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Thursday, January 15, 2004 Go: Where to Go, What to Do & Why
By James P. Reza
Though a look ahead hints at February easing Las Vegas toward a playtime schedule more worthy of its Entertainment Capital of the World moniker, currently the city remains in an unusual period of mixed signals. While the performance venues are relatively quiet compared to the full schedule of fall, restaurants and bars are packed with conventioneers whooping it up (as much as conventioneers can muster a whoop) after full days schlepping the exhibits. Last week, it was the Consumer Electronics Show and its 115,000 attendees who made getting a dinner reservation--not to mention a lap dance--almost impossible; as an example, standby times at the wonderful Firefly Tapas Kitchen (369-3971) pushed two hours. Starting next week, the National Association of Home Builders and its 92,000 attendees will do the same. Combined, those two conventions accommodate more visitors than the Las Vegas Valley housed in residents when many Gen Xers graduated from high school, so may we suggest you plan ahead to avoid disappointment. It's a testament to the power of the convention industry that the trickle-down economics of 207,000 visitors penetrates just about every venue in or near the resort corridors, for even the beat-down Frontier managed to corral a few techies who somehow wandered into the casino's Gilley's Saloon (794-8200) in time to catch the house All-Star Band wrap up a shit-kickin', flag-wavin' set that included the hits of Lee Greenwood and AC/DC, a music mix that reminded the audience to salute the Stars and Stripes after losing their virginity in the cab of a American-made pickup. Gilley's is the kind of boot-scootin' place you might find in, well, Las Vegas--if you can remember that the pre-Starbucks, pre-Dan Tanna Las Vegas was a city where gun racks outnumbered fake racks. But cowboys need lust too, so that doesn't stop Gilley's from holding a weekend bikini bull riding contest to complement the waitresses sporting a Spandex approximation of chaps. We're not suggesting you make a date of Gilley's, just that, in some ways, random bachelorettes and babes-next-door riding a mechanical bull in a thong can be more exciting than what passes for exotic dancing at most strip clubs--gin in plastic cups be damned.
This are 2-tone In all honesty, we'd prefer to do our weekend messing around at the hip new Mess Around (Saturdays, 10 p.m.; 696-1002), going off at the Meskerem Ethiopian restaurant in the Somerset Plaza on Convention Center Drive. (Somerset Plaza featured prominently in the "VEGA$" television series of the 1970s.) The party is a stylish pastiche of DJs spinning soul to a backdrop of belly dancing, cinematic clips and Ethiopian cuisine, and is drawing the more adventurous elements of the Mixed Bag crowd, along with a sizable contingent of African expats. It's great to see local promoters trying and succeeding at events that are taken for granted in other metropolitan locales. If the words "stylish pastiche" have you daydreaming of zipping through town on a classic Vespa sporting a skinny tie and a porkpie hat, you should be skanking to the beat at the Ska Brawl 2004 tour launching in Vegas Thursday (Jan. 15, 7-11 p.m.; 759-0450). The show features old-school ska from The Toasters, with support from Ill Figures, Over the Line, GDB and Deadball 38. The Toasters are led by New York Brit Rob Hingley, who also launched Moon Ska Records, and the show is all ages. And, since ska subculture was philosophically big on successful racial integration, what better time to mention that the historical photo exhibit "Eastside/Westside: Overcoming a Segregated Environment, 1940-1960," curated by the late Las Vegas historian Frank Wright, opens Friday at the Winchester Center Gallery (Jan. 16-Feb. 28, 455-7340). Check it out for examples of the often-elusive history of Las Vegas.
You so funny Sure, Jay Leno can make us giggle--when he's not being an obsequious buffoon and fawning over his guests like a stripper in an NBA locker room. But we're not yet over the fact that he bit the hand that fed him and snagged "The Tonight Show" from the grasp of our man David Letterman. Still, if you're looking for a comedy show you can take your grandmother to, this is it. Leno appears at the Mirage Friday and Saturday (Jan. 16, 9 p.m., Jan. 17, 10:30 p.m., Saturday; 791-7111). Sure, we know a lot of Vegas performers are funny, they're just not meant to be. At least with Comedy Central stars Lewis Black and Dave Attell, the intention is wildly outclassed by the delivery. Black is a frequent contributor to "The Daily Show," and his acerbic, politically insightful wit vents itself in fits of hilarious rants that threaten to out-Miller Dennis Miller. Alternatively, Attell, host of the genius up-all-night "Insomniac" (which filmed in Las Vegas not too long ago) uncovers humor in the dark spaces where white breads like Leno fear to tread--a perfect match for a city that itself thrives in the dark spaces. Black and Attell tour together, and come to the House of Blues Friday and Saturday (Jan. 16-17, 8 p.m.; 632-7600).
That's a wrap Jazz lovers take note: The talented Nevada Jazz Orchestra, directed by Barry Ross, performs Sunday at the Winchester Center Theatre (Jan. 18, 2 p.m.; 455-7340) ... Tokyo's Keiko Matsui brings her successful jazzy new age thing to the Boulder Station on Saturday (Jan. 17, 8 p.m.; 432-7777), while horn-laden harmony-rockers Chicago return for their regular gig breaking Wayne Newton at the Stardust this week (Jan. 21-24, 8 p.m.; 732-6325) ... Remarkably, sixtysomething sexpot Tom Jones shines his shirts and stuffs his pants for another go at Prince's old schtick at the MGM Grand Hollywood Theatre (through Jan. 21, 9 p.m.; 891-1111) ... And the stylish Whiskey Bar at Green Valley Ranch continues with its weekly reggae groove (Wednesdays; 10 p.m.; 617-7560). Look no further for a hint of the next musical trend to be recycled big time as 2004 warms up, mon.
James P. Reza is the editor of the Best Places-Las Vegas guidebook. E-mail nightlife, cultural event & dining tips to jpreza@cox.net. Deadline is the Saturday prior to publishing. |
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