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EDITORIAL Senior Editor GEOFF CARTER (geoff.carter@gmgvegas.com) Editor at Large BROCK RADKE (brock.radke@gmgvegas.com) Managing Editor/News DAVE MONDT (dave.mondt@gmgvegas.com) Staff Writers HILLARY DAVIS, JUSTIN EMERSON, MIKE GRIMALA, CASEY HARRISON, BRYAN HORWATH, C. MOON REED, ARLEIGH RODGERS, AMBER SAMPSON, RICARDO TORRES-CORTEZ Contributing Editors RAY BREWER, JOHN FRITZ, CASE KEEFER, WADE MCAFERTY, KEN MILLER, JOHN TAYLOR Office Coordinator NADINE GUY
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LOCAL FIREFIGHTERS RESPOND TO LAKE TAHOE FIRE, HURRICANE IDA When your firefighting colleagues are faced with a tragedy and reach out for help, there’s only one answer: When should we be there? Clark County Fire Chief John Steinbeck shared that sentiment when discussing the deployment of firefighters to assist at two national emergencies. Southern Nevada fire districts sent 24 volunteers to the Lake Tahoe area in Northern Nevada to battle the Caldor Fire. That’s on top of Nevada Task Force 1—a team of 35 firefighters from Clark County, Henderson, North Las Vegas and Las Vegas—which arrived in Grand Isle, Louisiana, at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency to aid in search-and-rescue efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Ida. Steinbeck said local departments have been plagued with pandemic-induced staffing shortages, but “we dug down deep and we sent out the personnel that was requested. And if they ask for more resources, we’ll dig even deeper.” More than 53,000 Californians have been ordered to evacuate from the Caldor Fire that has burned more than 204,000 acres. It’s approaching the Nevada border. Clark County Fire Battalion Chief Kenny Holding said the mission near Lake Tahoe isn’t yet battling the blaze, but rather handling regular department duties so local firefighters can aid in containing the wildfire— or simply get rest when possible. –Casey Harrison
WEEK IN REVIEW WEEK AHEAD News you should know about
UNLV linebacker LeShaun Bell (9) and defensive back Phillip Hill (5) take down Eastern Washington running back Micah Smith during the second half of the visitors’ 35-33 overtime win at Allegiant Stadium on September 2. (Steve Marcus/Staff)
9.9.21
IN THIS ISSUE
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Cover story: The Raiders are ready to roll Nights: Partying at Allegiant and a new cocktail spot The Strip: The Theater at Virgin debuts Food & Drink: The elevated experience at Delilah Vegas Inc: Concerns over automated workers
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STORIES FROM LAST WEEK CCSD TO MANDATE VAX Clark County School District trustees said they will eventually require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19, handing down the decision after a long meeting on September 2. The mandate will need to be negotiated and refined with employee unions, Superintendent Jesus Jara said, so most details, including when it would go into effect, are to be determined.
QANON CON IN DOUBT A controversial QAnon-linked convention scheduled for October 2325 in Las Vegas won’t happen at Caesars Entertainment properties as planned, resort officials said August 31. It’s unknown if the event, listed as the For God & Country Patriot Double Down and slated to include speakers such as retired Army Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, the former national security adviser under Donald Trump, and a host of QAnon sympathizers and farright figureheads, will remain in town at another venue.
VGK FANS WILL NEED MASKS The Golden Knights will require masks for fans attending games at T-Mobile Arena this season, regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. “However, proof of vaccination and/or proof of a negative COVID test in advance of attending a game will not be required at this time,” the organization said in a statement.
CONVENTION PROTOCOLS Organizers of large conventions can opt into a Nevada directive that allows attendees to be maskless indoors as long as proof of COVID-19 vaccination is required as a condition to enter, Gov. Steve Sisolak’s office announced September 2. Two of the most popular Las Vegas conventions—the Consumer Technology Association’s CES and the National Association of Broadcasters’ NAB Show—have announced that their events will require proof of COVID-19 jabs for entry.
Elvis, an AI powered robotic puppy by Sony Aibo, plays in his pen at the Conrad Las Vegas lobby at Resorts World. (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
VEGAS UNSTRIPPED FOOD FEST UNVEILS STAR-STUDDED LINEUP Vegas Unstripped in Downtown Las Vegas is set to be bigger than ever on October 16, featuring more than two dozen local chefs and restaurateurs serving up one-night-only dishes in an outdoor, Arts District setting expected to be revealed soon. Feast of Friends, the local marketing and event company behind the local-focused food fest, announced the roster of participating chefs today, a veritable all-star squad of the creative culinarians driving the Vegas restaurant scene. Just a few of the familiar names: John Arena of Metro Pizza, Justin Kingsley Hall of Main St. Provisions, Brian Howard of Sparrow + Wolf, Bruce Kalman of Soulbelly BBQ, Gina Marinelli of La Strega, Marc Marrone of Graffiti Bao, Gio Mauro of Pizzeria Monzu, Jamie Tran of the Black Sheep and James Trees of Esther’s Kitchen and Al Solito Posto. All-inclusive tickets for Unstripped, which will run from 8 p.m. until midnight, are on sale now at vegasunstripped.com. Net proceeds from the event, which will also feature local bars and bartenders and live entertainment, will be donated to local nonprofit organizations. Proof of vaccination will be required of all attendees and participants. –Brock Radke
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Pens & markers If you like to go bold, pens and markers are your answer. The options are endless, but even a humble Sharpie will do.
SUPPLIES
While you can start a sketchbook practice with materials you have laying around the house, sometimes it’s fun to upgrade.
Watercolor set Some travel watercolor sets are about the size of a cellphone and offer infinite color mixing opportunities. Winsor & Newton is a high-quality brand, but each paint will be slightly different. Experiment to find what you like.
Drawing can be fun, easy and less expensive than you might think BY C. MOON REED
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h, the joy of keeping a sketchbook. To sit at a coffee shop or park bench and quietly capture the surrounding scene in a state of graphite-induced zen. Or to flip through pages of your past drawings and bask in the well-earned glow of artistic accomplishment. Even to show off your doodles to friends on social media. The joys of a sketchbook are many, and it’s one of the most accessible hobbies around. You don’t even need artistic talent!
Sketch wallet
HOW TO START • • • •
Find some paper, ideally bound, but that’s not necessary. Find a pencil, pen, marker, whatever. Sit down and remove all judgment. Draw what you see, what you want to see and/or what you remember. • Repeat for at least 10 minutes a day, several times a week.
QUICK TIPS
If you want to be sure to never forget your sketchbook, get a wallet/sketchbook combo, available at localoasislv.com.
n “Jot down your thoughts when creativity is high, and you’ll have material when creativity is low,” Hernandez says. n Don’t feel limited to just drawing. Hernandez also uses sketchbooks for lyrics, poetry and song titles. n Use your phone to record ideas in a pinch, and copy them to your sketchbook when you get home, Hernandez advises.
SKETCH TO IMPROVE YOUR EYE You don’t have to be “good” at art to enjoy it. Artist and art instructor Daniella Etel Courban tells her UNLV figure drawing students to sketch from observation for at least 10 minutes, five times a week. “It’s amazing,” says Courban, who also owns and runs Open Art Las Vegas at the Arts Factory and will soon have work displayed at Priscilla Fowler Gallery. “You get so much better by just taking 10 minutes a day. It really makes a difference. “
L A S V E G A S W E E K LY
9.9.21
A PORTABLE HOBBY
“Try to keep a sketchbook with you at all times,” advises Las Vegas artist Dan45 Hernandez (Instagram @ xDan45x). Don’t be intimidated by the cliche of an artist taking a giant wooden easel, heavy canvas and a fish-tackle box of paints out in the wilderness. That could be fun, but it’s certainly not required. Right now, Courban carries a tiny Moleskine sketchbook and “just a couple of pens.” ¶ Remember, it’s more important to have a small sketchbook on hand when you want to draw than to have a giant sketchbook stuck at home. You could even look at sketching as a way to replace your phone habit.
5-MINUTE EXPERT Color pencils Who says you need to draw in gray tones? Professional comic artists, including Las Vegas Sun cartoonist Mike Smith, often sketch in light-blue color, because color pencils are less likely to smudge and because the light blue isn’t picked up by a copy machine. Prismacolor is considered the best.
Pencils Any regular pencil will do, but you can buy a set of pencils with a variety of hardnesses relatively cheaply. For example, the Faber-Castell Goldfaber Sketching Pencil Set costs less than $10.
Sketchbook It’s impossible to recommend one type of sketchbook—they come in multiple sizes, styles, paper type and binding type. Pick one that you might like and try it out; there’s no wrong answer.
BEGIN WITH CHEAP MATERIALS
DRAW FROM OBSERVATION
It might seem anticlimactic when you finally have your supplies gathered, to sit down at a coffee shop and then draw the latte in front of you. But Courban says observational drawing “expands your knowledge base of what things look like,” so you later can draw from imagination.
(Sketches above courtesy Gig Depio)
Accomplished Las Vegas-based artist Gig Depio sketches on junk mail—the backs of envelopes and old newspapers. “It takes the anxiety out of having to ruin perfectly good paper,” Depio says. “I try to get the cheapest stuff: free ball point pens from hotels, cheap Bic mechanical pencils.” ¶ Setting yourself free from worrying about wasting expensive art supplies allows you to “open yourself up to the unexpected,” Depio says. ¶ He likes to be his most experimental and daring when sketching. And the sketches leave a record of ideas to which he can return later for inspiration. If Depio sees something he likes, he transfers the drawing to clean paper, and again later to its final form.
SKETCH TO DEVELOP IDEAS
There’s no shame in snapping a photo and then drawing—or even tracing—from reference. Sometimes what you want to draw can’t be captured in a photo, however. That’s where sketching comes in. It can help you access the subconscious or creative part of the brain. ¶ Depio says when he set out to design a 13-foot-by-6-foot mural for the City of Las Vegas Courthouse lobby, he was initially unsure how to depict the theme of “justice and equality for all.” ¶He says, “drawing is a way to get unstuck.” So he began sketching. “You’re groping in the dark for the form of that object in your metaphysical mind,” says Depio, whose art was recently shown at UNLV’s Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art. While a photograph might capture the outer appearance of an object, Depio says a sketch can record the “qualities” of that object.
A SOCIAL SKETCHING GAME Hernandez says
sketching can be social, too. He likes to play a game where he’ll draw a shape or squiggle in his sketchbook and then pass the page to a friend. The friend adds a bit to the drawing, and they pass it back and forth to see what emerges. “They turn out weird and random, but it helps me see things in a different way,” Hernandez says.
WHERE TO BUY
DESERT ART SUPPLIES 2003 E. Charleston Blvd., 702-382-5404; 2750 N. Green Valley Parkway, 702384-3337. desertartsupplies.com
BLICK ART MATERIALS 6300 W. Charleston Blvd. #130, 702-3680209. dickblick.com
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9.9.21 Erica Vital-Lazare (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
9.9.21
L A S V E G A S W E E K LY
THE WEEKLY Q&A
SEEING/SEEN September 24-February 25; Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art. Opening event September 24, 5 p.m.
THE IMPORTANCE OF
BY AMBER SAMPSON
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here’s no fitting women like Erica Vital-Lazare into a box. To her College of Southern Nevada students, she’s a professor of creative writing. To the literary scene, she’s an inspiring force, moving from one blooming project to the next, like the busy and exceptionally brilliant bee that she is. Vital-Lazare’s literary work has been featured in social justice exhibits citywide, from Left of Center Gallery’s Bending the Arc to West Las Vegas Library’s Like Water Slipping Through Our Fingers to her own evocative photo-essay project, Obsidian & Neon: Celebrating Black Life and Identity in Las Vegas, first shown at the Clark County Rotunda Gallery. Seeking to unearth the marginalized voices of the past, she also helped revive overlooked Black-published fiction through the book series Of the Diaspora, with indie publisher McSweeney’s. The literary local spoke with us about her upcoming show at UNLV’s Marjorie Barrick Museum of Art, her early influences growing up and her latest project during the pandemic. You grew up in Virginia, but spent your summers in Georgia, where you were born. Who was your gateway into literature growing up? My uncle, Meredith. He lived in Philadelphia, he was a flâneur, which is the Haitian word for someone who just travels. When he was 16, he would jump the rails and just go places, and my grandparents wouldn’t know where he’d gone. He wound up in Philadelphia, and when he would come down to visit, he would bring me books that I wasn’t supposed to be reading. I
BEING SEEN CSN prof Erica Vital-Lazare talks about her twin passions of literature and art
read The Confessions of Nat Turner when I was 10. He brought me The Bluest Eye. He brought me Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood. He brought me V.C. Andrews’ Flowers in the Attic … He loved to read, and so since the time that I could pick up a book, he would just bring me these gifts. He gifted me this life. When did you know you wanted to write as much as you read? Maybe in the first grade, but before that I’d write little stories. It started in kindergarten, actually. They’d give you your little journal, and I had it for the longest time. I wrote my first story in one of those. What was it about? It was about a ballerina onstage, and she falls off. Then she discovers it was just a dream. I think everything I write has this dream life to it. I never thought writing was something people could live in the mortal realm and accomplish. I think that was because I had such high regard for the people I was reading. Your curated show Seeing/ Seen at the Barrick Museum will celebrate Black women through various mediums.
What can you tell us about it? It’s an opportunity to do some real work, which is confronting and correcting that hypervisibility and invisibility of Black women. I was surprised and honored when the executive director of the Barrick Museum, Alisha Kerlin, asked me if I wanted to do something. The first thing that came to mind was, I wanted to fill this space with us. I didn’t really have a theme other than to see just our beauty in all its permutations on the walls of the Barrick. I thought of our Obsidian & Neon project that I’ve worked on for about three years with Jeff Scheid, my brother and partner in crime. … This powerful pantheon of Black women is embedded in that project, so I wanted to use a few of those images. I felt it was important to show the work of photographers of color as well. One of those will be Lester Sloan, a revered Black photographer for Newsweek. As part of the Of the Diaspora series, I’m editing a collection of his images, along with the essays of his daughter. Sounds like you had a lot of freedom. Alisha Kerlin, I’ve known her socially, and I’ve always
been in love with who she is and what she does. Anything that I’ve dreamed of for this show, she and her team have supported. Has that level of support always been this strong in the creative scene? I think it has. … This is a place where on the world stage, our culture is the glitz. There are very real people who love art here and, more importantly, they love community. We could’ve been doing anything, and we would’ve had that collaborative support and excitement behind one another. … A good portion of the creative process, you think you’re acting alone, but in this town, I think there’s always a lifeline. You may not even know that it exists until you’re pulling on it or someone’s throwing it out. During the pandemic, you put your literary work aside to help another group that needed to be seen, West Las Vegans. I co-founded the Obodo Collective with my friend, Brian Dice. It’s a nonprofit that’s meant to serve the community of the West Side. We’re in a food desert over there, and access to fresh food is limited, if not nonexistent. So we are breaking ground on a half-acre community garden. We’re going to have a working master gardener, along with other gardening resources to produce actual fresh foods that we can sell but also provide for free for the adjacent community. People will be able to donate time, volunteer resources and just be a part of the community and what we hope to contribute there. I feel like so much is going to happen, so many beautiful things on the West Side that we just want to be a part of it.
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GE R E M
E S A H R E L OME L A W B E C TA R N E R E TO ERS R A D LAC UP D S N P L E RK F T N H T A G TI M A D ’ FIRS FRO VEGAS LAS
Darren Waller (AP/Photo Illustration)
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arren Waller peeks through the rolling glass garage doors at the back end of the Raiders’ Henderson headquarters between weightlifting sets to watch his teammates’ training camp practice session. Maintaining his usual straight face, the Pro Bowl tight end exudes a calm that stands in stark contrast to the panic regarding his status that’s been spreading among the Raiders’ fanbase. Waller isn’t injured, just experiencing some minor, undisclosed “discomfort,” so Las Vegas’ coaching staff has given him a 10-day break from practice during a grueling stretch in August. Waller initially didn’t like the idea but came around to understanding. “It was frustrating, because I always want to be out there working. [In] 2019, I don’t think I missed a practice, and [in] 2020, I only missed a couple, so I want to be out there,” Waller says after returning to practice. “But at the same time, maybe I do need to sit still a little bit, because it’s a long season.” ■■■■■ The ultra-cautious, rest-over-reps approach the Raiders have employed with the 28-year-old going into the 2021 season is hardly unprecedented in the NFL. It’s usually reserved for the league’s best players, a category in which Waller now undoubtedly belongs after monster years in each of his first two full seasons with the Raiders. Waller broke out in 2019 with 90 receptions for 1,145 yards and three touchdowns, then proved he was no one-year wonder by topping those figures in the team’s first year in Las Vegas. The speedy, 6-foot-6, 255-pound force became the undisputed focal point of the Raiders’ offense in 2020, pulling in a franchise record 107 receptions for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns. The organization seems even more committed to him going into the 2021 season after allowing the team’s second-leading receiver, Nelson Agholor, to walk in free agency without making any significant upgrades in that area. That’s largely because the Raiders’ brain trust trusts so
(A D e re k C a r r
BY CASE KEEFER
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SEASON PREVIEW RAIDERS 2021
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‘OH, WOW, THIS GUY CAN RUN!’ completely in Waller. “I’ve never been around a guy that is that unselfish, that talented, that versatile and that complete,” Raiders coach Jon Gruden said in a news conference during training camp. “We’ve got to continue to build around him. We’ve got to get some of our young receivers to take pressure off of him. We’ve put some more things in our playbook. We are going to be a lot more demanding of Waller going forward.” Waller ranked No. 35 in the NFL’s annual player-voted Top 100 list going into this season. His coaches and teammates would surely argue that wasn’t high enough, and they might have a point. Alongside fellow standouts Travis Kelce (Kansas City) and George Kittle (San Francisco), Waller is helping to redefine the tight end position in the modern NFL. Among that trio of consensus top tight
ends, Waller also stands out as the unlikeliest success story, considering where he was as recently as three years ago. ■■■■■ The Raiders signed Waller off of Baltimore’s practice squad in late 2018 to end a rocky four-year tenure with the Ravens, who selected him in the sixth round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of Georgia Tech. Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr recalled thinking, “How did we get this guy?” as soon as Waller showed up. “I remember throwing him his first route at practice. I threw it 10 feet behind him and was like, ‘Oh, wow, this guy can run!’” Carr recalled at the end of last season. “From then on, it was a beautiful (Continued on Page 16) Raiders tight end Darren Waller (83) makes a catch over Dolphins free safety Eric Rowe. (Steve Marcus/AP)
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SEASON PREVIEW RAIDERS 2021 (Continued from Page 15) thing with not only on-the-field chemistry but off the field. He told me his story and what he had been through.” Waller was an addict, developing a drug habit that included opioid pills and cocaine, dating back to his days as a prep football star in suburban Atlanta. It nearly cost him his career, if not his life. After being suspended for the entire 2017 NFL season for repeated violations of the NFL’s substance abuse policy, Waller overdosed on opioids in his car. Unlike three friends he grew up playing football alongside—all of whom suffered fatal overdoses—Waller survived, checking himself into rehab shortly after the incident. He has now been sober for more than four years and has turned his attention toward advocacy for those in similar situations. He founded the Darren Waller Foundation to help drug-addicted youths and has appeared in national opioid-crisis campaigns. “I feel like that giving-back component really keeps me sharp, because that’s the
greatest feeling that I can feel—to help somebody else or to be impactful in someone else’s community or sphere of influence,” Waller says. “So I really want to do that and stay on top of my routine—meditating, praying, writing in my journal, still going to meetings and just doing what I’ve been doing to keep me built up. “Without those things, my career doesn’t sustain. I have to continue to dance with what brought me here, and that’s taking care of myself internally, mentally, spiritually, emotionally. You get the best version of me on the football field when I’m doing those things.” Waller’s absence from training camp was partially a result of how sharp he’s looked again heading into 2021, according to Gruden. The coach says he found it almost necessary to hold Waller out in order to fully evaluate other players vying for receptions. With his ability to create separation in passing routes and his rhythm with Carr, Waller received the lion’s share of targets during the first several practices. Given his mindset, it was easier to sit him for practices than ask him to go at half-speed. That’s because, after what he’s been through, Waller refuses to give less than full effort. He has risen from the lowest of depths to the highest of peaks, and he plans to extend his stay at the top. “When I was coming out of the dark places in my life, it’s like, ‘Man, you’ve come that close to not being here anymore, you have to have a new sense of urgency,’ ” Waller says. “Every single day you’re not promised much, so I want to take that urgency and put it into everything I do.”
KOLTON MILLER
Left tackle, 25 years old 6-foot-8, 325 pounds Miller has improved every season since the Raiders took him in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of UCLA—to the point where the team believes he has All-Pro potential. Las Vegas signed Miller to a threeyear, $54 million contract extension this offseason in a show of confidence that he can become an undisputed franchise cornerstone.
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BIG BOYS A look at the Raiders’ mostly new offensive line
BY CASE KEEFER For the past two seasons, everyone associated with the Las Vegas Raiders jumped at any chance to declare that the team had “the best offensive line in the league.” They won’t be claiming that this year, at least not to start the season. That’s not to say the organization doesn’t trust the five big guys up front; it’s just that the unit is no longer a veteran-laden group and now needs to prove itself. With a tightening NFL salary cap as a result of last season being contested without fans, the Raiders needed to cut roster costs and decided offensive line was the best place to do it. They traded away three veteran starters—right tackle Trent Brown, right guard Gabe Jackson and center Rodney Hudson— and committed to more of a youth movement. The Raiders have fielded one of the NFL’s best offenses the past two seasons, and the onus is on the new line to coalesce quickly to maintain that standing. Here’s how it looks, position-by-position …
RICHIE INCOGNITO
Left guard, 38 years old 6-foot-4, 322 pounds The emotional leader of the line, Incognito is heading into the 16th season of an NFL career that dates back to before some of his youngest teammates were in elementary school. He’s technically one of two returning starters on the line (along with Miller), but he played in only the first two games last year before injuring his Achilles and missing the rest of the season.
ANDRE JAMES
Center, 24 years old 6-foot-4, 300 pounds James has the tallest task ahead of him—replacing a reliable Pro Bowler in Hudson. Las Vegas only moved on from Hudson because it was so confident in the progress James had shown in practice for the past two years since going undrafted out of UCLA, where he was a teammate and close friend of Miller’s.
DENZELLE GOOD
Right guard, 30 years old 6-foot-5, 340 pounds With injuries compounding up front last season, Good had to shift between every offensive line position other than center to become the ultimate utility man—and someone Derek Carr called the team’s “most valuable player.” Good opted to stay with Las Vegas rather than move on in free agency, with the promise of a shot at a full-time starting role for the first time in his seven-year career.
ALEX LEATHERWOOD
Right tackle, 22 years old 6-foot-5, 312 pounds Las Vegas was so enamored of the rookie from Alabama that it took him with the 17th overall pick in April’s NFL Draft—a round higher than most had graded him. Leatherwood did nothing to make the Raiders regret the decision in training camp, picking up the offense at warp speed and flashing bigtime athleticism.
(All Photos AP)
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NEW ERA’
‘A WHOLE
The Raiders sound confident in their defense— and there’s reason to believe them BY CASE KEEFER
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aiders’ defensive players and coaches shot down any reference to the past throughout training camp. To them, the struggles of last year, two years ago or any time before that are ancient history and totally irrelevant. New defensive coordinator Gus Bradley preached a blank slate when he was hired after last season, and his players have committed to the idea. “Other years don’t matter anymore,” edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue told reporters during a Zoom call earlier this summer. “It’s a whole new era.” The Raiders might not want to acknowledge it, but defense has been the primary reason they have been mired around .500 the past two years and been unable to break into the playoffs. Las Vegas has ranked 26th in the NFL in back-to-back years, giving up just shy of 6 yards per play. Only three teams— Cincinnati, Jacksonville and Houston— have been worse over the past two years. Meanwhile, Las Vegas’ offense has sat eighth in the league with 5.9 yards per play in back-to-back years. Only two other teams—Kansas City and Tennessee—have rated that highly consecutively in the same span, and both of those clubs have multiple postseason wins to show for it. So, breaking a 19-year drought without a playoff win will require defensive improvement—and the Raiders know
it. “We put a lot into our defense, made a lot of changes,” coach Jon Gruden said during a recent news conference. “We still have a long way to go. We’ve got a lot to prove.” Those changes started with Bradley, who replaced Paul Guenther, and trickled down to the rest of the unit. After hiring Guenther, the former Jacksonville head coach best known for building Seattle’s “Legion of Boom” defenses, Gruden and general manager Mike Mayock sat down with him and plotted exact details of the turnaround. The conversation got as precise as the preferred weights, heights and other measurables for players at every position of Bradley’s system. The front office then went out to bring in personnel that matched up as closely as possible. The headline acquisitions were free agents Ngakoue, one of the NFL’s best pass rushers since he broke into the league in 2016, and Casey Hayward, the dependable veteran cornerback the Raiders have previously lacked. They didn’t stop there. Las Vegas notably used five of its first six picks in this year’s NFL Draft on defense, with two of the selections—second-round free safety Tre’von Moehrig and fifth-round slot cornerback Nate Hobbs—currently projected as Day 1 starters. After a rash of linebacker injuries, the Raiders capped training camp by
signing Pro Bowl free agent K.J. Wright and trading for veteran Denzel Perryman. Las Vegas could now start new players at six of 11 defensive positions. Ngakoue, Hayward, Wright and Perryman have all played under Bradley previously, so they’ve helped teach teammates the intricacies of the coach’s hybrid Cover 3 defense that emphasizes getting pressure without blitzing and excelling in zone coverage. “This is a learning curve for everybody, especially on the defensive side,” Hayward says, “but hopefully as the game goes and the more games we get, the defense will turn into one of those defenses where people say, ‘Hey, those guys fly around and are not a weak link of the team.’” The encouraging part is that the Raiders have shown definitive progress,
even though it didn’t come immediately. Hayward admitted to feeling down when the first-team offense was getting the best of the first-team defense for the first week or so of training camp. But then it started to flip. The defense was suddenly holding its own leading up to a fateful day two weeks into practices, when it dominated with five turnovers. “If anyone walked off that field excited, it was definitely me,” quarterback Derek Carr said of the defense’s performance during a news conference the next day. “This is a team game, and it’s the best game because it’s a team game. Every man in that locker room matters in order for us to end up with the goal that we want. … I’ve been around [in past years] where [the offense] wins 100% of the time [in practice], and that’s
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SEASON PREVIEW RAIDERS 2021
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R A ID ER PR ID E Carl Nassib feels love from the Raider organization after coming out as gay BY CASE KEEFER
O Left to right: Yannick Ngakoue, Nate Hobbs, K.J. Wright, Tre’von Moehrig, Casey Hayward Jr., Denzel Perryman (AP/Photo Illustrations)
hard … whereas [this year] it’s been competitive.” Las Vegas showed strides against another team, too. Although practically all the starters sat out three preseason games to avoid potential injury, the Raiders held a pair of joint practices and scrimmages with the Rams in LA, and everyone played. By all accounts, Las Vegas’ long-struggling defense outplayed the Rams’ lauded offense, including intercepting quarterback Matthew Stafford three times on the first day. Linebacker Cory Littleton snagged one of the picks against his former team, a welcome sign for a player who performed poorly a year ago after the Raiders signed him to a pricey contract in free agency. Cornerback Damon Arnette was also reportedly sharp in the sessions; the
former first-round pick at cornerback is looking to recover from a disappointing rookie season. Hayward has displaced Arnette from the starting lineup, but with a promising summer, there’s now hope the latter can be a valuable piece off the bench. Ditto for Clelin Ferrell, the former No. 4 overall draft pick, whom Ngakoue pushed out of a starting spot. Ferrell hasn’t lived up to his draft position, but he might suddenly be one of the best backups in the league. That sort of depth is a luxury the Raiders haven’t enjoyed on defense in many years, but they’re still refusing to make comparisons to the past. “We’ve got a chance to be a really good defense,” Hayward said. “Obviously, I wasn’t here last year so I can only tell you what I see now.”
f all the worries Raiders defensive end Carl Nassib held about becoming the first active NFL player to come out as gay this summer, the response from his teammates was the least of them. The 28-year-old, six-year NFL veteran out of Penn State says he was almost certain everyone would still accept him going into his second year with the team. And it’s gone even smoother than Nassib expected—he says he has felt nothing but welcome since the team convened for training camp in late July. “We’ve got a great locker room, great teammates,” Nassib said at a recent news conference. “I’ve been met with nothing but love and support. It’s been incredible. Football players get a bad rap, but we’re humble, hard-working, accepting people, and this was a great example of that.” Nassib came out publicly in June, by way of an Instagram post in which he pledged $100,000 to the Trevor Project, a suicide prevention organization focusing on the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Nassib drew national headlines but says he dreams of a day when a similar announcement from another player won’t be as big of a deal. He says he believed coming out was important from a visibility standpoint for the LGBT community and discussed his intentions ahead of time with the Raiders’ coaching staff, getting a show of support from head coach Jon Gruden. None of Nassib’s teammates knew his sexuality, but he says they quickly rallied around him. It was particularly meaningful to Nassib when quarterback and team captain Derek Carr pledged to have his back. “From my point of view, his locker is just a few down from mine, and I want to make sure that he knows that we just want him to play as hard as he can so we can win a Super Bowl,” Carr said. “That’s what we’re here to do, whether someone agrees or disagrees with what he does off the field. We’re still a family when we come in this building, [and] we better treat him like such.” Nassib has turned down a flood of media opportunities in the wake of his announcement, emphasizing that he wants to concentrate on football and hopefully help the gay community in the process. “It was definitely stressful growing up and being in the closet and doing all that,” Nassib said. “It’s very stressful; I can speak from experience. But it’s been a weight off my shoulders. I’ve been out to family and friends for years at this point, so it’s good to not have to lie when I come into work every day.”
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GAME PLANNING ALLEGIANT 1
VACCINATION REQUIREMENT
The Raiders became the first NFL team to announce a policy that all fans must provide proof of COVID-19 vaccination to attend games. Verification is done through the Clear app, which requires a user to provide a selfie and vaccination card that are then confirmed through image-recognition and biometric data software. Fans can download the app immediately and provide vaccination proof, or do it any time leading up to kickoff. Community Ambulance will set up an on-site vaccination pop-up at every home game so unvaccinated fans can receive their first shot and be allowed admittance as long as they wear a mask throughout. Children 12 and younger will also be required to wear a mask inside, while those vaccinated are free to go without masks if they wish.
2
PARKING
Parking wasn’t as much of a mess as many anticipated for the Raiders’ lone home preseason game, but it was every bit as expensive as folks feared. The limited spots directly around the stadium cost $100, and even non-associated lots in the vicinity ran an average of about $75. The Raiders are urging fans to book parking ahead through SpotHero.com, the team’s official partner, or parking.com. Spots on those two sites range from $10 to $100, with locations as far as an 18-minute walk away. All of MGM Resorts International’s nearby properties—Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, New York-New York and MGM Grand—offer event parking ranging from $40 to $75. The bridge connecting Las Vegas Boulevard to the stadium plot on Hacienda Avenue will be shut down on game days to allow for foot traffic.
3
Five things to know about the now-open-to-fans stadium BY CASE KEEFER It’s technically the Raiders’ second season in Las Vegas, but in a lot of ways, it feels like the first after last year’s coronavirus-altered proceedings. A relocation can’t feel final until fans are allowed into the stadium, right? Allegiant Stadium will thankfully be full for nine home games this year after sitting empty, aside from essential personnel, last season. Here’s what you need to know to maximize the experience.
TAILGATING
The Raiders envision the 6,000 spots nearest Allegiant Stadium, which run $100 per space, turning into prime tailgate location. Season-ticket holders receive first crack at the spots, and if the preseason game was any indication, many of them swooped in to keep the Raiders’ tailgating reputation intact in Las Vegas. The official Allegiant Stadium lots will open four hours prior to kickoff. Other tailgating options will be available for those parking farther away, as many resorts have their own pregame parties planned. The biggest one will be MGM Resorts’ Stadium Walk,”touted as “the ultimate tailgate experience.” It’s free and located around the Hacienda bridge.
4
FOOD
The concessions at Allegiant Stadium are anything but ordinary. They’re loaded with excellent local-favorite choices. Restaurants with order-at-thecounter locations at Allegiant include Pizza Rock, Rollin’ Smoke Barbeque, Holsteins and Fukuburger. Additionally, celebrity chefs Mary Sue Milliken and Susan Feniger of Border Grill fame have BBQ Mexicana at the stadium, and UNLV graduate and Food Network star Guy Fieri has an eponymous tailgate kitchen and bar there. Other local heavyweights spread throughout the stadium, mostly at stands, include Jessie Rae’s BBQ, Cafe Lola, Evel Pie, Slidin’ Thru, Pinkbox Doughnuts and many more.
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LOUNGE LIFE
Allegiant Stadium (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
A nightclub in the north end zone, the Wynn Field Club, has been the talk of the team, with Raiders players marveling at the new concept and costs that price even most of them out. Standing room-only tickets start at $750 through wynnsocial.com, where inquiries can also be made for seating. Table reservations run from $7,500 to $60,000, according to sheetsvip.com. VIP treatment, premium bottle service and appearances from its roster of world-class DJs will be on offer at the club. The Twitch Lounge and Modelo Cantina Club might be more accessible areas to everyday fans. Both are club-seating options, with the former promising an “engaging, interactive experience” from the streaming platform. Anyone with club-seat tickets will have access to both lounges.
WEEK 2: AT PITTSBURGH STEELERS Sunday, September 19, 10 a.m., CBS Current line: Steelers -5 Las Vegas’ rebuilt offensive line will get a challenge against a defense that rated as the league’s best for most of last season, behind a front that includes perennial All-Pros T.J. Watt and Cameron Heyward. WEEK 3: VS. MIAMI DOLPHINS Sunday, September 26, 1:05 p.m., CBS Current line: Dolphins -1 Vengeance will be on the Raiders’ mind after they all but officially killed their playoff hopes last year with a meltdown in the final seconds against the Dolphins, a loss coach Jon Gruden called “embarrassing” and “horrific.” WEEK 4: AT LOS ANGELES CHARGERS Monday, October 4, 5:15 p.m., ESPN Current line: Chargers -3.5 Both Raiders vs. Chargers
games came down to the last play a season ago, with Las Vegas prevailing on the road when cornerback Isaiah Johnson broke up a pass originally ruled a touchdown in the end zone. WEEK 5: VS. CHICAGO BEARS Sunday, October 10, 1:05 p.m., CBS Current line: Raiders -2.5 This was a surprise game, the additional contest added to the Raiders’ schedule when the NFL expanded the regular season to a 17-game format. WEEK 6: AT DENVER BRONCOS Sunday, October 17, 1:25 p.m., CBS Current line: Broncos -3.5 Las Vegas swept the season series with Denver for the first time in 10 years last season, but the Broncos look healthier this year and added new starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. WEEK 7: VS. PHILADELPHIA EAGLES Sunday, October 24, 1:05 p.m. Fox Current line: Raiders -4 This might be a must-win for the Raiders, considering the Eagles look like the worst team on their schedule as Philly potentially enters a rebuilding period with new coach Nick Sirriani. WEEK 8: BYE
All radio broadcasts on 92.3-FM & 920-AM.
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SEASON PREVIEW RAIDERS 2021
A game-by-game look at the Raiders’ upcoming season WEEK 1: VS. BALTIMORE RAVENS Monday, September 13, 5:15 p.m., ESPN Current line: Ravens -4 The RaideWrs have only faced Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson once previously, back in 2018, when the former MVP shredded them for 249 total yards and two touchdowns in a 34-17 Baltimore win.
LV W C OV E R S T O R Y
WEEK 9: AT NEW YORK GIANTS Sunday, November 7, 10 a.m., CBS Current line: Giants -2.5 This will be a reunion with running back Devontae Booker, who was a revelation as a Raiders backup a season ago and used the bounce-back campaign to land a deal with the Giants as a free agent. WEEK 10: VS. KANSAS CITY CHIEFS Sunday, November 14, 5:20 p.m., NBC Current line: Chiefs -7.5 The Raiders were seconds—and a blown coverage—away from shocking the Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium last season and beating the juggernaut for a second time on the season. WEEK 11: VS. CINCINNATI BENGALS Sunday, November 21, 1:05 p.m., CBS Current line: Raiders -4 The Raiders’ young secondary squares off with a Bengals’ young receiving corps that includes Ja’Marr Chase, this year’s No. 6 overall draft pick. WEEK 12: AT DALLAS COWBOYS Thursday, November 25, 1:30 p.m., CBS Current line: Cowboys -4 Las Vegas will play on Thanksgiving Day for the first time since 2013 and will look to improve on its 3-4 all-time record on the holiday. WEEK 13: VS. WASHINGTON FOOTBALL TEAM Sunday, December 5, 1:05 p.m., Fox Current line: Raiders -1.5 Washington was a surprise playoff team a year ago, and many are now expecting the team to return to the postseason behind a defensive line starring Chase Young and Jonathan Allen.
WEEK 14: AT KANSAS CITY CHIEFS Sunday, December 12, 10 a.m., CBS Current line: Chiefs -10.5 This long-running rivalry amplified a notch last year when Las Vegas won in Kansas City and the Chiefs later accused the Raiders of doing a “victory lap” around Arrowhead Stadium in their team bus. WEEK 15: AT CLEVELAND BROWNS Saturday, December 18 or Sunday, December 19, time TBD, TV TBD Current line: Browns -6.5 On an afternoon that included severe wind gusts, the Raiders upset the Browns 16-6 on the road last year behind 129 rushing yards from Josh Jacobs. WEEK 16: VS. DENVER BRONCOS Sunday, December 26, 1:25 p.m., CBS Current line: Raiders -1.5 Longtime Raider bully Von Miller, a former Super Bowl MVP and future Hall of Famer, plans to make his Allegiant Stadium debut after missing all of last season with a broken ankle. WEEK 17: AT INDIANAPOLIS COLTS Sunday, January 2, 10 a.m., CBS Current line: Colts -6 The Raiders and Colts were battling for the AFC’s final playoff spot a year ago, ahead of Indianapolis’ 4427 win in Las Vegas, and the teams could find themselves in similar positions when they meet this year. WEEK 18: VS. LOS ANGELES CHARGERS Sunday, January 9, 1:25 p.m., CBS Current line: Raiders -2 Strangely, this will be the first time since 2013 that the Raiders finish off the regular season with a home game.
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MAKING THE BED BY GENEVIE DURANO
W
e spend at least a third of our lives in bed, and to have a good night’s rest, a comfortable bed is crucial. But just as important is having the right type of bedding that works with the climate you live in and your particular body temperature. Do you sleep hot or cold? Are you sensitive to texture? All these can affect how rested you feel in the morning. Here’s a primer on how to pick the right sheets that’ll send you right off to dreamland.
Rest cool and easy on the right bedsheets
MATERIAL Sheets come in a variety of materials, and it might just be trial and error to see which one works best for you. The most common sheet material is cotton, and for many good reasons: It’s generally affordable and widely available, it’s easy to care for and is moisture-wicking, a necessity for those hot summer nights. For cool winter nights, cotton flannel is an excellent option, as it provides bulk and warmth. Polyester or microfiber sheets have one great advantage: They’re extremely soft and cool to the touch. They’re not as breathable (or as moisture-wicking) as cotton, however, and because they’re synthetic, their environmental impact is greater. Jersey sheets, which mimic the feel of a lovingly worn T-shirt, are
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HOME a good option for synthetic fabrics blended with cotton. If sustainability is important to you, sheets made of bamboo are an option, but do your research carefully. While bamboo grows plentifully, the way they’re processed can have a huge impact on the environment. Bamboo sheets feel silky and luxurious to the touch, but they’re also more expensive than cotton. Linen sheets are made of a natural fiber from the stalks of a flax plant. They’re on the higher end of the bedding price spectrum, but linen’s breathability is unmatched, keeping you cool in the summer and warm in the winter. Linen’s texture is more pronounced than other fibers, so keep that in mind if you have sensitivity issues. But if you appreciate that effortlessly rumpled look, go for this airy and classic staple.
200 400
ALL ABOUT WEAVE When shopping for sheets, you’ll come across the terms “percale” and “sateen.” This refers to the weave of the thread to create the fabric. Percale is the more traditional of the two, featuring a matte finish and a crisp, cool feel. The one-yarn-over and one-yarn-under weave makes it durable and won’t pill over time, even after many washings. It’s light and breathable, which makes it ideal for summer or hot sleepers. Sateen is named so because it’s the closest texture you can get to satin, without the price. It’s woven one yarn under and three yarns over, which gives the fabric its characteristic silky feel and luxurious sheen. More tightly woven than percale, sateen is also heavier, which makes it ideal for cooler months and for cool sleepers.
THE SWEET SPOT IS BETWEEN
DON’T COUNT ON THREAD COUNT
TO
Some years back, Oprah Winfrey extolled the virtues of her super high thread count sheets, which ran over 1,000. But thread count—the number of horizontal and vertical threads in one square inch—while a great marketing ploy for some companies, is not a great indicator of how comfortable or durable your sheets will be. (Also, there’s no regulation on thread count; any company can claim whatever number it wants.) In our warm climate, anything above a thread count of 400 will be too hot to sleep in, as a higher the thread count will also trap more body heat. Despite what Oprah says, the sweet spot is between 200-400. Instead of thread count, pay attention to fiber length. Longer fibers produce softer fabric, regardless of the thread count. Look for sheets made of Egyptian cotton or Pima. Ply is another term to look out for—it indicates how many yarns are twisted together to make one thread. Single-ply threads are longer and softer, while multi-ply threads, made from shorter and weaker fibers, produce heavier yarn.
PROPER WASHING You’ve invested all this money on sheets. Now, make sure to take care of them properly so they’ll serve you well for years to come. The first thing to do when you unpack a new set is to get them in the wash and remove any factory chemical coating. Moving forward, wash every week (or every other week if you’re feeling lazy) in cold water to extend the life of the fabric. Avoid fabric softeners and dryer sheets, which can compromise your sheets’ natural breathability, and tumble dry on low. Even better? Dry outside in the sun for a natural disinfectant.
WHERE TO BUY Looking to take your bedding game to the next level? Here are some places to check out. Costco.com. The warehouse retailer offers several selections in-store and online to fit any budget. Overstock.com. The sheer number of options is overwhelming, but if you know what you’re looking for, it’s a great place to score a deal. Pottery Barn. It’s hard not to fall in love with the perfectly arranged bedding here. Even if it’s not in your budget, you can find great ideas for sprucing up your sleeping space. Brooklinen. This cult-favorite internet retailer has tens of thousands of enthusiastic reviews for a reason. It offers some of the best cotton and linen sheets upon which you’ll ever rest your head. And while the cost up-front might seem like a splurge, you’ll thank yourself every morning when you wake up refreshed. (Pro tip: Get a bedding bundle and save some bucks.)
(Shutterstock/Photo Illustration)
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BIG THIS WEEK
ABBA Yep, Sweden’s ’70s pop sensation is back, offering up a new album 40 years(!) after the last one. And yep, all four members—Benny Andersson, Agnetha Fältskog, Anni-Frid Lyngstad and Björn Ulvaeus—are on board. The full-length drops November 5, and first two tracks “I Still Have Faith in You” (bit.ly/2WVT1iL) and “Don’t Shut Me Down” (bit.ly/3tkRUVU) are up now.
Death Cab for Cutie (Eliot Lee Hazel/Courtesy)
CONCERT
ALEJANDRO FERNÁNDEZ AT MGM GRAND GARDEN ARENA It wouldn’t be Mexican Independence Day in Las Vegas without an over-the-top performance from this second-generation singing legend, and it’s only fitting that after a year lost to the pandemic, Fernández will celebrate El Grito with two concerts on the Strip this year. He’s opening a fall tour this month with Christian Nodal, but these MGM shows will be all “El Potrillo,” while Nodal does his own thing September 14 at Zappos Theater. September 15-16, 8 p.m., $25-$300, 702-891-1111. –Brock Radke
PARTY READING
AMANDA SKENANDORE AT THE WRITER’S BLOCK
THE BEASTMODE EXPERIENCE WITH MARSHAWN LYNCH
In her historical novel, The Second Life of Mireille West, award-winning, Las Vegas-based author Amanda Skenandore takes readers to a different era of illness. The time is the Roaring ’20s, and the place is Louisiana, where a movie star’s wife is forcibly quarantined in a leper colony. Skenandore signs copies and reads from her tale of loss and hope. September 10, 7 p.m., free, thewritersblock.org. –C. Moon Reed
The NFL great takes over the weekend to help Vegas get ready for a proper NFL season and all the parties that go along with it. Events include a kickoff bash at Drai’s with performances by A$AP Ferg and DJ Shabazz, a pool party at Daylight starring Rich the Kid, P-Lo and DJ Shellheart; and a tailgating extravaganza at Area15 with a set from Bay Area legend Too Short. September 10-13, times & prices vary, pollen.co. –Brock Radke
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WU-TANG: AN AMERICAN SAGA The show had (finally) seen the hip-hop crew starting to record together when Season 1 ended in October 2019. At last, Season 2 picks up the story of RZA, Raekwon and the rest, with the first three episodes streaming now. Hulu
OUR PICKS FOR THE WEEK AHEAD
CONCERT
DEATH CAB FOR CUTIE AT THE CHELSEA We have the facts and we’re voting yes: We’re making plans to see Death Cab for Cutie at the Cosmopolitan, ascending the narrow stairs to the Chelsea. We’ll hope for a veritable photo album of songs—in various codes and keys—spanning the band’s 23 years, a set reflective of their transatlanticism that maybe includes something about airplanes. We’d still be happy if Death Cab mostly plays stuff from its last two albums, Kintsugi and Thank You for Today, and short its other albums, all of which are clumsily referenced here. September 15, 8 p.m., $40+. 702-698-7000. –Geoff Carter
FESTIVAL
VIVA LAS VEGAS ROCKABILLY WEEKEND AT THE ORLEANS After canceling last year due to COVID-19, Vegas’ beloved rockabilly weekender is back and ready for a retro party. Go on Saturday for the classic car show, live music and vendors. Or stay all weekend to enjoy burlesque performances, a fashion show, a tiki pool party, pin-up contest, dance showcases and music galore. Times & prices vary, vivalasvegas.net. –C. Moon Reed
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ULTIMATE CONV
Wynn Field Club combines nightlife and sports in a powerful way BY BROCK RADKE
O
ne of the newest nightlife venues in Las Vegas is all about a luxurious party experience where everybody gets VIP treatment—a nearly 11,000-square-foot space with 29 comfy booths, four bars, two different DJ booths and a 9-by-35-foot video display. One more thing: It’s at Allegiant Stadium. Vegas nightclubs are doing lots of different things to connect with the rapid growth of professional sports in the city but Wynn Field Club takes it to another level … field level.
“I don’t think people understand what is coming,” says Hunter Beaty, general manager of the first Wynn Nightlife venue not on-site at Wynn and Encore. “Wynn Field Club is unlike anything in the country. It’s on the field, and when you’re in the standing-room-only space, you’re shorter than the players, probably five yards from the back of the end zone. It’s so close to the action.” Offering a variety of seating options, premium bottle service, food and drink options and mu-
sical programming to complement the stadium event—Major Lazer made an appearance at last month’s Raiders-Seahawks preseason game— WFC is essentially layering its acclaimed club experience onto whatever is happening at Allegiant. It’s not just sports; the club cut its teeth during July’s Illenium and Garth Brooks concerts. “The [Illenium] show was amazing, because it came together quickly and it was still an incredible show with great special effects,” Beaty says. “The buzz really exploded, because people got
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NIGHTS
VERGENCE
Eduardo Cordova inside Star Piano Cocktail Lounge (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
A DRINK AND A SONG JUST OFF THE STRIP
(Anthony Mair/Courtesy)
BY BROCK RADKE
to see the location of our venue and all it offers.” Demand for Allegiant Stadium ticketed events has been high, and the club is burning it up, too. When it was first announced, Wynn received more than 5,000 inquiries in 48 hours, Beaty says, and the upcoming Monday Night Football season opener for the Raiders against Baltimore has been sold out for weeks. “This is what we thrive on, taking opportunities new to the scene and trying our best to put the Wynn stamp on it,” he says.
WYNN FIELD CLUB
Allegiant Stadium, 702-770-7300, wynnnightlife. com.
the town. “I see it as a cocktail lounge It’s been a year since local that happens to have amazing nightlife impresario Eduardo entertainment, and it’s different Cordova opened the Garden because we don’t have food,” he in the Downtown Arts District, says. “There are so many amazand the bustling venue is really ing restaurants within a couple hitting its stride as one of the miles, so we don’t have to worry hottest gay bars in the city. about that. Just come over and But when another opportuhave a date night, nity came up, Cordowhether you’re starting va grabbed it, even STAR PIANO or ending with us. We though he loves the want to be approachArts District and wants COCKTAIL able and welcoming, to develop more busiLOUNGE a place you could go ness for the area. 3449 S. every night.” “I love the neighborSammy Davis The entertainment hood, and I think it’s Jr. Drive, program is under the going to be the place to 702-476direction of the mulbe; the recent growth 5328. Daily, titalented Chris Lash, has been awesome,” 4 p.m.-late. who recently collabhe says. “But when this orated with singer space came to me, I Travis Cloer and on the new couldn’t pass it up. As soon as I Downtown drag favorite Faaabwalked in I knew what I wanted ulous! Familiar names from Strip to do with it.” shows and venues will be on the Cordova opened Star Piano regular roster, and the Labor Cocktail Lounge on August Day weekend lineup featured 30 at the Strip-adjacent space Ruby Lewis, Josh Strickland and formerly home to Sonny’s The Moonshiners. Saloon. Taking inspiration from Las Vegas can always use the Rat Pack-era, he’s focusing another place for local talent on intimate live music presentato shine and another bar with tions and refined craft cocktails, great drinks, and Star is already seizing on the current supper on its way to connecting with club craze and aiming to create the community, just as the the ideal before-or-after destiGarden did. nation for locals heading out on
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COME TOGETHER
COME TOGETHER BY BROCK RADKE
A
s great as Gary Clark Jr. is—a mesmerizing live performer with four Grammys and a magnetically soulful style that blends genres—his concert in Las Vegas this week is much bigger than one show from one artist. It’s the grand opening of the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas, the first real glimpse at some strategic renovations at a storied music venue. Few people had the chance to check it out during June’s “Unstoppable Weekend” celebration, when Christina Aguilera visited for an abbreviated performance. September 11 marks the real rebirth of the former Joint, one of the most popular concert spots ever for Las Vegas locals and visitors, and it also completes
the launch of the full Virgin property, which opened on March 25 after a year of closure to build something new from the Hard Rock Hotel. “That theater is the lifeblood of the property, which will now be the recipient of tens of thousands of people walking through it that haven’t had the chance since it opened as Virgin,” says Bobby Reynolds, senior vice president of AEG Presents, which manages and books the venue. “It’s definitely exciting and big for us and for them, all the restaurants, the casino, the hotel. Our shows touch every part of the property.” The first few months of bookings at the theater mirror AEG’s previous strategy for the Joint, targeting a broad audience with diverse artists in different genres. Country pop hit-
Gary Clark Jr. kicks off a new era for an iconic Vegas concert venue makers Lady A, introspective electronic artist Porter Robinson, punk stalwarts Flogging Molly and Violent Femmes, rapper Machine Gun Kelly and funk-rock weirdos Primus are all slated for fall shows, with a mini-residency from classic rock favorites Journey set for December. When you do get back in the 4,500-capacity space, you might notice the subtle but meaningful enhancements installed by AEG and Virgin. The floor can be all-seated, all-standing general admission or a hybrid. There’s new flooring, new bar tops and facades and a lot of updated back-of-house space “that fans will never see but will appreciate from a service standpoint,” Reynolds says. And there’s a new VIP area on the first floor, allowing guests to be close to the
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stage and the GA audience while still having their own Grounds and beyond Vegas at New York’s Webster Hall space complete with cocktail service. and the Coachella Music & Arts Festival, announced on The second level remains VIP only with new, more August 12 that it will be requiring proof of vaccination for comfortable seating, renovated suites, new art and entry into its owned and operated venues and festivals TV screens and an updated marble bar on the nationwide starting no later than October 1. GARY right side creating more of a lounge-style area. Reynolds said the Virgin resort team has CLARK JR. And the notorious third-level bar that was set been nothing but supportive of AEG’s COVID September 11, back has been adjusted, so you’ll pass it from policies. 8 p.m., $39the elevators or stairs and ostensibly get back “As a city and as an industry, we cannot af$150. The Theater at to your seat faster with drink in hand. ford another significant shutdown, so stepping Virgin Hotels Don’t forget about Virgin’s free parking, not up to be leaders in getting the city and the inLas Vegas, a specific concert amenity but something that dustry and this venue back online for the long 702-6935222. can make a big difference for locals’ deciterm, it’s the right thing to do,” he says. sion-making process. The Theater is the engine at Virgin Las AEG, also an owner or partner in the Theatre at Resorts Vegas, one that will need to keep running after Gary World, the Day N Vegas festival at the Las Vegas Festival Clark Jr. turns the ignition.
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Amanda Guardado (Steve Marcus/Staff)
STAGE
EMPANADA LOCA
September 9-26; Thursday-Saturday, 8 p.m.; Sunday, 5 p.m.; $25; proof of vaccination required. Majestic Repertory Theatre, 1217 S. Main St., 702-423-6366.
UNDERGROUND SENSATION Majestic Repertory returns with the deliciously creepy ‘Empanada Loca’ BY C. MOON REED
O
nce upon a time, Dolores was a bright, young college student full of hope for the future. But she fell in love with a drug dealer, dropped out of school, took the fall for his crimes and served 13 years in prison. Now free, she returns to her old neighborhood of Washington Heights, New York, to find it transformed by gentrification. The only thing left from the old days? Restaurant Empanada Loca, run by her old friend Luis. Soon, Dolores is set up in Luis’ basement making a living off the one marketable skill she learned in prison: massage. “It’s a horror play, but there’s a beautiful poetic element to it that’s based in realism,” says Troy Heard, artistic director of Majestic Repertory Theatre, which will stage Empanada Loca from September 9 through 26. “Because she’s been in prison for 13 years, she feels comfortable down in the basement with the bars on the window, because it reminds her of the safety she’s had.”
Amanda Guardado, a UNLV grad who’ll play Dolores, picks up the thread: “And then I end up underground, like fully—not just in a basement but in an abandoned subway tunnel.” Heard continues, “How she wound up there is the story. That’s the juicy part.” Written by Aaron Mark, the one-woman horror play premiered off-Broadway in 2015 to rave reviews. It was described as “exuberantly macabre” (The New York Times), “spine-tingling and stomach churning” (Time Out New York) and “delectably chilling” (Broadway World). Think of Empanada Loca as an urban myth inspired by a somewhat older urban legend: that of Sweeney Todd, a fictional Victorian-era barber who got a little overzealous with his razor and coincidentally finds a new source for meat pies. Heard stumbled upon Empanada Loca when browsing horror scripts. “It was really cool, and it’s a strong role for an actor. [Guardado] is one of my favorite performers, so I gave it to her and she connected with it.”
For Guardado, the role has a special sort of resonance. “One of my absolute dream roles is Mrs. Lovett from Sweeney Todd, so it’s ironic I’m playing a female Sweeney.” (In another bit of serendipity, Empanada Loca will be Majestic’s first full show since it staged Sweeney Todd before the pandemic shutdown.) A first-generation Cuban-American, Guardado says she can also relate to Dolores’ Latina heritage, especially when it comes to the delicacy in question. “I’ve eaten my fair share of empanadas in my life already,” Guardado says. “The ones they mentioned in the play specifically—like guava and cheese—are very close to my culture.” Above all, the character’s complexity allows Guardado to mine the depths of emotion and circumstance. “It’s such a cool and different role, because, well, she’s homeless [and] she’s living under a tunnel, so it’s very dirty. But she’s actually pretty charismatic and funny,” Guardado says. “It looks like one thing, but then you meet her and it turns out to be something totally unexpected. That’s really fun to do as an actor.”
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ROARING INTO TOWN Delilah’s throwback vibes and fantastic food beckon
Wagyu beef Wellington (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
DELILAH
Wynn, 702-770-3300. Wednesday-Sunday, 5:30 p.m.-late.
9.9.21
I
f a new version of the Roaring ’20s born from the pandemic actually comes to be—a wild era of celebration and artistic extravagance once it’s fully acceptable to mingle and express oneself once again—Delilah Las Vegas could be the epicenter of it all. The new restaurant at Wynn takes heavy inspiration from the actual Roaring ’20s, but more importantly, it feels like the most elevated place to completely cut loose, to indulge in extravagance, even if only for one night. Much has been said about Delilah’s grand design and decor, imagined by Todd Avery-Lenahan. It’s overthe-top glamorous, also inspired by vintage supper clubs of more recent eras and fully awash in shimmering features like gold chandeliers and brass palm trees. The Strip has so many venues that wow you when you walk in, but entering Delilah’s sunken dining room from the Hollywood safari-themed Bubble Bar feels like walking into a movie—specifically Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 take on The Great Gatsby. You literally have to see it to understand the vibe, since photos aren’t allowed. Developed for months and delayed a year-plus by the pandemic, Delilah is the first Las Vegas venue from h.wood Group founders and LA scene-makers John Terzian and Brian Toll, who have already planned the next expansion to Miami in early 2022. While the Wynn spot—near Wing Lei in the space formerly occupied by fine-dining favorite Alex— continues the marriage of stylish dining and live entertainment they originated in West Hollywood, the
(Courtesy Wynn)
Vegas version amps up every aspect of the experience. It intentionally overwhelms, in a nice way. Still, all that excitement won’t overshadow the restaurant’s phenomenal food. At the helm is Las Vegas native (and new dad) Joshua Smith, who managed to make Michael Mina’s Bardot Brasserie at Aria a locals’ favorite on the Strip and is clearly up for modernizing classics here. Scattered among shellfish platters, steaks and king crab Caesar salads ($26) are a few Delilah signatures like chicken tenders ($25); Kendall’s Slutty Brownie dessert ($19,) named after youknow-who; and the oddly delicious carrot soufflé ($22), which needs to become a side dish at every Thanksgiving dinner from here to eternity. But the majority of the menu is made for Vegas, including Smith’s perfect mimolette fondue macaroni gratinee ($22), delicately steamed halibut with bright sauce vierge ($48) and a burrata panzanella salad ($19) with great tomatoes and focaccia croutons. The showstoppers are the fanciest fish and chips you’ve ever seen ($72), potato-crusted dover sole with playful malt vinegar beurre blanc sauce, and the majestic beef Wellington ($170), meant for two. Delilah is one of the biggest and boldest examples of the current Strip trend that adds extra dimension to dining, so you don’t have to go to another venue as your night develops. But don’t fall into comparisons with other new supper club experiences; this place has its own character and style, and it’s already on the must-do Vegas checklist.
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FOOD & DRINK
(Wade Vandervort/Staff)
BY BROCK RADKE
L A S V E G A S W E E K LY
CHECKING IN WITH BRIAN HOWARD
BY BROCK RADKE
Brian Howard is known for creating delicious dishes that introduce unexpected spices and ingredients, often with addictive results. Now that he’s been cooking in Las Vegas for close to two decades, he’s noticing his food and sensibilities are becoming simpler and more mature. “But each dish still has to have that moment of wow, this is unique,” says the man behind Chinatown hot spot Sparrow + Wolf (4480 Spring Mountain Road #100, 702-790-2147). That philosophy is driving the expansion of his Spaghetti on the Wall hospitality company and its new concept, Halfbird, a chicken joint that could debut as early as December at Spring Mountain and Wynn. “Everybody is doing chicken now, but we don’t do what everybody else does,” Howard says. “I fell in love with roasting birds at Bouchon. I did it every day for five years, probably 40 or 50 a day.” Halfbird will serve original sandwich creations and fun sides. His hot chicken won’t be Nashville-style, it’ll incorporate green curry and Szechuan peppers. Heading into year five at Sparrow + Wolf, Howard is staying focused on building company culture and taking care of regulars and new customers. Coming out of the pandemic, he was tempted to revert back to original menu items and prices to reconnect with locals, but he quickly discovered we want more. “I wanted to do a $39 tasting menu and put a burger on the menu, but people didn’t want to order it,” he says. “Our guests demanded more. I couldn’t put a chicken or a salmon on the menu here, which is cool, because it speaks to what we do here and how much they like the concept. We have to continue to evolve.” You won’t find signatures like bone marrow dumplings or clams casino on the current menu, either, but you will need to try hamachi with candied rhubarb and fried capers ($19), Korean barbecue-style grilled squid ($16) and oxtail ravioli with miso and horseradish ($24). “They’re all signature dishes,” Howard says. “None of that matters. It’s got to have finesse, it’s got to look great on the plate, people should want to take a picture of it and it’s got to eat really well. It just has to make sense.”
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Economists: Automation will continue to impact service industry in Las Vegas BY BRYAN HORWATH
A
VEGAS INC STAFF
s technology advances and the automation of jobs continues to spread, the effects will likely be more pronounced in Las Vegas, a city with a robust service-industry presence, local economists say. John Restrepo, a Las Vegas economist and principal at RCG Economics, said the potential loss of hundreds or thousands of service industry jobs to automation would be crippling to the Las Vegas workforce. “I don’t know if we’re focused enough on this issue,” said Restrepo, who touched on the automation of jobs during an August 31 economic outlook presentation hosted by the Henderson Chamber of Commerce. “I don’t see anything that’s being produced by groups as far as economic development strategies or discussions in public settings like this that are raising the red flag or talking about the potential impact of automation.” In 2019, MGM Resorts International announced plans to add automated beverage systems—essentially, machines that mix and produce drinks—at some of its properties on the Strip. The concept spurred worry about bartender and server jobs going away for good. Mike PeQueen, a partner at Hightower Securities, an investment firm with offices in Las Vegas, said awareness of how automation could affect the Las Vegas workforce had been on the rise before the pandemic, but that issues related to COVID-19 have dominated the collective local consciousness. “Our attention has been diverted lately by more emergent things like COVID and water,” PeQueen said. “This is an existential problem for the service industry. I would say that I’d love to see policymakers further along the road of dealing with automation.” PeQueen and Restrepo agreed that any time a reces-
sion—brought on by a pandemic or not—occurs, it’s often a catalyst for change in a given industry. In February 2020, before the pandemic, the resort industry in Nevada employed nearly 350,000 people, according to the Nevada Resort Association. By April 2020, that number had dropped to about 205,000. The association reported that the number grew to about 300,000 by December. “Anytime a company can do more with less, particularly if they don’t have HR issues to deal with, they’ll do it,” Restrepo said. “Look at how many McDonald’s restaurants now have kiosks that customers order from.
This is all coming.” Restrepo points to numbers from the World Economic Forum, a forward-looking think tank in Switzerland. According to the forum, the global percentage of labor done by machines—as opposed to man hours—is expected to rise to 52% by 2025. In 2018, humans accounted for 71% of all labor hours, the group estimates. In addition to the so-called robot bartenders in Las Vegas, other indications of increased automation have popped up recently. When casinos reopened following the pandemic shutdown in June 2020, some pushed mobile check-in options. At some properties, it became possible to check into a hotel, receive a room and enter a reserved room without ever interacting with a person. Driverless vehicles are also widely expected to start sharing roadways in the U.S., which would hurt taxi and ride-share drivers. Nuro, a company that produces driverless vehicles for grocery and prescription deliveries, announced plans last month to spend $40 million for a manufacturing facility in Las Vegas. “Low-wage routine jobs are the first that get replaced by automation,” Restrepo said. “Then there’s mid-skill level jobs that are going to likely go away due to advances in artificial intelligence.” Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, whose district includes the Strip, said he’s working with the local Culinary Union, which represents about 60,000 workers in the Las Vegas area, to find solutions such as more high-tech training. “Technology will never replace a smile and Las Vegas’ friendly service, but we can’t ignore technology,” Segerblom said. “There will always be a need for the human touch.”
Self-check kiosks in the Caesars Palace lobby in August 2020 (Christopher DeVargas/Staff)
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VegasInc Notes Communities in Schools of Nevada announced the appointment of Debbie Palacios to executive director for the organization’s Southern Nevada affiliate. Palacios brings to the Palacios job nearly two decades of experience in the education sector. United Way of Southern Nevada announced the appointment of Brett McAnnany as director of donor relationships. In this role, McAnnany will serve as a partner in giving, helping individuals leverage their investments to make a meaningful impact in Southern Nevada. Circa Resort & Casino received the coveted AAA Four Diamond rating. Circa is currently the only location in Las Vegas’ historic Downtown region with this prestigious designation. Down Syndrome Organization of Southern Nevada hired Deborah Avery as the organization’s interim executive director. Avery joins DSOSN after 15 years of volunteering with the organization as a member, executive board member, event chair, public relations and marketing chair, and the Cool21’s group leader. ProCare Hospice of Nevada and CareOusel Pediatrics announced the opening of Southern Nevada’s newest hospice inpatient unit. The 14-bed facility is accepting adult patients and will incorporate pediatric hospice patients before year’s end. The Sun City Anthem Homeowners Association hired Doug Bradford as its communications director. Bradford was previously the Bradford director of communications and marketing for the Las Vegas Realtors Association. The City of Henderson announced the reaccreditation of its Public Works Department by the American Public Works Association, a notfor-profit international organization with more than 30,000 members involved in the field of public works. After a year-long review process, the department received full compliance on all standards. Sunrise Hospital and Medical Center and Sunrise Children’s Hospital announced several national Healthgrades honors, topping the list with the Obstetrics and Gynecology Excellence Award for the third year a row and the Labor and Delivery
Excellence Award for the fourth straight year. All In Aviation hired two additional certified flight instructors, Trevor Varwig and Trent Sanders, to its roster of private pilot educators, and expanded its fleet with two additional aircraft: a 2021 Cirrus SR22 and a 2015 Cessna 172.
Varwig
Sanders
Twelve attorneys from Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck’s Las Vegas office were selected by their peers for inclusion in the 2022 edition of Best Lawyers in America: Andrew S. Brignone, litigation—ERISA; Frank M. Flansburg III, commercial litigation; Albert Z. Kovacs, business organizations (including LLCs and partnerships), corporate law, mergers and acquisitions law; Mitchell J. Langberg, First Amendment law, media law; Kirk B. Lenhard, bet-the-company litigation, commercial litigation; Angela Turricano Otto, real estate law; Patrick J. Reilly, commercial litigation; Scott Scherer, gaming law; Frank A. Schreck, gaming law; Ellen L. Schulhofer, corporate law; Adam P. Segal, litigation–ERISA; and Sonia Church Vermeys, corporate law, gaming law. John R. Bailey, managing partner of Bailey Kennedy, LLP, was selected by Best Lawyers as its 2022 Lawyer of the Year in Las Vegas for his work in health care law. Waldorf Astoria Las Vegas expanded its executive team with the appointment of three new members: Ali Murray, named director sales and marketing; Lukas Pesek, named director of Murray food and beverage; and Michelle Wilkos, named director of spa and recreation.
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