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14 | THE LATEST
“Unconventional Approach,” by David G. Schwartz. How the LVCVA’s Global Business District plans to chart a new course. Plus, Higher Math on NASCAR weekend, Found Material on the 1974 Las Vegas Entertainment Awards, Ask a Native, The Deal and Tweets of the Week.
16 | Breaking Stuf & Making Stuf “The Land of Disappearing Things,” by Greg Blake Miller. Fading Vegas and the art of memory.
18 | Politics
“Under the Influence,” by Michael Green. Lobbyists’ prominence has been built into Nevada’s system from the start.
22 | COVER
“The Rock Star,” by David G. Schwartz. How an ‘accidental capitalist’ named Peter Morton built the Hard Rock Hotel 20 years ago—and showed the city where the real action is.
29 | NIGHTLIFE
“Enter Rehab,” by Sam Glaser. Former Hard Rock Hotel President Kevin Kelley reminisces about the iconic pool party’s inception and what made it legendary. Plus, a Q&A with Brooke Evers, two party-friendly apps and photos from the week’s hottest parties.
53 | DINING
Al Mancini on David Clawson’s Henderson restaurant. Plus, Meizhou Dongpo is coming to Vegas, Rick Moonen looks ahead, and Drinking.
59 | A&E
“Barely Vegas,” by Kurt C. Rice. Can James Patterson’s latest novel say anything real about our city? Plus, the return of Elvis, why John Mulaney deserves your attention, a Q&A with Jason Bonham, The Hit List and Tour Buzz
64 | Sound Proof
“A Perfect Strike,” by Zoneil Maharaj. One year later, Brooklyn Bowl proves itself worthy of the hype.
66 | Movies
The Lazarus Effect and our weekly movie capsules.
78 | Seven Questions
Casino owner Derek Stevens on Downtown cooperation, the fate of the Riviera and hanging with customers at the bar.
Dialogue Vegas Moment Seven Days Seven Nights Showstopper
VegasSeven.com
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11 12 15 34 65
ON THE COVER Photo by Jon Estrada
March 5–11, 2015
PHOTO BY DARRIN BUSH/L AS VEGAS NEWS BUREAU
DEPARTMENTS
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LAS VEGAS’ WEEKLY CITY MAGAZINE
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FOUNDED FEBRUARY 2010
PUBLISHER
Michael Skenandore
EDITORIAL
Matt Jacob Paul Szydelko, Xania Woodman A&E EDITOR Cindi Reed ASSOCIATE EDITOR Camille Cannon Steve Bornfeld, Geoff Carter, Lissa Townsend Rodgers EDITOR
SENIOR EDITORS
SENIOR WRITERS
SENIOR CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Melinda Sheckells (style)
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Michael Green (politics), Al Mancini (dining), David G. Schwartz (gaming/hospitality)
ART
Ryan Olbrysh Jon Estrada, Cierra Pedro STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Anthony Mair CREATIVE DIRECTOR
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INTERNS
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PUBLISHED IN ASSOCIATION WITH THE OBSERVER MEDIA GROUP Vegas Seven, 888-792-5877, 3070 West Post Road, Las Vegas, NV 89118 Vegas Seven is distributed each Thursday throughout Southern Nevada c 2015 Vegas Seven, LLC. Reproduction in whole or in part without the permission of Vegas Seven, LLC is prohibited.
DIALOGUE CONTRIBUTOR’S NOTE Vegas Seven contributing editor David G. Schwartz wasn’t there the night the Hard Rock Hotel opened, but the iconic property did fgure prominently in his moving to Las Vegas. “When I came here to interview for my job at UNLV in 2000,” he says, “they took me to lunch at Pink Taco.” He’s not saying the chicken tostada salad sealed the deal, but it certainly didn’t hurt. In penning this week’s feature on the 20th anniversary of the Hard Rock’s opening, Schwartz hopes to be writing a little revisionist history. “Peter Morton isn’t generally credited as a Las Vegas innovator, but if you look at how against the grain the Hard
Rock was when he opened it in 1995, and how much the city has changed since, it’s clear that he was one of the few who really got it.”
CORRECTION An incorrect phone number for 346 Patisserie was published in last week’s issue (“Blended by Science,” Feb. 26). The correct number is 702-463-5115.
OUR SITES TO SEE
LLAMA DRAMA
LISTEN UP
DINING ON A DIME
If you’ve been paying attention to trending news items, you know two rogue llamas escaped from a petting zoo in Arizona last week. Of course, llamas and Downtown have been partners in crime since Tony Hsieh professed his love for the beast. Find out which Downtown business is capitalizing off the craze at DTLV.com/ LlamaDrama.
Curious to know which new releases local musicians are streaming online? Zoneil Maharaj has you covered with Hear Now, a roundup of all the local (and legal) streams, videos and downloads from Las Vegas artists. In the latest edition, rapper Trade Voorhees pays homage to Hitchcock. Check it out at VegasSeven. com/HearNow.
What will $25 get you for breakfast, lunch and dinner Downtown? Quite a bit, it turns out. DTLV.com dining writer Jessie O’Brien takes us on a bargainhunting culinary adventure—and, yes, it even includes cocktails! DTLV.com/ BudgetDining.
WOOD LOOKING GOOD
UNLV’s Chris Wood entered his sophomore season flying under the radar. Then he started averaging 15.4 points per game, the media named him a national Player of the Week and now he’s caught the eye of NBA scouts. RunRebs.com editor Mike Grimala analyzes Wood’s rising star power at RunRebs.com/ RisingRebel.
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VEGAS MOMENT
Back to the Shark Tank
Have you taken a photo that captures the spirit of Las Vegas this week? Share it with us at Moment@VegasSeven.com.
| March 5–11, 2015
In the weeks since his passing, Jerry Tarkanian has been fondly remembered as a loyal family man, a trusted friend, a Vegas icon, a second father, a believer in second chances, a fghter, a mentor, an innovator, a towel-chomper, a Hall of Famer and a humble champion. As much as anything, though, the UNLV coaching legend will be remembered for possessing one of the greatest nicknames in sports history: Tark the Shark. So it was only ftting that the old “Tark Shark”—once a fxture at the Thomas & Mack Center during the Runnin’ Rebels’ heyday—was transported from its current home at the Las Vegas Natural History Museum to its original tank for the March 1 public celebration of Tarkanian’s life.
VegasSeven.com
Photo by Amy Bouchard UNLV Alumni Association
13
“We have no idea what kind of insurance premiums a place has to pay to protect against a drunken Justin Bieber spraying the club with his entitlement-powered scent glands.” GOSSIP {PAGE 20}
The convention center extends out to the Strip as part of the LVCVA’s Global Business District.
Unconventional Approach How the LVCVA’s Global Business District plans to chart a new course of Las Vegas tourism By David G. Schwartz
March 5–11, 2015
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VegasSeven.com
WE ALREADY KNOW THAT BUSINESS TOUR-
14
ism—meetings, incentive, conventions and expositions—is crucial to the Las Vegas economy, with more than 5 million people visiting the city each year primarily for business. That averages out to less than 15 percent of the total annual visitors to Las Vegas, but it’s an important 15 percent: These guests tend to pay higher room rates and outspend leisure travelers on dining and entertainment, which creates more jobs in the tourist district than would a focus on vacationers alone. Conventions in Las Vegas have had a good run. In fact, for 20 consecutive years, we’ve been the top trade show destination in the United States; annually, we host about 20 percent of the
top 250 meetings in the country. This two-decade stay at the top is more than an impressive accolade. Think of it this way: Most people in the business of planning meetings can’t remember a time when Las Vegas was not the leading convention destination. That certainly makes the job of selling Las Vegas easier, but the city hasn’t retained that crown by being complacent. Because no matter how many meetings we host, Chicago and Orlando are looming in the rearview mirror, bidding—along with many other destination cities—for those coveted business travelers. This is why the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority is pursuing its ambitious Global Business District, which a 2014 feasibility
study tagged as a project that would take the Convention Center “25 years into the future.” Essentially, the District expects to both add to and mitigate the Convention Center’s greatest selling point: its size. The frst phase will expand the Convention Center by 1.8 million square feet, bringing it to 5.7 million square feet. Part of the Riviera site—for which the LVCVA last month agreed to pay $182.5 million—will be used for this growth. Why does the LVCVA need to add to its already-huge convention space? Because that space isn’t huge enough. Keep in mind that the city’s biggest shows—such as CES and MAGIC—have to be split up among multiple venues.
So this isn’t a case of “if you build it, they might come”; more space will mean more business. Phase two will see the original facility renovated, adding about 200,000 more square feet of general-session and meeting space. The strength of those numbers will help Las Vegas maintain its spot atop the convention pecking order. For starters, certain large shows will have no other choice than to come here. And, of course, more available space means Las Vegas can attract more “small” shows as well. This same expansion strategy has prompted MGM Resorts International to enlarge its Mandalay Bay Convention Center, proving that it isn’t just the LVCVA that sees the market for meetings expanding. Yet, as anyone who has driven on Paradise Road during CES week can attest, there’s a catch-22 when it comes to hosting these mega-shows: Not only is it diffcult to get to and from the Convention Center, but these massive traffc jams cut into the time delegates are spending money (except on taxi fares), which is a loss for everyone (except the cab industry). That’s why a major component of the Global Business District plan includes a new transportation hub. While details aren’t yet known, this hub would theoretically make moving large numbers of people in and around the resort corridor less frustrating for all involved. There’s also potential for a greater impact away from the Strip, as the LVCVA has said the hub will be the centerpiece of a “more effcient and expanded transportation system in the Valley.” As intriguing as that sounds, the most revolutionary aspect of the Global Business District might be the planned International Trade Center. In a nutshell, companies that do business with the numerous groups that come through Las Vegas over the course of the year will be able to use “high-end offce space” that will be an integral part of the District. This could change the way deals get done in Las Vegas, leading to not only more trade show bookings but entirely new avenues of growth. Construction on the Global Business District is expected to begin in the next couple of years and unfold over the next decade. If executed along the lines currently planned, it will profoundly shape both the Strip and the Valley. No, it won’t have the glamour of a high-profle casino opening, but it’s destined to have a tremendous—and lasting—impact on the city for decades.
RENDERING COURTESY OF L AS VEGAS NEWS BUREAU
News, politics, deals and understanding our city’s great disappearing act
[ HIGHER MATH ]
DRIVING FORCE
For the 18th consecutive year, NASCAR’s biggest stars (not named Busch, anyway) are zooming into Las Vegas Motor Speedway. In advance of NASCAR weekend March 6-8—highlighted by Sunday’s Kobalt 400 Sprint Cup series race—we throw things in reverse with a by-thenumbers look back at what has become one of the most important (read: lucrative) events on our city’s calendar:
148,000
Approximate annual attendance during NASCAR weekend, 120,000 of which are visitors (per the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority).
[ FOUND MATERIAL ]
THE 1974 LAS VEGAS ENTERTAINMENT AWARDS We won’t lie to you: Things get ugly in this hourlong vintage clip. Marty Allen’s hair. Ann-Margret’s drunken, unfixed gaze. And it begins with a tediously unfunny, nearly seven-minute-long Bob Hope monologue. (“Ya know, Vegas started out as a watering hole. Now it’s a milking station.” Rim shot!) But if you can choke down all of this ham and cheese—oh, and Carol Channing! We mustn’t forget that—this vintage television special offers an all-too-rare window into the sundown period of Las Vegas’ first golden age, a time when such performers as Foster Brooks and Juliet Prowse still could pack a house, and the denizens of the Strip’s showrooms still seemed like a community. And there’s something weirdly empowering seeing the members of this community, this
165.6
$
million
Annual nongaming economic impact that’s generated during the three-day weekend (per the LVCVA).
83 .1 million
$
Total purse money awarded in the 17 Sprint Cup races at LVMS (Jeff Burton leads the pack at nearly $3.4 million).
286,767
Total miles raced in the Sprint Cup event (or 191,178 laps around the 1.5-mile superspeedway).
193.278
Speed, in miles per hour, of the fastest lap recorded at LVMS during a Sprint Cup race (set by Joey Logano last year).
other, broken Hollywood, giving awards to each other. (Speaking of Hollywood: Christopher Reeve appears in this clip at the 36:11 mark in a pre-Superman JCPenney ad.) Anyway, the big winners at the 1974 Academy Awards were Jack Lemmon, Tatum O’Neal and The Sting, while the big winners at the 1974 Las Vegas Entertainment Awards were—spoiler alert!—Frank Sinatra (a no-show), Liza Minnelli (another no-show, but she taped an acceptance speech) and Hallelujah Hollywood! If we may Bob Hope this thing: As they say at the blackjack tables, that’s a push. Find this clip and our other Found Material links at https://vimeo.com/39739623.
347 115
Number of lead changes in 17 years (an average of 20.4 per race).
Number of cautions in 17 years (an average of 6.76 per race).
10
Number of drivers to claim the Sprint Cup checkered flag in Las Vegas (four drivers have won multiple times, led by four-time winner Jimmie Johnson).
By Bob Whitby THURSDAY, MARCH 5: Las Vegas has long been catnip for the press, providing fodder in the form of blockbuster investigations and crazy tales of crime and decadence. UNLV history professor Michael Green (who doubles as our politics columnist) hits the highlights at 7 p.m. in the Clark County Library’s Jewel Box Theater, with a talk titled “The Evolution of the Press in Las Vegas.” LVCCLD.org.
FRIDAY, MARCH 6: Want to have a good time for a good
cause? Then head to the 16th floor of the World Market Center at 6 p.m. for the Candlelighters Evening of Hope. It’s the Candlelighters Childhood Cancer Foundation of Nevada’s largest fundraiser of the year, and it features photography and art by kids the foundation has helped. CandlelightersNV.org.
SATURDAY, MARCH 7: The bon temps are about to rouler
over at Springs Preserve. The annual Mardi Gras Vegas party from 3-7 p.m. has music, good Southern eats, a beer garden and stuff for the kiddies. Maybe you’ll score some beads. SpringsPreserve.org.
SUNDAY, MARCH 8: What’s all the hullabaloo about genetically modified organisms? Find out at a free screening of the documentary GMO OMG, 7 p.m. at Downtown’s Beauty Bar. Then stick around for the showing of Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret, which (as you might guess) is about the meat industry. Check GMO-Free Las Vegas’ Facebook page for info.
MONDAY, MARCH 9: Attention hoops fans: This week, three conferences—West Coast, Mountain West and Pac-12—invade Vegas for their annual postseason tournaments. The women get things started for the Mountain West at 2 p.m. today at the Thomas & Mack Center (UNLVTickets.com); the West Coast Conference men and women have their semifinals starting at noon at the Orleans Arena (OrleansArena.com); and on Wednesday, the Pac-12 men tip off at noon at the MGM Grand (Pac-12.com). TUESDAY, MARCH 10: Spring is around the corner, and you’re going to need to up your game in the kitchen. Toward that end we’d like to mention the Taste of Home Cooking School, 5 p.m. at the Silverton. Cooking specialist Eric Villegas will lead you through tips and techniques for dishes that make the most of seasonal ingredients and flavors. SilvertonCasino.com. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 11: When it was
released in 1999, Troy Duffy’s crime thriller The Boondock Saints screened in only five theaters, earned barely $30,000 at the box office, garnered terrible reviews … and amassed a bonafide cult following. Scullery shows the film as part of its Boozy Movies series at 7 p.m. Get in for free when you purchase a cocktail. InspireLasVegas.com.
THE LATEST
The Land of Disappearing Things
J A M E S P. R E Z A
Fading Vegas and the art of memory WHAT DOES THE NATIVE THINK OF OUR RECENT RAIN?
March 5–11, 2015
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VegasSeven.com
THESE PLACES RISE, THEY FALL. FOR LAS
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Vegans of a certain age, it’s still hard to believe that the Landmark is gone, even though it was hard to believe it was ever here. The Hacienda, once the home of my adolescent tennis battles, is now just a neon polo player stranded in the middle of the Strip, miles from home. And there’s this: a little playground in Green Valley Ranch where, as a toddler, my boy climbed, hand following hand, along the bent green metal bars. Yesterday my wife and I walked to this memory patch and found only a sandpit encircled by a chain-link fence. No doubt a squishy surface and static-generating plastic play gym are soon to arrive. In all cases, the progress is undeniable: The Hacienda became the Mandalay Bay. The Landmark became a parking lot. All of these things, great and small, once were visions, and then they were built, and then they were gone. If one of life’s tests is for us to accept that we hold only a temporary lease on our cities, our homes, our possessions, our bodies, then surely Las Vegas is a fne school. And, in a city built upon fantasy, it should be no great surprise that even the concrete embodiments of our dream-life wind up oddly etheric. Dreams, after all, last only a night—and usually you can’t remember much except that you were being chased down a hallway, and then you fell, and then you were in a restaurant, arm-wrestling with Jimmy Connors. But, the deep philosophy of letting go aside, there is something reassuring when things
Breaking Stuff & Making Stuff
Mad musings on the creative life GREG BLAKE MILLER
stick around a little while. The view of Frenchman Mountain over the north end zone of the Silver Bowl—yes, that’s what I still call Sam Boyd Stadium—flls me with memories of Saturday afternoons watching a catlike quarterback named Sam King zip the Rebels downfeld. It reminds me, for instance, of what it felt like to see the Rebels score a touchdown. The Silver Bowl, much like the Landmark, has the sentimental power of having been a white elephant almost from birth. Urban dreamers and creatives of all sorts should cherish their white elephants: A city’s unsung songs are locked in its useless spaces. The Silver Bowl endures, but the Desert Inn has disappeared. Justice is blind indeed. Fallen things: the illuminated diamond on the Dunes marquee, the stylized backward-Z that once introduced the word “Stardust.” The details claw at the memory, looking for a perch. Fallen things: The face of the McCullough mountains, which once looked, at sunset, like a shaken silk sheet, settling in slippery red ridges. My alliteration is not accidental—the
sight of the mountainside once brought to mind the sound of snakes and children’s slides. Now it is a series of terraces, fowing locks shaved into fattops, awaiting houses like ornamental hats from the age of Gatsby, fabulous monuments to economic selfrealization. Fallen things: The Convention Center Rotunda, that marvelous fying saucer, illuminated pale green on winter evenings when Jerry Tarkanian’s soaring Rebels charted a course for the basketball heavens. Enduring things: The neon guitar outside the Hard Rock Café, which once proclaimed, in a single soundless strum, that we had arrived. The natural area behind Sunset Park, which burned in 2000, regenerated itself and, by the miracle of county ownership, never became the site of a Smith’s grocery store. Enduring things: Bonnie Springs, the face of Lone Mountain, the Gilcrease Orchard, the St. Viator’s soccer feld, the UNLV North Gym, Piero’s, El Cortez. There’s no logic to any of it— which Polaroids retain their color, which go pale in the brighter light of memory. We’ll have to let go of it all, sooner or later. But if we keep our eyes and minds attuned—if we’re watchful as time crumbles— we just may be surprised at the outcome of all this disappearing: Everything endures. The desert still hums at the heart of the city, the fallen neon still glows, and on every phantom jungle gym, the kids play on. Greg Blake Miller is the director of Olympian Creative Education. OlympianCreative.com.
Spoiled by more than 200 sunny days per year (nearly 300 if you count partially cloudy days), the weather is one of our city’s characteristics with which this native is most enamored. There’s a teasing joy found in posting winter-month Instagram selfies—perhaps at a sunny Sunday brunch sporting a T-shirt and sipping an icy IPA, or cruising around with the top down—and then tagging friends who live in places where winter is a thing. Sure, part of that joy stems from the fact that, come the dog days of August, those same friends will be tagging me in selfies during 74-degree days. But it really goes deeper than being a typical humble-bragging jerk. Like many longtime locals, I’m a desert rat. Generally, that means celebrating the searing heat, the wide-open blue skies and the gorgeous desert landscape that so many snobby East Coasters see as little more than sweaty desolation. It is a mark of Vegas pride to say I didn’t own a car with working air conditioning until I was 26. To be clear, I’m not saying those summers were easy; but driving here sans the creature comforts of A/C was a rite of passage for many of my peers in the rugged Southwest. Does that mean we desert rats hate the rain? Some do, but I actually enjoy the occasional, gentle desert soaking. When I lived in the less developed parts of town, a brief downpour meant a hike or mountain bike ride through a nearby desert trail, the gorgeous aroma of wet sagebrush punctuating the crisp, clean air, desert blooms popping out almost before my eyes, and the ground crawling with life. Sweaty desolation? Not so much. Sure, I’ll choose a sunny day over a rainy one most of the time. And I’ll take either over the howling spring winds that are sure to blow through the Valley in a few weeks. But a desert rain, especially during a drought (you did turn off your sprinklers, right?), is a lot more enjoyable than the insufferable “only happy when it rains” folks who flood my social media channels with virtual jumps for joy every time a drop falls. Them I can do without. Questions? AskaNative@VegasSeven.com.
Lobbyists’ prominence has been built into Nevada’s system from the start THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF SEASONING BRINGS
a recipe to life, but too much can overwhelm a dish. The same metaphor can be applied to the infuence lobbyists have in Carson City: They undoubtedly bring experience to what is increasingly becoming an inexperienced Legislature, and because they know their subject, they’re able to impart knowledge to harried lawmakers. However, during the 2015 session, there are eight registered lobbyists for each legislator. And that number doesn’t include others who infuence—and sometimes command—some lawmakers. You have to wonder about the beef when all you can taste is the salt. Unfortunately, lobbyists are both numerous and necessary, in part because we have a citizen Legislature, meeting for four months every two years because that’s what Nevadans wanted in the 19th century. (Back then, Nevadans didn’t want women to vote, either, so we have made progress in some areas.) We seem to prefer that under-informed citizens obtain information from professional legislative staffers, and then do as they’re told by the people who underwrote and/ or managed their campaigns. This kind of thing often is blamed on Citizens United and the prostituted view of the First Amendment that it embodies. Au contraire. It has been a problem in Nevada from the very beginning: • Soon after statehood, the Bank of California and its Virginia City manager, William Sharon, became the most important mine operators in Nevada. They owned the Virginia & Truckee railroad, whose manager, Henry Yerington, also lobbied the Legislature. Yerington once described Washoe County’s elected offcials as “all friendly to us (and God knows they ought to be), and so we have Washoe in the hollow of our hand for many a year to come if desirable.” For much of the 19th century, legislators did what mining and railroad interests demanded. After all, these legislators were citizen lawmakers who had to work for a living. Who do you think were the biggest employers in Nevada? • Early in the 20th century, John Mueller began representing George Wingfeld, who owned most of Nevada’s mines and banks, at the Legislature. He continued as a lobbyist after Wingfeld went under. Mueller even became a close ally of Wingfeld’s onetime mortal enemy, Pat McCarran, who succeeded Wingfeld as the state’s dominant political boss. Mueller used to sit at the desk of the state Senate leader, as one observer put it, “giving him the beneft of his views and advice.” • Representatives of the gaming industry descended on Carson City in 1957 to demand legislation designed to gut the recently created Gaming Control Board’s investigative and enforcement powers. These lobbyists literally sat beside lawmakers as the bill was introduced. Governor Charles Russell vetoed the bill, and gaming fell one vote shy of the two-thirds majority needed to override Russell. • In the 1970s and ’80s, Jim Joyce was the master of the lobby game as it was supposed to be played—
WHITE CASTLE CALCULUS AND A TOPLESS BARGAIN
knowledgeable, persuasive, nonthreatening. But he and some of his colleagues presented a problem by implication: They represented not only companies seeking favorable legislation, but also candidates seeking offce. How easy was it to tell the political consultant who got you elected, “No”? • More recently, one of Carson City’s most infuential lobbyists was Harvey Whittemore. To understand how he ran the place, consider a scene back in 1998, when a group from Leadership Reno/Sparks toured the Legislature, and one person asked, “Why is there a glass barrier separating the representatives from the walkways and audience?” The guide replied, “That is the ‘Whittemore Wall.’ It was installed to prevent Harvey Whittemore from taking over the legislative process by force of his voice and person.” Then the guide added, “It didn’t work.” Whittemore knew his stuff, but some lawmakers detected a change in how lobbyists functioned: persuasion increasingly gave way to orders and threats. Maybe money and partisanship contributed to that. So might have the constitutional amendment limiting sessions to 120 days, further reducing our lawmakers’ opportunity for study and refection, and thus increasing the infuence of lobbyists. A big backer of this effort, the late state Senator Bill Raggio, later said, “When you start expanding into people’s other lives— and we all have other lives—then it becomes diffcult for a citizen-type Legislature to exist. … You’re going to be full-time legislators.” Full-time legislators might lead to part-time lobbyists and a real government for Nevada. No wonder so many people oppose it. Michael Green is an associate professor of history at UNLV.
White Castle mania has subsided at Casino Royale to the point where you can at least get to the counter. But once there, how do you order? They like to sell the little sliders in volume, so there are posted prices to buy by the “sack,” the “case” or the “crate,” but nowhere on the menu is there a price for an individual burger—or even what the choices are. After doing some investigating, it turns out there are only four “burger” items available: The original slider (hamburger) is $1.29; a cheese slider or jalapeño cheese slider is $1.59; and a chicken ring slider is $1.99. What’s the strategy? Sticking with the basic hamburger, a sack of 10 is $11.99. That’s $1.20 each, or a 9 cent-per-burger savings from ordering individually. If you order a case of 30, it’s $34.99, or $1.17 each. And if you order a crate of 100, it’s $109.99, which is $1.10 each. These aren’t stellar volume deals, which means there’s not a lot of incentive to order big. In fact, if you order a sack and don’t eat all 10, you’d save money by ordering individually from one to nine. Speaking of Casino Royale, I got it wrong a few weeks ago when I wrote that they offer players $20 a day in loss rebates. It’s a onetime rebate when you join the club, then an ongoing $20 per every additional $100 you lose. That’s good and bad. Losing 80 percent is always better than losing 100 percent, but if you’re getting rebates, it means you’re … losing. Bottom line: This is a good option for some social play—don’t go wild with it. There’s a new topless show in town. These shows tend to be similar—you know, French maid and cowgirl get-ups, “Cherry Pie” and “Hey, Big Spender” on the song list—but Sexxy at the Westgate stands out for its affordability. At $38.90 after taxes and fees, it’s priced $10 below Fantasy, $25 below X Rocks and $35 below X Burlesque. Plus, Sexxy is beginning to appear in halfprice options, which makes it a $20 ticket. Here’s a somewhat unlikely deal on the high end: Jackson’s Bar and Grill (6020 W. Flamingo Rd.) is having a “Fun Dining” event March 7. It’s a five-course gourmet dinner prepared by their own chefs and comes with tequila pairings. You won’t get a meal like this for $60 at any other video poker joint in town. Get details at LVFunDining.com. Finally, PT’s has added select $5 appetizers to its already solid daily happy-hour specials. Now in addition to 50 percent off breakfast from 6 to 10 a.m., appetizers are $5 from 5 to 7 p.m. and midnight to 2 a.m. (you also get 50 percent off pizzas and drinks during those times). What makes this one so good is that it’s offered at all 48 PT’s and sister properties throughout the Valley. Anthony Curtis is the publisher of the Las Vegas Advisor and LasVegasAdvisor.com.
ILLUSTRATION BY CIERRA PEDRO
THE LATEST VegasSeven.com
| March 5–11, 2015
18
Under the Influence
THE LATEST
@blakegriffin32 Forget the dress guys ... What color am I?
@drewmagary I finished watching Boyhood. When your movie devotes that much time to Ethan Hawke singing, you deserve to lose all the Oscars.
@BasedPaco 10K for a Mayweather Pacquiao ticket I better get knocked out.
@rilaws Types llamas/dress joke, throws phone out window, jumps after it.
The Big Scores Rousey nabs a huge paycheck, Omnia lands Bieber and NFL stars catch a glimpse of Tao (and Chumlee)
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this ongoing Roman triumphus of all things Bieber: renting a private island. Not a bad start, but the real fun kicks in March 14 when he’s booked to celebrate his newfound entry into the world of maturity and adult responsibility at Omnia. Good for them for keeping the celebrity shindig alive in the nightclub world, although we have no idea what kind of insurance premiums a place has to pay to protect against a drunken Bieber spraying the club with his entitlement-powered scent glands. There ain’t enough tomato juice in all of Caesars Palace to get that funk out of Omnia’s new leather banquettes. For those clubs that are soldiering on with a Bieber-free talent roster, Chumlee is available for any and all of your parties. He was at Tao on February 28, though not in his new capacity as a spinner of songs. (If he were, he’d have been decked out with a pair of Hawaiian Nike Dunks, Nerf basketball hoops and guns, and multiple boxes of Girl Scout cookies, per a rider TMZ got its hands on.) Instead the Pawn star
@sirpearce
was partying with friends, while NFL wide receivers A.J. Green had one table and Calvin Johnson had another. Oakland Raiders running back Maurice Jones-Drew was there, too. If only it were Matt Forte instead, the club would’ve had half the frst round of your fantasy draft in the building. That would not, however, stop you from being the guy who took Adrian Peterson last year and has a good feeling about Robert Griffn III’s ability to stay on the feld in 2015. At least, as DJs go, the odds of Chumlee having hackers come after his naked pictures are slim. Not so much for Hakkasan’s Calvin Harris, who’s reportedly threatening to sue anyone who publishes the pics of his, uh, knobs and slider. Speaking of people who deal exclusively with tracks pumped through an impressive sound system, Britney Spears drew Britney Spears 2055 lookalike Steven Tyler to her Piece of Me show February 27. On hearing the news, Joe Perry, unsure if Tyler was currently in or out of Aerosmith, fred his lead singer for the 43rd time.
@kylekinane Jihadi John is the eighth most offensive Vine star.
@MrGeorgeWallace What color is my garter belt? The answer may surprise you.
@bearsaremean Just got home. Finally got to watch Rousey v. Zingano. And apparently I paid $50 to watch a gif. Way to go, me!
@DustinFox37 Dude couldn’t even get the bud light read in before Rousey won the fight. Damn.
Share your Tweet! Add #V7.
ILLUSTRATION BY JON ESTRADA
March 5–11, 2015
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SO RONDA ROUSEY
Serious question: What’s your favorite movie about the unexpected virtue of ignorance?
You can change the muffler on a Miata, but you can’t change the fact that you’re still driving a Miata.
By Jason Scavone
took home $130,000 for demolishing Cat Zingano at UFC 184. Given the fght lasted 14 seconds, that means Rousey’s hourly rate is just north of $33.4 million (and that doesn’t even count her pay-per-view cut). Hey, that’s even better than DJ money. The point being, Bob Arum doesn’t really need to hook up Rousey with tickets to the May 2 Floyd Mayweather-Manny Pacquiao fght. Before arm-barring herself to the fastest hundred grand you can ever make short of hitting Megabucks, Rousey joked she only took the fght so she’d be able to afford ducats to MayweatherPacquiao. Afterward, Arum, who promotes Pacquiao, said he’d make sure Rousey got in on the arm. She keeps fghting like this, and she’ll be able to buy Justin Bieber and dress him in a little sailor suit for her own ring entrances. The Biebs just turned 21 (you’re welcome, bartenders of America), and did the frst leg of
@KenJennings
This is it: the opportunity that comes once a lifetime,
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That refusal—gracious but against the current—says a great deal about Morton and the hotel he ultimately built. When the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino opened March 10, 1995, more than the mile between its front doors and the center of Las Vegas Boulevard separated it from the Strip. The hotel at Harmon Avenue and Paradise Road was built alongside the Hard Rock Café that Morton had opened fve years earlier. It was small in an era when megaresorts were the norm; it catered to twenty-somethings when the average Las Vegas visitor was in his 50s; it had no family attractions at a time when casinos were opening with theme parks and indoor rides; it put everything but gambling front and center. At the time, that north-of-50 Las Vegas visitor (and casino player) had a few dollars in the bank, and he came to Las Vegas to play slots, catch a mass-production revue show such as Starlight Express or Enter the Night, or see what might be diplomatically described as a “star of yesteryear.” Morton’s gambit—to court a youthful customer who had passed on Las Vegas in the past—was seen as a generational shift. Wayne Newton and Engelbert Humperdinck were out; Pearl Jam and Weezer were in. This was part of the reinvention of the desert gambling oasis. The mob had given way to clean-cut corporate ownership, and the new resorts owed more to theme parks than old-style gambling houses. The changes of the 1990s are often portrayed as an attempt to remake Las Vegas as family-friendly, but it was always much more than that: Las Vegas was trying to wipe the slate clean. Rock ’n’ roll was part of that change. Now, after more than a decade of “What Happens Here, Stays Here” leading the promotional charge, it’s clear that an adult vision of uninhibited fun was the path Las Vegas chose. Most of what’s happened on the Strip since the end of the 1990s resonates with Morton’s breakthe-mold concept: a resort that catered to a younger and more affuent visitor, one who—and here’s the revolutionary change—wasn’t necessarily a gambler. While The Mirage was the frst Las Vegas casino to deliberately aim to balance its gaming and non-gaming revenue, the Hard Rock was the frst to jump into that model with reckless abandon. “We
made one-third of our money from the casino, one-third from food and beverage, and one-third from retail,” casino creative director Warwick Stone recalls, crediting the Hard Rock’s retail success for the boom in casino logo-branded items that followed. The Hard Rock pointed the way to a younger Las Vegas. And it goes beyond the showroom to the nightclub boom of the past decade. Recent resorts such as the Cosmopolitan, the Cromwell and SLS are using the Morton formula (music frst, dining second, gambling third)—even if they prefer Calvin Harris to Iggy Pop. Twenty years later, it appears Morton saw into the future: You don’t see too many Nile rides in casinos today, but you do see quite a few Center Bars. This is the story of how the Hard Rock set itself apart from the rest of Las Vegas, and why Las Vegas has followed it. ★★★★★
what put morton in a position to confdently say no to Kirk Kerkorian? Morton was born into the restaurant business. His father, Arnie Morton, was himself a second-generation restaurateur, best known for founding Morton’s of Chicago, which today is a chain of more than 60 steakhouses. Peter grew up surrounded by both celebrity and restaurants. So when he found himself in London in 1971, unable to fnd a good place to get a hamburger, either nature or nurture convinced him that the best response was to open, in partnership with fellow American Isaac Tigrett, an “American-style” diner with a rock-’n’roll edge. Before long, genuine rock royalty were hanging out there. And after Eric Clapton gifted the restaurant a guitar, genuine rock memorabilia became an essential part of the diner’s décor and allure. Morton and Tigrett’s real genius was not in the Hard Rock’s menu, but in its marketing. They had T-shirts left over from a sponsored soccer team in 1974, and they started giving them out to customers. The shirts—featuring what would become the iconic Hard Rock circular logo—were such a hit that the pair started selling them in a shack
outside the restaurant. Over the years, that simple T-shirt—just the logo with the name of the host city—was followed by a food of pins, pullovers, watches, onesies, scarves and shot glasses. The Hard Rock Café certainly wasn’t the frst chain restaurant, but it was the frst that relied equally on its food and branding. Tigrett and Morton split the Hard Rock empire in 1981, dividing the United States and world into markets where each could expand. Morton got the Western United States, and he wasted no time in opening a Hard Rock Café in Los Angeles. Within a few years, he was looking to expand to Las Vegas. When the Hard Rock Café opened at Harmon and Paradise in September 1990, it was right where Morton wanted it—and right where Las Vegas needed it. Right around the corner, the Runnin’ Rebels had just won an NCAA championship. The corridor between UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center and the Strip looked like a land of opportunity. The Hard Rock, like the Rebels, was vital in proving that, yes, there was life off the Strip. Locals and visitors alike focked to the new spot, marked by a giant neon guitar. The Las Vegas Hard Rock Café was soon raking in money from burgers and bandanas. It also inspired themed imi-
tators. The next few years saw Las Vegas openings of Planet Hollywood (itself helmed by former Hard Rock International CEO Robert Earl), Dive!, Country Star, Harley-Davidson Café, the All-Star Café, Rainforest Café, NASCAR Café, ESPN Zone and House of Blues (Tigrett’s post-Hard Rock creation). So, what do you do in Las Vegas when you’ve hit on the perfect brand? To Morton, the answer seemed obvious: You build a hotel. ★★★★★
those lucky enough to be in Las Vegas for the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino’s opening were treated to a weekend with enough Hollywood A-listers to awe even the most jaded celebrity-watcher. Morton reached out to frequent guests of his Los Angeles restaurant, drawing stars such as Jack Nicholson, Kevin Costner, Nicolas Cage and Cameron Diaz to spread some Tinseltown buzz at Las Vegas’ newest hotel. It’s only natural that the world’s frst rock ’n’ roll casino kicked things off with a concert. The Joint was packed for an all-star evening with Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan backing up Sheryl Crow, Duran Duran, Al Green and Melissa Etheridge, who
PHOTOS COURTESY HARD ROCK HOTEL & CASINO (EXCEPT GUITAR SIGN INSTALL ATION AND CASINO FLOOR BY DARRIN BUSH/L AS VEGAS NEWS BUREAU)
March 5–11, 2015
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the deal that anyone in the hospitality business takes without looking back. ¶ Specifcally, this is the chance to build a hotel on the Las Vegas Strip, backed by Kirk Kerkorian. He’ll provide the land, right across from his MGM Grand hotel-casino, which is still under construction but is going to be the world’s largest hotel when it opens. He’ll even take much of the risk. It is early 1991; all signs indicate the south Strip is on the verge of a building boom. Could anyone say no? Peter Morton says he did. ¶ “I had the opportunity to be on the 50-yard line,” Morton says, “But I didn’t do it. Kirk is a great guy, a stand-up guy, and a man of his word. As much as I liked him, I knew that if I built with him, he would end up being the primary shareholder, and I wanted to control my own destiny. I politely and deferentially declined his offer.”
a time when beverage service was still a loss leader for most casinos, this had no real precedent. It wasn’t like the old days at the Sands, when the Copa Lounge might get you in the door, but the games were supposed to be your focus. The Center Bar was so crowded it was diffcult at times to get to the booze. Even if people weren’t gambling much, the casino was full and the energy was off the charts, and that was all that mattered. “We had slot machines in the bar when we opened,” Stone says. “We took them out—people were just sitting on them.” This was a kind of party that no one had tried yet in Las Vegas.
could wager on in the sportsbook, it would’ve been a massive underdog— mainly because its blueprint was so unconventional: It wasn’t big; it didn’t have a Strip location; and it didn’t have a database of gamblers to target. Opening without any one of those things had doomed Las Vegas casinos before. But Morton didn’t see it that way. “I thought it had a great location. I liked the autonomy of that spot. I know the traditional operators weren’t enamored with it, but I didn’t care,” Morton says. “And I didn’t want a grayhaired database.” “We were the new kids; they said that nobody was going to gamble with us,” Stone says of the reaction from the Strip establishment. “But we’d just opened a dozen Hard Rock Cafés across the Western United States. We had an audience, a following.” To make sure that audience got the message, guitars were everywhere— from the door handles to commemorative casino chips to actual instruments played by actual rock legends in memorabilia cases. A row of six pianoshaped roulette tables lined the walk from the door to the Center Bar. Stone didn’t invent custom-printed table felt, but his designs brought rock chic to the gaming pit.
The Hard Rock also pioneered licensed themes on slot machines. At the time, reels by slot manufacturer International Game Technology dominated casino foors with such games as Double Diamonds and Red, White & Blue. IGT wouldn’t roll out its Wheel of Fortune progressives—which are widely credited with starting the boom in licensed machines—until late 1996. So no one had really seen anything like the custom machine art Stone designed: Jimi Hendrix graced one machine, while others had more general motifs, such as San Francisco psychedelic and London punk. When it opened, the hotel was tiny by Las Vegas standards—only 339 rooms—and the casino, at less than 30,000 square feet, was less than onesixth of the size of MGM Grand’s. Given Morton’s dislike for a “gray-haired database,” it’s not surprising that the casino was always more about vibe than vigorish. That meant a casino was decorated with what it proclaimed “the world’s greatest” collection of rock memorabilia. And it was loud—very loud, with a sound system pumping out the antithesis of the elevator music that was typical in town at the time. And the focus wasn’t the craps tables or the baccarat pit. It was the Center Bar. At
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performed with each other and individually. Only hotel guests and lucky radio contest winners could get into the show, but the Hard Rock set up an outdoor screen (one of only two Sony ultra-large screens in the country) and simulcast the event in its parking lot. The concert was more than a perk for invited guests; it was a chance to announce to the world that a rock ’n’ roll casino fnally existed—and that this was a good thing. The show was edited into a 90-minute special broadcast on MTV twice the following evening. It was the centerpiece of the music channel’s Hard Rock-themed weekend, with the hotel featured during other programming as well. The Eagles stopped by the next night. They were in the midst of their Hell Freezes Over tour, and fans got to see the band, which was mostly playing arenas and stadiums, in an almost unbelievably intimate setting. Like the boutique hotel, the 1,200-seat Joint was proof that bigger wasn’t always better. “Right away, I knew it was working,” Morton says of the opening. “There was nothing like it—no one had built for the twenty-something demographic before.” The notion seems crazy today, but in the mid-’90s, if the Hard Rock Hotel’s viability had been something you
March 5–11, 2015
Clockwise from left: The iconic neon guitar is installed on the Hard Rock’s facade; a Sid Vicious slot machine lures punkrock gamblers; an aerial view shows the original tower and pool; memorabilia cases greet guests near the main entrance; and the hotel’s initial rendering before the FAA objected to a guitar extending so high up into McCarran’s flight path.
when morton decided to build a hotel in Las Vegas, he thought he needed a partner. Even after he turned down Kerkorian, he wanted to have someone to help staff the casino. Initially, he turned to a company that had a minor presence in Las Vegas: Harrah’s had its fagship Reno location, and casinos in Lake Tahoe, Atlantic City, and Laughlin, as well as the Holiday casino on the Strip. In June 1991, Morton had announced that they would join him in building the Hard Rock Hotel. But within a year, the partnership dissolved. At the time, it was reported that the two sides said they split “by mutual agreement.” Today, Morton claims Harrah’s reneged on the original deal, in which he would retain the majority share. “That was not the spirit of the agreement,” he says. “So I said thank you, I’m going to fnd a gaming partner who can keep their word.” Having already said no to Kerkorian for the same reason, it wasn’t diffcult for Morton to part with Harrah’s. He was confdent in his plan, and his selfassuredness only grew with the knowledge that two of the industry’s most forward-thinking operators thought enough of him that they wanted to own more of his hotel than he did. Still, Morton hadn’t run a casino. A partner would help him break into the business—so long as the partner was willing to yield the driver’s seat. Joe Brady at First Interstate Bank, with whom Morton had built a relationship, suggested a partnership with Harveys Casino Resorts, a Lake Tahoe-based company that was on the cusp of expansion. Harveys’ solid gaming expertise and Morton’s rock fair would, both hoped, be a winning ticket in Las Vegas. It was. Still, Morton knew this was his vision, his place. So two years after opening, Morton bought out Harveys. Having gotten the knack of the casino business—and passed regulatory muster— Morton was ready to go it alone. Soon after, he proceeded with an expansion that would more than double the room count and add a parking garage, more restaurants and more pool space. “For me, the frst phase was a $100 million gamble,” Morton says. “I was betting that young people would be receptive. It was very gratifying to win that bet.”
VegasSeven.com
★★★★★
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during a time when established Strip giants are in bankruptcy and every dollar seems diffcult to come by, there seems something almost cruel in the too-easy success of the Hard Rock 20 years ago. It’s not supposed to be this easy to make money in Las Vegas. Or is it? The key to that paradox might be Morton’s status as an almost accidental capitalist. Unlike many of today’s Strip properties, the Hard Rock was never about maximizing the proft per square inch of his casino. “I’m not a public company,” he admitted in a 1996 interview with Casino Executive magazine. “I’m not looking to make every last dollar.” At the time, Morton was far ahead of the curve in instituting what a current press release would call a “green initiative,” recycling paper and glass, and giving each guest room a recycling bin. Cleaning products were nontoxic and biodegradable. Leftover food and
clothing were donated to the homeless. “Save the Planet,” the hotel’s logo insisted. Café pins read, “Love All, Serve All.” Morton had a bank of slot machines with a running meter that displayed not the current progressive jackpot, but the diminishing number of acres of Amazon rainforest. A portion of those slots’ take was donated to such groups as Conservation International. A place with those sensibilities is catnip to Hollywood stars. And celebrity was part of Morton’s design: He wanted to build a place that was intimate but glamorous, a conscious throwback to the Rat Pack days. The days when you could play craps next to, say, comedian Sandra Bernhard at the Flamingo were gone, but she was at the Hard Rock on opening night, lighting up the dice while wearing a furry yellow bolero. In the early 1990s, Las Vegas casino design had been reduced to a science: Each casino was made of much the same pieces in much the same order. The Hard Rock threw most of
that formula out the window. It committed what might be the biggest sacrilege by opening without a buffet. (It doesn’t have one to this day.) Rockers, it seems, didn’t want to stuff themselves with crab legs or Salisbury steak. Still, they had to eat. The street-front Hard Rock Café remained, and in the hotel Mr. Lucky’s—billed as “the hippest coffee shop in Vegas”—offered 24/7 casual food, while Mortoni’s, open for dinner only, gave an Italian twist to the builder’s eponymous Los Angeles restaurant. Mortoni’s is directly relevant today, when restaurants are the new big thing in Vegas, and many new ones are old ones imported from different places. The strategy of opening copies of successful Los Angeles restaurants at the SLS hasn’t paid immediate dividends, and Morton could probably explain why. Sure, he had the fagship Café for those who needed to say they’d been there and gotten the T-shirt, but he didn’t see the value in opening a carbon copy of Morton’s 300 miles to the east. Las Vegas
would later get its Morton’s steakhouse less than a mile from the Hard Rock, but at that moment he wanted to make a statement, not a sequel. Instead, he gave his loyal Hollywood diners a reason to eat in Las Vegas by offering something just familiar enough to be comforting but different enough to provide novelty. You couldn’t say you’d had Morton’s Italian unless you went to Las Vegas. ★★★★★
for months early on, the hard Rock ran at a 100 percent occupancy rate and averaged 96 percent for the frst few years. At one point, the hotel was turning away 16,000 room requests a month. Morton thought enough of the Hard Rock’s prospects that, before he had bought out Harveys, he sold his chain of Hard Rock Cafés to Rank (which had already acquired Tigrett’s half of the empire), retaining for himself only the right to build Hard Rock-themed hotels west of the Mississippi River. He was all in.
PHOTO BY STEVE GRANITZ/WIREIMAGE
March 5–11, 2015
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VegasSeven.com
★★★★★
In praise of the original Joint, the best concert venue this town has ever seen B Y G E O F F C A R T E R
PHOTO BY ERIK K ABIK
Life in the fast lane: Peter Morton (third from left) hangs with the Eagles on opening weekend at the Hard Rock Hotel.
Yet in 2006, at a time when everyone else thought Las Vegas would do nothing but grow, Morton sold the Hard Rock Hotel and all those trans-Mississippi branding opportunities to Morgans Hotel Group for $770 million. If your recollection is hazy, that’s as close to the top of the bubble as you can get. Accidental capitalist, indeed. Under Morgans, the hotel underwent another round of expansion, but it failed to yield the same returns as the earlier expansion under Morton. Meanwhile, the Great Recession had hit Las Vegas with cruel force. In 2011, Brookfeld Asset Management acquired the property, which by then was wallowing in debt, from Morgans. It wasn’t just the location, the vibe or the branding that made Hard Rock’s star rise in the 1990s. A big part of it was Morton himself. Like plenty of risk-takers before and after in this city, Morton gambled on a vision. In this case, he won: The hotel he opened in 1995 became a cultural icon, and an indispens-
able link in the evolution of Las Vegas. Morton connected the city with a new generation, emphasized amenities and a branded lifestyle, and was the frst to marry an international brand with a Las Vegas resort (something that other brands have found isn’t so easy). And the formula he discovered remains relevant even in the post-recession landscape: Unless conditions change radically, we may never again see anything like the megaresort spree of 1993, when the Luxor, Treasure Island and MGM Grand all opened. But we very well may be seeing more hotels like the Hard Rock. Indeed, Morton himself, the Einstein and Elvis of the branded boutique hotel biz, won’t rule out a return to the big stage. “I saw a vacuum in the early 1990s,” he says, “and I see another vacuum today. If I decide I want to go back to the table, I’d build a hotel unlike anything that exists in Las Vegas today. It’s a wonderful, vibrant community. And I’ve loved being part of it.”
➜ For nearly three years, from 1995 to 1998, my routine was the same: I would leave the Las Vegas Sun offices around 6 or 7 p.m. and drive directly to the Hard Rock Hotel. Once there, I’d get a counter seat at Mr. Lucky’s 24/7 (their veggie burger was as delicious as a poem), and I’d write stuff in my notebook—columns for Vegas.com, ideas for other stories—until the doors of The Joint swung open. I’d usually try to find Sun photographer Ethan Miller, my partner on countless concert reviews—really, I was the Samwise to his Frodo—and then I’d cavalierly slip my notebook into my back pocket and wait for the show. I have no way of telling you how many shows I reviewed at the original Joint. Maybe a hundred. I saved my ticket stubs, but the promoters didn’t always give me physical tickets; I saved my clippings, but I didn’t always remember to clip my reviews (and most of them have since been expunged from the Sun’s website— c’mon, guys). It’s all one big blur of INXS, Fiona Apple, Bauhaus, Van Halen, the Ramones, Paula Cole, Morrissey, Depeche Mode, King Crimson, Ben Folds Five, James Brown, Fatboy Slim, Garbage and Radiohead (who opened for fucking Tears for Fears,
if you can believe it). But I do remember the room pretty well. The curved proscenium arch. The guitars affixed to the walls, crowning giant cymbals. The parquet floor, scarred by heavy use. The two back bars, whose patrons were so loud that they all but ruined Elvis Costello for me. I loved every
THIS JOINT’S ROCKIN’ 7 shows at the original Joint you wish you’d attended THE RAMONES 8/25/95
DONNA SUMMER 11/15/95
THE FUGEES 6/14/96
CHEMICAL BROTHERS AND THE ORB 5/2/97
ROLLING STONES 2/15/98
DESTINY’S CHILD 7/02/00
DAVID BOWIE 1/30/04
goddamned inch of that room—and not because it was like a second home to me. Every time I went to The Joint, I felt like I was being treated to something exclusive—the room had a way of making you feel like that, even when you were there to review a shitty band like the Rembrandts. And I continued loving The Joint even after I’d departed it. As it was originally constructed, with only its circular casino and handful of restaurants, the Hard Rock felt like an extension of its concert venue after the show. On those rare nights when I wasn’t on deadline, I’d hang out at the Center Bar or return to Mr. Lucky’s, and it wasn’t at all uncommon to see the band I’d just reviewed getting beers or sitting down to a late-night stack of nachos. Convivial is the word I’d use to describe it: Everyone was just plain happy to be there, happy to have seen a good show and particularly happy that the Hard Rock’s parking garage wasn’t terribly far away. I’ve reviewed just one show at the “new” Joint, and it was all right. It’s a decent venue—a nice, big box. But I never felt like I had the band all to myself, as I did at the original Joint. There was something special about that room, and I wish it were still there. Goddamn it, I miss my old office.
NIGHTLIFE Your city after dark, photos from the week’s hottest parties and is Brooke Evers a DJ model or a model DJ?
By Sam Glaser
VegasSeven.com
Former Hard Rock Hotel President Kevin Kelley reminisces about the iconic pool party’s inception and what made it legendary
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Enter Rehab
THERE’S A LINE OUTSIDE OF BODY ENGLISH, with more than 100 babes in bikinis and ripped bros with arms exposed. Tattooed hard-bodies wrap around the corner and all the way past Courtney Love’s signed guitar. Inside, dance-foor booths are flled with hundreds of beautiful twenty-somethings. It’s reminiscent of the club’s heyday—but instead of drinks, hands clutch the résumés of aspiring bartenders, cocktail waitresses, food runners and security personnel. It’s the casting call for pool season at Rehab, and 1,500 people will apply over four days. One candidate explains the enduring allure: “Rehab is unique because there’s a beach. The other pools are just pools.” As Rehab prepares to celebrate its 12th season, the party is still what its founders envisioned. For a look back on the birth of Rehab we sat down with Kevin Kelley, who until recently had been overseeing the opening of Macao Studio City resort in China, but who was also the Hard Rock Hotel president from 2003 to 2006.
March 5–11, 2015
PHOTO COURTESY OF HARD ROCK HOTEL AND CASINO
Rehab splashes down at the Hard Rock Hotel.
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NIGHTLIFE
to rehab, right?” It was like the light bulb went off. It was so perfect. The double entendre: rehab from the week, but obviously so many rock ’n’ rollers go to rehab for other reasons. It was just magic. What was the programming like at the first Rehab pool party?
The frst afternoon we opened Rehab we brought over this DJ from Miami. We paid him big money to show up— back then big money was probably $2,000. The place was jam-packed and it was an amazing crowd, probably 15 girls to every guy. The DJ starts with chill vibe music and the next thing you know, people start booing him off of his platform! He is smart enough to realize that he needs to pick up his tempo, and then it just starts to rage. Everyone starts dancing and drinking, all fred up, having an amazing time. Turned out that people didn’t want to chill, they wanted to party. In retrospect, what is Rehab’s legacy?
March 5–11, 2015
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What do you recall about the early Hard Rock brand?
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It all goes back to Peter Morton, who was the creator of the original Hard Rock Café in London in the early 1970s. Peter and his partner, Isaac Tigrett, were growing up in London when rock ’n’ roll was at its zenith. These guys really understood what the rock ’n’ roll lifestyle was all about, applied it to their café and did a phenomenal job. Peter saw an opportunity to take that whole ethos into a hotel hospitality experience. He is one of the best tastemakers the city has ever seen. The Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas became all about caché and living the rock-star lifestyle. Peter knew that there was tremendous brand value in creating experiences, a cool that guests couldn’t get anywhere else. Whether it was [hanging out] at the Center Bar, blackjack in the Peacock Lounge, seeing a band up-close and personal in The Joint, or partying at the pool–Peter wanted amazing experiences that people would talk about. What was the party scene like in 2003, when you arrived at the Hard Rock Hotel?
The property was eight years old, and the legend of Hard Rock was quickly solidifying. The entertainment component in The Joint was legendary. The food and beverage components were amazing, from casual dining at Mr. Lucky’s and Pink Taco to Nobu— there was nothing like Nobu in the whole city, and it had a crowd that was second to none. Peter was the frst guy
to have a true nightclub inside a casino, Baby’s; Pure was just getting ready to open. [Editor’s note: Club Rio opened in 1995, Drai’s and Ra in 1997, Baby’s in 1998; see more early club openings at VegasSeven.com/Nightlife-Timeline]. Our pool had a waterfall and a sand beach—there was nothing like that in Las Vegas! Every other pool around the city was a slab of concrete with lounge chairs and 55-year-old cocktail waitresses slogging drinks. What were pool parties like pre-Rehab?
Everybody was trying to do fller events midweek when resorts were quiet. A pool party would consist of a band or a DJ, some cocktail servers and bars sprinkled around a swimming pool at night, with guests standing around in their work clothes. Maybe there would be some lame contest or theme. The Hard Rock probably had the best of the lamest. (Laughs.) One of our midweek pool parties was a burlesque show at the pool. We spent big money producing this thing, and it was a complete train wreck. People were expecting the Spearmint Rhino and got tatted-up chicks with big bellies and craziness. Who were the architects of Rehab?
I give a lot of the credit to Peter for demanding something special and then allowing the creative process to occur. The original architect of the Hard Rock pool parties was Warwick Stone, the brand guru. Peter’s son, Harry Morton, was getting more in-
volved in the business. So Peter, Harry, Warwick, Chad Pallas—our events guy at the time—and myself. The conversation was: Ok, our stuff is awful. Everybody else’s stuff is awful. Let’s just start with a clean sheet of paper and fgure out what’s next. Harry said, “I think people want to come to a pool party and actually get in the pool!” Fridays and Saturdays at the Hard Rock pool were completely booked to capacity, but we knew from the club business that Sundays were good for industry. How do we get the best-looking women in Las Vegas to come to this place and want to come back with three more of their girlfriends because they had such an amazing time? We took advantage of our assets: We had the cool factor, we attracted lots of pretty people and we had a good facility. Add the right music, alcohol and pool product together and we created an experience that couldn’t be duplicated by any other property in town at the time. How did the name Rehab come about?
We were just spit-ballin’. I asked something to the effect of, “So what is this experience all about?” People bust their ass all week long, make a pocket full of cash, then come chill, rest, relax, rejuvenate and get themselves back in shape so they can do it all over again the next week. Pallas suggested, “This is where you come
“When you have ‘sixes’ dancing on a stripper pole, to me that’s game over.” Find out what former Hard Rock Hotel President Kevin Kelley thinks of the property today at VegasSeven.com/ EnterRehab.
PARTY-POOL OPENING DATES MAR
Encore Beach Club, Marquee Dayclub, Drai’s Beach Club
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Tao Beach, Bare Pool
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Wet Republic, Liquid Pool Lounge
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Foxtail Pool Club
REHAB COURTESY OF HARD ROCK HOTEL AND CASINO
The typical scene at Rehab. and Kevin Kelley.
It set the tone for every other pool party. Steve Wynn and every president up and down the Strip came to study Rehab, trying to fgure out how to make it transferable to their properties. If you look at Wet Republic, it was not built to lounge; it was built to have a pool party like Rehab. Encore Beach Club, same thing. If you ask me, Rehab spawned all that. Steve Wynn and the MGM boys were very smart in what they did, using deep pockets, taking advantage of demand in a market segment, and creating facilities and experiences that people would talk about and want to bring their friends to.
By
NIGHTLIFE
Camille Cannon
DJ Presto One.
SUN 8 In more pool news, Encore Beach Club closes its frst weekend of the season with hip-hop mainstay Jermaine Dupri. (At Encore, 11 a.m., EncoreBeachClub.com.) Feeling competitive? Sign up for the “Get Your Balls Wet” beer pong tournament at Revolver. Preliminary rounds run every Sunday until the fnal showdown on March 29. Weekly winners get $100, and the all-time champs take home $1,000. (In Santa Fe Station, 8 p.m., SantaFeStation.SCLV.com.) Exotics Racing takes over The Bank. Those who opt for a table will be treated to racing packages, with three lucky guests winning VIP experiences. DJ E-Rock works the wheels of steel. (In Bellagio, 10:30 p.m., TheBankLasVegas.com.)
MON 9 Shake off your Monday blues at Marquee where New Jersey’s EDM trio Cash Cash takes charge. (In the Cosmopolitan, 10 p.m., CosmopolitanLasVegas.com.) If you’re craving a little more hop with your hip, head to XS for sounds by former Shady Records DJ Green Lantern. (In Encore, 10:30 p.m., XSLasVegas.com.)
March 5–11, 2015
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Call us old-fashioned, but we like it when DJs spin real wax. It’s more stimulating than an iPod’s “play” button. It’s less predictable than a thumb drive full of songs. It takes skill. So excuse us while we get excited for the debut of White Label Thursdays at Sayers Club. Named for the plain labels stuck to old promo vinyl, the weekly ode to old-school vibing features an all-analog set by the Oakland Faders’ DJ Spair and open-format turntable session. Tonight: Las Vegas’ own Presto One rocks the decks. (In SLS, 10:30 p.m., TheSayersClubLV.com.)
FRI 6 You’ve seen Brody Jenner on reality TV. (The Hills, Keeping Up With the Kardashians, and
TUE 10 let us not forget Bromance.) You may have also seen him book DJ gigs here in Las Vegas (Body English, Hyde, 1 Oak, etc.). But from now on, Tao (and Tao Beach) are the only locals spots where you’ll see Jenner and his mixing mentor William Lifestyle —the duo is now exclusive to Tao Group for 2015. (In the Venetian, 10 p.m., TaoLasVegas. com.) Someone we don’t see around here very often is J. Cole. Save for a surprise birthday performance in February, the rapper’s last Las Vegas concert was October 2013. (The same night Kanye West’s Yeezus tour hit MGM Grand.) Finally, the North Carolina native is back to drop rhymes at Drai’s. (In the Cromwell, 10:30 p.m., DraisNightclub.com.) BBC Radio 1 tastemaker Pete Tong returns to Life with techno producer/Diddy collaborator
Guy Gerber and SKAM artist Chris Garcia. (In SLS, 10:30 p.m., SLSLasVegas.com.)
SAT 7 Newsfash: It’s offcially pool season. Who cares if it snowed a few weeks ago? So what if your fake tan hasn’t set yet? There’s day raging to do as 19-year-old Dutch DJ Julian Jordan provides the tunes at Marquee Dayclub. (At the Cosmopolitan, 11 a.m., MarqueeLasVegas.com.) Continue your carousing at Double Helix’s Town Square location. The wine and whiskey bar is hosting an AFAN beneft brunch, where you can buy one pitcher of red sangria and get the second for half-off. Philanthropy never tasted so good. (6599 Las Vegas Blvd. South, Suite 150B, 11 a.m., Facebook.com/AFANLV.com.)
London-based Hospital Records brings some of its fnest talent to Beauty Bar
Julian Jordan.
for Nickel F---n Beer Night. Local residents Biz:E Mnstr and Beast Fremont kick off the evening headlined by drum and bass maniacs Metrik, Nu:Tone and Etherwood. (517 Fremont St., 9 p.m., TheBeautyBar.com.)
WED 11 You don’t hear them too often nowadays, but mash-ups are still very much a thing. Billed as “the biggest bootleg mash-up party in the world,” Bootie makes its Las Vegas debut at Gold Spike for an all ’80s affair. That means you might hear Billy Joel with Rob Base. Depeche Mode with Devo. Culture Club with Blue Öyster Cult. The possibilities are endless! Don your DayGlo and get to dancing. (217 Las Vegas Blvd. North, 9 p.m. BootieMashup.com/Vegas.)
Jermaine Dupri.
NIGHTLIFE
The Real Thunder from Down Under She took Australia by storm. Now Brooke Evers has her sights set on Vegas. By Kat Boehrer
AUSTRALIAN MODEL BROOKE EVERS
started her DJ career using the connections she had in the country’s nightlife industry and some guidance from her beau, Matt Stafford, of Life residents the Stafford Brothers. Now signed to the SKAM Artist roster, Evers is heading to Las Vegas for a series of spring and summer shows, the next ones being March 12 at Light and March 22 at Foxtail Pool Club. When did you first get into DJing?
About three years ago. I started off as probably every DJ does: in my bedroom on an old set of CDJs. I knew these DJs who are quite famous in Australia, and they would come over and help me. [At frst] I was kind of just mucking around, and I didn’t think anything of it. I was also originally working in the clubs and doing promotional work, marketing and that sort of thing. I just said to a few [club] people, “Can I do some shows?” I did them for free for, like, six months, every single weekend. Who taught you how to DJ?
What’s the story behind your modeling career?
Well, I’ve done modeling since I was 5. I’ve always been onstage, and I’ve always been in front of the camera. I’ve done a lot of TV work, stuff like that. I was in the entertainment and modeling industry for a long time, and I got to a point where I was just over it.
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What made you want to make
| March 5–11, 2015
VegasSeven.com
I learned from this big DJ in Australia, Timmy Trumpet, this other guy Tenzin and the Stafford Brothers. They’re the guys who helped me, guided me, taught me how to use [software] on the computer and taught me how to use [DJ] programs. They showed me the ropes. I dated one of the Stafford Brothers, so it was kinda meant to be, in a way. I’ve been with Matt Stafford for about 10 years.
the switch to music?
All of my friends and my boyfriend were into music. I was just like, “I’m so sick of everyone talking about music—I wanna be in it!” Was there a major turning point in your DJ career?
When I frst did I few headlining shows at some super clubs in Australia. I was lucky to know the club owners, and they said, “We’ll give you a try, see how it goes and put you on a quiet sort of night.” I did a lot of promotion to make sure I got a good crowd there, and I did a good job in this big room. I could control the crowd. Just getting thrown in the deep end and swimming my way back up was the best way to learn. Where was that?
My frst pretty big show was at the Met in Brisbane. It put my name on the map, and from there it skyrocketed. Now Australia’s fooded with girls, but [three years ago] there were only two or three other girls who were doing shows, so I got in there at a good time. What are your hobbies outside of DJing?
When I’m not working I train hard, eat good and cook. I’m really quite sporty, so I enjoy my ftness. It’s hard when you work nights to get good training. So in my spare time [I do] a lot of sports, and [I do] yoga when I need to calm down a little bit. How do you split your time between the U.S. and Australia?
I kind of follow the sun. So when it’s summer in Oz, I go there, and summer in America, I come here. What’s the best part about touring internationally?
If I get [to a new city] a few hours early, I’ll go explore. I’ll just get in a car and say, “Take me to a landmark that’s quite well known.” That’s what I like to do—just get lost and fnd my way back.
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NIGHTLIFE
PARTIES
WORK ON YOUR NIGHT MOVES WITH THESE PARTYFRIENDLY APPS BARTRENDR
LAX Luxor
Have you and your girlfriends ever decided to have a night out, got all glammed up and then ended up at a bar where the most eligible single guys are over the age of 60? If not, lucky you. Thankfully, the Bartrendr app acts as your friend-in-the-know for the local nightlife scene. With a simple, straightforward design, Bartrendr allows you to share your drinks, photos and (most importantly) the vibes at the venues where you drink. In the Vibes section, you can select the people (techies or bikers?), the crowd size (empty or packed?) and mood (rowdy or dressy?). It also allows you to search places where you can browse what your friends and others are posting about a venue. Which means you’ll never end up in a cougar bar again. Unless that’s your thing.
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See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com
Unless you enjoy haggling with promoters after they spam your Instagram feed, Discotech may be your best choice for booking bottle service and VIP treatment. Available on iPhone and Android, the app allows you to browse nearby venues, book bottle service and sign up for discounted guest lists. The idea for Discotech emerged after CEO Ian Chen and his cofounders couldn’t find any online services that made these tasks easier for clubbers, he told local blog VegasTech.com. So they quit their day jobs, and launched the app in November 2013 in Los Angeles. Chen recently moved his team to Las Vegas to be closer to the city’s bustling nightlife industry. With 20,000 registered users, the app is now available in Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. They plan to add New York, Chicago and Miami next. Have app, will travel! – Nicole Ely
PHOTOS BY JOE FURY
March 5–11, 2015
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VegasSeven.com
DISCOTECH
NIGHTLIFE
PARTIES
GHOSTBAR The Palms
[ UPCOMING ]
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See more photos from this gallery at SPYONvegas.com
PHOTOS BY JOE FURY
March 5–11, 2015
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VegasSeven.com
March 7 Benny Black and Mark Stylz spin March 9 Seany Mac spins March 11 Presto One spins
DINING
“I graduated culinary school in ’78. Back then, ‘fine dining’ or ‘good food’ meant only one thing: French. End of story.” {PAGE 56}
Restaurant reviews, news and the famous Chinese restaurant chain that’s headed for the Palazzo
David Clawson brings his exceptional small plates concept to Sun City Anthem By Al Mancini
VegasSeven.com
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No Small Feat
SINCE BEFORE IT EVEN OPENED ITS DOORS IN THE FALL, David Clawson’s eponymous Henderson restaurant had foodie tongues wagging. Clawson has worked at top restaurants and hotels across the country, including various Ritz-Carlton locations, San Francisco’s Le Méridien and Vail’s Lodge at Vail & Game Creek Club. His frst solo project is a casual spot with modern booths, simple tables and a 20-seat counter that surrounds an open kitchen, where you can dine while watching the chefs at work. (Think L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon with less fash and much more reasonable prices).
March 5–11, 2015
PHOTOS COURTESY DAVID CL AWSON
Clockwise from top left: shrimp, oyster, tuna and salmon.
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Al’s
Menu Picks
March 5–11, 2015
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Rice ($9), salmon ($12), noodles ($7) and lamb ($18).
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The internationally infuenced menu consists exclusively of small tasting-sized plates, and is cleverly arranged in two columns. To the left, about 25 dishes are listed with a single word that describes their main ingredient: pork, oyster, salad, duck, etc. The right-hand column displays a few more words that might list the particular cut of meat or type of oyster, as well as other ingredients. It’s simple, clean and to the point— the frst indication of what the chef’s food is going to be like. On the fip side of the menu, wine pairings are suggested for each dish. Having sampled about half of the main menu so far, I’ve yet to encounter a bad dish. And several have been extraordinary. The single can’t-miss item is the rice. Clawson uses Japan’s highly prized koshihikari variety from the Niigata prefecture, and blends it with a Reggiano cream to create a mildly cheesy risotto-style mixture. He then tops that with delicate briny uni and a sprinkling of salty salmon roe. Blend them together and you get an intoxicating porridge worthy of any of Las Vegas’ top Japanese
restaurants. And at a mere $9 for a flling portion that’s large enough to share, this is without question the best bargain on the menu. Another standout is a large, thick piece of salmon smoked in-house with pecan wood and served with mustard and dill potatoes. The fact that it arrives chilled surprised everyone in my party, but the result is akin to gourmet lox. A beautifully seared foie gras comes with pears, shallot jam and a touch of ginger. The potatoes are excellently seasoned with ham hock, garlic and chives. Lo mein noodles are simple, seasoned with garlic and “more garlic,” and I loved every bite. And while I was nervous when my waiter bragged that the lamb “wasn’t too gamey”—I like my lamb gamey, dammit!—I love the way the admittedly mild meat was complemented by a dash of olive tapenade and a bed of the Middle Eastern pepper dip muhammara. All of this praise, however, comes with a few caveats. First, pricing can be random. While the rice dish and noodles are amazing bargains, that lamb was no more than a few forkfuls and still priced at $18. And don’t get me started on the “bread,” listed as “milk, plugra butter, alaea sea salt” with a price of $4. It was little more than a single, slightly oversize Hawaiian roll with unremarkable
butter—a total price gouge. The bottom line: Meals here can vary greatly in price if you want to leave satisfed. Next, be sure to make a reservation—preferably through their website. The restaurant is only open from 5–10 p.m. fve days a week, and they don’t seem to appreciate walk-ins. When my party of four arrived on a Saturday at exactly 5, they seemed worried that seating us in the empty house would disrupt service later. (Thankfully, they kindly accommodated us.) And they only seat until 9 p.m., something I’ve seen them strictly enforce at 9:05. So to avoid aggravating yourself or the staff, plan ahead, and be prompt. Finally, be aware of the location, and how long it’s going to take you to get there. If you don’t spend a lot of time in the Sun City Anthem area, you may have forgotten how far away Bicentennial Parkway is. I’d love to see Clawson open something more centrally located. But in the meantime, it’s worth a trip no matter where you live. DAVID CLAWSON RESTAURANT
2840 Bicentennial Pkwy., 702-466-2190. Open for dinner 5 p.m.- close Tue–Sat. Dinner for two, $60–$150.
Get the latest on local restaurant openings and closings, interviews with top chefs, cocktail recipes, menu previews and more in our weekly “Sips and Bites” newsletter. Subscribe at VegasSeven.com/SipsAndBites.
[ AL A CARTE ]
TOP CHINESE CHAIN COMING TO THE GRAND CANAL SHOPPES On the morning of February 27, a ribboncutting and lease-signing ceremony was held in the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Palazzo to announce the opening of a Chinese restaurant called Meizhou Dongpo in late 2015 or early 2016. That’s not really big news in a town where restaurants seemingly open and close every day. If you’ve spent a lot of time in China, however, it’s a different story. Since opening the first Meizhou Dongpo restaurant in Beijing 19 years ago, the company’s president, Wang Gang, has expanded it to a national chain with more than 100 locations specializing in Sichuan cuisine. The brand’s popularity was enough to score Wang a catering gig at the Beijing Olympic Village in 2008. And now he has his sights set on America. Meizhou Dongpo opened a location in L.A.’s Century City last year, and another is under construction in Arcadia, California. But the Las Vegas space will be the company’s flagship. In advance of the ceremony, I sat down with Gang’s wife, Di Liang Dee, who is also Meizhou Dongpo’s CEO, to discuss the restaurant and her company’s plans for Las Vegas. Speaking through a translator, she told me the restaurant would offer many dishes Americans should find familiar, such as kung pao and Peking duck. But don’t expect them to be exactly what you’re used to. “We’re aware that you have lots of Chinese food in the U.S.,” Liang says, “But that doesn’t mean it’s the authentic representation of what they are back in China. So some of the things we provide will be quite different.” The large restaurant will front the Strip near the Palazzo’s Sands Avenue entrance. While its design is expected to resemble the posh, modern décor of the Century City location, Liang insists “we treat every new location as an opportunity to come up with something new.” And though the ambience will be geared toward special occasions, she promises the restaurant will also be familyfriendly. “There will be a huge range in our menu items,” she says of the cuisine. Although it might be risky elsewhere, bringing in a chain that’s well known in China but relatively unheard of in the U.S. actually makes sense in Las Vegas. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, foreign visitors accounted for 20 percent of tourism in 2013, up from 14 percent in 2009. And Chinese tourists reportedly account for a significant percentage of casino high-rollers. Liang admits they chose the Grand Canal Shoppes because “the Venetian and the Grand Canal Shoppes … have a huge Chinese customer base.” But she believes the restaurant will also appeal to Americans, including locals: “We believe that good food is universal and can be appreciated wherever you go.” – Al Mancini See photos of Meizhou Dongpo Century City at VegasSeven.com/MeizhouDongpo.
PHOTO COURTESY DAVID CL AWSON
DINING
Lamb is complemented by olive tapenade and muhammara.
The Next 10 Years
Celebrating a decade in Las Vegas, chef Rick Moonen forecasts the future of food By Al Mancini includes dozens of fresh spices. He experiments with them constantly, inspired in part by the 2014 flm The Hundred-Foot Journey, about an Indian expatriate in France trying to compete with a traditional Michelinstarred restaurant. Inspired by all of those things, Moonen believes Indian food “is going to increase in popularity” in the U.S. over the next few years. To wit: He’s added more Indian-inspired dishes to his menu, has bought his own tandoor oven for home, and is preparing to stage (intern) in bread-making at Saffron Flavors of India in the northwest part of the Valley. “I’m going to
be a white boy making naan!” All jokes aside, Moonen foresees other trends that he hopes to help develop. One is a shareable style of communal dining that goes beyond the tapas craze. For example, he recently added fondue to the menu at his Rx Boiler Room (upstairs from RM Seafood). And he has plenty of other ideas. “Korean barbecue is genius,” he says. “I love going to Korean barbecue with people who have never been there before. We can start doing that with other low-cost items like pupu platters or shared paella in all different kinds of flavors.” When I mention Ethiopian
food as a similar experience, he gets even more excited about the future of communal dining. Moonen admits his current restaurants may not be set up for all of these concepts—particularly paella, which seems to have captured his interest more than the others. “But I’ve got news for you: I’m looking for other spaces, and I see [paella] as something I want to do.” “It makes sense food cost-wise, because it's rice as an ingredient,” he continues. “So you don’t have to charge people a ton. It’s affordable. It’s fast. And it’s delicious.” During the recession, Moonen was one of many high-end chefs who adopted more accessible price points. With the economy rebounding, however, many are speculating that we may be headed back to the days of money-is-no-object haute cuisine. He’s not buying that. “We can still have fun with good food and favors, but it’s not going to be the same check averages that we used to command,” he says soberly. “I don’t think we’ll ever be back to where we were 10 years ago.” Whatever Moonen does, the former New Yorker says he has no plans to leave town anytime soon. “I love Las Vegas. The support that I’ve received since I’ve been here has been just tremendous.”
PHOTOS BY JON ESTRADA
DINING VegasSeven.com
| March 5–11, 2015
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ON FEBRUARY 18, chef Rick Moonen celebrated the 10-year anniversary of his fagship restaurant RM Seafood with a special invitation-only tasting dinner that featured 10 dishes from past menus. After reminiscing about the changes he and his restaurant have undergone, Moonen took time at the end of the night to offer some interesting predictions as he enters his second decade in Las Vegas. The chef believes more and more cultures will enter the world of fne dining, especially given the collapse of once-dominant French cuisine. “I graduated culinary school in ’78,” he recalls. “Back then, ‘fne dining’ or ‘good food’ meant only one thing: French. End of story. But it has diversifed with cross-cultural excitement.” What turns him on personally are ethnic spices. “I’ve been studying spices, and the heat of peppers,” Moonen says, passionately. “You see those ingredients more and more—savory, spicy, even painful sensations. We love that [painful] feeling. We’re the only animals in the world who are attracted to that. Every other animal— that favor, that profle—they’ll spit it out of their mouth.” But he believes heat needs to be balanced with such favors as turmeric, cumin, cardamom, coriander and cloves. To continue his culinary growth, Moonen’s home pantry
DRINKING
By Xania Woodman
PHOTOS COURTESY OF FREY RANCH
➜ IF DRINKING LOCALLY MADE SPIRITS, WINE
and beer is how you like to show your state pride, your mission is about to get a whole lot easier. Last fall, Nevada’s frst commercial estate distillery opened its doors to the public. But it’s fne if you can’t get out to rural Fallon to see Frey Ranch’s beautiful tasting room and gleaming still—Frey Ranch vodka is coming to Las Vegas this spring! The sprawling farm (1045 Dodge Lane, Fallon, 775-423-4000, FreyRanch.com) has been in the Frey family for generations, producing corn, wheat, barley, rye, alfalfa, oats and hay as feed for a nearby dairy farm (just take a whiff!). The dairy farm feeds the grains to its cows, who happily give back manure for the 2,500acre farm as well as the vineyard, which was planted in 2001 in an effort to consume less water. (Grapes use 10 percent of what it takes to grow alfalfa.)
Colby Frey, a rare ffth-generation Nevadan, bought the farm from his father in ’07, a year after the family had been granted an experimental distilling license to make brandy from wine they were already producing. (Named for its county, Churchill Winery produces riesling, gewürztraminer, chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon—nine varietals in all, from white grapes that are grown on property and red ones imported from California.) Now, before you grab old copies of Vegas Seven and start shouting about Henderson’s own Las Vegas Distillery— we know. They know. And everyone involved are friends. While the Freys might have been legally distilling brandy frst, what they couldn’t do was sell their booze; Las Vegas Distillery’s George Racz was the frst in the state to do that. Hence, Frey happily takes its place as the
state’s frst “estate” distillery, meaning that all the raw materials from their distillery were grown on their property. “Then we’ll all succeed,” Colby says. Located on the site of an old horse corral, the new 4,000-square-foot distillery building features a 500-gallon Vendome copper and brass still. It’s a hybrid of a pot still, column and a continuous still, which allows the Freys—Colby runs the biz with his wife, Ashley, and his dad, Charlie—to add vodka and whiskey to their lineup under the label Frey Ranch. Additionally, there are four 5,000-gallon fermenters, one 5,000-gallon mash cooker and one 5,000-gallon beer well, making Frey Ranch capable of producing 10,000 cases of spirits a month. Since we can’t all fy to Reno every time we have a thirst for vodka with some favor and character, Southern Wine & Spirits will have to do the heavy
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Nevada’s frst estate distillery makes a vodka to fy for
March 5–11, 2015
Pass the Ranch!
lifting, bringing Frey Ranch vodka— and eventually gin and bourbon—to Las Vegas, where bartenders will no doubt have a feld day with their new home-state product. And the vodka does have character. Retailing right now for $25 in the tasting room, it’s creamy on the nose, like fresh half and half; midweight on the palate; not stripped of its grainy origins; but still it comes across clean. Whiskey laid down for less than a month had all the same assertive graininess, and hinted toward a bold fnal product—perhaps sooner than later! I made the journey myself over the winter. It’s a beautiful, but somewhat long drive from Reno to Fallon—about 45 minutes to an hour. And there is no wine trail out there, no neighbors also hawking wine or spirits so as to make a day of it. If you’re coming to Frey Ranch Estate Distillery and Churchill Winery, you’re coming with a purpose: to tour, taste and spend some time with the Freys, pet the family dog and sit on the porch for a spell. It’s surprisingly easy to get comfortable in one of the rocking chairs, surrounded by a feet of John Deere equipment and sepia-tone photos of Freys past—it simply doesn’t get any more farm-to-glass than this! Just head back inside when the wind shifts directions and the dairy farm asserts its neighborly presence.
VegasSeven.com
Ashley and Colby Frey offer Frey Ranch tours and tastings from noon4 p.m. on Saturdays.
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A&E
“Is Zumanity naughtier now? That’s like asking if the ocean is wetter after a rainstorm.” SHOWSTOPPER {PAGE 65}
Can James Patterson’s latest blockbuster novel say anything real about our city? By Kurt C. Rice
VegasSeven.com
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Barely Vegas
IF YOU’RE STUCK IN RUSH HOUR ON INTERSTATE 15, STARING ACROSS THE DUSTY SMOG
at the same old mountain skyline, it may seem ludicrous to remember that the name “Vegas” evokes a seductive Babylon of fesh, booze and spectacle. But it does. Slap “Vegas” on your tsotchke—or in this case, your novel—and you’ve ignited the imagination of some working stiff in Omaha. ¶ The blurb for James Patterson’s latest novel, Private Vegas (Little Brown, $30), punches the point: “Las Vegas is a city of contradictions: seedy and glamorous, secretive and wild, Vegas attracts people of all kinds—especially those with a secret to hide, or a life to leave behind.”
March 5–11, 2015
ILLUSTRATION BY CIERRA PEDRO
Movies, music, art and the enduring legend of Elvis
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A&E
Right on. Sounds like a titillating way to kill time on a hop from McCarran to Philly. Private Vegas is the ninth in Patterson's Private series, which revolves around Afghan War vet Jack Morgan and his bazillion-dollar private investigation frm called—wait for it— “Private Investigations.” What Patterson lacks in creative nomenclature, he makes up for in work ethic. His ability to knock out books is phenomenal. He has pumped out more than 100 novels, fve of which have been adapted into flms. Granted, all of the Private books are co-written, with Patterson’s copy-selling name splashed up top and his co-writers’—in this case, Maxine Paetro—given lesser billing. Still, the dude is a workhorse and has a genius marketing team. Indeed, Private Vegas is at the center of a promotional sales gimmick that underlines where Patterson’s writing and publishing priorities lie. For $294,038, you can buy a high-end date with James Patterson and a self-destructing copy of the book. Interested buyers, should visit TheMosThrillingReadingExperienceMoneyCanBuyByJamesPatterson.com. He can clearly sell the book. But what’s between the covers? Private Vegas’ protagonist Jack Morgan cleans his manly self under six shower heads; drives a Lamborghini; has a smokinghot on-again-off-again girlfriend; and runs a frm with facilities and staff that outstrip the LAPD, whose sad-sack public servants drive “gray Ford sedans” and presumably soap up under only one shower head. His is a land of universally beautiful women (except the token middle-aged “Mo-bot” who has an eidetic memory, plays WoW, and works as Private Investigation’s head of research), endless money and Get Smart-secured labs where Morgan employs a scientist named … Dr. Sci. It is an adolescent boy’s comic book fantasy, and I am totally up for it. I am ready to tilt back in my coach seat
The next bottle service: Because nothing is more Vegas than paying an obscene amount for a self-destructing book.
and read about Morgan kicking in doors and taking down bad guys in the strobe-glow neon-noir of our city. Unfortunately, the story runs in parallel plot strands, whose primary purpose seem to be to provide fodder for more Private novels. One thread has two serial rapists with diplomatic immunity and endless cash from the fctional Kingdom of Sumar roaming Beverly Hills for plump blondes. A second line involves the animosity between Morgan and his evil twin, Tommy Morgan, involving the framing of a loyal employee and war buddy, all of which takes place in L.A. A third strand gives us some angsty romance, jealousy and heartsearching between Morgan and his sometimes girlfriend ... in L.A. Fourth, we follow Morgan and the Case of the Condom Car Bombs, in which our hero chases down whomever torched his precious Lambo in and around his tony L.A. neighborhood. At this point you may have noticed
a decidedly non-Vegas trend and are probably thinking, “Get to the Vegas point already. Where’s the fesh, booze and neon noir?” It’s exactly what I said over and over again as I fipped from one three-page chapter to the next. Out of 120 chapters, 13 take place in Vegas, sort of. We don’t really get to “see” Vegas, since Patterson/Paetro just mention a location—such as the Bellagio or Spago at Caesars Palace or the Veer towers (“a monument to greed and excess”)— and then take the action inside to a soundstage-in-print that could be anywhere, but is probably in L.A. Those 13 or so Vegas chapters are part of plot No. 5, which is centered on mathematician Lester Olsen, an MIT wunderkind who “instead of going into industry, went to the land of no clocks and fast money.” Scheming Lester “made a few million at poker” but then “LVMPD found him unconscious in an alley with 10 broken fngers and the
ace of spades in his shirt breast pocket. There was some writing on the card: ‘This is your last hand.’” So when Las Vegas fnally does surface, it does so as a groan-worthy extended cliché. Besides, who calls Metro “LVMPD”? So Olsen has been barred from playing cards at Vegas properties, but he is “still in the game … still friendly with the showgirls.” He now gambles with gorgeous young women, training them through his Love for Life consultancy to marry old rich dudes and then grab the inheritance after the oldsters drop dead (with help, if needs be). Olsen gets a 50 percent cut, of course. Chapter 104 fnally takes us around town, but not where you’d expect. In an unintentionally hilarious scene, Olsen packs the trunk of his getaway Impala with the trussed sexy Valerie Kenney, Morgan’s assistant/intern at Private Investigations. Patterson gives us the turn-by-turn drive to Sunset Park, where Olsen then noses the Impala up to the pond, drops a rock on the accelerator and watches it sink under the water, all unobserved because “it was a weekday and the sun was down” so “he should have the park to himself.” Because, you know, Sunset Park is always empty after dark. Patterson/Paetro’s prose is concise and spare but also uninspired. It feels empty, like most of the characters in Private Vegas, who wear stick-on props. For example, there’s the L.A. trial judge who says nothing memorable but sports “a big diamond brooch at the neck of her robe” and brings her Chihuahua to court. Woe to the reader who picked up the book because he saw a pair of dice, a glittering Strip and the word “Vegas” on the cover. Private Vegas is set in L.A. It is a disappointment to anyone looking to roam around our town with cutthroats, thieves, private dicks and dirty cops. It is a time killer in every sense. Worst of all, we never really get to see Vegas.
March 5–11, 2015
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THE VEGAS-EY PROSE OF PRIVATE VEGAS
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“The air smelled like freshly mown money.”
“... on the ski slopes with a busty pink-and-platinum-haired former hoofer I recognized as Barbie Summers.”
“A panoramic view of Las Vegas fanning out behind him, a golden backdrop that suggested endless marital possibilities.”
“His adrenal glands were pumping adrenaline overtime.”
CONCERT
Fans 'Fall in Love' With Phantogram, Again
A&E
Brooklyn Bowl, February 23
Phantogram frontwoman Sarah Barthel’s bedazzled Cheetah print leggings couldn't outshine her band’s fantastic performance at Brooklyn Bowl. The New York electronic rock duo appeared as a four piece in its first headlining show in Las Vegas, and their performance was worthy of a major festival (they last appeared at Life is Beautiful in October). Barthel and guitarist Josh Carter used the entire stage as they headbanged and danced during the crisp, syncopated rhythms of “Don’t Move” and opener “When I’m Small.” Each performed a song under the spotlight: Carter serenaded fans in an intimate rendition of “I Don’t Blame You”; Barthel made Sir Mix-a-Lot proud with her bootyshaking during the R&B banger “Fall in Love.” The two displayed chemistry when they worked together on the dual vocals in “The Day You Died.” The band ended its 16-song set with an added climax in “Celebrating Nothing,” and as the fans wildly applauded, Barthel made a promise: “Thank you all! We’re definitely coming
Seven Reasons to See John Mulaney Live
ing comedy is like dealing with girls in high school. If they don’t like you right away, they don’t like you. ... They just go ‘Eww, no!’ Critics are the same way. They all go, ‘Eww, no!’ right away.”
The former Saturday Night Live writer makes his Vegas stand-up debut March 6 at the Terry Fator Theatre. Here’s why you should go: 1 He wrote and aired three to four sketches every week on SNL. He’s the Emmy-winning genius who, along with Bill Hader, created Weekend Update’s hilariously clueless city correspondent, Stefon.
March 5–11, 2015
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2 He’s got tales from SNL’s 40th anniversary show. “I sat in a room with Steve Higgins and Norm Macdonald working on Celebrity Jeopardy,” he says. “I need a three-and-a-half-hour TV special just to talk about it.”
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3 Mulaney haters gonna hate. When asked about the harsh reviews of his Fox sitcom, he said: “Do-
4 Google “John Mulaney Delta Airlines.” 5 Mulaney has more in store. “I would love to be on tour,” he says of his future, adding “Nick Kroll and I are putting something together for next fall.” 6 He understands Vegas. While here for his bachelor party, he and his friends wanted to see Britney Spears: "We went up to the VIP desk and I gave them my name. They said ‘We have no tickets for you.’ There’s nothing less VIP-looking than standing in a suit at a VIP desk and being turned away.” 7 Stand-up is his true love. "If I can be in Las Vegas 50 years from now doing a show," Mulaney says. "I’ll be very happy.” – Camille Cannon
SILK SHEETS Legal problems aside, Chris Brown still knocks out hits that make ladies scream. Breezy’s current tour with Trey Songz (and Tyga) features both artists sharing the stage after solo sets. The Between the Sheets tour comes to Mandalay Bay Events Center on March 7 ($50-$126).
ON SALE NOW OK Go (pictured) has earned a following from their quirky viral music videos, but don't forget the music. Last year’s Hungry Ghosts was a critical success, thanks to singles “The Writing’s on the Wall” and “I Won’t Let You Down.” OK Go hits Brooklyn Bowl on April 28 ($22 - $28).
PHANTOGRAM BY CHASE STEVENS/K ABIK PHOTO GROUP; MUL ANEY BY MINDY TUCKER; OK GO BY ZEN SEKIZAWA
back.” ★★★★✩ – Ian Caramanzana
The
HIT LIST TARGETING THIS WEEK'S MOST-WANTED EVENTS
By Camille Cannon
A rendering of the Westgate's upcoming Elvis exhibit.
ELVIS EXPERIENCE COURTESY OF ELVIS PRESLEY ENTERPRISES; P3STUDIO COURTESY OF COSMOPOLITAN L AS VEGAS
Zeppelin Drummer's Son Keeps the Legacy Alive Jason Bonham’s name will be forever connected to his father, Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham, who died in 1980 when Jason was just 14. Now 49, Bonham is finishing preparations for his third tour with Jason Bonham’s Led Zeppelin Experience, which will take him to the House of Blues March 6-8.
Is part of the Zeppelin Experience to continue your communion with your father? It’s one of the reasons why I do this show. I never really got a chance to tell him while he was alive how great I thought he was as a musician. He was just Dad, you know? And at 14, there is a struggle between parent and child. Yeah, but luckily for me, I was just starting to do it because the last thing we kind of did together was I got him to take me to see the Police in concert. He got me backstage to meet them. Sting said to him, “Hey John, don’t step on my blue suede shoes” and he said to Sting, “I’ll step on your head in a minute.” I was like, “Dad, don’t embarrass me.” Is it true that your father suffered from stage fright? He did, actually. At least when he
wasn’t Bonzo. Bonzo was the part that would come out when he had a few drinks and was the more confident, bombastic, boisterous version of Dad. I asked [Jimmy Page and Robert Plant] if it was ever a problem. They said, “No, we loved it when he felt that loose.” It doesn’t work for me, and sadly, in the end, it didn’t work for Dad. Although it certainly did make for some of the greatest bootlegs.
How long has it taken to get ready for the Zeppelin Experience? What started me thinking about doing the Led Zeppelin Experience was my realization that Led Zeppelin wasn’t going to get back together. I put it together as therapy as much as anything else. But that was five years ago. I didn’t want to keep to doing the project just for the sake of it. It had to have energy. Which it does; we love playing this music. What can we expect from your three nights in Vegas? On March 6, we’ll be playing [Led Zeppelin] 1 and 2. But I could never just do 1 and 2 and not play certain songs such as “Kashmir” and possibly “When the Levee Breaks.” Then on the nights we play 3 and 4, I can experiment and play other songs that wouldn’t necessarily be played live. I am really looking forward to [March 8], which is the only time on tour that we are doing Physical Graffiti. – Kurt C. Rice
SCENE AND HEARD Get to know Las Vegas’ music scene a little better at Composition at Wasteland Gallery. Artist Jska Priebe painted portraits of more than 30 local noisemakers for the exhibition, which debuts March 6. Survey the art during acoustic performances by Sal Giordano, Shayna Rain and more. Facebook.com/WastelandGallery. KETCHUP AT ONYX The 1953 cross-dressed mess Glen or Glenda boasts a dismal 32 percent rating on RottenTomatoes.com. The Midnight Fomato Society makes it all the worse (err, better) in their stage production at Onyx Theatre on March 7. Why? You punctuate the camp by pelting cast members with foam tomatoes (Fomatos). OnyxTheatre.com. BRING TISSUES If you can handle a little heartache, we suggest you swing by West Las Vegas Library on March 7 for Tuskegee Love Letters. Based on the book by Las Vegas local Kim Russell, the play centers on the struggles of a married African-American couple (Russell’s parents) during World War II and peacetime. LVCCLD.org. HE SEES YOU WHEN YOU’RE SLEEPING Artist David Colman invites you to tell St. Nick your secrets in Santa Confessional. Confess your indiscretions in exchange for an ancient Catholic-style “indulgence” to evade purgatory. Sound heavy? It’s all in good fun. Consider March 8 your last chance to whisper something scandalous to Santa … in a not-creepy way. CosmopolitanLasVegas.com.
VegasSeven.com
The Westgate began as the International, both center stage and
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By Lissa Townsend Rodgers
Holdings LLC. Memorabilia will include Elvis’ high school yearbook, his Harley-Davidson and those legendary jumpsuits. The Elvis Presley International Showroom will host a series of Elvis-themed shows, beginning with The Elvis Experience, in which Martin Fontaine will re-enact one of Presley’s Vegas shows with two-dozen musicians and a choir.
March 5–11, 2015
BUILDING ELVIS
home base for Elvis Presley. Now, the Westgate seeks to recapture the King’s castle by partnering with Graceland for a new Elvisthemed exhibit, show and wedding chapel opening April 23. The 28,000-square-foot exhibit will “tell the story and show different parts of Elvis’ illustrious life,” according to Joel Weinshanker, managing partner of Graceland
Santa Confessional at P3 Studio Gallery.
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MUSIC
The Funk Hunters and Talib Kweli will play Brooklyn Bowl in March.
[ SOUND PROOF ]
A PERFECT STRIKE One year later, Brooklyn Bowl proves itself worthy of the hype By Zoneil Maharaj IT SEEMED LIKE AN OUTDATED CONCEPT:
bringing bowling and live rock ’n’ roll to the center of the Strip. But one year later, our chapter of Brooklyn Bowl has proven itself to be one of the best music venues in the city. Brooklyn Bowl, which turns 1 on Saturday, has held 325 events and hosted more than 125,000 guests, according to staff. That’s not a bad run. It shouldn’t come as a surprise—if you ask me, a venue that celebrates its grand opening with a weekend of performances by the Roots is destined for big things. With a great sound system and an atmosphere ft for any genre, the venue has brought hundreds of diverse acts to the stage, from Southern jam band Galactic to rock icons Jane’s Addiction to English electronic duo Disclosure. They don’t slouch on their hip-hop, either. For us hip-hop heads, they’ve given us everything from old school to underground to up-and-coming stars. The past year has seen performances from Chance the Rapper (fngers crossed he comes back soon), Lauryn Hill, Atmosphere, WuTang, DJ Shadow and Cut Chemist, Dizzy Wright and YG, among others. And there’s more on the way with conscious rhyme sayer Talib Kweli holding down the stage this Friday (March 6), Jurassic 5 baritone Chali 2na with electronic outft the Funk Hunters March 14 and West Coast legends Warren G and DJ Quik March 28. (The old school rapper-
producers perform their respective debuts, Regulate… G Funk Era and Quik Is the Name, in their entirety.) Beyond the national acts, they’ve also shown love to local artists. One of my favorite emcees, Marion Write, has opened for touring acts, with hometown alt-country darling Jordan Kate Mitchell having her own headlining show. That tradition continues this weekend, too, with indie-pop band Love Hate Away getting top billing this Saturday (March 7) with support from shoegaze-y locals Luna Flore and acoustic duo My Fair Rosalie. While the programming might seem all over the place, Brooklyn Bowl has built a community for lovers of quality music and entertainment. While most venues shut down when there isn’t a marquee act onstage, there’s always something to do at Brooklyn Bowl. There are karaoke nights, free bowling nights, burlesque shows and more. If nothing else, the fried chicken is damn good. It’s provided a much-needed alternative to the megaclub and overcrowded Downtown dive for birthdays and special occasions. It doesn’t feel like Las Vegas. I don’t know about you, but for me, that’s a good thing. Here’s hoping for more big things in the years to come. Got new music or upcoming shows? Holler at Zoneil.Maharaj@wendohmedia. com or @zoneil on Twitter.
STAGE
CIRQUECUMCISION Zumanity does a little surgery to keep creatively erect
PHOTO BY PIERRE MANNING
COMPARE SEXUAL REINVIGORATION TECHNIQUES:
You: “Let’s do something other than missionary tonight.” Them: “Let’s have two men in red stilettos grope in a cage.” That’s why you’re you and they’re Zumanity. Not surprisingly in a country 50 shades more comfortable with sexual expression as mainstream entertainment than in 2003, when it debuted, the Cirque du sex show has refreshed about 30 percent of its arty carnality. Naughtier now? That’s like asking if the ocean is wetter after a rainstorm. If you’re afraid of the water, you don’t swim, before or after. If displays such as caged homoeroticism and aquatic lesbianism offend you, you shouldn’t have seen Zumanity in the frst place, never mind now. But yes, it’s sexier, sometimes strenuously so, owing to such overhauls as “2 Men” with the dudes in heels. Once more of a fght with dance overtones—suggesting skittishness in thoroughly reveling in gay attraction— it’s now a dance with hints of “manly” combat, aided by snake-charmer choreography by one of the segment’s dancers, Yanis Marshall, recruited from Paris. Culminating in a brief makeout session, this interpretation is more deeply sensual and, well, gayer. While it’s in sync with an America warming to same-sex marriage and gay rights, I wondered if, in visually feminizing the men by their footwear with drag-queen intimations, it signaled a step forward for freedom or a step backward into stereotyping. Other notable elements: red-mohawked aerialist Brandon Pereyda, strapped into a vest of chains, twists, soars and swoops above the crowd; an accomplished (and hot) solo cellist named Mariko adds a unique musical
element; a stud in scuba gear sheds it to reveal a tux, then strips on a platform before rising into the rafters, nearly nude, on a rope ladder; and much of the acrobatics and stripteases are set to a broader soundtrack, including propulsive Latin and African rhythms. Breast connoisseurs will note that the previous topless quotient has been topped. Ardent ass fans won’t be disappointed, nor will admirers of the male physique. (No penis peekaboo, unless you count a prosthetic one for comic effect.) New dancers and singers, representing a cast youth movement, add dollops of individual personality, whereas performers once merged into a generic sexual fever dream. Perennials such as the milk-bath number and the Sapphic gymnastics in the giant Champagne glass have been puffed up—particularly the latter where, in the spirit of gay forthrightness, the ladies are even more, well, in touch with one another. Comedy breaks have been rethought, including new carnal clowning with audience-roving lechers “Dick and Izzy.” Hostess Edie, “Mistress of Sensuality” (drag star Christopher Kenney) is still a lewdly funny guide. As for the zany, zaftig Botero Sisters, a little of their screechy shtick goes a long way. Zumanity’s gotten a metaphorical boob job—it’s bigger and bouncier, but sometimes unsubtle jiggling it in your face, as if it’s about getting sexier, rather than simply being sexy. Whether it feels natural—as in the real world with a real pair—is a question of personal preference. Got an entertainment tip? Email Steve.Bornfeld@VegasSeven.com.
Bill Engvall March 6
9PM TREASURE ISLAND BALLROOM TICKETS 702.894.7722
A&E
MOVIES
ABSOLUTELY ELECTRIFYING Olivia Wilde scares the life out of us in this simple indie horror fick By Roger Moore Tribune Media Services
THE LAZARUS EFFECT is what happens when hip, smart actors commit themselves—body and soul—to a horror movie. Mark Duplass, a mainstay of indie cinemas microbudget “mumblecore” movement, and recent convert Olivia Wilde ably play a scientist couple whose work has led to a serum that brings the dead back to life. And with director David Gelb (Jiro Dreams of Sushi) in charge, you can be sure this isn’t some brain-munching zombie apocalypse. What the scientists and their team (Donald Glover, Evan Peters and Sarah Bolger) are trying to do is “give doctors time,” create a bigger window for coma patients and those whose hearts have stopped to be resuscitated before brain damage sets in. In extreme, blurred close-ups, Gelb captures early experiments in which a twitch of life is seen in this pig or that dog. Then, Rocky, a well-trained canine actor, rises from the operating table. Success! Let’s take him home! “Are you sure you want to keep this in your house?” someone asks. “This thing could go Cujo on you in a hurry!” They ignore that. Not bothering with the rules is kind of the M.O. for Frank (Duplass). Next thing they know, Big Pharma has swooped in on their university lab and seized everything. But if they can replicate their discovery in a late-night session, maybe they’ll get the credit after all. When you’re rushed, you’re careless. And when you’re careless around high voltage, you’re asking for an electrocution.
Undead ... er, revived Olivia Wilde is still sexy.
“I thought I lost you,” Frank whispers to his love. “Yeah, you did.” “But I didn’t.” Zoe is dead, then revived. And that’s when things turn deadly and a long night turns into a nightmare. You don’t have to be a mere mortal male to fnd the gorgeous and intense Wilde scary, and she amps up the terror. Gelb zeroes in on her stare and keeps his camera close, reinventing visual tropes as old as the frst ghost story, as familiar as Dr. Frankenstein’s experiments and his dilemma. Should man play God?
An 82-minute movie shouldn’t have space in it to touch on the afterlife, faith and guilt. But The Lazarus Effect does. There’s no point in overselling a conventional, rarely surprising horror picture that manages one good, cheap jolt and a solid hour of dread. But Lazarus reminds us that a genre overwhelmed by junk fare doesn’t need to be that way. It’s not effects, gore or novelty that matter. It’s all in the execution—and electrocution. The Lazarus Effect (PG-13) ★★★✩✩
March 5–11, 2015
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SHORT REVIEWS
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Focus (R) ★★✩✩✩
Will Smith plays gentleman thief Nicky Spurgeon, who runs a 30-person team of pickpockets and scam artists. Margot Robbie is the fatale-in-training Jess, looking for a mentor in the con game. The best scene in Focus, in which Smith engages in a series of risky wagers with a high-roller (BD Wong) at a football game, allows Smith to play something other than Joe Cool. Robbie, an Australian native, isn’t bad. Focus concludes with a shot of two characters limping into a hospital, and unfortunately that’s a metaphor for the movie itself.
The DUFF (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
The DUFF stands for “Designated Ugly Fat Friend.” Kody Keplinger wrote the book when she was 17. What happens in The DUFF could be treated as a tragedy. Here, it’s handled as a comedy of humiliation. Mae Whitman plays Bianca, a high school senior and horror movie geek full of life, and smarts, and zippy comebacks. Because her best friends are willowy, runway-ready creatures, our heroine is treated as a dateless hag. The question with every movie besieged by an army of high school cliques is this: Does the movie rise above clichés? This one does.
Hot Tub Time Machine 2 (R) ★★✩✩✩
John Cusack has been reduced to Z-grade action comedies. And he still turned down this half-baked sequel starring Craig Robinson and Rob Corddry. In the first movie, the guys travel back to a pivotal 1986 ski weekend from their past in what appears to be an electrical accident. But their trip was no accident, Time Machine 2 tells us. Whatever regrets Cusack may have for not returning—he says he wasn’t even asked— the proof is 93 minutes of a movie whose closing credits have the most laughs.
By Tribune Media Services
The Last Five Years (PG-13) ★★★✩✩ Director Richard LaGravenese’s film version of the Jason Robert Brown stage show deserves attention. Brown’s chronicle of an ill-fated romance begins with struggling musical-theater performer Cathy (Anna Kendrick), still hurting from the end of her five years with novelist Jamie (Jeremy Jordan). Jamie’s scenes and songs proceed in chronological order, from the start of the affair; Cathy gives us the end and takes us back through the middle, and on back to the start. Brown’s musical has more than structural cleverness in its corner.
McFarland, USA (PG) ★★★✩✩
Fifty Shades of Grey (R) ★★✩✩✩
Kingsman: The Secret Service (R) ★★✩✩✩
Jupiter Ascending (PG-13) ★★✩✩✩
Seventh Son (PG-13) ★✩✩✩✩
The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water (PG) ★✩✩✩✩
Director Niki Caro has delivered a Kevin Costner sports movie that works. Costner plays Jim White, who in 1987 moves to McFarland in central California. There, in a largely Latino community, the aptly named Whites are faced with finding their friends and their place in this land of low-riders and sun. Caro shot much of it on location to strong advantage, for clues to character and circumstance in a part of the nation too rarely explored on screen. Also, if you’re keeping score on Costner sports flicks: McFarland is more rewarding than Draft Day.
Silly, sadistic and finally a little galling, Kingsman answers the question: What would Colin Firth have been like if he’d played James Bond? Firth portrays one of the crack gentlemen-spies working for a secret agency out to save the world from a crackpot billionaire (Samuel L. Jackson). As Firth’s beautifully tailored colleagues, Michael Caine and Mark Strong offer unblinking gazes par excellence. In the leading role, Taron Egerton is engaging as the working-class miscreant “Eggsy.”
Legend has it that the seventh son of a seventh son is born with special powers, which, in Joseph Delaney’s Wardstone Chronicles fantasy-lit series, include the ability to see supernatural beings and kill witches. But given the long gestation period for Universal’s film adaptation, Seventh Son, which opened nearly a year later than planned, one shouldn’t be surprised to discover some pretty significant birth defects, among them a tired plot, some very unspecial effects and a pair of grotesquely uneven performances from Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore.
Director Sam Taylor-Johnson remains true to novelist E.L. James’ narrative about Anastasia Steele (Dakota Johnson) and Christian Grey (Jamie Dornan), up to and including the abrupt cliffhanger ending that doesn’t work in a stand-alone movie. I expected either a camp hoot or a slavishly faithful film. Instead, Fifty Shades turns out to be roughly as pretty good as the first Twilight—appropriate, since James wrote Fifty Shades as sexed-up, loinzapoppin’ fan fiction paying tribute to the Twilight best-sellers.
Channing Tatum’s character is a “splice,” an intergalactic bounty hunter with a distaste for shirts. Mila Kunis’ character, Jupiter Jones, is the rightful heir to planet Earth because she is a genetic ringer for the late matriarch of a high-toned family of bores who rule most of the known universe. The script struggles to tell a dull story straight. Still, an image or two lingers. For one thing, Jupiter Ascending explains those endlessly debated crop circles without stopping in its tracks for a verbal explanation.
The new SpongeBob movie’s plot honors the series’ key themes. Plankton is still after Mr. Krabs’ secret formula for Krabby Patties. Antonio Banderas narrates the story to a flock of seagulls, and his pirate character has insidious food-truck ambitions. Sponge Out of Water doesn’t deliver SpongeBob and the gang to the “real,” non-animated world until quite late in the film, which runs a reasonable-sounding 93 minutes. Yet those 93 feel like more than enough.
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Do you think that’s the new way forward for Vegas: more events, less gambling? Are you ready to roll with those changes?
Looking at 2014, Downtown gaming revenue was up a couple percent. We have a great opportunity to grow gaming Downtown, as well as a number of non-gaming revenue streams. I’m pretty bullish about Downtown.
You once had a stake in the Riviera. How do you feel about the Las Vegas Convention and Visitor Authority’s plans to replace it with expanded convention space?
Derek Stevens
The owner of The D and the Golden Gate on Downtown cooperation, the fate of the Riviera and hanging with customers at the bar
March 5–11, 2015
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VegasSeven.com
By Geoff Carter
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You own two prime Fremont Street hotel-casinos. Why did you pick Downtown as the place to plant your flag?
Let’s be realistic here: I’m not a guy who had enough money to get onto the Strip. I wanted to move to Las Vegas and I wanted to get into the biggest industry, and I liked what I saw Downtown when I frst started paying attention in ’05, ’06. All the stars aligned when I met the owner of the Golden Gate.
He was looking for a partner, and we were able to strike a deal [in 2003]. I really like the Golden Gate, because it was the original address, One Fremont Street. That’s something that can’t be replicated. I was going to spend a couple of years here just to see whether I liked this business. I came to the conclusion that I did, and we started looking into acquisitions. At that point I was ready to do a proj-
ect with a much more major renovation, and I thought Fitzgeralds was the perfect opportunity. It allowed me to do our frst re-branding and renovate a property from the 34th story all the way down to the casino. And out onto the street, with the DLV Events Center. What inspired you to get into the outdoor events business?
To a certain degree, it was
The Riviera is a great place; it certainly will always hold a spot in Vegas history. But the Riviera is a non-competitive property, and sometimes renovations can’t make you competitive. The LVCVA has done a wonderful job making Las Vegas a national and international destination. Their work has impacted everyone who lives in Las Vegas. When you can set records for conventions and for the number of visitors going through McCarran … the LVCVA’s fngerprints are on all these things. Going forward, this a great development for Las Vegas. Would you say the prevailing attitude about Downtown is one of competition or of cooperation? Property owners seem more inclined to pull in the same direction around here.
Downtown is more cooperative than other areas within metropolitan Las Vegas. It stems from the fact that we are actually legal partners in a business called Fremont Street Experience. We collectively own our SlotZilla zipline; we collectively pro-
vide nightly entertainment; we collectively manage and operate the Viva Vision screen. We are legal partners in these businesses, which forces you to create more cooperative relationships than maybe you would in a different area in Vegas, [where] you might have four independent hotel-casino guys within a mile of one another who maybe don’t talk that much. We have to talk; we’ve got multiple board meetings every month. Also, we realize that one of the strengths about Downtown and Fremont Street is that you can walk from casino to casino. It’s something that’s enjoyable, it’s cool. All the statistics say that anybody who visits Downtown visits 3.5 casinos. From our perspective, the goal is, “Let’s get people down here; let’s have people check things out.” Some consider Fremont Street a little rough.
Considering the amount of Metro coverage that’s on location, Fremont Street is still one of the safest places in Las Vegas. There’s an awful lot of security; there’s an awful lot of surveillance. But when people are on vacation, or whether they’re in town for work, they just simply don’t like to see these bums out there. This city has done an exceptional job allowing people to let their worries go, whether it’s for entertainment or a combination of business plus entertainment. Nobody likes to see guys with their hands out. This is something that impacts not just Fremont Street, but the Strip as well. I think everybody’s working to clean things up. You’re known for hanging out in the casino, buying drinks for customers. That’s oldschool Vegas right there. How important is it for you to be that accessible?
A lot of customers just see me down at the end of [The D’s] Longbar at night, and I like that, because I like the opportunity to be able to shake hands with people. I like to hear what they have to say, what their recommendations are and their complaints. I’m not a guy who goes home at the end of a normal offce workday; I like to be out and about. It’s a great thing for me, because it doesn’t really feel like a job.
PHOTO BY JON ESTRADA
SEVEN QUESTIONS
due to the fact that you don’t make any more land in a city. I saw that the county courthouse had been abandoned for quite awhile, and I just started dreaming about what that property could potentially become. We purchased the courthouse at public auction, demolished it and turned it into a multiuse facility. We’ve only been in this business for fve months, but we’ve had concerts, food festivals, ethnic festivals, and I anticipate having a whole lot more. I plan to have a lot more diversifed events to bring people to Downtown Las Vegas, and obviously to bring people to the Golden Gate and The D.
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