Sting returns to Colosseum with ‘My Songs’

By Brock Radke

“Fields of Gold” or “Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic.”

“I think people come to Vegas to hear the songs they know and love. That’s comforting for everyone,” Sting said in an interview with me for Las Vegas Weekly after debuting the show in 2021. “But I also demand people listen to something that’s new, so I tried two songs last night from the new album, just to test the water. As the (show) progresses, I will introduce more and more. It’s hard to introduce new material, but you have to take the plunge.”

When you’re a star of Sting’s magnitude with one of the most recognizable and beloved catalogs in pop music, it’s not di cult to take that plunge. The Ivors Academy, the United Kingdom’s professional association for songwriters and composers, recently announced Sting will be the latest songwriter to receive its highest honor of Academy Fellow at a ceremony in London in May. He will be the 23rd Fellow inducted in the group’s 79-year history, joining the likes of Paul McCartney, Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush.

Even more recently, Sting has released a digital-only expanded edition of his fourth solo album, Ten Summoner’s Tales, the 1993 release that gave the world “If I Ever Lose My Faith in You,” “Fields of Gold” and “Shape of My Heart.” The 27-track edition features the dozen originals plus bonus tracks, b-sides, remixes and live versions.

“Shape Of My Heart” gets a particular intimate treatment at Caesars Palace, to which fans can compare the album version, recorded live in Codroipo, Italy, 30 years ago. Few artists have this kind of longevity; Sting’s music truly qualifies as timeless.

It’s just one of the qualities that make him an ideal headliner. He has as many unforgettable hits as any other artist who has graced this stage, but even dedicated fans might not expect the vigor and passion with which their favorite songs are performed. And Sting’s soulful voice is well complemented by dynamic visual e ects that somehow add to the emotional pull already attached to the music.

“I wanted the show to be authentic to me and who I am, but the way the show is presented, it’s a spectacular,” he said. “The state-of-the-art visuals are something Vegas audiences will love, but it’s also me, and they hear the story of my life through these songs. Having that visual context changes them slightly, it makes them grow a little bit.”

Check out these hot spots to eat, drink and be merry

By Kiko Miyasato

With more than seven decades of history in Las Vegas, the Golden Nugget still shines as one of the star properties along the famed Fremont Street Experience downtown. The huge property has everything a guest could want—restaurants, nightlife, gambling, entertainment and one of the coolest features in the whole city, its pool complex called The Tank, which features a 200,000-gallon shark tank with various species of sharks. (You can even take a waterslide ride through the tank!)

One could never get bored, hungry or thirsty at the Golden Nugget with its vast array of options. But lucky for you, we’ve helped narrow down the choices. In this feature, we’ll shine the spotlight on three of our favorite spots to explore for food, drink and fun.

If a night out in Las Vegas means drinking and dancing, we suggest skipping the megaclubs and trying Troy Liquor Bar. This nightclub is way more intimate in size, but the fun you’ll have here is huge. With live DJs and VIP tables, Troy operates exactly like all the other nightclubs in Vegas, but there’s bonuses at this spot. One, you can gamble at table games on the balcony; and two, let’s talk about that balcony—spacious and overlooking the famed Fremont Street Experience! At Troy, one of the best bonuses is its bottle service: the prices here won’t break your bank. For only $299 you can get a bottle of Grey Goose vodka and one bottle of Moët & Chandon Imperial Brut champagne. In the world of Vegas nightlife, this is a deal that can’t be beat.

Stepping inside this hidden-gem steakhouse downtown instantly transports guests to a special evening. The décor and ambience is understated elegance mixed with a great balance of romantic vibes and social fun. Vic & Anthony’s also offers some of the best cuts of meat in the city. Here you can order three options that’ll melt in your mouth: the 8-ounce Snake River Farms rib cap, the A5 Kobe and the A5 Japanese wagyu filet mignon. The steakhouse also offers an impressive specialty cocktails list (drinks and the full menu can also be enjoyed at the bar and lounge area).

For a special experience, book one of the tables on the mezzanine level by calling 702.386.8288.

While Chart House (found in Golden Nugget’s newest tower, the Rush Tower) is a nice spot for dinner, we suggest this spot for some cocktails and light bites in the bar and lounge area. The draw here is a mesmerizing one—a 75,000-gallon aquarium with hundreds of fish swimming around. Plus, you can’t beat happy hour from 4-6 p.m. Monday through Friday. Enjoy $8 cocktails like the pomegranate martini and the mango mojito, $5 domestic beers and $6 import beers, $8 glasses of wine, and $7 premium spirits like Dewar’s Scotch and Bulleit bourbon. Nosh on yummy dishes from $7-$11 like seared ahi nachos, firecracker shrimp, fish tacos and prime rib sliders.

BattleBots: Destruct-A-Thon uses mechanical martial arts to create metal mayhem in Las Vegas

By Matt Kelemen

Sometimes the debut of a new act or attraction in Las Vegas seems to mark the beginning of an era. Celine Dion’s residency at the Colosseum, the High Roller observation wheel and the fountains at Bellagio are a few examples of game-changing additions to Strip culture that helped accelerate its evolution. The Feb. 22 premiere of BattleBots: Destruct-A-Thon at the new BattleBots Arena in Caesars Entertainment Studios behind Horseshoe Las Vegas (formerly Bally’s) heralds a new direction in a city that’s long been a place where titans of combat sports clash. Welcome to the age of mechanical martial arts.

BattleBots is hardly new. BattleBots World Championship matches have already taken place in Vegas, and a BattleBots show debuted on Comedy Central in 2000. The show was revived in the late 2010s and is now broadcast on the Discovery Channel. Interest in building robots for combat grew to the point where there could be a dedicated venue in the city of neon, but there’s more going on than machine mayhem.

“The vision has always been to create worldwide support for robot combat,” said BattleBots co-founder Greg Munson during a pre-event Red and Blue Carpet in the studio lobby. “That’s what BattleBots is. That’s what we’ve been doing on our television show, first in the Comedy Central era, then in the Discovery Channel era. So, we’re taking robot builders from all over the world, putting them into a tournament-style structure, and letting them fight and see who the winner is … That is the sport and we are the leader of that across the world.”

Destruct-A-Thon, said Munson, is a nightly showcase of that sport featuring the best of the best from both television network eras plus some never-before-seen contenders.

“The whole point is to let them fight, have fun and kick some bot for the audience,” he said. “And then every year, we’ll do a two-week shoot for the TV show, and that’s when all the robots from all around the world come here.”

Essentially Munson, BattleBots co-founder and CEO Trey Roski and their crew have created a destination for burgeoning bot enthusiasts, and fans of the show can now see contraption carnage in person while visiting Vegas. DestructA-Thon competitors on hand for the premiere included Witch Doctor, Kraken, Overkill, Tazbot and Whiplash. Watching an unassuming robot repeatedly flip a much larger, more dangerous looking opponent into the air is as adrenalizing as a good MMA fight.

A lot of the energy in BattleBots Arena generates from the enthusiastic builder teams, with friendly taunts and audience interactions adding to the electric atmosphere, but it was Roski’s introduction at the beginning of Destruct-A-Thon that set the tone.

“The purpose is to influence kids to put down their iPads and to build something fun,” he said, getting an enthusiastic response from the audience. “We want to make heroes out of smart people. The best athletes and golfers are not the people who will save the world, but the next BattleBot contestant might.”