LAS VEGAS
Architecture, Design and Culture
APRIL 24 – 27, 2025
Learn More &
Get Tickets Now
Las Vegas is a worldwide destination for those seeking an experience like no other. Rooted in its storied architecture, Duck Duck Shed offers first-hand insights from the voices that built – and continue to build – the luxurious casinos, mega-resorts, and productions that have earned it the name "The Entertainment Capital of the World." Tours, panels, and engaging discussions await industry professionals and Las Vegas enthusiasts.
Headliners Include:
The City that Blows Up to Build Up –The History of Implosion in Las Vegas
APRIL 24
Steve Crupi
Join Steve Crupi as he reveals exclusive footage and details of each demolition that will blow you away.
The Las Vegas Athletics: Designing Stadiums With a Sense of Place
APRIL 26
Frankie Sharpe
Join Frankie Sharpe to explore the thoughtful design that seamlessly weaves the ballpark into the heart of the city.
INTERIM PUBLISHER
MARIA BLONDEAUX
maria.blondeaux@gmgvegas.com
EDITOR SHANNON MILLER
shannon.miller@gmgvegas.com
EDITORIAL
Senior Editor GEOFF CARTER (geo .carter@gmgvegas.com)
Managing Editor BROCK RADKE (brock.radke@gmgvegas.com)
Arts & Entertainment Editor AMBER SAMPSON (amber.sampson@gmgvegas.com)
Sta Writer GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ (gabriela.rodriguez@gmgvegas.com)
Sta Writer TYLER SCHNEIDER (tyler.schneider@gmgvegas.com)
Contributing Writers KYLE CHOUINARD, GRACE DA ROCHA,HILLARY DAVIS, KATIE ANN MCCARVER
Contributing Editors RAY BREWER, JUSTIN HAGER, CASE KEEFER, DAVE MONDT
O ce Coordinator NADINE GUY
CREATIVE
Las Vegas Weekly Art Director CORLENE BYRD (corlene.byrd@gmgvegas.com)
Marketing Art Director BROOKE LAUREN EVERSON
Marketing Graphic Designer CARYL LOU PAAYAS
Contributing Graphic Designers WESLEY GATBONTON, CHRISTINA TRIMIDAL
Photographers CHRISTOPHER DEVARGAS, STEVE MARCUS, WADE VANDERVORT
DIGITAL
Publisher of Digital Media KATIE HORTON
Web Content Specialist CLAYT KEEFER
ADVERTISING & MARKETING
Associate Publisher ALEX HAASE
Senior Advertising Managers MIKE MALL, ADAIR MILNE, SUE SRAN
Account Executives LAUREN JOHNSON
Events Director SAMANTHA LAMB
Events Manager HANNAH ANTER
Events Coordinator APRIL MARTINEZ
Event Sales Coordinator MELINA TAYLOR
PRODUCTION & CIRCULATION
Vice President of Manufacturing MARIA BLONDEAUX
Production Director PAUL HUNTSBERRY
Production Manager BLUE UYEDA
Production Artist MARISSA MAHERAS
Senior Tra c Coordinator DENISE ARANCIBIA
Tra c Coordinator KIMBERLY CHANG
Fulfillment Operations Coordinator CASANDRA PIERCE
Route Administrator KATHY STRELAU
GREENSPUN MEDIA GROUP
CEO, Publisher & Editor BRIAN GREENSPUN
Chief Operating O cer ROBERT CAUTHORN
Director of Human Resources SHANNA CHAVEZ GRAY
Chief Financial O cer STEVE GRAY
LAS VEGAS WEEKLY
2275 Corporate Circle Suite 300 Henderson, NV 89074
702-990-2550
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All content is copyright Las Vegas Weekly LLC. Las Vegas Weekly is published Thursdays and distributed throughout Southern Nevada. Readers are permitted one free copy per issue. Additional copies are $2, available back issues $3.
ADVERTISING DEADLINE
EVERY THURSDAY AT 5 P.M.
22 VEGAS IN NUMBERS
Breaking down the eye-popping activity and grand scale of the Las Vegas Strip with big, fun and weird statistics.
Powwow for the Planet honors Native American land and culture, the just-opened Desert Breeze Event Center hosts its first music festival and more this week.
SELF-CARE & LEISURE LIFE
Healthy practices to make working from home much easier and more productive.
SPORTS
New coach Josh Pastner is on a mission to rekindle citywide passion for UNLV basketball.
MUSIC
Carrie Underwood bids a fond farewell to her Las Vegas residency.
THE STRIP
Piff the Magic Dragon celebrates 10 years of comedy, tricks and chihuahuas.
40 44 36 34 18 10
FOOD & DRINK
Austin transplant
The Guest House adds its own style of fine dining to the mix.
Want More? Visit us at lasvegasweekly.com.
The Tulgey Woods cocktail at The Guest House (TJ Perez/Courtesy)
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS
Thomas L. Friedman Foreign Affairs Columnist, The New York Times Bestselling Author
The Big Trends Shaping U.S./China Relations Today: Economics, Technology & Geopolitics
Monday, April 14, 2025 7:30 p.m. Ar temus W. Ham Concert Hall
Tickets are strictly limited to 2 per person and are ONLY available at the UNLV Performing Arts Center Box Office, Tuesday–Saturday 12 p.m.–6 p.m. For information, call (702) 895-ARTS; however, tickets cannot be reserved by phone.
UNLV Faculty, Staff and Students may obtain tickets beginning at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, March 26. A valid UNLV Rebelcard is required.
The General Public may obtain tickets beginning at 12 p.m. on Saturday, March 29.
FREE Events Happening All Month Long:
DROP IN STEAM –TUMBLER TELEPHONE
Blue Diamond Library
Thursday, April 10
11 a.m. - 5:45 p.m.
AGE GROUP: ALL
Decorate your phone and see if your voice can travel along the string.
WIZARDS OF STEAM
West Las Vegas Library
Thursday, April 10
3:30 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.
AGE GROUP: TWEENS & KIDS (K-5)
Children are invited to explore a new STEAM concept through creating & exploring.
STEAM ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
Mesquite Library
Thursdays at 4 p.m.
AGE GROUP: TWEENS & KIDS (K-5)
Participate each week in a fun, hands-on activity!
SCHOOL-AGE STEAM –TIE DYE HANDKERCHIEF
Spring Valley Library
Friday, April 11
4 p.m. - 5 p.m.
AGE GROUP: TWEENS & KIDS (K-5)
Decorate handkerchiefs!
Registration is strongly encouraged.
MINI GREENHOUSE
West Charleston Library Saturday, April 12
3 p.m. - 4 p.m.
AGE GROUP: KIDS
Study the growth of a seed and make your own mini greenhouse using recycled plastic bottles.
BEAT CLUB
West Charleston Library Tuesday, April 15
2:30 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
AGE GROUP: TEENS
Learn the basics of music production with Apple GarageBand and FL Studio.
TECH TIME
Summerlin Library
Wednesday, April 16
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
AGE GROUP: KIDS
Explore our robotics and screenfree tech in a free-play learning environment.
DROP IN STEAM – SLIME
Blue Diamond Library Saturday, April 19
10 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.
AGE GROUP: ALL
Do you love slime? Come by and find out how we make it using three ingredients.
STEAM TEAM
Rainbow Library Tuesdays
SCIENCE IS EVERYWHERE DAY! – LAS VEGAS PRE-K FAMILY STEAM ADVENTURE!
4:30 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.
AGE GROUP: TWEENS & KIDS
Let your creativity flow with fun, hands-on activities.
ENCHANTED NEVADA: A MAGICAL ECO-ADVENTURE FOR FAMILIES!
Clark County Library Thursday, April 24
4 p.m. - 6 p.m.
AGE GROUP: KIDS & TEENS
Step into a world of wonder where the Fairy Guardians of Nevada’s ecosystems will take you on a journey through the woodlands, mountains, wetlands & desert!
Clark County Library Sunday, April 27
11:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m.
AGE GROUP: BABIES & KIDS (PRESCHOOL)
Enjoy storytime, hands-on experiments & interactive games designed to bring ecology to life for the whole family by the Desert Research Institute.
BOATS THAT FLOAT
Windmill Library Tuesday, April 29
4:30 p.m. - 5:30 p.m.
AGE GROUP: KIDS
How do boats float? Come find out and build your own.
SUPERGUIDE
THURSDAY APR 10 S U P
VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS VS. SEATTLE KRAKEN
7 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com
VEGAS THRILL VS. OMAHA SUPERNOVAS
7 p.m., Lee’s Family Forum, axs.com
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE & TRIVIUM
With August Burns Red, Sylosis, 6:30 p.m., Pearl Concert Theater, ticketmaster.com
TORTURE & SANCTION
With Balmora, Final Resting Place, more, 6 p.m., American Legion Hall Post 8, seetickets.us
ULTRA SUNN
7 p.m., Swan Dive, swandivelv.com
I’M GONNA MARRY
YOU TOBEY MAGUIRE
Thru 4/12, 7 p.m. (& 4/13, 5 p.m.), Majestic Repertory Theatre, majesticrepertory.com
REGARD
10:30 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com
DO IT ALL
EAGLES
8:30 p.m., & 4/12, Sphere, ticketmaster.com
CARRIE UNDERWOOD
8 p.m., & 4/12, Resorts World Theatre, axs.com
RAUW ALEJANDRO
8 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com
MESHUGGAH
With Cannibal Corpse, Carcass, 7 p.m., Theater at Virgin, axs.com
LIONEL RICHIE
8 p.m., & 4/12, Encore Theater, ticketmaster.com
THE B-52S
8:30 p.m., & 4/12, 4/16, Venetian Theatre, ticketmaster.com
SULLIVAN KING
With Kompany & Layz, Grabbitz, Rzrkt, 7 p.m., Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, seetickets.us
SABRIEL
8 p.m., Beverly Theater, thebeverlytheater.com
THE KRUSE BROTHERS
10 p.m., Stoney’s Rockin’ Country, tixr.com
BENNY BENACK III
7 p.m., & 4/12, Vic’s, vicslasvegas.com
CHUMPCON
With Je Lewis, thru 4/13, times vary, Resorts World, rwlasvegas.com
FRIDAY APR 11
(Courtesy/Boots in the Park)
BOOTS IN THE PARK
The new Event Center at Desert Breeze Park finally got its debut with the recent return of an annual favorite, the Tacos & Tamales Festival. Now it’s time to kick the tires and really see what this thing can do with a music fest—and not just any music fest. The traveling country extravaganza Boots in the Park will take over Desert Breeze for two days with rock-solid headliners Old Dominion and Jordan Davis, plus performances from Tyler Hubbard, Nate Smith, Chris Janson, Parmalee, Presley Tennant, The Band Perry and more. Line dancing, various food vendors, craft beer and cocktails and art installations will be packed into the weekend, which might change the way you see one of the Valley’s all-time favorite recreation destinations. 2 p.m. (& 4/12, noon), $59-$99+, Event Center at Desert Breeze, bootsinthepark.com. –Brock Radke
VEGAS KNIGHT
HAWKS VS. SAN DIEGO STRIKE FORCE
7 p.m., Lee’s Family Forum, axs.com
MICHAEL BLAUSTEIN
8 p.m., Red Rock Ballroom, ticketmaster.com
FRENCH MONTANA
10:30 p.m., Drai’s Nightclub, draisgroup.com
AFROJACK
10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocialv.com
JAMES KENNEDY 10:30 p.m., LIV Nightclub, livnightclub.com
DJ COLLA
10 p.m., Substance, seetickets.us
MUSIC PARTY
SPORTS FOOD COMEDY MISC ARTS
SATURDAY APR 12
JAKE OWEN
LAS VEGAS
PHILHARMONIC: TCHAIKOVSKY’S FIFTH
7:30 p.m., Reynolds Hall, thesmithcenter.com
CHRISTIAN LINDBERG & THE UNLV WIND ORCHESTRA
2 p.m., Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall, unlv.edu
VEGAS GOLDEN
KNIGHTS VS. NASHVILLE PREDATORS
7 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com
LAS VEGAS
BLUEGRASS FESTIVAL
11 a.m., Centennial Hills Park Amphitheater, eventbrite.com
GLORILLA
With Real Boston Richey, Queen Key, 8 p.m., Theater at Virgin, axs.com
BLOOD, SWEAT & TEARS
With Jason Sche , 8 p.m., Westgate International Theater, ticketmaster.com
TRISHA PAYTAS
8 p.m., the Chelsea, ticketmaster.com
THE MELVINS
With Napalm Death, 8 p.m., Swan Dive, swandivelv.com
MACHINE HEAD & IN FLAMES
With Lacuna Coil, Unearth, 5:30 p.m., House of Blues, concerts.livenation.com
With Drew Green, 8 p.m., Sunset Station Amphitheater, ticketmaster.com
STEVE SMITH & VITAL INFORMATION
7 p.m., Myron’s, thesmithcenter.com
THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE
8 p.m., Backstage Bar & Billiards, seetickets.us
BRIAN REGAN
10 p.m., Palazzo Theatre, ticketmaster.com
DEADMAU5
With Callie Rei , 11 a.m., Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial.com
DAVID GUETTA
11:30 a.m., LIV Beach, livnightclub.com
THE CHAINSMOKERS
10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com
DEORRO
10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup.com
DAVE AUDÉ
10 p.m., Ghostbar, palms.com
THE GRUFFALO’S CHILD
10 a.m., Troesh Studio Theater, thesmithcenter.com
LAS VEGAS CELTIC FESTIVAL & HIGHLAND GAMES
9 a.m., & 4/13, Craig Ranch Park, lasvegascelticsociety.org
POWWOW FOR THE PLANET
All are welcome at Powwow for the Planet, a Native American cultural celebration with dance, drums, song, food, art and education. The fourth annual event, organized by the Native American Student Association and Native American Alumni Club, promotes initiatives to protect sacred places in Nevada including the East Las Vegas National Monument and Red Rock Canyon. It’s also an opportunity for Natives and non-Natives to connect over shared interest in environmental justice, supporting students and other Indigenous causes. “Native Americans are not just part of history—we are here, thriving and contributing to our communities every day,” said Shelly Herrera-White, treasurer of UNLV’s Native American Alumni Club Board. All ticket proceeds will benefit UNLV Native student scholarships and programs. Noon, & 4/13, $7-$10, Cox Pavilion, unlvtickets.com. –Shannon Miller
S U P E R G U I D E
(Courtesy)
SUPERGUIDE
SUNDAY APR 13 MONDAY APR 14
BEBESHITO
10 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com
YOUNG ARTISTS ORCHESTRA 10TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT GALA
2 p.m., Reynolds Hall, thesmithcenter.com
JEFF DUNHAM
8 p.m., PH Live, ticketmaster.com
VINNIE FAVORITO
9 p.m., Notoriety, notorietylive.com
VEGAS THRILL VS. COLUMBUS FURY
4 p.m., Lee’s Family Forum, axs.com
MAYHEM
With Mortiis, Imperial Triumphant, New Skeletal Faces, 5:30 p.m., House of Blues, concerts.livenation.com
D.R.I.
With Scattered Guts, Lean 13, Societies Infection, Terror Attack, 7 p.m., Backstage Bar & Billiards, dice.fm
SHIMZA
10:30 p.m., LIV Nightclub, livnightclub.com
KRYP2NITE
10 p.m., We All Scream, tixr.com
(Courtesy)
EXHIBIT: IN CEMENTO VERITAS BY MARIO LOPRETE Thru 4/27, times vary, Centennial Hills Library, thelibrarydistrict.org
EXHIBIT: STORIES FROM BACKSTAGE: CIRQUE DU SOLEIL IN LAS VEGAS Thru 5/1, Mon-Thu. 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m., Las Vegas City Hall, neonmuseum.org
LYNNE KOPLITZ
With Noah Gardenswartz, Kristeen von Hagen, thru 4/20, 8 p.m., Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club, mgmgrand.mgmresorts.com
MIKE FINOIA
With Chris Clarke, Kathleen Dunbar, LeClerc Andre, thru 4/20, 7 & 9:30 p.m., Comedy Cellar, ticketmaster.com
ULI GEISSENDOERFER
7 p.m., Maxan Jazz, maxanjazz.com
ALL YOU CAN EAT ORCHESTRA
8 p.m., Fat Cat Lounge, fatcatlv.com
DJ E-ROCK
10:30 p.m., Jewel Nightclub, taogroup.com DO IT ALL
SUPERGUIDE
TUESDAY APR 15
WEDNESDAY APR 16
LAS VEGAS
AVIATORS VS. SUGAR LAND SPACE COWBOYS
11:05 a.m. (& thru 4/20, times vary), Las Vegas Ballpark, ticketmaster.com
UNLV CHORAL STUDIES: A PATH TO EACH OTHER
7:30 p.m., Arturo Rando Grillot Recital Hall, unlv.edu
THE BRONX WANDERERS
Thru 4/17, 6:30 p.m., South Point Showroom, ticketmaster.com
CARTILAGE
With Unidad Trauma, The Hate, 8 p.m., the Gri n, dice.fm
GRIVO & LOCKSTEP
7 p.m., Swan Dive, swandivelv.com
MICHAEL GRIMM
7 p.m., Myron’s, thesmithcenter.com
KEITH THOMPSON’S PIANO PARTY
With Tony Arias, 6 p.m., Composers Room, universe.com
RON GUSON
10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup.com
(Courtesy/Deanie Chen)
BLOOD STAR With Radio Cowboy, Graveflower, 8 p.m., the Gri n, dice.fm
BARBRA LICA
7 p.m., Whitney Library Concert Hall, thelibrarydistrict.org
DUMPLING FEST LAS VEGAS
5:30 p.m., various venues, eventbrite.com
DAVID BLAINE
8 p.m., & 4/18-4/19, Encore Theater, ticketmaster.com
CHARLY JORDAN
10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com
BEABADOOBEE
Beabadoobee is the kind of voice that sticks with you— focused soft-rock whispers that hit like a light punch to the gut. At 24, the Filipino-born singersongwriter has become a staple of the TikTok generation, her music slipping into your ears with a disarming ease while confessing her very real life experiences and its complexities. Three albums, a handful of EPs and a string of collaborations with the likes of Clairo, Laufey and PinkPantheress have solidified her place in the indie spotlight. She’s opened for heavy hitters like Taylor Swift and the 1975, but now it’s her turn to headline. After dropping her acclaimed album This Is How Tomorrow Moves last August, Beabadoobee is hitting the road with a rotating cast of openers, including Pretty Sick and Keni Titus for this Vegas show. The future sounds like this—melancholic, e ortless and with a tinge of a dream-like hush. 7:30 p.m., $144+, the Chelsea, ticketmaster.com.
–Gabriela Rodriguez
REMOTE
These healthy practices can make working from home easier and more productive
BY GEOFF CARTER
Create a space
It could be a desk, could be a table, could be an entire dedicated home o ce—but no matter what, you need to establish a spot in your home that’s just for work. Lisa Phillips, a web engineer and longtime remote worker for companies such as Fastly and Twitter, once suggested that every home workspace needs a door that can be closed at the end of the day. Don’t have that? Throw a cover over the desk or simply put your laptop back in its bag. You don’t live at the o ce; the o ce shouldn’t live with you.
Ditch the PJs
Every work morning, make the e ort to shower and get dressed even if you’ve no plans to leave the house. You’ll be nice and fresh for video calls, and ready to jump if a coworker invites you out for co ee. More importantly, getting dressed for work changes your mindset. Staying in your pajamas is for sick days, not workdays.
CONTROL
Stand in the place where you work
Without coworkers or bosses around to make you conscious of the clock, you may be inclined to work too many hours, or you may feel unmotivated to ll the work hours you have. Either way, set timers and alarms for yourself—they’re surprisingly strong motivators for unproductive days, and a gentle “that’s enough” for work-crazed days.
In a May 2024 study, researchers at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health revealed that 80% of workers who sit all day experience lower back discomfort, versus only 50% of those using “stand-biased” workstations. If a standing desk isn’t a possibility for your home workspace, get an adjustable laptop stand for your desk or table … or simply stand at a countertop now and again. Shutterstock/Photo Illustration
Make a video call ‘studio’
If you take a lot of video calls, establish a spot in your home with a neat and neutral background, invest in a ring light (you can nd them for as cheap as $15) and acquire a decent pair of headphones or earbuds. And see the previous item about showering and getting dressed; colleagues will notice and appreciate the e ort.
Keep in touch
Remote work can easily turn lonely. Engage with coworkers outside of emails, texts, Teams and Slack by inviting them to co-work with you at your home, or at a co eehouse. And if they live out-of-state, ask to text or Facetime with them outside of working hours to make sure they’re doing OK.
CONTROL
TRADITIONAL FAMILY MEDICINE – ONLY BETTER
osteopathicmedical@embarqmail.com
5410 West Sahara Avenue, Las Vegas, NV 89146
SERVICES INCLUDE:
On-site lab, X-Ray, ultrasound, dietitian, hearing tests, minor surgeries, skin services, CDL and immigration physicals
MOST MAJOR INSURANCE PLANS ACCEPTED.
Including: Aetna Medicare, Aetna HMO, Aetna Choice Plus, Aetna PPO, Champva/Champus, Cigna, First Health, Humana Gold Plus, GEHA, SCAN Medicare Advantage, Humana PPO, Medicare/Railroad Medicare, Tricare, United Healthcare PPO, United Healthcare POS, United AARP Medicare Advantage, Universal Health Network, Wellportal, Select Health, Prominence, MGM PPO
MEDICAL STAFF
Peter J. Licata, D.O.
George Gabriel Toldness, APRN-C
Charmaine Coronado, APRN-C
Donna Gould, M.S., R.D., L.D.
Between 32 and 41 million people have come to Las Vegas every year since the pandemic, and most of them engage somehow with the iconic, 4.5-mile stretch of Las Vegas Boulevard known as the Strip.
The Strip’s hotel room occupancy for 2024 was 86.4%, quite the gure when you realize there are more than 85,000 rooms to occupy. The Strip made $21.8 billion in total revenue last year, including more than $8.8 billion in gaming revenue.
But big numbers like these don’t add dimension or details to the story of the Strip. On any given day or night, there are plenty of equally impressive or astonishing statistics playing out in our theaters and arenas, restaurants and nightclubs, convention oors and sky-high rooftop attractions. We’ve collected some of our favorite bits of Vegas data to paint a more complete picture of the scale of today’s Strip. A
BY BROCK RADKE & GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ
(All photographs Shutterstock and AP Photo)
Spread around the Resorts World
Las Vegas campus are approximately 100 TREES
left over from the Stardust, the legendary casino resort that closed on this north Strip site in 2006. Southern live oaks, mondells, Aleppo pines, mesquites, Mediterranean fan palms and other salvaged trees were nurtured in an on-site nursery for nearly 15 years until fi nding their new homes when Resorts World opened in 2021.
when Resorts World
5,994,800 Las Vegas convention attendance in 2024 (not just on the Strip). The peak year for attendance was 2019 with 6,649,100 people. at Resorts World exit interview with
How many triangles does it take to make one Sphere? There are 11,520 ISOSCELES TRIANGLES forming the 366-foot-tall mega-venue’s LED exoskeleton.
72
That’s how many concerts Carrie Underwood will have performed at Resorts World Theatre when she fi nishes her historic residency there on April 12. (Read our exit interview with her on page 36.)
$3,500
That’s the price of The Hangover suite at Caesars Palace. But, umm, did Caesar live here?
Fontainebleau Las Vegas is the newest resort on the Strip and from its opening in December 2023 through February 2025, it has poured 90,000 espresso martinis; served 150,000 beers at the Tavern; served 1.6 million drinks to players on the casino fl oor; and fi red off 330 pounds of confetti at LIV Nightclub. and LIV Beach.
11,000 TONS of stone and marble were used to build the Palazzo.
Mystère at Treasure Island has used 5,712 red balloons during the show since 1993—12 balloons each night for 476 shows per year.
540 EGGS are served during a typical brunch or breakfast turn at the Cosmopolitan’s Wicked Spoon Buffet.
There are more than
25,000
4.8 MILES
That’s how long you could stretch the 112 cables that make up the High Roller observation wheel at the Linq, laid out end to end.
BOOKS lining the shelves of the NoMad Library restaurant at Park MGM.
The Strat’s heart-pounding SkyJump attraction celebrates 15 years of pure Strip adrenaline this month. That’s a long time to send brave guests on an openair plunge of 855 FEET.
The 11-acre Mandalay Bay Beach contains more than 2,700 TONS OF SAND.
657,000 fans attended the 15 major touring events at Allegiant Stadium in 2024, generating gross ticket sales of $118 million and earning the Las Vegas venue the title of the top stadium in the United States and the No. 2 stadium worldwide in Billboard ’s year-end report.
$208.23
Average daily room rate on the Strip in January 2025, up 2% from the same month last year.
There are 2,491 GOLD RHINESTONES on just one of the shoes worn by the Gazillionaire in Absinthe at Caesars Palace.
How many actual fountains are there in the Fountains of Bellagio ?
More than 1,200 , including 780 mini shooters that blast water up to 250 feet in the air, and super shooters that reach heights beyond 460 feet.
FOREVER AMAZED BY O
ON FEBRUARY 7, 2025, CIRQUE DU SOLEIL’S EPIC O WAS PERFORMED AT BELLAGIO FOR THE 12,000TH TIME. SINCE OPENING IN 1998, O HAS ENTERTAINED MORE THAN 20.2 MILLION AUDIENCE MEMBERS. ITS CAST INCLUDES EIGHT OLYMPIC ATHLETES, MORE THAN ANY OTHER CIRQUE SHOW. THE ICONIC 1.5 MILLION GALLON POOL THAT SERVES AS O’S STAGE HAS PLENTY OF IMPRESSIVE STATS OF ITS OWN: IT CONTAINS 14 UNDERWATER TECHNICIANS MANAGING PROPS AND ASSISTING PERFORMERS DURING EVERY SHOW, AND THERE ARE 26 UNDERWATER SPEAKERS KEEPING THE MUSIC AND CUES CLEAR BENEATH THE SURFACE.
50 TONS
Across Tao Group
Hospitality’s many nightclub, pool club, restaurant and bar venues lining the Strip, more than 30,000 bottles of Champagne were popped in 2024.
3 FALCONS
That’s how much the MGM Grand’s iconic bronze lion statue weighs . The 45-foot-tall lion welcomes visitors at the corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Tropicana Avenue and is the largest bronze
corner of Las Vegas Boulevard
statue in the U.S.,
according to MGM Resorts.
TO DETER NUISANCE BIRDS AROUND THE PROPERTY.
PROPERTY.
Have you feasted on the famous one-pound meatball at Lavo at Palazzo? Since the restaurant’s opening in 2008, IT’S BEEN SERVED APPROXIMATELY
245,000 TIMES. That’s a lot of meatballs.
The Shark Reef Aquarium at Mandalay Bay features 140 different species including 14 types of sharks.
50 ROLLS
Approximately 50 King’s Hawaiian sweet rolls are used thrown, actually during each performance o f Atomic Saloon Show at Palazzo.
Garth Brooks sold 99% of available tickets during his recently wrapped residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. Over 72 concerts, that’s more than 300,000 tickets with gross revenue beyond $130 MILLION.
The snake puppet in KÀ at MGM Grand has traveled more than 129 miles down the trees in the show’s forest scene, since it premiered in 2005.
The Las Vegas Strip’s Statue of Liberty at New York-New York is about half the size of the real thing at 150 feet tall. The resort’s Brooklyn Bridge is 300 feet long and 50 feet tall compared to the actual bridge’s stats, 6,000 feet long and 276 feet tall. And the Paris Las Vegas Eiffel Tower is 540 feet high, while the Paris original is 1,083 feet tall.
IN THE NEWS
FOUR UNLV INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS WRAPPED UP IN TRUMP’S VISA CRACKDOWN
International students across the United States face unexpected visa revocations in a widening crackdown by President Donald Trump’s administration, and UNLV students are among those targeted.
UNLV confirmed Saturday that four of its international students had their visas cancelled.
Students report getting little explanation for why the government has revoked their legal status. The reasons behind the cancellations remain vague, leaving universities, advocacy groups and the affected students themselves searching for answers amid significant disruption to their academic pursuits.
“I’m appalled to learn that the Trump administration has targeted four UNLV students—along with many more across the country—in their push for deportations without reason,” U.S. Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., said. “This is about more
than harming students who did nothing wrong; it’s about sending a message across the country and around the world about who is welcome in Trump’s view, and who is not.” UNLV, citing privacy laws, isn’t naming the students or indicating if they’re attending classes on campus, a spokesperson said.
Pro-Palestine demonstrators in May 2024 took to the UNLV campus calling for a ceasefire in Gaza and a conversation with the UNLV administration on the university’s investments with companies that support Israel. But the demonstration was peaceful and there were no arrests—unlike what transpired at Columbia.
Chris Heavey, the officer in charge at UNLV, shared a letter to the university community explaining that the university was “offering support and guidance to the students during this difficult time,
including helping those in need to fulfill requirements necessary to complete their spring semester.”
“Unfortunately, similar circumstances are affecting many universities and colleges across the country, and so we were prepared for this possibility,” Heavey wrote.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the government had revoked at least 300 student visas. He stated that his department would employ all legal measures available to remove international students deemed detrimental to U.S. interests or foreign policy objectives.
Heavey stressed in his letter that the university would continue to embrace diversity. He referred students to the UNLV Immigration Clinic, which is part of the Boyd School of Law and provides free immigration legal services, including DACA assistance, to students and staff.–Ray Brewer
“Time after time, Nevadans have made it abundantly clear that they believe in the right to access abortion. The recent court decision to enforce an antiquated 40-year-old law is a direct assault on all Nevadans’ civil liberties.”
–Erin Bilbray-Kohn, executive director of Silver State Hope Fund, in
response to a March 31 ruling in Nevada federal court lifting a 40-year injunction on a law that requires parental notification for abortions performed on minors who are unmarried and unemancipated. The law goes into effect on April 30.
HOT SHOT
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, surrounded by members of Laborer Union Local 872 at senior apartments in the southeast Valley, unveils his Nevada Housing Access and Attainability Act, a $250 million plan aimed at assisting residents whose incomes exceed low-income housing thresholds yet are insufficient to secure market-rate apartments in Las Vegas. Read more at lasvegassun.com
(Steve Marcus/Staff)
Nevada Humanities fighting for ‘survival’ after DOGE cuts
Nevada Humanities, one of the oldest of 56 state and jurisdictional humanities councils in the United States, is set to lose 75% of its funding after the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) issued sweeping cuts for the National Endowment for the Humanities last week. The news came on April 2, when NEH acting chair Michael McDonald sent a letter notifying all of those councils that their five-year general operating support grant funding had been immediately terminated. Founded just six years after Congress first established the NEH in 1965, Nevada Humanities utilizes roughly $1 million in annual federal grant money to administer and disburse grants for local nonprofits and support artistic and cultural institutions like museums, galleries and libraries. In a news release, Nevada Humanities executive director Christina Barr called the cuts “a heartbreaking loss,” noting that her council is now “fighting for its survival.” The New Mexico Humanities Council—founded one year after Nevada’s—has already announced plans to shutter due to the rollbacks. Those who wish to support Nevada Humanities can visit nevadahumanities.org/ advocate. –Tyler Schneider
SEEKING SOLUTIONS
Clark County officials and partners target a rise in homeless camps near UNLV
(Photo Illustration)
BY TYLER SCHNEIDER
Louis Lacey, director of crisis teams for the social services nonprofit HELP of Southern Nevada, was once among the estimated 7,900 people who now make up Las Vegas’ homeless population.
Now 28 years sober, he’s spent more than two decades helping others navigate the difficult road to stability.
“If somebody did not go out of their way to help me, I don’t know where I would be right now. I know it wouldn’t be good,” Lacey says. “We have a moral obligation to help those individuals. We can’t just give up or turn our backs on them.”
Lacey’s 29-member team regularly ventures out into Las Vegas’ many tunnels, washes, abandoned buildings, vacant lots and the surrounding desert to provide homeless outreach services.
On March 26, he brought his expertise to a town hall at the Flamingo Library, where he joined Clark County Commissioner Tick Segerblom, local law enforcement officers and dozens of residents to discuss the area’s recent struggles with an influx of homeless encampments around the Flamingo Wash basin.
Segerblom, who organized the town hall, told attendees that increased enforcement on the Strip after the pandemic and the Formula 1 Las Vegas Grand Prix in 2023 have “pushed people” toward the neighborhood, which is centered around the intersection of Flamingo Road and Maryland Parkway. He also echoed nationwide concerns over a lack of affordable housing units, which has contributed to a precipitous rise in unhoused people that reached “record levels” in 2024, according to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD).
“This problem for this neighborhood and all around didn’t just happen overnight. It’s happened over many years. We have a country that chews people up and spits them out, and then there’s no place for them to go,” Segerblom said.
In an hour-long listening session that he dubbed “trial by fire,” Segerblom cited increased collaboration between the county, Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, UNLV police, HELP of Southern Nevada and other stakeholders, plus hundreds of millions of dollars of recent investment into Clark County’s affordable housing stock and homeless services centers as big steps toward curbing the surge. A trio of Tamarus Street rental property
NEWS
managers told him the recent homeless migration drives prospective tenants away, causes property damage and attracts squatters to their vacant units.
“Just this morning, I had an older couple and entered the unit not knowing they were there. Thankfully, they were peaceful and left,” Tamarus Park Apartments manager Matthew Kailimai said.
Another attendee, area landlord Rich Amerson, tells the Weekly he was threatened after he offered help to one homeless individual who frequents the sidewalk near his property. Kailimai and Andover Place Apartments manager Mary Faumuina cited similar interactions.
“She’s always there on the sidewalk or sleeping in my bushes. When the LVMPD comes out and asks her to move, she’ll go 50 feet away and come back later,” Amerson says. “Others will bang on my tenants’ doors at three in the morning. ... Unfortunately, some of my tenants are not using their heads and let them in. When they do, they reflect it back on me and ask why it isn’t more secure.”
Segerblom touted his county camping ban ordinance, which went into effect February 1, as one “major change” in the county’s ability to tackle business owners’ concerns. The policy makes it a misdemeanor to camp, lay down, sleep or store personal property in public places and carries a penalty of 10 days in jail and a fine of up to $1,000 if convicted. It also requires officers to help facilitate access to nearby shelters and services before they can make an arrest, and prohibits them from doing so if there are no open beds available at local shelters.
“If she’s sleeping on the sidewalk, we have the power to arrest her. We didn’t have that two months ago,” Segerblom said, though he added that incarceration carries too high a cost to justify mass arrests.
Instead, Segerblom said the county first prioritizes connecting homeless individuals to ancillary services and programs that help them access mental health and substance abuse treatment, financial aid, legal services and more.
That’s where Lacey’s unit—in partnership with the LVMPD’s Homeless Outreach Team—comes in. LVMPD South Central captain Landon Reyes says officers take a three-pronged approach to outreach that includes educating homeless people about the resources that are available to them, issuing warnings for noncompliance, and, if all else fails, enforcing the camping ban.
Lacey says the camping ban creates “some challenges,” but adds that “the idea is not to punish people, it’s to get them to accept services.”
“We engage with those individuals with the intent of creating an authentic and genuine relationship with them. We meet them where they’re at and try to get them to be an active participant in their own recovery and exit from homelessness,” Lacey says. “This is obviously contingent upon them agreeing to accept help, and that doesn’t always happen instantaneously. Sometimes it does take some persistent engagement to make that happen.”
According to the Southern Nevada Homelessness Continuum of Care, which administered a HUD-mandated point-in-time count of all homeless residents on a single day in January 2024, Las Vegas’ tally of 7,906 represents a sharp increase from the 5,283 counted in 2020. In surveys conducted during the count, hundreds of subjects identified as having mental illness and substance use disorder.
The next count won’t come until 2026.
By then, Segerblom expects the county will have made significant strides toward addressing the issue. Just last week, he and his fellow commissioners allocated another $45.4 million to construct five affordable housing projects that will add a combined 590 new low-income housing units in Clark County. According to the county, each development has committed to allocating at least 10% of units for extremely low-income households (earning 30% of area median income or less than $28,000 annually).
“It takes money, it takes taxes, it takes time, but we are actually building stuff. ... We have, I think, 3,000 people that we paid to house,” he said. “You don’t see it here, because you’re right in the epicenter of what’s going on, but the truth is, we have made a significant dent in homelessness around the county.”
Continued collaboration is paramount, however. Segerblom said he intends to host a follow-up town hall for the area later in April. Until then, he told residents to keep sharing their complaints through the county’s FixIt app.
“We all have our silos. You call this place, you call that place, and no one’s talking to each other. What we’re trying to do is say, okay, we’re all here together,” he said.
BY RAY BREWER
When a basketball skitters loose across the hardwood of the Thomas & Mack Center next winter, expect to see a UNLV player hitting the floor first.
The commitment to hustle isn’t just a tactic for new coach Josh Pastner—it’s an obligation.
“That is what is owed to the fan base at UNLV,” the 47-year-old said.
Pastner, whose résumé includes NCAA Tournament appearances at both of his previous coaching spots of Memphis and Georgia Tech, has devoted his initial weeks in Las Vegas to laying the groundwork for the program’s revival.
For the Rebels to end their painful 13-season NCAA Tournament drought, Pastner stressed that success will require more than just on-court changes.
It demands a unified community effort.
“I want to have everybody understand that this is not going to be about me and a couple players,” he said during an introductory news conference March 26. “This is going to be the whole city getting back involved, and getting everybody to come (to games), to help build the program back to where we want to get—back to NCAA tournaments and winning championships. That’s what we want to do. Absolutely.”
Basketball flows through Pastner’s veins, a coaching destiny apparent since childhood. While other teenagers filled scrapbooks with trading cards,
SPORTS ‘OUR TEAM’
New coach Josh Pastner on a mission to rekindle citywide passion for UNLV basketball
Pastner was already analyzing talent, publishing the “Josh Pastner Scouting Report” to showcase Houston-area prospects. It was an early glimpse of the basketball obsession that would shape his career.
That eye for talent has been paramount in recruiting, where Pastner is considered elite.
In 2010 at Memphis, he assembled the nation’s No. 1 ranked recruiting class. He followed this success in 2013 with another stellar group, ranked No. 3 nationally.
When UNLV Athletic Director Erick Harper outlined his coaching search criteria, he said he sought a tireless recruiter with proven experience who would bridge past glory to future promise. He wanted someone who would not only embrace UNLV’s storied legacy by reconnecting with program legends, but commit to rebuilding that greatness over the long term.
In Pastner, Harper discovered the embodiment of his vision.
“I’ve watched him grow as a coach,” Harper said. “I have been impressed with his ability to lead. He is a guy that I have great respect for and look forward to working with him to build a championship program.”
Pastner’s basketball roots run deep at the University of Arizona, where he was part of the Wildcats’
1997 national championship team as a player. His coaching career began in the same program, where he served as an assistant from 2002-2008 under the mentorship of legendary coach Lute Olson.
The Arizona connection has stirred mixed emotions with some of UNLV’s faithful supporters. Jerry Tarkanian, the revered patriarch who guided the Rebels to three Final Fours between 1987-1991, was famously outspoken about his rivalry with Olson.
“I remember being with coach Olson and talking in meetings about UNLV and Arizona, the rivalry between the two, and how awesome it was to try to compete to be a juggernaut in the landscape of college basketball,” said Pastner, who has a 276–187 head coaching record over 14 seasons.
“And so in my mind, I had always felt like this was a dream job, like this was the ultimate job.”
Now comes the hard part: winning.
The program’s decade-long decline has devastated attendance at home games, with UNLV averaging a mere 4,969 fans across 17 games last season.
Pastner vividly recalls those legendary UNLV teams of yesteryear competing before packed, thunderous crowds. He’s determined to reignite that magic and restore the Rebels as a contender.
“This is going to be our team,” he said. “This has to be Las Vegas’ team.”
(Steve Marcus/Staff)
CARRIE UNDERWOOD
April 11 & 12, 8 p.m., $55-$649. Resorts World Theatre, axs.com
Carrie Underwood on wrapping her Las Vegas residency
FOND FAREWELL
BY BROCK RADKE
MUSIC
The time has come. After Carrie Underwood christened the Resorts World Theatre in December of 2021, her landmark Las Vegas residency show Reflection is coming to a momentous close this weekend.
If you didn’t make it, you can get a taste from the live concert special available to stream on Hulu, released in January of this year. But your biggest big screen could never represent the live spectacle of Reflection, an epic production of which the country star remains infinitely proud. The Weekly caught up with Underwood via email
for a check-in on her other current gig, judging on American Idol, and a look back at her favorite Vegas moments.
Reflecting on more than three years and what will be 72 performances, do you feel differently now about becoming the first-ever headliner at Resorts World Theatre?
It was such an honor to open this beautiful theater and to be the first-ever headliner at Resorts World. I’ve absolutely loved performing Reflection for over three years—it’s a very special show to me and it’s been so fun playing for audiences who have come to Las Vegas from all over
the world. Looking back, I can’t believe we’ll have done over 70 shows, and love that the show will live on in the concert special that’s out now, so we’ll always have that to look back on to see this time in our lives.
Is there a part of the show that you’ve really looked forward to doing every night? Or a part that you really feel resonates best with your fans?
Of course, there are the hits like “Before He Cheats” and “Jesus, Take the Wheel” that everyone comes to expect and that I will always love to sing.
“Something In The Water” is another one of those songs, and I love that we have finally been able to bring that to life in such a spectacular way on stage as our finale with the giant water wall. It’s such a memorable set piece we could never pack up on a truck and move from city to city on tour, and I feel we’ve achieved something spectacular that is truly worthy of a Las Vegas production. Honestly, this show is just exhilarating to perform, I will really miss it.
What has it been like to return to American Idol as a judge?
It has been a blast! We started film-
ing the auditions back in October and I’m so happy that we’ve premiered and the world can see some really amazing talent. It’s been so fun reuniting with Ryan [Seacrest] and getting to work with Luke [Bryan] and Lionel [Richie]. There are also a lot of folks behind the cameras that were involved with the show 20 years ago when I won the title, so it really is a full-circle moment. That show was the beginning of everything for me and holds such a special place in my heart, and I love that I’m now able to be a part of someone else’s journey.
After Vegas and Idol, what’s next?
Any plans for a new album or any other projects on the horizon?
I’ve got a duet with Cody Johnson, “I’m Gonna Love You,” which is out now and doing really great for us. I’ve also got a couple of other collaborations in the works, which is always fun for me. I’m always cooking something up, that’s a process that is always going on. This month is also the fifth anniversary of the launch of my fitness app, Fit52, which is a huge passion of mine, and I love getting to share with our Fit52 community.
(Jeff Johnson/Courtesy)
Casa Playa’s tuna tartare with house-made crispy tostada. (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
MAY 2 - 5
Celebrate Cinco de Mayo all weekend long with stunning views from the 60th floor, vibrant Latin music, and handcrafted margarita and mezcal creations.
Catching up with SABRIEL
BY AMBER SAMPSON
THE LATEST:
In the decade since she emerged as a 19-year-old indie darling, Sabriel has steadily refined her craft. The Las Vegas singer’s satin-smooth delivery has drawn comparisons to neo-soul sirens like Erykah Badu. But in the years leading up to her debut album, Through the Cherry Gates, she’s cultivated a sound that’s warm, rarified and distinctively her own. After taking a lengthy break from performing, Sabriel returns with a new outlook on her artistry ahead of her show at the Beverly Theater on April 11.
“I’m coming at it from a different angle this time, because I’ve learned a lot. I turned 30 last year. I started performing and singing when I was 17, and that fiveish year break was necessary,” Sabriel says.
“Even up until I stopped performing live, my stuff was pretty influenced by the musicians I had playing with me. I didn’t have as much confidence as I have now. I’ve learned a lot about how to produce, and I consider myself more of a recording artist now.”
CHERRY ON TOP:
Until now, all that seemed to be missing from Sabriel’s catalog was a full-length album. What changed?
“Nobody was telling me not to [do it],” she says. “I had signed to a smaller label for a little bit, and then I had different management after I really started producing, and they all were just like, ‘Hold your roll.’ So, I just got tired of people telling me to stay still. Turning 30, I had gone through the whole astrological Saturn Return stuff. And I was like, ‘This is my favorite thing that I’ve ever made. I have to put it out as an album.’”
COMING FULL CIRCLE:
On Through the Cherry Gates, Sabriel draws influence from funk music, Janet Jackson, Prince and even her own father.
“There are songs in the album that sample songs that my dad made before I was even born,” she says. “So technically, this project is like 30-plus years in the making.”
Her father also gifted her another meaningful handme-down: an Ensoniq ASR88 sampling keyboard, which has been praised for its high-quality sound. Sabriel makes the most of it on heady, shivering tracks like “Figgypom” and the digitally doomful and funky “Heavyweight.”
“I don’t know if I would have known what to do with it up until this point of life,” she admits. “It’s such a beast. So many cool artists have used it over the years, so I think I had to work up my production skills to earn it.”
UPCOMING: Sabriel says her Beverly performance will feature cool visual aspects and two special guests: the soulful collective Overnight Celebrity and Cameron Calloway’s new musical persona, Scorpio.
“I really want to celebrate the album itself and I’m just really excited to do it at the Beverly, because it took me a while to find a venue in town that I felt excited to play at,” she says. “It’s gonna be such a good stepping stone, and it’s gonna be such a safe space for me to perform again.”
SABRIEL: ALBUM RELEASE SHOW April 11, 8 p.m., $20. Beverly Theater, thebeverlytheater.com.
SABRIEL sabrielmusic.com
(Josh Stadlen/Courtesy)
Pi and chihuahuas
Pi the Magic Dragon
refl ects on 10 years of comedy, tricks
A DRAGON’S JOURNEY
BY GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ
“I believe the world needs a magic dragon,” says John van der Put, better known as Pi the Magic Dragon. The words come out at, delivered with a kind of sarcastic deadpan that makes you wonder if he’s trolling you. But we both know, under that thin veneer of cynicism, he’s serious. Yes, the world does need a British guy in a dragon suit, lobbing out magic tricks and zinging one-liners while surrounded by Mr. Pi es 2.0, a clone of his late chihuahua sidekick, and Jade Simone, his hyper-performative showgirl assistant turned ancée.
A decade ago, Pi ’s breakout appearance on America’s Got Talent didn’t win him the crown, but it secured him recognition. After that breakthrough and an invitation to Penn & Teller’s TV show Fool Us, the Flamingo tapped him to become the quirky poker-faced antidote to the typical Vegas glitz. What started as a midweek solo show in a smaller theater has grown into a successful staple at Flamingo’s showroom six nights a week.
The comedy, magic and stunt spectacle has won various local awards. In 2023, Pi was voted Magician of the Year by LA’s historic Magic Castle, and he recently renewed his show contract for another three years.
THE STRIP
all over the U.K. and Europe. I was smuggling him all over the country, in and out of hotels. I spent more time with him than anyone else, so he and I forged this super tight bond. He was way more than a co-star in the show, but also more than even a pet. We’d been through everything together, so it was very brutal when he passed away last year. But knowing that a part of him continues in these new [cloned] dogs, it helps a lot. Doesn’t replace him, but it helps.
Your show has been going strong for a decade now. How do you keep the material fresh?
PIFF THE MAGIC DRAGON
SaturdayThursday, 7 p.m., $49-$103+.
When we moved to the showroom [in 2020], we rewrote the show from scratch and we did any trick we could think of. We do a trick where something ends up in 25 pounds of Jell-O. Mr. Pi es pees any drink the audience names, like really crazy stu . It’s our Super Bowl show. Magic is a visual medium … some magicians do straight magic and they say funny things, but it’s never as funny as when you make the trick funny but also completely unbelievable. And then you know, you’re adding me shouting at strangers. It’s a
Flamingo
Showroom, ticketmaster.com
We caught up with Pi to discuss his decade-long journey in Vegas, how his show has evolved and what’s next for this dragon.
How much of the Pi character is a re ection of your own personality, or is it all a bit?
answers. And I got to the party in the dragon winning combination.
I was unemployable before I found the dragon out t. I was saying the same terrible [jokes], mostly to children, and one day, I went to a costume party and I didn’t have a costume to wear, so I asked my sister, “Do you have anything?” She said, “Yeah, I got a dragon out t under my bed.” I didn’t ask any questions. I didn’t really want to know the answers. And I got to the party in the dragon out t. No one else is in costume, just me of course and a friend [told me] you should do your act in this. And I did and it just connected all the dots.
Then Mr. Pi es came along?
I got Mr. Pi es a year into the act, which wasn’t very good at that point. And when I got Pi es, he was the turning point. I got on TV, I got these breaks. We would tour
What are you planning on doing to celebrate this 10year milestone?
We’re going to re Mr. can get Penn Jillette back in his dragon out t [as Pop the
… it’s one of the hidden gems in Vegas, and
Pi es II out of a cannon … you never know! No, we’ll have a big party. For 10 years in Vegas, we’re going to celebrate, get all our friends together, see if I can get Penn Jillette back in his dragon out t [as Pop the Magic Dragon] and probably do a big show. We’ve worked really hard to make it good. I spent all my life making this show good … it’s one of the hidden gems in Vegas, and there’s nothing like it on the Strip.
Caviar and tuna cones at The Guest House (Courtesy)
Austin transplant The Guest House adds its own style of fine dining to the mall mix
BY AMBER SAMPSON
Dinner is never just dinner in a culinary capital like ours. The Strip’s restaurants have soaked up years of praise for first-rate service and spectacular plates. But farther south on the Boulevard, the new Guest House at Town Square also has been wowing diners with an experience worth savoring.
The Austin transplant took over the island-inspired Tommy Bahama Marlin Bar in January, transforming the space into a sexy social scene fit for intimate conversations and cozy celebrations. Wood paneling and foliage hang from the ceilings, amplifying a rustic ambiance, and the back area also opens into a stunning atrium-like dining room.
With a live DJ pumping up the atmosphere, it’s easy to understand why celebrities like Zedd and Gordon Ramsay have visited, but there are other reasons. Corporate executive chef Todd Mark Miller, formerly of Bellagio’s Prime Steakhouse and STK Steakhouse group, lent his creativity to the new American-style menu, offering a bounty of seafood and steak options, decadent appetizers (foie gras French toast, anyone?) and some seriously great pasta.
First off, do not say no to the house brioche. As much as your last wellness exam might’ve pushed you to cut carbs, this bread is too pillowy, too savory to skip.
For the rest of the table, spring for apps and cocktails that speak to The Guest House’s creativity and theatricality. The tuna and caviar cones ($48) come served in a mini pebble garden. And some of the drinks are Alice in Wonderland-themed, like the Tulgey Woods ($55), which has mini bottles of margarita potion nestled under a cotton candy tree. Other standout starters include the Wagyu pastrami ($80), served with smoky paprika and toasted coriander, and the hamachi crudo ($29) with an addictive coconut cream sauce.
The Guest House’s Butcher’s Best section will satisfy even the pickiest of carnivores. There’s your choice of a parmesan-crusted filet ($65) with a rich, savory base made from veal reduction; a 36-ounce tomahawk steak ($275) sliced tableside and more.
Our favorites had to be the braised shortrib ($48) and the spicy rigatoni ($34). The former comes topped with a thick mushroom ragout and rests on a creamy bed of polenta, while the latter is simply dynamite in a bowl, with Calabrian chili pepper building a subtle and sophisticated heat.
The Guest House brings a thrilling experience to the table, whether you’re a local seeking an off-Strip fine-dining night or a tourist seeking a break from the hustle and bustle of the Boulevard.
COSMO PAYS TRIBUTE TO ROSE. RABBIT. LIE. AT THE CHANDELIER
It wasn’t a boom, but the Strip did have a surge in supper clubs before and during the pandemic era, a time when it just made sense to combine live entertainment and dining in a fun, flashy, somewhat nostalgic way. Some of those venues are still around and still our favorites, and their influence can be felt in new restaurants and clubs all over Las Vegas.
Perhaps Rose.
Rabbit. Lie. was the kick that got this ball rolling. Open at the Cosmopolitan from 2013 until 2021, this whimsical world of immersive entertainment and stellar cuisine may have never gotten full credit for its contributions. This month, Cosmo’s beloved casino bar the Chandelier is paying homage to the bygone supper club with “inventive cocktails and spontaneous performances.”
The celebrations are set for Friday and Saturday nights from 8 to 11 p.m. on the Chandelier’s Level 1.5. Favorite snacks like RRL’s caviar taco and cookie jar dessert will be available alongside specialty libations like the American Beauty (coconut vodka, Poppy Liqueur, lemon juice, Coco Chai syrup and ginger beer) and the Femme Fatale (mango passion vodka, lychee, strawberry rhubarb rose syrup, citrus and sparkling rosé). And roaming performances will sprinkle that old RRL glitter all over the Chandelier. Expect the unexpected. –Brock Radke
Magic Mushroom cocktail (Courtesy)
(Photos Courtesy)
JOB LISTING
Quest Diagnostics Inc. in Las Vegas, NV seeks Medical Laboratory Scientist II, Microbiology (multiple) to perform test procedures of moderate/high complexity. REQS: Bach. deg. or for. equiv. in Med Tech, Med Lab Sci, Chem, Bio, or related field. 3 yrs exp. in: Microbiology testing; microbiology testing platforms & associated workflow; high complexity testing in clinical lab setting w. specific knowledge to differentiate gram positive & gram negative bacteria stains, & b/w pathogens & nonpathogens. Have or be eligible for NV State Clinical Laboratory Technologist License & NV General Supervisors License. Must be able to work All Shifts (Day, Evening, or Night, & rotating weekend when needed). CV to lianne.b.maglalang@questdiagnostics.com Ref. code: LVM
Information Technology Architect for platform developer. Company located in Las Vegas, NV. Telecommuting is permitted. Bachelor degree in Computer Science Engineering, Systems Engineering, or related field (will accept foreign equivalent of US degree), and 2 yrs. Exp. In job offered or
engineering field. Send resume to Tech555, Inc. 3175
89120.
PREMIER CROSSWORD HOROSCOPES
BY FRANK LONGO
BREZSNY
ARIES (March 21-April 19): Life is asking you to be a source of generosity and strength for the people and animals in your sphere. I hope you will exude maximum amounts of your natural charisma as you bestow maximum blessings.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Ceramicist Jun Hamada says that trying to force harmony into her art leads to sterile work. “The most beautiful pieces come from the moments I stop trying to make them beautiful,” she notes. Your best results may emerge as you allow supposed flaws and glitches to play an unexpected part in the process.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): Gemini-born Frank Lloyd Wright was a prolific architect who orchestrated many daring designs. Among his most audacious experiments was a project to build a house over a waterfall. Before he was ready to accomplish the impossible, he had to spend months studying the site’s natural patterns. I believe you are ready to consider your own equivalent of constructing a house over a waterfall. Prepare well! Do your homework!
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In the early phase of his illustrious career as a photographer, Edward Weston cultivated a soft-focus, romantic style. But he ultimately converted to stark, uncompromising realism. If there is anything about you that prefers warm, fuzzy illusions over objective, detailed truth, I suggest you switch emphasis for a while.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): Here’s my mini-manifesto about change, just in time for a phase when change is most necessary and possible for you. Real change is often a slow and subtle process. There may be rare dramatic shifts, but mostly the process is gradual and incremental. Instead of pushing hard for a short time, you’re more likely to change things by persistently pushing with modest strength for a sustained time.
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Textile artist Mei Zhang wondered if the synthetic dyes she used on her fabrics were limited. She discovered that her grandmother, using age-old techniques, had produced hues that modern dyes couldn’t replicate. Consider what old approaches or traditional wisdom you might call on to generate novelty.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): The moon rises about 50 minutes later every day, and always at a slightly different place on the horizon. The amount of light it shows us is also constantly in flux. And yet where and how it will appear tomorrow or ten years from today is completely predictable. The same is true about our emotions and feelings—they are forever shifting, and yet if we survey the big picture of how they arise, we will see their overall flow has distinct patterns.
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Research reveals that interludes of productive uncertainty may strengthen our brain’s neural pathways—even more so than if we consistently leap to immediate comprehension. We must be willing to dwell with poise in our puzzlement.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Persian American author Haleh Liza Gafori translates the poetry of 13th-century Sufi mystic Rumi: “Rumi’s gold is not the precious metal, but a feeling-state arrived at through the alchemical process of burning through layers of self, greed, pettiness, calculation, doctrine—all of it. Gold is the deepest love.” That’s the gold I hope you embody in the coming weeks.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The coming weeks will be an excellent time to reframe the meaning of “emptiness” in your life. To launch your quest, I will remind you that quiet interludes and gaps in your schedule can be rejuvenating. Sitting still and doing nothing in particular may be a good way to recharge your spiritual batteries.
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): There was a time when I consulted a divinatory oracle every day of my life. It helped me develop and fine-tune my intuition and psychic powers—which, after all, are the ultimate divination strategy. I believe you now have an enhanced power to cultivate and strengthen your intuition and psychic powers.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Eagles have both a central and peripheral fovea, which gives them an amazing visual acuity. You will be able to see things you wouldn’t normally see and things that other people can’t see. Take full advantage of this superpower!
BACKSTORY
(Wade Vandervort/Staff)
YARD SALE AT LONNIE HAMMARGREN’S HOUSE | APRIL 4 , 2025 | Castillo del Sol, the residence of late neurosurgeon and Nevada lieutenant governor Lonnie Hammargren, held a yard sale to put a dent in Hammargren’s sprawling assortment of cultural memorabilia—a collection big enough and weird enough to get him featured on both Pawn Stars and Hoarders. Most of the good stuff remaining in Hammargren’s $10 million collection, which at one point included retired Vegas signs, the Stratosphere Tower’s roller coaster and an Apollo capsule replica, will be sold at auction, rendering this yard sale mainly a chance to visit Castillo del Sol one last time. “Certainly anything that was good was gone by 9:09 a.m.,” said our photographer Wade Vandervort, adding, “At least there’s time for Blueberry Hill.” –Geoff Carter
Step back in time to the night music history was made.
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