Gin Blossoms Smokey Robinson

Thursday, May 08, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Go: Where to Go, What to Do & Why

By James P. Reza

Something that never fails to impress in Las Vegas is how money seems to make everything seem right. The beleaguered Aladdin Hotel flails in the throes of bankruptcy, and when Planet Hollywood emerges as your most likely savior, you are in dire straits, friend. Further, the Aladdin's affiliated Desert Passage shopping mall has been plagued by poor traffic counts since opening (a shame, since it is a beautiful space). And yet...all of this made no difference Thursday and Friday, when a pair of VIP grand opening parties were held for Prana.

Owned by the An family (of Crustacean, San Francisco and Beverly Hills), Prana is an impressively designed space of amazing detail. Downstairs, a stage and smallish dance floor is surrounded by a huge bar and comfortable tables and booths. Upstairs, in the Opium Lounge (overlooking the main floor), the scene is decidedly decadent, transporting patrons to the French Vietnamese colonial era. With its imported hardwood flooring, authentic antique opium beds, massive centerpiece chandelier and other pricey details, the An family is betting big that Prana will finally be the success story the Aladdin so desperately needs.

If Prana can do as well at attracting the crowds as does the House of Blues Foundation Room's Monday Night open house Godspeed, it'll have few worries. Last week's Cinco de Mayo celebration featured DJs Michael Fuller, Miguel Innis, Frank Richards and Michael Schulman, and a who's who of the city's hippest party freaks packing the place until well past 3 a.m. There comes a point, after downing one too many $10 gin and tonics, that you have to look around at all these pretty professionals and wonder...how are these people going to work in the morning?

Rainbow coalition

Despite the setback of the November elections, the Las Vegas gay community hasn't run away to more tolerant locales. Instead, it's celebrating Las Vegas's 20th Pride Week right now, as you read. Tonight, the Gay Pride Pageant struts around the Grand Ballroom of New York-New York (May 8, 6 p.m.; 740-6969), including a dinner celebratory dinner. On Friday, the Gay Pride Parade happens downtown, and then on Saturday, the big, day-long Gay Pride Festival gets under way at the Sport Center Las Vegas (May 10, noon-2 a.m.; 317-7777). Like any other festival, this one features scores of vendors, live entertainment (including an appearance by Rita Rudner), dance tents and mingling. Get out, or just show your support for someone who has.

Old school sounds

The Gin Blossoms and the Spin Doctors appearing together at the Stratosphere? Talk about a Gen X nightmare. Thanks for reminding us how irrelevant the music of the 1990s has already become. Look, we're sorry they don't have ripped abs and fake tits and hair extensions. But come on, these two bands were part of the wave of alt.music that broke the mainstream in half, splintering it into a thousand substreams and little tributaries that made everyone hate radio! But both bands can sing a decent little bit of danceable guitar rock. Remember that stuff? Check them out Saturday (May 10, 8 p.m.; 380-7711).

In light of this, it could seem to add insult to injury that poppy arena-rockers Journey, REO Speedwagon and Styx are appearing at the relatively plush Aladdin Theatre on the same night (May 10, 7 p.m.; 736-0111). But let's clarify this: All three of these bands actually had pretty good runs back in the 1970s and '80s, and regardless of how the mullet-haters among you may feel, they actually rocked quite a bit. Okay, well maybe the falsetto of REO didn't rock so much, but a well-placed REO 8-track could most certainly get you in good with the ladies.

Speaking of getting in good with the ladies...all you have to do, friend, is pop in a little quiet storm soul from the grandfather of the stuff, Smokey Robinson. No stranger to Las Vegas, Robinson plays the Strip with alarming regularity, so if you miss his current gig at Paris (May 9-10, 9 p.m.; 946-4567), no worries.

Musical overload

Most people who eat at buffets do so as though they have never eaten before and never will again, gorging themselves on the variety and quantity available. Quality, on the other hand, is hit and miss and admittedly not the point. While the roast baron of beef may be tasty, the ham is dry. But the price is always right and everything washes down with unlimited refills anyway, right? And that, friends, brings us to this: music festivals, where the price is right and the quantity overwhelming, but the quality is all over the place. As is no doubt self-promoted to a fault somewhere else in this edition, on Friday the Mercury presents its second Music Showcase at the Huntridge Theater (May 9, 7 p.m.; 678-6800). This all-ages show features Jr. Anti-Sex League, September Star, By Death's Design, A Silence Fell, Last Hope, Introspect and Guilty By Association for a mere five bucks.

Then, stretching over Saturday and Sunday, the Legends of Rasta Reggae Festival returns to Las Vegas, this time at the Sam Boyd Stadium Practice Field (May 10-11, noon-10pm; 474-4000 or buy at the gate). Dozens of reggae bands and DJs will play all day, and vendors will supply Carribean foods to satiate the most demanding munchies. Those arriving before 3 p.m. will pay a rasta-reduced price of $5, but even after that it's only $8, so get those heads a-bobbin'.

None of the above

Quick notes if nothing above excites you: Theater returns to the Aladdin with the award-winning Miss Saigon. Loosely adapted from Madame Butterfly, the musical traces the story of an American soldier and a Vietnamese woman falling in love during the Vietnam War (May 13-18, various trimes; 736-0111). For the full Vietnamese evening, we suggest dinner at Prana first. ... Friday at the MGM Grand comes the Kings and Queens of Comedy Search (May 8, 8 p.m.; 891-7777), a showcase of unknown comics hosted by Adele Givens, Mo'Nique and SommoreÉ And finally, get your screaming lungs ready as former MTV heartthrob Carson Daly returns to film several episodes of "Last Call" at the Hard Rock Hotel (May 7-10, 5 & 8:30 p.m.; lastcallvegastix@nbc.com). The starstruck will no doubt be in attendance to see Carmen Electra (and her sexy Pussycat Dolls burlesque troupe), Tyra Banks, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos. ... We'll be there for Lounge Against the Machine.

James P. Reza is the editor of the Best Places-Las Vegas guidebook. E-mail nightlife, cultural event & dining tips to jpreza@lvcm.com. Deadline is the Saturday prior to publishing.