool treats. This is kind of a cool deal, and you won’t want to miss it!
Approx. 1,590-2,117 Sq.Ft. / 3 to 4 Bedrooms / 2.5 to 3 Baths 2-Space Garages / Excellent location adjacent to Summerlin
Model Tours Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream Truck Ice Cold Lemonade Cool Tunes Games Grand Prize - Wet & Wild Family Pass! Giveaways
Attainable prices that begin from the $230’s 5125 Fiery Sky Ridge Street, Las Vegas, NV 89148 (S. Hualapai Way and W. Reno Ave.)
Warmington Residential is part of the Warmington group of companies. The first Warmington company was established in 1926. Square footages are approximate only. Details may vary considerably and are subject to change without notice. Prices effective date of publication and subject to change without notice. Models depicted do not reflect racial preference. 07.22.16
HomesByWarmington.com | 877.930.5599
T:9.375”
T:5.3125”
©2016 Cox Communications, Inc. All rights reserved. Available in select Cox service areas. Actual speeds may vary. Other restrictions may apply. See cox.com for more information.
12
las vegas weekly 0 7. 28 . 1 6
By Stacy J. Willis | PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIKAYLA WHITMORE
13
Clark Pero and his wife, Anne, have a lot of little things to share.
Miniature man Clark Pero has turned his home into a personal nostalgia museum—and now he’s ready to share it
las vegas weekly 0 7. 28 . 1 6
atman and Robin showed up for Clark Pero’s 10th birthday in Chicago—on his TV, in the form of the 1966 series debut of the ABC TV show. “I was having my birthday and the first episode came on TV, and I said, ‘Oooo-weee! This is great!’ I felt like it was so special. I felt like it was meant for me,” Pero says. Fifty years later, his suburban Henderson house is filled—virtually every room—with collectibles and handmade miniatures, all of which he says are influenced by a love of pop culture that started in his childhood. “I am a baby boomer, and I’m cursed with a good memory,” Pero, husband and father of two adult children, says. The hobby began during a stint in the Army and moved with him to Chicago, Hawaii and finally Nevada, sharing the past 18 years of his life with his career in gaming. Entering Pero’s house is like walking into a miniature theme park, a history museum and a toy store all at once. Right inside the front door you’ll see the collectible dolls he calls “the Idols” in a glass case: JFK, Jackie O, Marilyn Monroe and Michelle Obama. They stand on a base he made from a giant yard planter, turned over, painted. Nearby are Cher and Shirley Temple, and on the coffee table in front of the living room sofa Barack Obama and another version of the First Lady. Some are limited-edition 16-inch Danbury Mint Collectibles, but others in the overflowing home are vintage Mattel or Disney toys. Pero is a thin, thoughtful, bespectacled man with a calm presence. He walks through the house describing hundreds of items in their cultural context. He’s the kind of guy you wish you had anchoring your team on trivia night at the bar. His collection of pop-culture relics and detailed miniatures sprawls across walls, shelves, tables and even the garage. Upstairs, there’s a media room (with a popcorn machine), featuring decades of TV and movie history artifacts like a small 3D scene from The Munsters 1960s TV show (assembled and hand-painted by Pero) and the 1966 Batman characters. The big-screen TV is surrounded by a who’s who of entertainment personality dolls, posters and dioramas: Popeye, Jaws, Rugrats, Tony the Tiger, Mini-Me, Lost in Space characters. “I just enjoy all of it,” he says. And the crown jewel of “it” is his town. “Peroville,” founded in 1980, occupies an 8-by-12-foot platform in his house where a family
room might otherwise be, off of the kitchen. It’s a miniature civilization, complete with scads of tiny, hand-painted people—each about a centimeter tall and in varying positions; dozens of cars—some well-known four-wheeled personalities like Herbie the Love Bug and the car from Beverly Hills Cop; buildings, houses, roads, trees, functioning lights and even clouds and a plane hanging from the ceiling overhead. There’s a KFC, a McDonald’s, a church, bridges, schools, a hospital, a carousel—an entire miniature city. Sprinkled throughout are clever re-creations of scenes from some of Pero’s favorite movies, such as the bloody car crash from 1967’s Hot Rod to Hell (Pero placed a flipped-over Corvette, then added hand-painted, bloodied bodies all around). Norman Bates’ mom’s house sits inconspicuously up on a hill. Other scenes are straight from Pero’s imagination: people getting married, people picnicking, people shopping, people dancing. The town has electric slot cars, an electric Amtrak train rolling through town, several tiny dogs, a Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas sign, a swimming pool. And tiny laundry hanging on a tiny clothesline behind an apartment. “It’s always under construction,” he says. “When I have an idea in mind, I just start digging into it. I’ll be up at 2 or 3 a.m. still doing it.” Sometimes he even dreams about it. Sometimes he dreams he’s in it, and it’s life-size, and he’s living in the neighborhood he built with houses for various family members. But sometimes, he has nightmares that the whole town fell. ”I run downstairs to see if it’s okay!” Fortunately, the town has suffered only minor knocks over the years; neither kids nor cats have done major damage. Over the years, his wife developed an interest in creating the scenes, too, and now their goal is to show it and some of their collectibles to more people and perhaps even build similar scenes for others. “I would like to bring it out and share it,” Pero says. “It’s family oriented, and I think people would like to see it. … Ideally, I’d show it at a casino or a hobby shop storefront or something like that. … I’d like to do a show for Christmas.” So what’s Clark Pero’s favorite item from the house of a million joys? “Hmm ... My single favorite thing is that Batman collection. The 1966 characters. That came out on my birthday, and I wanted those so bad. Now I pretty much have everything I’ve sought, and I’m ready to share them and build things for other people.”
SILVERTON’S ANNUAL
Saturday, August 13 • 6–9pm Enjoy appetizers, international wines and entertainment while supporting a good cause.
45
$
50 Day Of Event $
PRESALE
• • • • •
FEATURING: World Class Wines Silent Auction DJ Hors d’oeuvres Souvenir Glass
P AV I L I O N
Purchase tickets at the Silverton Box Office by calling 702.263.7777 or online at silvertoncasino.com
I-15 & BLUE DIAMOND RD. • 702.263.7777 • SILVERTONCASINO.COM
{
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O N S A L E F R I D AY
CHASE RICE - DECEMBER 5
LADY ANTEBELLUM - DECEMBER 7
RODEO WEEK
CHASE RICE, LADY ANTEBELLUM, DWIGHT YOAKAM, AND JUSTIN MOORE DWIGHT YOAKAM - DECEMBER 8
JUSTIN MOORE - DECEMBER 9
STEVE MILLER BAND
H UNTER HAYES WI TH CASSAD EE P O PE
AUGUST 12 TH E CH EL S EA
AU GU ST 6 T HE C HE LSE A
TH E C HE L SE A
LYN YR D S K YN YR D & P E TE R F R A MPTO N AUG UST 1 9 T H E CH E LSE A
O N S A L E F R I D AY
HARTBE AT W EEK EN D
KEVIN HART & FRIENDS COMEDY ALL-STARS S EPT E M B E R 2 T HE C HE LSE A
FA C E B O O K : T H E C O S M O P O L I TA N T W I T T E R : @ C O S M O P O L I TA N _ LV I N S TA G R A M : @ C O S M O P O L I TA N _ LV S N A P C H AT: C O S M O P O L I TA N LV
ME X ICA N I N D E P E N D E N C E DAY W E E K E N D
GLORIA TREVI
S EPTEMB ER 17 TH E CH EL S EA
T I C K E T S O N - S A L E N O W AT C O S M O P O L I TA N L A S V E G A S .C O M A LL SHOWS ARE AL L AGES UNL ESS OTH ERWISE INDICATED . MA NAGEMENT RESERVES AL L RIGH TS. SUBJECT TO CH ANGE WITH OUT NOTICE. © 2016 TH E COSM O P O L ITAN O F L AS VEGAS. AL L RIGH TS RESERVED.
THE 1975 O CTO B E R 1 9 B O ULE VA R D P O O L
T H E C O S M O P O L I TA N C O N C E R T S E R I E S O F F I C I A L PA R T N E R S : *Please enjoy Bud Light and Ketel One responsibly
16 Cover story WEEKLY | 07.28.16
By Jim Begley portrait by Mikayla Whitmore
NAKED CITY TAVERN 6295 S. Pecos Road, 702-766-0991. 24/7.
17
Y
Cover story WEEKLY | 07.28.16
ou’ve never imagined eating a foieco. It’s a foie gras and duck confit taco with a drizzle of sea urchin, but now that you know it exists, you’ll need to eat it. You certainly wouldn’t imagine eating a foieco in a video poker bar out past the airport, and yet the brand-new Naked City Tavern on Pecos Road is the only place to get one, far from the fancy
fine food of the Strip or any hip, gourmet suburban enclave. But if you know Naked City food—Chris Palmeri food—you’re not surprised. You’re excited. Sharp Vegas foodies know Palmeri is the man. The unassuming chef and restaurateur has achieved more than critical acclaim for low-brow cuisine; four years ago, a single TV appearance brought his food international notoriety. Now, with Naked City Tavern, the time has come to truly pull back the curtain on this uncompromising, masterful chef.
Guinea Pie (L.E. Baskow/Staff)
I
n 2003, Palmeri was executive chef at the Brierwood Country Club just outside his hometown of Buffalo, New York. “I had kind of plateaued at 22 years old,” he says. He was afraid of maybe never leaving town, “and I hate snow.” Exploration landed him at MGM Grand as a sous chef at the soon-to-be-opened Diego Mexican restaurant. He packed up his Chevy Cavalier and drove across the country to begin a chapter in Las Vegas. Not long after taking the job, Palmeri moved up to become the youngest executive chef on the Strip at the time, working with celebrity chef Rick Bayless on Diego’s menu. The restaurant became a success, but corporate life proved to be a bad fit for Palmeri, who was spending more time behind a desk than in the kitchen. He jumped into high-end food distribution in 2008 but yearned for something else. After scrounging up $500, Palmeri opened a cart serving Sabrett “dirty water” hot dogs outside Dino’s Downtown for the weekend karaoke crowd. Guinea Pigs wasn’t an ordinary hot dog cart—Palmeri’s hallmark everything-fresh-from-scratch approach was born there, applied to cheese sauce, chili and caramelized onions. “If I had an oven, I would’ve probably baked the buns, too,” he recalls. Palmeri’s friendship with Dino’s owner Kristin Bartolo led to him taking over the former smoothie shop next door and converting it into a sandwich shop. That’s another Palmeri hallmark: making use of nontraditional spaces. “I
work with chefs who are willing to create solutions and be in a tight situation. He’s definitely one,” says Jolene Mannina, who heads Relish consulting and event company. “If the power fails, he’ll still find a way. He’s got that drive and motivation.” Palmeri drew from neighborhood history for the sandwich shop’s name—the area was dubbed Naked City for the showgirls who once sunbathed in the buff at apartment pools. But the business itself was a mess. Palmeri met Bobby McKinney, owner of Moon Doggies Bar on Arville, who was looking to fill his vacant kitchen. Palmeri had brainstormed a pizzeria highlighting the thick-crusted style of his hometown, so Naked City sandwiches morphed into Naked City Pizza, another delicious struggle. “I was working literally every day for eight months straight without a day off and without paying myself,” Palmeri says. “We were scraping by. Some days we’d make 100 pizzas, but then others we’d serve 10.”
T
elevision saved the day for Palmeri. He was in the habit of not answering the phone (“Nine times out of 10 they’re trying to sell me something, or I owe them money”). But he took the call that counted, from a Food Network Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives scout.
Guy Fieri’s popular production came to film in January 2012, shutting down Naked City Pizza Shop for a two-day shoot. But even with a ticket to Flavortown, it wasn’t clear how long Palmeri could last. “The five months between filming and airing were tough,” he says. “The next day we had a line. Boom, like that—it was overnight. Four years later, with another location, I still have people coming in all the time saying they saw us on the show. I was this close to going out of business, and now we have 60 people working for us. I hit the restaurant lottery.” A second pizzashop location on Paradise Road afforded him the opportunity to expand the menu, though another venture—the short-lived Desnudo Tacos— never found an audience. Then eight months ago, McKinney came to Palmeri with another spot, the recently shuttered Blind Tiger on Pecos. “This place is what I’ve always wanted,” the 35-year-old Palmeri says. “Gaming will afford me the cushion to not have to do 500 covers a day from day one, and also to do the cool sh*t I’ve been wanting to do forever, which has been sprinkled in through specials.” Naked City Tavern has added a late-night menu featuring dishes like
bacon risotto, maple porchetta and “hot mamas,” Palmeri’s Italian take on the croque madame. Rotating lunch and dinner menus will highlight seasonal ingredients and anything else he cares to cook. “He’s been passionate about food since he was a kid,” says Chris’ younger brother Michael, now in Vegas to help run the business. “At a young age he was proven and had a job that he walked away from to do his own thing. Now he’s back up to the same level he was at before, maybe even more successful.” Palmeri has shown restraint on the tavern’s inaugural menu. Ahi tuna crudo is adorned with fennel pollen, pickled blueberries and a dash of Calabrian chile oil. Smoky grilled zucchini is finished with a sublime radish-top pesto and decorated with charred heirloom cherry tomatoes and toasted sesame seeds. Less subdued are fig-slathered crostini topped with duck prosciutto and pickled ramps. A bacon candle burns on a metal tray, melting away in a meaty play on oil and vinegar, mingling with balsamic in a dish as creative and interactive as any in town. And then there’s the foieco, about as subtle as a monster truck. A house-made corn tortilla swaddles duck breast confit and seared foie with diced radish and micro cilantro. A little lime arrives on the side, and the taco itself is finished with uni crema. It’s a decadent dream, spotlighting what Chris Palmeri wants to accomplish at Naked City Tavern. “This is 17 years in the making,” he says. “If I’m lucky, it’s the beginning of another 17.”
F R I
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CA LVI N SAT
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F R I
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TUE
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AUG
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VIP
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about us
g r e e n s p u n m e d i a
g r o u p
Associate Publisher Mark De Pooter (mark.depooter@gmgvegas.com) Industry Weekly Editor Brock Radke (brock.radke@gmgvegas.com) Industry Weekly Writer Leslie Ventura (leslie.ventura@gmgvegas.com) Contributors Mark Adams, Sarah Feldberg, Rosalie Spear Associate Creative Director Liz Brown (liz.brown@gmgvegas.com) Designers Corlene Byrd, Jon Estrada Circulation Director Ron Gannon Art Director of Advertising and Marketing Services Sean Rademacher CEO, Publisher & Editor Brian Greenspun Chief Operating Officer Robert Cauthorn Group Publisher Gordon Prouty Managing Editor Ric Anderson Las Vegas Weekly Editor Spencer Patterson 2275 Corporate Circle, Suite 300 Henderson, NV 89074
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big this week
THE CHAI NS MOKER S
29 fri
As this DJ duo continues to skyrocket up the charts, catching the pair in the intimate confines of Jewel becomes an even more treasured experience.
29 fri
tiësto
30 sat
XS
Don’t deny your head exploded when you first heard his Suicide Squad soundtrack collabo with Rick Ross, “Purple Lamborghini.”
HAKKASAN
The EDM world is all abuzz after Tiësto’s genre-bending Tomorrowland set in Belgium. Catch the magic at Hakkasan.
MART IN G ARRIX
sat
SKR IL L E X
30
OMNIA
He’s back at Omnia this weekend, but the 20-year-old Garrix has been kicking it lately with a certain 22-year-old Canadian pop star. Is a Garrix-Biebs joint on the way?
The Chainsmokers by Al Powers; Skrillex by Karl Larson; TiËsto by Al Powers; Martin Garrix and Hardwell by Aaron Garcia
JEWEL
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31
29
CLAU DE VO NST RO K E
WET REPUBLIC
This Dutch DJ earned extra nerd points this month when he closed the Ultra Europe fest with the Pokémon theme song. How might that go over Sunday at Wet Republic?
fri
hakkasan
W&W
DJ KAR MA
jewel
omnia
01 mon
xs
02 liquid
FRANK RE MPE
CALVI N HAR R I S
FLOSSTR ADAMUS tue
xs
DIPLO
wet republic
STEVE AOKI
CALVIN H ARRIS
A L E SS O
N I NA S KY
hyde
KAS KADE
encore beach club
sky beach club
daylight
B ASSJACKER S
encore beach club
ALU NAG E O RG E light
31
The underground continues to gain ground on the Strip with Claude VonStroke bringing his Birdhouse party to Sundown at Daylight.
30
TO N Y AR ZADO N
sun
31
intrigue
ZE DD
D AY L I G H T
sat
1 oak
S COT T DIS I CK
encore beach club
sun
sun
HA RDW E L L
omnia
OLI VER HELDENS
03 wed
surrender
SKR I LLEX
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architect
I M A G I N A T I O N
R U L E S A l a n a d r e a m s
u p
L i t a v i s f u n
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lana Litavis was made for Las Vegas. As soon as she was old enough to land a job here, she knew this was where she wanted to be.
P h o t o g r a p h b y A n t h o n y Ma i r
“When I was in college, there was no question I had to come here,” she says. “I was so enamored with living here … there was something about the energy and the mystery. I was like, I have to be a part of that.” Litavis has been at the Palms resort for seven years. In her current role as vice president of brand marketing, she’s dreamed up the wildest and flashiest campaigns for the indoor day-bash GBDC and the summertime pool staple Ditch Fridays. “It’s my absolute favorite part of my job, because I start digging through the Internet and social media, looking at things to get inspiration. It’s not unusual to come into my office and see a million different pieces of paper taped up everywhere,” she says. “I’ve been very lucky to have a lot of freedom here. So whatever comes out of
f o r
Pa l m s
my crazy imagination, this is what we’re doing.” Litavis says she’s inspired by Harajuku fashion (so much so that she went to Japan last year), street style and, of course, Instagram. “Social media has really changed the way I search for inspiration, because you get on and you go down the rabbit hole. Everyone’s being inspired by different people.” Drawing inspiration from brands like Wildfox and Gucci, she says her goal is to keep things funky, fresh, over the top and sexy. If you’ve chugged beer from a pink flamingo at GBDC, you can thank Litavis for it. “It’s always a challenge,” she says. “The funkier and weirder the better.” –Leslie Ventura
AUGUST 27
A FLOCK OF SEAGULLS • WANG CHUNG CUTTING CREW • BERLIN TOMMY TUTONE • NU SHOOZ ANNABELLA’S BOW WOW WOW
OCTOBER 1 – 2
FARRINGTON + MANN THE ORIGINAL WHEN IN ROME UK
ON SALE JULY 29
PRESENTED BY
Mandalay Bay Ticket Office 702.632.7580 mandalaybay.com |
800.745.3000 ticketmaster.com
SEPTEMBER 10
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JULY 30
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ON SALE NOW
INDUSTRY THURSDAYS
YELLOW CLAW
THURSDAY, JULY 28
ALUNAGEORGE FRIDAY, JULY 29
N I G H T C L U B
A T
E B C AT N I G H T
THURSDAY, JULY 28
FRIDAY, JULY 29
R E S E R V A T I O N S
A-TRAK
7 0 2 . 7 7 0 . 7 3 0 0
SATURDAY, JULY 30
E N C O R E
E B C AT N I G H T
SKRILLEX
DJ KONFLIKT
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RL GRIME
SATURDAY, JULY 30
W Y N N L A S V E G A S . C O M
ZEDD
KASKADE
FRIDAY, JULY 29
SKRILLEX
FRIDAY, JULY 29
F O R
T I C K E T S
SATURDAY, JULY 30
ZEDD
M O R E
SUNDAY, JULY 31
NIGHTSWIM
SATURDAY, JULY 30
A N D
ALESSO
DIPLO
SUNDAY, JULY 31
I N F O R M A T I O N
V I S I T
NIGHTSWIM
FLOSSTRADAMUS
MONDAY, AUGUST 1
I N D U S T R Y
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H a kkasa n k i m kar das h i an W E st
july 22
Photographs by Denise Truscello/Wire Image
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m u s i c , A l e s s o ’ s E B C
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y o u r
h e a d
B U I L T
L A S T
There’s a reason Alesso’s tracks seem to resonate and hang around a lot longer than your average electronic dance music hit. Whether it’s an anthemic smash like the inescapable “Heroes (We Could Be)” from his 2015 debut album Forever or a chilled-out summer love song like his current hit “I Wanna Know,” the 25-year-old Swedish sensation always aims for an emotional connection with his music. “I try not to create something that’s popular at the moment. I just try to create something that I think will last,” Alesso told Billboard last year. The Grammy-nominated chart-topper
just released a remix package for “I Wanna Know,” his collaboration with Nico & Vinz, with three distinctly different versions of the track from German DJ Deniz Koyu, Atlanta-based dance duo Halogen and New York City producer Ansolo. The remixes are sure to stretch the single’s lifespan, but new music is expected from Alesso soon; he cut his tour schedule significantly for 2016 in order to deliver a series of releases. And, of course, so he could deliver a dynamic 2016 residency at XS and Encore Beach Club, two dominant night and dayclub venues along the Las Vegas Strip. Alesso kicked off another
explosive year at Wynn and Encore with a New Year’s Eve set at XS, and he hasn’t let up. His high-energy sets and melodic style have proven the perfect complement to an already stacked roster of artists, especially at Encore Beach Club, where he’ll play again Sunday. An outdoor party with Alesso is a rising and falling ride of never-ending excitement, an experience to remember. Alesso at Encore Beach Club, July 31. –Brock Radke
P HOTO G R A P H B Y D A NNY M A HONEY
soundscape
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sacred spaces
C O M F O R T H
F i n d y o u r v i b e a m o n g J e w e l ’ s f i v e
VI P
l u x u r y s k y b o x e s
ow exactly does one choose between the five VIP skyboxes at Jewel?
Perched on the mezzanine level of the stylish Aria nightclub, they all offer unbelievable views of the dancefloor action and shockingly close proximity to the night’s headliner, whether it’s a top-ranked DJ act in the booth like The Chainsmokers, Steve Aoki, Lil Jon or Jauz; or a multifaceted performer like Jason Derulo, Iggy Azalea, Jamie Foxx or Swizz Beatz. It all comes down to personal style. We’ve already spent plenty of time in the Blind Tiger, a relaxing speakeasy-
themed space accessed by a secret doorway disguised as an armoire. Once you pop bottles and dig into its leather, your night is planned. The Studio is a lively room, lined with classic vinyl and retro furnishings. The Gallery is plastered with a thoughtful selection of artwork, a bit of whimsy mixed into a European-style salon. The G.O.A.T. is already popular for its sports-bar flair, a veritable hall of fame guests can make their own. And the Prestige? It’s hard to describe—a jewel within the Jewel, with tufted walls the color of Champagne and a brass-beaded chandelier tinting your view of the party. The Prestige
feels the most exclusive of the suites. But the best thing about Jewel’s skyboxes is the way they aren’t separated from the party. You’re lucky if you get to spend the night in one of these specialty spaces, but each of the five rooms is just an extension of Jewel, another way you and your crew might want to experience the night together. Take your pick. Jewel at Aria, 702590-8000; Monday, Thursday-Saturday 10:30 p.m.-4 a.m. –Brock Radke
P h o t o g r a ph b y I n v i s i o n S t u d i o s / C o u r t e s y
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pa l ms p oo l L as V e gas W e e k ly Ditc h F r i days Photographs by Wade Vandervort
july 22
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evolution
M O D E R N a p p R O A C H I n t r i g u e ’ s a r t i s t s p a r t y
M
usic from the cutting edge. Entertainment including something for everyone. These are things every Las Vegas Strip nightclub claims to offer, and many actually pull it off. But with its recent slate of up-and-coming artists and performers, Intrigue is doing it in a style all its own. In recent weeks, the intimate nightclub at Wynn has seen live performances from pop mega-star Kesha and fresh-faced dance-music diva Nyla, blazing DJ sets from EDM phenomenon Marshmello and a fight-weekend party guided by Conor McGregor. And that’s just the beginning. This weekend brings future-pop duo AlunaGeorge, and August dates are set for singers Parson James, Kiesza and Daya, modern R&B princess Tinashe and pop stud Nick Jonas. “What you’re seeing is the diversification of the club,” Intrigue executive director Pauly Freedman says. “We are listening to what the pop culture is, looking at the people who are making these tracks and the voices on these tracks that are so identifiable.”
AlunaGeorge’s Aluna Francis
p u s h
e d g y t h e
f o r w a r d
By mixing live performances into the entertainment rotation of favorite DJs and celebrity hosts, the club is offering an up-close-andpersonal musical experience for guests while helping just-breaking artists increase their notoriety. “We’ve done a lot of different stuff already at Intrigue, including rebuilding the stage to make it more conducive to live performance,” Freedman says. “A lot of people have fallen in love with the private room in the club, and now even that’s evolved. For our Intrigue Me industry nights, it’s there for locals. “You have to evolve quickly, and that’s what we’re good at—knowing what we have to do to stay with the trends and ahead of them.” Intrigue at Wynn, 702-770-7300; Thursday-Saturday 10:30 p.m.4 a.m. –Brock Radke
WHY TAKE IT TO THE STRIP,
WHEN YOU CAN TAKE IT TO THE EDGE? Open Tuesday – Saturday 5pm - 10pm HAPPY HOUR | $10 Martinis & Appetizers Tuesday through Friday, 5pm - 7pm
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3000 Paradise Road, Las Vegas, NV 89109 • 702.732.5277
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Photographs by Denise Truscello & Tony Tran
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i was there
L I G H T ’ S T hi r d - Y E A R
a n n i v e r sa r y
P h o t o g r a p h S B Y RO B E R T M ORAL E S
P A R T Y
M a n d a l a y B a y , J u l y
2 0
T
hree years ago, Mandalay Bay flipped the switch on longawaited megaclub Light. Reborn after the iconic Bellagio nightclub of the same name closed in 2007, the venue has undergone plenty of changes in its second life. But last week’s anniversary party proved Light shines brighter and bolder than ever. As the dancefloor filled with the fun and fashionable, visuals of goldpainted girls and exploding lightbulbs rotated on the club’s giant, mesmerizing LED screens. Resident DJ and
rising star producer Metro Boomin took the crowd on a high-energy journey, featuring tracks like “Jumpman,” “Low Life,” “3500” and new cuts from his EP Savage Mode. Elbow-to-elbow with partiers, we rode the wave of the raucous celebration into the morning, as Light’s gold-clad dancers presented Metro with a shining, silver cake. Those who were there continued to go hard in the paint alongside Golden State Warriors’ shooting guard Klay Thompson, who joined Metro in the DJ booth, along
with the New York Knicks’ Derrick Rose, the Cleveland Cavaliers’ Tristan Thompson and legendary Chicago Bull Scottie Pippen. As confetti and suds rained down and booming sirens sounded, bottles poured and glasses clinked, all in honor of Light’s three new successful years on the Strip. –Leslie Ventura
DUCK DUCK BOOZE PARTY THU / JUL / 28
L I Q U I D P O O L LV . C O M / 7 0 2 5 9 0 9 9 7 9 / # L I Q U I D LV
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S I M P L E D E C A D E N C E M o r n i n g
o r
l a t e - n i g h t , b r e a k f a s t t h e
I
t’s a cult favorite for a reason: perfectly cooked eggs, locally sourced ingredients and a name that turns heads. Eggslut is food porn at its finest, and now, the LA-born breakfast spot has hatched in Las Vegas.
P HOTOGRA P H B Y J ON ESTRA D A
Compared to most egg joints, the menu at Eggslut is small, yet somehow deciding what to order isn’t any easier. Each sandwich is so good you’ll want to order another right after you’ve devoured the first. Eggslut wins over breakfast lovers with its tantalizing combinations of flavors and textures, and each bite is loaded with simple yet decadent goodness, like the sausage, egg and cheese. That one comes packed with savory house-made turkey sausage, a cage-free over-medium egg, sharp cheddar cheese and creamy honey mustard aioli, all piled high on a sturdy, toasted brioche bun. The real star on this ’wich is the sausage, so big it’s like eating a burger for breakfast.
w o n ’ t s a m e
b e
w i t h
E g g s l u t
You can do that, too. Eggslut’s signature cheeseburger comes stacked with ground Angus beef, an over-medium egg, caramelized onions, bread and butter pickles, cheddar and dijonnaise. You can even order it sans egg, if you’re like that. If you’re a bacon kind of person, they’ve got you covered, too. Like your eggs scrambled? The ever-popular Fairfax sandwich is the way to go. Add avocado for a cool kick. Whatever your order, have your taste buds and iPhone camera ready—and prepare to get hooked. Eggslut at the Cosmopolitan, 702698-7000; Monday, WednesdayFriday 7 a.m.-7 p.m., Tuesday, Saturday & Sunday midnight7 p.m.. –Leslie Ventura
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Tao B e ac h S kam Sat u r days
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july 23
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S C R A T C H I N G T H E
S U R F A C E T h e A l i b i i s h o t
b u s t l i n g
U l t r a a
L o u n g e
c o c k ta i l s p o t ,
A
ria’s swanky Alibi Ultra Lounge has really been bringing the ultra. Perhaps you’ve noticed, when DJs like M!KEATTACK and Eddie McDonald take over and turn up the party Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays; or when Alibi becomes the go-to gobetween with Jewel Nightclub and Herringbone during the weekly industry mega-bash Flawless Mondays. Don’t let all that raging disguise the fact that Alibi is one of the Strip’s stellar cocktail lounges, a place where creative flavors can recalibrate the way you think about the casino bar. As Exhibit A, allow us to present the Rosemary Amaretti, a sweet and savory summer sipper that satisfies while it refreshes. On top of a vodka foundation, this libation blends fresh citrus and rosemary with the almond-kiss of Ama-
t o o
retto, finishing with egg white and aromatic lavender bitters for a dash of luxury. The Rosemary Amaretti is just one signature cocktail from Alibi’s diverse menu, but it’s reason enough for a visit. Pro tip: Since you’re going to be there for Flawless Mondays anyway—when ladies are served free Champagne for two hours starting at 9:30 p.m.—we highly recommend you give it a taste. Alibi Ultra Lounge at Aria, 702-590-9777; daily noon-5 a.m. –Brock Radke
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N c
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OAK
BAN K
7/28 Kid Conrad. 7/29 DJ Que. 7/30 DJ C-L.A. 7/31 DJ Karma. 8/4 Kid Conrad. 8/5 DJ Que. 8/6 DJ Dilemma. 8/7 DJ Karma. Bellagio, Thu-Sun, 702-693-8300.
FOUN DAT ION
d
a
r
J E WE L
7/29 Scott Disick. 7/30 DJ Gusto. Mirage, Wed, Fri-Sat, 702-693-8300. T HE
n
ROOM
7/29 The Chainsmokers. 7/30 Steve Aoki. 8/1 GTA. 8/5 Lil Jon. 8/6 Swizz Beatz. 8/8 Borgeous. 8/12 Jamie Foxx. 8/13 Steve Aoki. Aria, Mon, Thu-Sat, 702-590-8000.
LAX 7/28 DJ R.O.B. 7/29 Eric Forbes. 7/30 DJs Aybsent Mynded & J-Nice. 8/4 DJ R.O.B. 8/5 Cyberkid & Eric Forbes. 8/6 Aybsent Mynded & Scooter. 8/11 DJ R.O.B. 8/12 DJs Cass & J-Nice. 8/13 Cyberkid & DJ Kid-J. Luxor, Thu-Sat, 702-262-4529.
7/29 Enferno. 7/30 DJ D-Miles. 8/5 Joe Maz. 8/6 DJ Kittie. Mandalay Bay, nightly, 702-632-7631. L I GH T GHOST BAR Thu Benny Black. Fri-Sat DJs Mark Stylz & Exodus. Sun DJ Shredz. Mon-Tue DJ Seany Mac. Wed DJ Presto One. Palms, nightly, 702-942-6832. HAK KASAN 7/28 Tiësto. 7/29 Hardwell. 7/30 Tiësto. 7/31 W&W. 8/4 The Chainsmokers. 8/5 Jauz. 8/6 Above & Beyond. 8/7 Fergie. 8/11 Steve Aoki. 8/12 Lil Jon. 8/13 Tiësto. 8/14 The Chainsmokers. MGM Grand, Wed-Sun, 702891-3838.
HYDE 7/29 DJ Konflikt. 7/30 DJ Karma. Bellagio, nightly, 702-693-8700.
IN T RIGUE
7/29 Tony Arzadon. 7/30 DJ E-Rock. 8/3 Eric DLux. 8/5 Party Favor. 8/6 DJ Sinatra. 8/10 DJ Five. 8/12 Eric DLux. 8/13 DJ E-Rock. Mandalay Bay, Wed, FriSat, 702-632-4700.
OM N I A 7/29 Calvin Harris. 7/30 Martin Garrix. 8/2 Oliver Heldens. 8/5 Calvin Harris. 8/6 The Chainsmokers. 8/9 Burns. 8/12 Calvin Harris. 8/13 Afrojack. Caesars Palace, Tue, Thu-Sun, 702-785-6200.
S U R R E N D Er 7/28 Skrillex. 7/29 A-Trak. 7/30 RL Grime. 8/3 Skrillex. 8/4 Flosstradamus. 8/5 Yellow Claw. 8/6 RL Grime. 8/10 Yellow Claw. 8/11 RL Grime. 8/12 Marshmello. 8/13 Flosstradamus. Encore, Wed, Fri-Sat, 702-7707300. XS
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7/29 Skrillex. 7/30 Zedd. 7/31 Diplo. 8/1 Flosstradamus. 8/5 Dillon Francis. 8/6 Kaskade. 8/7 Audien. 8/8 Diplo. 8/12 Skrillex. 8/13 Alesso. 8/14 Diplo. Encore, Fri-Mon, 702-770-0097.
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DAY L I G H T 7/29 DJ E-Rock. 7/30 Bassjackers. 7/31 Wale. 7/31 Sundown with Claude VonStroke. 8/5 Scooter & Lavelle. 8/6 Party Favor. 8/7 Eric DLux. 8/13 Bassjackers. 8/14 Metro Boomin. Mandalay Bay, ThuSun, 702-632-4700.
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55 las vegas weekly 0 7. 28 . 1 6
Don’t Blink When pop-punk vets Blink-182 came to town last weekend, the band’s stage production had a Las Vegas twist to it. Learn about the local team behind the tour’s eye-catching graphics, at lasvegasweekly.com. (Erik Kabik/Courtesy)
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POP CULTURE
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THE STRIP
FOOD & DRINK
CALENDAR
Why is everyone you know talking about new Netflix series Stranger Things?
Jason Bourne and Ian Ziering, battling nefarious agencies and sharks, in Vegas!
When sitting down with Nile Rodgers, one simply lets the conversation go where it wants.
A rash of bigname closures has The Kats Report searching for signs of hope.
Love Wins details a landmark case for marriage equality.
Delicious French crêpes, and Kerry Simon’s final restaurant.
New Edition, Rob Zombie and Julieta Venegas are all in town this week.
on the web Sean Lennon talks John and Yoko, Les Claypool and lots more. Jazzy Vegas hip-hop crew The Lique gets serious (and seriously funky) for its album release. Plus, reviews of Public Enemy Downtown and new films Nerve and Captain Fantastic, all at lasvegasweekly.com.
56 Pop Culture
WEEKLY | 07.28.16
Binge or die Netflix’s frightening Stranger Things comforts even as it spooks
S
trange things have been happening since I started watching Stranger Things. My posts about the show have generated unusual responses. Instead of the average, non-committal commentary (“great show”), friends immediately declare, “I’m watching it, like, right now!” Middle-aged dads, who somehow found time to binge the show in one weekend, confide, “I have not been scared like this since summer camp.” Cultural Weirder still, my attachment trainer and I are both by smith fans. He digs supergaltney heroes. I like House of Cards. Peculiar. On July 11, four days before Stranger Things debuted on Netflix, Stephen King tweeted, “My only question about [the show] is whether or not it will be popular enough to crash their servers.” While the data listed above is admittedly informal, I’m concluding that,
If you don’t know Mike and El yet, you should. (Netflix/Courtesy)
indeed, everybody’s tuning in. Netflix failure is imminent. In terms of nailing Stranger Things’ appeal, I defer to my friend John Sellers: “Anyone who loves E.T., Stand by Me, The Goonies, Freaks and Geeks, Close Encounters, Super 8, It, Cloak & Dagger, Explorers and The Wizard (with a side of It Follows, The Last Starfighter, Christine, Alien and Poltergeist) AND who isn’t lame needs to binge this amazingly satisfying 8-hour sci-fi ‘movie’ right now.” It’s a Kingian/Spielbergian fantasia on ’80s themes: small towns and big imaginations, unexplained phenomena in broken homes, how those nerds on the banana-seat bikes are the real heroes. Set in rural Indiana in 1983, Stranger Things mashes up more Reagan-era formula than you could shake a 13-sided die
at. There’s a glowing tool shed, an alien abduction, a traumatized tween with diabolical powers, a struggling single mother and her latchkey children. In an era devoid of helicopter parenting and smartphones, it’s pretty easy to rack up some tension. At one point, Winona Ryder—superb as the mom of a missing boy—literally gets tied to the phone while waiting for it to ring. There’s a monster or three lurking in them-there woods, but taking a cue from the Spielberg School of Less Is More, showrunners (and twin brothers) Matt and Ross Duffer scared the pants off my middle-aged ass multiple times with quick glimpses and faraway figures. They’re also master fetishists. The title sequence is pure ’80s-baby ecstasy, with its retro-synth score (h/t John Carpenter and Tangerine Dream) and a font
lifted straight from the covers of Stephen King novels. Back in the day, man, we stared at those covers long before we were old enough to read the books. That font is magic. Stranger Things is no mere nostalgia trip. Thanks to its rich cast of characters, it feels as timeless as the movies that inspired it. But the young ’uns won’t have as much fun with the details. The Trapper Keepers. The game of Upwords on the shelf. A set of striped sheets I swear I slept in at some point. I could gripe over the implausibility of a smalltown American teenager already loving Joy Division in 1983, or why one episode ends with The Bangles’ “Hazy Shade of Winter,” which didn’t come out till ’87. But in a show that delightfully suspends many a disbelief, some historical license is okay.
Own Blindspot: The Complete First Season
on Digital HD now. On Blu-ray™ and DVD 8/2. Please go to
www.lasvegasweekly.com/ GIVEAWAYS to enter for a chance to win BLINDSPOT: THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON on Blu-ray™. Entries must be received by 8/4/2016. Winners will be notified by email and must pick up their prize no later than 8/18/2016. http://tinyurl.com/grqbwmt | #OwnBlindspot | @NBCBlindspot © 2016 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All rights reserved.
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58 las vegas weekly 0 7. 28 . 1 6
The Bourne redundancy By Josh Bell nlike most action heroes, Jason Bourne actually had a meaningful, satisfying character arc over the course of three movies, and his story reached a fairly definitive ending after 2007’s The Bourne Ultimatum. That, of course, never stops Hollywood, and when star Matt Damon and director Paul Greengrass declined to return for more Bourne, the studio just brought in a new non-Bourne hero (played by Jeremy Renner) for 2012’s The Bourne Legacy. Now nostalgia, money or both have brought Damon and Greengrass back to their signature character, but they haven’t quite brought the same creative inspiration with them. One longstanding member of the Bourne creative team who’s not onboard for Jason Bourne is Tony Gilroy, who co-wrote all four previous movies and directed Legacy. Gilroy was often rewritten by other writers, but he might have been more of a guiding force than he was given credit for, because the screenplay for Jason Bourne (credited to Greengrass and veteran
u
Jason Bourne makes an entertaining but inessential return
editor Christopher Rouse) is the movie’s weak link, failing to come up with a compelling reason to bring super-spy Bourne out of his well-earned retirement. “I remember everything,” Bourne declared at the end of Ultimatum, finally having recovered memories of his training at the hands of the insidious Treadstone program, but the new movie reveals that there is more everything for Bourne to remember, since the filmmakers have made some more up. This latest rewriting of continuity doesn’t have the same power or urgency as the narrative arc of the original three films. Greengrass and Rouse get Bourne back into action thanks to the cheap sacrifice of one of the series’ best supporting characters, and the new characters that show up are mostly slight variations on familiar types from previous movies. There’s Tommy Lee Jones as the amoral government bureaucrat who wants to take Bourne out, Alicia Vikander as the cagey female agent who might turn out to be a Bourne ally and Vincent Cassel as the implacable assassin with the same training as Bourne.
All of those new actors give solid performances, though, and Damon remains very good as Bourne, who’s become even grimmer and more relentless since his last onscreen appearance. And Greengrass delivers when it comes to what audiences most want to see, with several excellent action sequences, including an incredibly tense chase scene set during riots in Athens, and a demolition derby of a finale on the Las Vegas Strip. Most of the film’s final act takes place in Vegas, which fits in well with the series’ focus on sometimes volatile urban locations. As an action hero, Bourne is as effective as ever, taking down bad guys with deft hand-to-hand combat and daring feats of superhuman strength and fortitude. As a character, though, he probably should have been allowed to stay off the grid.
aaacc JASON BOURNE Matt Damon, Tommy Lee Jones, Alicia Vikander. Directed by Paul Greengrass. Rated PG-13. Opens Friday citywide.
screen
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One bad mother +
Matt Damon and Julia Stiles attempt to evade their pursuers. (Universal Pictures/Courtesy)
Worn-out Woody Allen goes through the motions with Café Society
+
Woody Allen’s recent films have played like lazy first drafts, so it’s heartening to see him make a genuine effort with his latest picture, Café Society, even if its thematic ambition is only sketchily realized. Jesse Eisenberg plays Allen’s latest young surrogate, Bobby Dorfman, a New Yorker who moves to LA circa 1936 in the hope of landing a job with his uncle Phil (Steve Carell), a powerful Hollywood agent. Humoring the kid, Phil assigns his assistant, Vonnie (Kristen Stewart), to show Bobby around the city, and the two soon fall in love—which is a bit of a problem, since Vonnie, unbeknownst to Bobby, is having a hush-hush affair with Phil, who’s married but claims that he intends to leave his wife at any moment.
That’s a pretty basic love triangle, and there’s also a subplot about Bobby’s brother, Ben (Corey Stoll), who’s becoming a gangster back in the Bronx. But Café Society is ultimately less interested in any particular aspect of its narrative than it is in evoking the ’30s and in suggesting, with weary resignation, that change and disappointment are an inevitable part of life. The previous Allen film it most resembles is Hannah and Her Sisters, but the comparison does him no favors—his wit is decidedly rusty now, and none of the old-movie archetypes on view here is at all memorable. Can a film be at once grand and paltry? Apparently so. –Mike D’Angelo
aabcc CAFÉ SOCIETY Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell. Directed by Woody Allen. Rated PG-13. Opens Friday in select theaters.
You might expect a movie with the title Bad Moms to feature some naughty behavior, but the comedy from writerdirectors Jon Lucas and Scott Moore (21 & Over) is disappointingly tame. It’s also really just about one mom, Amy Mitchell (Mila Kunis), who finds herself questioning her priorities after she catches her husband cheating on her. Amy has been a supermom to her two kids, but what she really needs is to take a few girls’ nights out with her new friends Kiki (Kristen Bell) and Carla (Kathryn Hahn) and hook up with the hot single dad (Jay Hernandez) who’s been making eyes at her. Lucas and Moore also wrote the first Hangover movie, but Bad Moms doesn’t offer anything near that level of debauchery (at most, it’s Slightly Imperfect Moms). The plot is aimless and disjointed, only coming into focus halfway through as Amy decides to take down the rich-bitch president (Christina Applegate) of her school’s PTA. Lucas and Moore portray Amy as some sort of bold truthteller about how tough it is to be a mom, but the humor is mild and clichéd (one bit is almost entirely recycled from The Boss, which also features Bell), and a little disingenuous coming from two dudes. The closing credits feature interviews with the main stars and their actual moms, which are a funnier, more relaxed portrayal of real motherhood than anything in the movie. –Josh Bell
aaccc BAD MOMS Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn. Directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. Rated R. Opens Friday citywide.
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Steve Sanders has come a long way since the Peach Pit days. (Patrick Wymore/Syfy)
Screen
WEEKLY | 07.28.16
Fin city Checking in with Ian Ziering, as Sharknado turns 4 in Las Vegas By Jason Scavone n 2005, Ian Ziering appeared in the Tony Scott-directed movie Domino, which ended with the Stratosphere being well and thoroughly blown up. In 2016, Ziering will star in the Anthony Ferrante-directed Sharknado: The 4th Awakens. The Strat’s fortunes, we’re sad to report, do not improve. R.I.P., Tinseltown X-Scream. Again. “It’s the second time I destroyed the Stratosphere,” Ziering says from his LA home. “I’m surprised they let me back.” After wrecking LA, New York City, Washington, D.C., and, to a lesser degree, space, the Sharknado series is finally touching down in the one place it always made the most sense to ambush: the middle of the desert. This is, perhaps, Ziering’s most anticipated turn in a Vegas production since that 90210 where Brian Austin Green lost his mind gambling and got robbed by hookers. Five years after Fin Shepard saved President Mark Cuban and blew up sharks in space with Col. David Hasselhoff in Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No!, Fin moves to Kansas to raise a son safe from the specter of future Sharknados. After he packs up to visit his son, Matt, in Las Vegas for a family reunion, our fair city becomes ground zero for a nationwide Sharknado epidemic. But enough with the plot. Anyone who saw the teaser trailer ahead of the July 31 premiere on Syfy knows the standout moment comes when one of the Chippendales dancers knocks a shark from the air with a well-timed crotch-thrust. Leading crotch-first into a shark sounds like a terrible idea, but at least they’re trained professionals. Ziering has made repeated guest
I
appearances with the Chippendales, which made them a natural get. He also placed a phone call to friend and Vegas resident Vince Neil, who Ziering says “comes down for a bite.” Which we suppose means he’s doomed to become Mötley Crüdite. Neil was such a fan of the series, he and Alice Cooper binge-watched the first three on a tour bus, which is both completely surreal and not entirely unexpected. MMA fighters Roy “Big Country” Nelson and Frank Mir play a paparazzo and a security guard, respectively. Corey Taylor of Slipknot is another security guard. Carrot Top checks in as a cab driver. Then there’s the timeless Mr. Las Vegas, Wayne Newton. “He’s doing his show singing ‘The Ballad of Sharknado,’” Ziering says. “Because of course by now everyone knows Sharknado, and ‘The Ballad of Sharknado’ has become a standard in his repertoire.” Checks out. Shooting in the city took place over four or five days, mostly at the Strat, and the hotel will host a premiere pool party July 31 at 8 p.m. with Ziering, Tara Reid, Cheryl Tiegs (playing Hasselhoff’s wife and Ziering’s mother, naturally) and Gary Busey
(playing a scientist and Reid’s father, even more naturally). It’s open to the public for $15, with proceeds going to the Animal Foundation. The morning after the first Sharknado aired, Ziering wasn’t prepared for the Internet-breaking turn it would take. He was with the Chippendales then, up in his suite at the Rio fielding calls from Oprah Winfrey’s people about going on the show. It was a weird morning. It also didn’t seem like the kind of thing that would become an annual event, but here we are. Reaction hasn’t been quite as delighted since the first one, but how could it be? That movie was a once-in-a-lifetime combination of too-good-to-be-bad/too-bad-tobe-good effects, a deadpan cast and a story that ended with Ziering diving headfirst into a shark and chainsawing his way out. There’s a reason blowing up more Death Stars yielded diminishing returns in the Star Wars films. But there’s the grilled cheese and tomato soup side to the formula, too. It’s not just comfort food for the fans after three straight years; there’s a class-reunion vibe to it for the cast and crew, too. “We’re all in disbelief, like ,‘Here we go again,’” Ziering says. “This is a small,
microbudget, campy, cheesy, sciencefiction movie that has done something that major motion picture studios spend hundreds of millions of dollars to try and attain. We have captured the attention of not just the sci-fi fans that are out there, but people who are in the mainstream of entertainment.” For two weeks a year, Ziering, Reid and players like Hasselhoff who manage to survive episode to episode (sorry, Frankie Muniz) get together and knock out another installment. Before the second one premiered, Ziering said he hoped to do a new Sharknado every summer, and it’s hard to see why Syfy wouldn’t keep green-lighting them as long as they provide a little summer bump. Plus, it’s not like Harrison Ford doesn’t keep coming back to Indiana Jones. “This movie will go on long after Fin Shepard is beaten and gone,” Ziering said. “I have a 5-year-old son. He’s going to have to grow up one day.” Just another dad looking to bring his kid into the family business.
SHARKNADO: THE 4TH AWAKENS July 31, 8 p.m., Syfy. Premiere party & screening: $15, Elation Pool at the Stratosphere.
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Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party (Not reviewed) Directed by Dinesh D’Souza. 107 minutes. Rated PG-13. Conservative political documentary exploring the policies of Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party. Theaters citywide.
Short takes
WEEKLY | 07.28.16
Ice Age: Collision Course abccc Voices of Ray Romano, Denis Leary, John Leguizamo. Directed by Mike Thurmeier. 94 minutes. Rated PG. The fifth installment in the animated series is easily the worst, a lazy, unfocused, cluttered mess, with no reason for existing other than perpetuating the absurdly successful franchise. What was once the simple story of three prehistoric mammal friends has ballooned into a never-ending family saga featuring more than a dozen characters. –JB Theaters citywide. The Legend of Tarzan aaccc Alexander Skarsgård, Margot Robbie, Christoph Waltz. Directed by David Yates. 109 minutes. Rated PG-13. The latest movie featuring Edgar Rice Burroughs’ English nobleman raised by African apes pits Tarzan (Skarsgård) and his wife Jane (Robbie) against a power-hungry Belgian government official (Waltz) who plans to exploit the natives of the Congo. Legend is mostly dull, with mediocre special effects, forgettable action and a slow-moving plot. –JB Theaters citywide.
Emma Roberts stars in social-media thriller Nerve. Look for our full review at lasvegasweekly.com. (Niko Tavernise/Lionsgate)
Special screenings Barbie Star Light Adventure 7/30, animated movie plus bonus content, 10 a.m., $10.50-$12.50. Theaters: Colonnade, South Point, Sam’s Town. Info: fathomevents.com. Cinemark Classic Series Sun, 2 p.m.; Wed, 2 & 7 p.m., $7-$10. 7/31, 8/3, Gone With the Wind. Century theaters. Dive-In Movies Mon, 7:30 p.m., $5, free for hotel guests. 8/1, Clueless. Boulevard Pool at the Cosmopolitan, 702-698-7000. Family-Friendly Summer Matinee Wed, 11 a.m., free. 8/3, The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water. Summerlin Library, 1771 Inner Circle Drive, 702-507-3863. Lincoln Center at the Movies 8/2, Ballet Hispánico performance, 7 p.m., $12.50-$15. Cannery. Info: fathomevents.com. Movie Night Thu, sundown, free. 7/28, Ant-Man. Downtown Container Park, 707 Fremont St., downtowncontainerpark.com. Sci Fi Center Mon, Cinemondays, 8 p.m., free. 7/30, A Bay of Blood, 8 p.m., $1. 5077 Arville St., 855-501-4335, thescificenter.com. Sharknado: The 4th Awakens Premiere 7/31, movie screening plus party with stars, 8 p.m., $15. Elation Pool at the Stratosphere, stratospherehotel.com. Summer Movie Series Fri, 6:45 p.m., free with museum admission. 7/29, Hoffa. Mob Museum, 300 Stewart Ave., 702-229-2734. Summer Screen Series Thu, dusk, free. 7/28, Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Park Centre Drive, Downtown Summerlin, downtownsummerlin.com. The Track 7/30, local feature film, 8 p.m., free, donations accepted for the Embracing Project. The Beat,
520 Fremont St. Info: theembracingproject.org. Tuesday Afternoon at the Bijou Tue, 1 p.m., free. 8/2, Twentieth Century. Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road, 702-507-3400.
New this week
Bad Moms aaccc Mila Kunis, Kristen Bell, Kathryn Hahn. Directed by Jon Lucas and Scott Moore. 101 minutes. Rated R. See review Page 59. Theaters citywide. Café Society aabcc Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell. Directed by Woody Allen. 96 minutes. Rated PG-13. See review Page 59. Colonnade, Sam’s Town, Suncoast, South Point, Town Square, Village Square. Captain Fantastic aabcc Viggo Mortensen, George McKay, Samantha Isler. Directed by Matt Ross. 118 minutes. Rated R. Mortensen’s Ben rejects modern society and raises his six kids in the wilderness in this uneven drama, which doesn’t know when to let its story of an unconventional family end. It both celebrates and criticizes Ben’s choices, but eventually loses control of both its narrative and its unique perspective. –JB Colonnade, Sam’s Town, South Point, Town Square, Village Square. Dishoom (Not reviewed) John Abraham, Varun Dhawan, Jacqueline Fernandez. Directed by Rohit Dhawan. 124 minutes. Not rated. In Hindi with English subtitles. A pair of mismatched cops team up to find India’s top cricket player, who’s gone missing in the Middle East. Village Square. Eat That Question: Frank Zappa in His Own Words aabcc Directed by Thorsten Schütte. 93 minutes. Rated R. True to its subtitle, this documentary is made up almost exclusively of interview clips from throughout Zappa’s career. Fans of the influential oddball musician may find some of it interesting, but the lack of context and the minimal musical performances make it ineffective at reaching out beyond a core audience. –JB Suncoast. Jason Bourne aaacc Matt Damon, Alicia Vikander, Tommy Lee Jones. Directed by Paul Greengrass. 123 minutes. Rated PG-13. See review Page 59. Theaters citywide.
League of Gods (Not reviewed) Jet Li, Tony Leung Ka-fei, Louis Koo. Directed by Koan Hui and Vernie Yeung. 109 minutes. Rated PG-13. In Mandarin with English subtitles. In 16thcentury China, warring factions use supernatural forces in a struggle for power. Town Square. Nerve aaccc Emma Roberts, Dave Franco, Emily Meade. Directed by Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman. 96 minutes. Rated PG-13. Roberts plays a teenager who gets caught up in an all-encompassing online game of increasingly dangerous dares. While Joost and Schulman do their best to add some of-the-moment visual flair, the dull story ends up saying very little about the perils of trolling for likes on social media. –JB Theaters citywide.
Now playing
Absolutely Fabulous: The Movie aaccc Jennifer Saunders, Joanna Lumley, Julia Sawalha. Directed by Mandie Fletcher. 90 minutes. Rated R. This feature film based on the ’90s British sitcom feels like a sad relic of a past era, with its dated, often regressive humor, its endless parade of celebrity cameos and its aimless, bloated plot, which never feels like it should be stretched beyond the length of a single sitcom episode. –JB Green Valley Ranch, Sam’s Town, Town Square, Village Square. Finding Dory aaabc Voices of Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Hayden Rolence. Directed by Andrew Stanton. 103 minutes. Rated PG. Forgetful fish Dory decides to track down her long-lost parents in this animated sequel to Pixar’s Finding Nemo. While Dory is thoroughly charming and enjoyable, with funny supporting characters and often gorgeous animation, it’s also a bit formulaic and repetitive, especially during the drawn-out third act. –JB Aliante, Colonnade, Red Rock, Sunset Station, Town Square, Texas Station. Ghostbusters aaacc Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, Kate McKinnon, Leslie Jones. Directed by Paul Feig. 116 minutes. Rated PG-13. This remake of the 1984 movie about a group of misfits fighting a supernatural infestation in New York City features strong comedy with an impressively talented cast, but eventually ends up overwhelmed by the demands of its largescale action storyline. –JB Theaters citywide.
Lights Out aabcc Maria Bello, Teresa Palmer, Gabriel Bateman. Directed by David F. Sandberg. 81 minutes. Rated PG-13. Director Sandberg has a tough time expanding his dialogue-free, ultra-short horror film (about a malevolent entity that only appears when lights are turned off) into a feature. Still, Sandberg proves that he’s decent at creating scares, and audiences just looking for a handful of jump moments may find Lights Out satisfactory. –JB Theaters citywide. Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates aabcc Zac Efron, Adam DeVine, Anna Kendrick, Aubrey Plaza. Directed by Jake Szymanski. 98 minutes. Rated R. Rowdy brothers Mike (DeVine) and Dave (Efron) are told to bring dates to their sister’s wedding, and end up with a pair of degenerates (Kendrick, Plaza) pretending to be nice girls. What ensues is a mix of tiresome gross-out jokes and slapstick and some surprisingly sensitive character development. –JB Theaters citywide. The Purge: Election Year aabcc Frank Grillo, Elizabeth Mitchell, Mykelti Williamson. Directed by James DeMonaco. 105 minutes. Rated R. The third movie in the Purge series centers on an anti-Purge presidential candidate (Mitchell) who is targeted for elimination during the Purge itself. While the movie more effectively explores the world of the Purge, it still mostly features characters running through dark alleys or hiding out in dingy rooms. –JB Drive-In, Palms, Sam’s Town, Texas Station. The Secret Life of Pets aaacc Voices of Louis C.K., Eric Stonestreet, Jenny Slate. Directed by Chris Renaud. 90 minutes. Rated PG. The hyperactive animated story, with loyal dog Max (C.K.) and his dog frenemy Duke (Stonestreet) lost in New York City, isn’t nearly as sophisticated as something from Pixar or even DreamWorks Animation, but it’s good for a few laughs and is entirely kid-friendly, with plenty of cute characters and madcap set pieces. –JB Theaters citywide. Star Trek Beyond aaabc Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban. Directed by Justin Lin. 120 minutes. Rated PG-13. The third movie in the rebooted sci-fi series has a comparatively smaller-scale plot than its predecessors, returning Trek a bit closer to its episodic TV origins—in only the best way. It works well as a rousing adventure story that celebrates the power of capable, dedicated people working together. –JB Theaters citywide. JB Josh Bell; MD Mike D’Angelo For complete movie listings, visit lasvegasweekly.com/movie-listings.
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64 las vegas weekly 0 7. 28 . 1 6
We got lucky Our sit-down with a legend, Chic’s Nile Rodgers By Annie Zaleski In a career that has spanned more than four decades, Nile Rodgers has worked with superstars galore—David Bowie, Madonna and Robert Plant, to name a few—in addition to creating groundbreaking work with his own troupe, dance music pioneers Chic. More importantly, however, the producer/songwriter/musician has kept pushing forward and innovating: In recent years, Rodgers has worked with Avicii, Disclosure, Nervo, Rudimental and Lady Gaga—and, along with Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams, co-wrote and performed on the No. 1 global smash “Get Lucky.” This summer, Chic is opening for Duran Duran on the latter’s tour behind Paper Gods. (Yes, Rodgers’ production imprint is all over that album.) The Weekly sat down with the legend in his dressing room before his Detroit show a few weeks ago, for a freewheeling conversation touching on all corners of his career. A few highlights:
i
Las Vegas memories “The first time we played in Las Vegas, we were playing for the Warner Bros. convention, a party for all of the Warner labels. We played, I believe, the Tropicana, and it was the first time I had met a person named Nile other than my father and myself—and the spelling is like the river, N-i-l-e, as opposed to the English or Irish version of Nile, N-i-a-double-l. And I couldn’t believe it! I was going, “Wow, your name is Nile?” He said, “Yeah.” And he was white, and he worked for Don King, the boxing promoter. It was amazing. Somebody recently played a recording of that show for me—I don’t know where it came from, because this was years ago, it was back in the ’70s. And I couldn’t believe how flawless the show sounded. I was just blown away.”
The new Chic album “I have one single left to finish. I’m trying to [release it] this year. I was actually trying to have it out for this leg of the tour, but that didn’t work. But the great thing is, my record label, Warner Bros., they just said, ‘Nile, you just let us know when you’re done, man,’ which is cool. The record sounds great. I have some really stellar performances on the record. I gotta knock out this last song and we’re done, and it’s ready to be mixed and delivered. I still want to call the album It’s About Time. Because it is. I started in 1977. A lot of rock bands get to [put out a record with a major label], but very few R&B bands—and dance/R&B bands, disco, whatever. It’s like impossible. So the fact that I get to do this after all this time and put out a record with a major label is amazing to me.”
noise
65 las vegas weekly 0 7. 28 . 1 6
Avenger, assemble Las Vegas metal survivor Shannon Frye returns with a darker sound BY Jason Bracelin e narrowly escaped death. A year later, Shannon Frye is delivering that which he barely eluded. Last June, Frye, founder and drummer of Vegas thrashards Avenger of Blood, was involved in a serious car accident, his life spared but damaged just as severely as his ride. “After the impact, I flew 75 feet in the truck,” Frye recalls. “I held on to the steering wheel, white-knuckled, and all my muscles seized up five to 10 minutes later. It was hell to go through.” At the time, Frye didn’t know if he’d ever be able to play drums again, such was the extent of his injuries, which also cost him his job. But after 10 months of countless doctor visits and arduous rehab, Frye was finally able to pick up the sticks and get after it again in April. He’s back, and so is Avenger of Blood. After an eight-year wait, Avenger has readied a new record, On Slaying Grounds, scheduled for a July 29 release on Times End Records. With pronounced death-metal lean-
H
Nile Rodgers brings Chic back to Las Vegas this weekend. (Photo by Mark Allan/Invision/AP)
“Before every show, after we come off, they have a practice room set up, back here. There’s always a practice room that they have next door to me. I think they probably plan it like that (laughs). They sound so funky and so amazing, just jamming before the show. They never play anything that they’re actually going to do; they’re just making up jams, and they’re killing it. I get so jealous every night. Touring with Duran—in a weird way, it’s like a surrealistic dream, because emotionally, I feel like they’re my other band. They’re like my other Chic, ’cause when I’m not onstage with them, a large portion of their show are all songs that I did (laughs).”
“Come to Butt-Head” “Mike Judge called me. He’s a supergenius, and working with him was amazing. [But] you have to be serious [writing this stuff]. Butt-Head is singing this romantic song, and we have to be in his frame of mind and figure out how he’s going to seduce this woman. He says—which to him is a big sacrifice—‘I will do homework for your love.’ (laughs) [In Butt-Head voice] ‘Huh-huh, I will do homework for your love.’”
CHIC Opening for Duran Duran with Tokimonsta. July 29, 7 p.m., $47-$138. Mandalay Bay Events Center, 702-632-7580.
Photograph by Bill Hughes
His long relationship with Duran Duran
ings, it’s a wholly different beast than its predecessor, 2008’s Death Brigade. The vocals are more guttural and fierce, suggestive of the sound one might make after taking a power sander to the vocal cords; the tempos have been Red Bulled to further extremes; poser-mashing ragers like “Instruments of Chaos” and “Aggressive Psychotic Behavior” are ferocious enough to render their titles more than heavy-metal hyperbole. Back in 08, the band seemed poised to take advantage of the thrash resurgence then heating up the metal underground, but continual band-member changes disrupted the group’s momentum—and fueled the rage that powers Slaying. “The anger that had built up over time was a big change in how the evolution of the band took place,” Frye says. “I felt that I needed to get heavier, faster and more aggressive to let that energy surface itself.” Frye’s still looking to stabilize the lineup with a new frontman, hence no live shows planned. But, hey, what’s a good slaying without some fresh blood?
66 las vegas weekly 0 7. 28 . 1 6
Plight of a showman Travis Cloer’s terrific With a Twist proves there can be life after a closure
T
ravis Cloer is twisting the night away at Grandview Lounge at South Point when he spins into momentary confusion. “Wait, we’re out of order,” he says, turning to keyboardist and music director Chris Lash. “We forgot the song that inspired all of this.” Lash and the band flip their music charts to the proper page for Sam Cooke’s “Nothing Can Change This Love.” Cloer, now chuckling as he’s tossed off-script, can’t remember the words to the song. “I just need the first line,” he says, staring out at the audience and then toward the sky for divine intervention. “Can someone look up the lyrics on their phone?” the kats A man sends his report smartphone toward by John the stage as Lash Katsilometes remarks, “You won’t see this in a Celine show.” Cloer peers at the phone, then vaults into the song, “If I go a million miles away …” The episode falls neatly into his spirited show, With a Twist, an artistic refurbishing of some of Cloer’s favorite songs. His cool, casual take on “I’ve Got You Under My Skin,” is in the mix. “Nothing Can Change This Love” glides seamlessly into Journey’s “Lovin’, Touchin’, Squeezin’.” The Thompson Twins’ “Hold Me Now,” the Backstreet Boys’ “I Want It That Way” and Amy Winehouse’s “Valerie” are rolled out on this musical playground. The snag was hardly a distraction and worked fine in the show’s loose, warm format. But the unscripted moment was a reminder that this was a different type of Las Vegas enter-
Travis Cloer is one of many Vegas performers affected by an outbreak of recent show closures. (Courtesy)
tainment experience than, say, Jersey Boys, in which Cloer has performed as Frankie Valli (alternating the role with Graham Fenton) for more than eight years at two Strip theaters. That show ends September 18, with Cloer as Valli sending the show to its finale. Jersey Boys producer Dodger Theatricals announced to that show’s cast on June 7 that the production would shut down at Paris Las Vegas. That fell in line with a series of closings of major productions this year in Las Vegas. After the earlier closing of Jubilee at Bally’s in February, the abrupt closing of Frankie Moreno’s Under the Influence at the beginning of July and Matt Goss’ announced September closing of his six-year run at Caesars Palace have become mere warm-up acts for a flurry of more-recent activity. In swift order: • Raiding the Rock Vault will end its performances at Tropicana Theater on July 31. The show opened at the former Las Vegas Hilton in March 2013 and survived a series of ownership changes and one move of property—to Tropicana—in December 2014. • Steve Wynn’s Showstoppers, Wynn’s salute to some of the grand musical numbers of the 20th century, will close September 30 after a 21-month run. The news stunned the cast and crew of a show that employed more than 60 singers, dancers and musicians—and
put the full orchestra onstage. Showstoppers was not pulling a profit at Encore Theater, but Wynn’s emotional attachment and financial investment in the show had suggested it was immune to Strip financial concerns. Not so, apparently. • Spiegelworld, a producer of Absinthe at Caesars Palace, notified its cast before performances on July 10 that it planned to move off Roman Plaza for a new, as-yet-unnamed home. Remarkably, this is a rare instance of a hit show—Absinthe consistently sells out the 550-seat venue—uprooting for reasons beyond its box-office performance. Spiegelworld and co-producer Base Entertainment have been battling in court in a dispute over the split of ticket revenues, and Spiegelworld has balked at signing a lease with Caesars Palace that would carry the show for two more years. There has been no formal announcement or response to questions about the future of Absinthe after its announced October 21 closing at Caesars. Left to feel like chess pieces in all these moves are the performers, specifically artists like Cloer. He has been nobly producing and performing shows outside Jersey Boys for the past few years, filling Cabaret Jazz at Smith Center for four shows over the past two holiday seasons with his Christmas-
themed show. So Cloer can speak with unique perspective, as a veteran Strip performer who has observed market trends and is now attempting to break free of his stage identity. He ponders the question, “Is the closing of major production shows the new normal in Las Vegas?” “I hope it isn’t,” Cloer says. “But there’s no question that we have had a rough few weeks as far as closing announcements go. When you look at the high quality of entertainment, it’s a little scary and it’s a tough question to face right now. If you’d asked me any other month, I’d be a lot more optimistic.” Cloer is among the performers who have grown to understand that scaling down expectations for their drawing power is important when building a stage show. Cloer’s act is lean, with a tight, cracking band led by Lash, a Vegas veteran currently performing as music director in Baz. The Grandview Lounge seats about 300 and was about three-quarters full for Cloer’s show, with a ticket price of $20 apiece. He plans to table a return of With a Twist until after Jersey Boys closes in September. That evening at South Point was certainly a highly entertaining night of first-class singing and arrangements from a bona-fide Broadway talent.
67 PRINT
WEEKLY | 07.28.16
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Love Wins recounts the long, hard-fought path to marriage equality had let lower court rulings stand, hen a reporter shares a and same-sex marriage was legal byline with a person at the in 35 states. But the ruling left litiheart of her story, kiss obgants a few weeks to appeal to the jectivity goodbye. But when Supreme Court that session. That the story is the Supreme Court’s brought to a focal point the efforts historic ruling last year that struck of many people and groups over a down state laws banning gay marlong time, some fearing the Sixth riage, it’s a gauge of our times that Circuit would delay progress, others the rightness is a given, for believing it in essence promost of us at least. AAABC voked the Supreme Court to In Love Wins: The Lovers settle matters. LOVE WINS and Lawyers Who Fought The litigants’ stories bring By Debbie Cenziper and the Landmark Case for home how and why support Jim Obergefell, Marriage Equality, plaintiff for same-sex marriage be$28. Jim Obergefell and Pulitzer came normative, and why the Prize-winning Washington change had to come by way of Post reporter Debbie Cenziper dejudicial action and not lengthy ballot liver a wonk’s delight in legal wraninitiatives. For instance: the mother gling and strategy, but the strength unable to get her sick child admitted of their book is in the human lives at a hospital because her name was it attaches to Obergefell and othnot on the child’s birth certificate, ers’ names. Obergefell and his late or the husband unable to get his husband, John Arthur, married as spouse’s body cremated because he Arthur was dying of ALS. They had was not on the death certificate. to marry in Maryland because Ohio Occasionally, the storytelling voters had outlawed gay marriage, strays into inessential tidbits about and they wanted a death certificate minor characters and the writing that listed Obergefell as spouse.. turns clunky. But how Obergefell Longtime civil rights attorney Al became Obergefell is a lively read. Gerhardstein recruited other plainAnd it’s encouraging to read about tiffs, and their case joined those how determined plaintiffs got the from other states on collision course country’s highest court to agree with the conservative Sixth Circuit. that voters could not deprive them Meanwhile, other appeals courts of rights.
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68 LAS VEGAS WEEKLY 0 7. 28 . 1 6
BITE NOW
New Downtown eats, only at lasvegasweekly. com.
SACRÉ BLEU! DIRECT FROM FRANCE, A JEWEL OF A CRÊPERIE POPS UP ON THE WEST SIDE BY JIM BEGLEY ucked away in a strip mall across from Desert Breeze Park, Maggie Reb is doing something simple, and simply fabulous. La Maison de Maggie, a crêperie quaintly decorated like a French farmhouse (junior-high Français should’ve taught you maison translates to “house”), is as welcoming as your childhood home, especially if you grew up in the south of France. As chef/proprietor, Reb is the doting mother overseeing it all. The best example of her attention to detail is in the sourcing of product. Because she doesn’t like domestically available flour, she’s importing hers from France, along with a robust vanillachestnut jam. And she’s getting seasonal produce from Gilcrease Orchard in northwest Las Vegas, more expensive but providing better results. The focus of the miniscule menu: crêpes, split between savory galettes ($11) and sweet ones folded into triangles ($5-$8). The former are made with nutty, gluten-free buckwheat flour, folded edges forming a window into the pancake’s LA MAISON soul; the latter, triangular and made DE MAGGIE from wheat flour. But should you 3455 S. want to swap fillings, the friendly Durango Drive Reb would surely accommodate. #112, Endearingly, most menu options 702-823are named for family members back 4466. Mondayin L’Hexagone, like the Polo (ham, Friday, 9 spinach and funky blue cheese) and a.m.-6 p.m.; the Alli (sugar and cinnamon). Even Saturday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m.; the Flying Baby (tomato, mozzarella Sunday, 8 and blue cheese) honors a younger a.m.-3 p.m. family member who, disappointingly, does not actually fly, but the France trumpets its homeland with a traditional combination—ham, cheese and sunny-side up egg. You can also concoct your own from an array of ingredients that includes turkey, pesto and red peppers. Plus there are specials, like July’s outrageously good galette of the month: mozzarella, tomato, goat cheese and honey. A French tourist with no Vegas ties, Reb has settled in and open her house to us. France’s loss is our gain. Merci!
T
Find galette perfection at La Maison de Maggie. (Mikayla Whitmore/Staff)
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FOOD & DRINK
LAS VEGAS WEEKLY 0 7. 28 . 1 6
Cory Harwell is ready to bring Standard & Pour to Henderson. (Courtesy)
KIWI FAN
INGREDIENTS 1 1/2 oz. Bombay Sapphire East gin
THE LEGACY CONTINUES
KERRY SIMON’S LAST RESTAURANT GEARS UP FOR A SUMMER OPENING IN HENDERSON New restaurant Standard & Pour is set to open in late August in the Anthem-area space once occupied by Firefly. But this one promises to be more than just another promising new eatery along Eastern Avenue. Standard & Pour is the first team-up between Simon Hospitality Group (Downtown Las Vegas’ Carson Kitchen) and Titan Brands (Hussong’s Cantina, Slice of Vegas), but perhaps more notably, it’s the last restaurant from Kerry Simon. The iconic Vegas chef was working on the Standard & Pour concept when he died in September. “The last conversation we had, I was reading him an article that was all about Kerry Simon starting a Downtown dining revolution. It was quite flattering and it brought quite a smile to his face,” says his business partner and friend Cory Harwell. “And then he asked what was new with Standard & Pour. At the time, it was still a little iffy. But it’s happening, and this is our first foray into a new neighborhood, which was something we talked about a lot. For those aspects this is a very special project for us.”
+
Harwell and Simon Hospitality culinary director John Courtney are up for the challenge of carrying on Simon’s legacy at the new restaurant. Standard & Pour will tap into the spirit behind Carson Kitchen—presenting familiar dishes with modern twists or interesting techniques, and also introducing Asian, Italian and other cuisines into the cozy mix. “We figured you’re more likely to try something new if it’s wearing a dress or suit you recognize,” Harwell says. “If it’s rabbit or oxtail or foie gras or caviar, it’s coming in a recognizable vehicle, so you’re more willing to be adventurous. But where Carson is more traditional gastropub in presentation, Standard & Pour will be more vibrant and floral and sexier.” Carson Kitchen’s executive sous chef Jake Dieleman will make the move out to Henderson to become exec chef at S&P. We can also expect an expanded beverage program—where the Pour part comes in. The bar will be carbonating and bottling its own specialty cocktails on the premises, adding more interesting twists to a space already equipped with ideal date-night views. –Brock Radke
1 oz. Midori melon liqueur /2 oz. pasteurized egg white
1
1 oz. Tres Agaves Organic Margarita Mix Half kiwi (peeled) to muddle Sliced kiwi for garnish Lemon zest for garnish
METHOD Slice and place the kiwi in a shaker tin and muddle briskly. Fill the shaker with ice and add the rest of the ingredients. Shake vigorously and serve over crushed ice. Garnish with fanned sliced kiwi and lemon zest.
Any cocktail that can cool down a summer day in Las Vegas is an ace in our book, and the Kiwi Fan is just the ticket. Light, fruity and slightly tart, this drink is guaranteed to refresh and delight, even on the hottest afternoon.
Cocktail created by Francesco Lafranconi, Excutive Director at Southern Glazer’s Wine and Spirits.
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calendar
las vegas weekly 0 7. 28 . 1 6
Comedy MGM Grand (Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club) Quinn Dahle, B.T. Thru 7/31. Brad Garrett, Eddie Ifft, Joe Bronzi 8/1-8/7. 702-891-7777. Mirage Leslie Jones 7/29, 10 pm, $44-$65. Tim Allen 7/30, 10 pm, $65-$87. 702-792-7777. Rampart Casino (Bonkerz Comedy Club) Richy Leis 7/28, 6 pm, free. 702-507-5900. Suncoast (Showroom) Sommore 7/30-7/31, 7:30 pm, $33-$44. 702-636-7075.
Performing ArtS Las Vegas Little Theatre Peter and the Starcatcher 7/28-7/30, 8 pm; 7/31, 2 pm, $25. Onyx Theatre Mr. Mark Twain Answers All Your Questions! 7/29-7/30, 8 pm; 7/31, 2 pm, $15-$20. 953 E. Sahara Ave., 702-732-7225. Smith Center (Reynolds Hall) The Sound of Music 8/2-8/14, times vary, $29-$127. 702-749-2000. Vegas b-boy crew Full Force celebrates 21 years together July 30 at Sake Rok at the Park. (Courtesy)
Special Events First Friday 8/5, 6-11 pm, free. Downtown, ffflv.org. Full Force 21-Year Anniversary Urban dance
Live Music
battles and performances 7/30, 3-10 pm, $10. 702-791-7111. Orleans (Showroom) Trace Adkins 7/30-7/31, 8 pm,
THe Strip & Nearby Brooklyn Bowl Cowboy Mouth, Whiskey Breath 7/29, 8 pm, $25-$40. Protoje & The Indiggnation, Raging Fyah, The Retrolites 7/30, 7 pm, $15-$17. The Claypool Lennon Delirium, JJUUJJUU 7/31, 9
$76-$109. 702-284-7777. Planet Hollywood (AXIS) Jennifer Lopez 7/29-7/30, 8/3, 9 pm, $95-$219. 702-777-2782. SLS (Sayers Club) Emily King, David Ryan Harris 7/30, 10 pm, $12. 702-761-7618.
Smith Center (Reynolds Hall) Bobby Bones & The Raging Idiots 7/30, 8 pm, $29. Brian McKnight 7/31, 8 pm, $33-$99. (Cabaret Jazz) HAPA 7/297/30, 7 pm, $35-$55. Frankie Moreno 8/2, 8 pm, $30-$40. 702-749-2000. Velveteen Rabbit The Rifle, Dumb, Mauve 7/31, 8:30 pm, $5. 1218 S. Main St., 702-685-9645.
7/29-7/30, 7:30 pm, $60-$205. Rod Stewart 8/3, 7:30 pm, $49-$250. 702-731-7333. Double Down Saloon Lambs to Lions, Sector 7-G, 3D6, The Wreckless, Jerk! 7/29. S.F.T., Los Carajos, Vegas Threat, IDFI 7/30. Uberschall 7/31, midnight.
Artifice Lenixx 7/28, 8:30 pm. Moonboots, We Are
Aliante (Access Showroom) Earl Klugh 7/30, 8 pm,
Pancakes 7/29. Vanessa Silberman, Pet Tigers,
$33-$69. (The Deck) Willie Bradley 7/28, 7 pm,
Sports
Candy Warpop, The Northern Lights 8/1. 9 pm, free
$21-$25. 702-692-7777.
Las Vegas 51s El Paso 7/30-8/2, 7 pm. Fresno 8/3-
unless noted 1025 S. 1st St., #100, 702-489-6339. Backstage Bar & Billiards Eddie Jayy, Play on
Boomers No Convention 7/28, 9 pm, free. Digisaurus, Joey Hines, Lil Lavedy, Vylent
Words, Partyhari, Intl.Mack, The Real Ulysses
Hands, Semi-Aquatic Anthropoids 8/1, 8:30 pm,
7/29, 8 pm, $10. Melvins, Helms Alee 8/3, 8 pm,
$5. 3200 Sirius Ave., 702-368-1863.
$20. 601 E. Fremont St., 702-382-2227. Beauty Bar LA Witch 7/28, 8 pm, free. Spanish
Count’s Vamp’d Tinnitus 7/28, 10 pm, free. Like a Storm, Righteous Vendetta, Cover Your Tracks 7/29,
Isaak 7/30, 8 pm, $40-$175. (Vinyl) Allen Stone 7/30,
Love Songs, No Red Alice, Devils Troubadour
9 pm, $8-$12. Damage Inc., Just Like Priest 7/30, 10
9 pm, $25-$45. 5Quad, Loren Gray, DuhltzMark,
7/29, 8 pm, free. Mickey Avalon, Dirt Nasty 7/30,
pm, free. 6750 W. Sahara Ave., 702-220-8849.
Flamingeos 7/31, 6:30 pm, $20-$35. 702-693-5000.
8 pm, $20. 517 Fremont St., 702-598-3757.
Hard Rock Live Julieta Venegas 7/28, 8 pm, $35. Hard Rock Cafe (Strip), 702-733-7625. House of Blues Anderson .Paak & The Free Nationals, Pomo, Duckwrth 7/29, 8 pm, $20. Mandalay Bay, 702-632-7600. Mandalay Bay (Events Center) Duran Duran, Chic, Tokimonsta 7/29, 8 pm, $46-$124. Korn, Rob Zombie, In This Moment 7/30, 7:30 pm, $35-$70. (Beach) UB40, Jo Mersa Marley 7/30, 8 pm, $36. 702-632-7777. Mirage Boyz II Men 7/29-7/31, 7:30 pm, $44-$163.
7/31, 8 pm, $15. Stratosphere, 702-380-7777.
Everywhere Else
unless noted. 640 Paradise Road, 702-791-5775. “Babyface” Edmonds 7/29, 9 pm, $50-$225. Chris
rollercon.com. Sharknado: The 4th Awakens Premiere Party
Downtown
Franks & Deans’ Weenie Roast 8/3. 10 pm, free Hard Rock Hotel (Joint) New Edition, Kenny
Venetian Theatre, 702-414-9000. RollerCon Thru 7/31, times vary, $79-$249. Westgate,
Star Trek Convention 8/3-8/7, $50-$799. Rio, 702-
pm, $30-$45. Linq, 702-862-2695. Caesars Palace (Colosseum) Reba, Brooks & Dunn
Sake Rok, 3786 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-706-3022. Miss Teen USA 7/29, 8 pm; 7/30, 5 pm, $25-$124.
Bunkhouse Saloon Rusty Maples, Shayna Rain, Failure Machine 7/29, 10 pm, $5. When We Escape, Kerfoot & Dau, Dear Friend Time, Late for Dinner 7/30, 9 pm, $5. 124 S. 11th St., 702-854-1414. Golden Nugget Jefferson Starship 7/29, 10 pm, $75-$141. 866-946-5336. Griffin Haunted Summer, Cameron Calloway 8/3, 11 pm, free. 511 Fremont St., 702-382-0577.
OMD Theatre Fallen Union, Trauma Theory,
8/6, times vary. Cashman Field, 702-943-7200. NPC USA Bodybuilding Championships 7/297/30, times vary, $60-$110. UNLV, 702-895-2787.
Galleries Clark County Government Center Christopher Jones: USUS, Gloria Thru 9/9. 500 Grand Central Parkway, 702-455-7030. CSN (Artspace Gallery) Kim McTaggart: Cu
Adognameddutch 7/30, 8 pm, $10. 953 E. Sahara
Again Thru 8/6, free. (Fine Arts Gallery) Dan
Ave. #B30, 702-742-4171.
Hernandez: Genesis Thru 7/30, free. 3200 E.
Primm Valley Resort Gladys Knight 7/30, 8 pm, $40-$70. 702-386-7867. Sand Dollar Lounge Paul Hernandez, Stoney Curtis 7/28. The Delta Bombers, The Swamp Gospel, The Lucky Cheats 7/29. Chris Tofield, The Moanin Blacksnakes 7/30. Shows at 8 pm, free unless
LVCS Liquid Assassin, Donnie Menace, Doms, Bom
noted. 3355 Spring Mountain Road, 702-485-5401.
Green, Vessel, WCM, The Jones, Peril & Plague
Silverton (Veil Pavilion) Blood, Sweat & Tears 7/30,
7/31, 8 pm, $8-$10. 425 Fremont St., 702-382-3531.
777-7777.
8 pm, $29-$59. 702-263-7777.
Cheyenne Ave., 702-651-4146. Nevada Humanities Program Gallery Intersections: Art, Design and the Neon Museum Thru 7/28. 1017 S. 1st St. #190, 702-800-4670. Sahara West Library Martin Kreloff: 50 Year Retrospective Thru 8/6. 702-507-3630. Wonderland Gallery Kat Tatz, Lynne Adamson Adrian: Steampunk Thru July 31. Arts Factory, 107 E. Charleston Blvd. #110, 702-686-4010.
FRI, JUL 29 DEFTONES
SAT, JUL 30 THU-SUN, AUG 25-28...........................PSYCHO LAS VEGAS 2016 WITH ALICE COOPER,
ON SALE TOMORROW
MIKE EPPS
ELECTRIC WIZARD, DRIVE LIKE JEHU & MORE
SAT, SEP 3....................................................................................KING OF THE CAGE PRESENTS
WORLD AMATEUR CHAMPIONSHIPS 3
FRI, SEP 16.................................................................................T-TUNES PRESENTS MAGNETO Y MERCURIO SAT, SEP 17................................................................................FIFTH HARMONY: THE 7/27 TOUR FEATURING JOJO
THU, SEP 22.........................................................................MEGADETH WITH SPECIAL GUESTS AMON AMARTH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, METAL CHURCH AND HAVOK
FRI, SEP 23...............................................................................DISTURBED SAT, OCT 1..................................................................................ALICE IN CHAINS WITH SPECIAL GUEST THE NEW REGIME
SAT, OCT 8...............................................................................CYNDI LAUPER FRI, OCT 21.............................................................................MELANIE MARTINEZ CRY BABY TOUR 2016 SAT, OCT 29........................................................................FETISH & FANTASY HALLOWEEN BALL
TUE, AUG 30
SAT, NOV 26........................................................................SCOTT BRADLEE’S POSTMODERN JUKEBOX
SAT, NOV 19
VANS
SLEEPING WITH SIRENS • FALLING IN REVERSE WE THE KINGS • YELLOWCARD • NEW FOUND GLORY MOTIONLESS IN WHITE • WHITECHAPEL
WARPED TOUR TUE, AUG 9
+50 MORE BANDS ON SEVEN STAGES
THE BACKYARD OUTDOOR EVENTS CENTER AT HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO
FOR VIP PACKAGES & RESERVATIONS CONTACT JOINTVIP@HRHVEGAS.COM OR 702.693.5220 AXS.COM
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