Keith Sweat returns to The Flamingo July 5
It was an amazing scene the last time that multiplatinum recording artist Keith Sweat celebrated his debut residency at the Flamingo to mark the 30th anniversary of his first-ever album “Make It Last Forever.” Girls of all ages sat mesmerized by his songs and many got up from their seats to get a closer look at the side of the stage. Some sat in a trance watching him move to the music, some dabbed tears from their eyes and several begged him to take them home with him. It became more fascinating and distracting to watch the ladies’ behavior than the star on stage.
Now, he’s returning for Round Two and Keith resumes his conquest of the Strip at the Flamingo on Wednesday (July 5) through July 22 in the Donny and Marie Showroom. I talked with Keith as he began planning his flight out here this holiday weekend:
“Round One was phenomenal, so I can’t wait for Round Two. I had a great time, I did what I set out to do. I made people make it last forever, so Round Two is going to be incredible, man. I expected that reaction from the ladies. That was a good reaction, man. I mean, I love my fans, and my fans love me right back, so I’m happy. I’m ecstatic about that,” he said.
Q: Did you talk to any of them as to what they loved about you and the show?
A: Well, they love the fact that I’m very engaging and entertaining, so that’s what they liked about me. I think they were all ready en masse to just leave the theater wherever you wanted to take them. You weave a spell.
But I’m good. It’s all good. I don’t have to really gear up for Round Two because I’m always on the road. So that’s just something for me to transition myself back into that kind of atmosphere, that kind of area.
Q: That Vegas residency was a debut for you here. Was it everything you expected it to be?
A: Everything plus more, man. I’m glad it worked out like that. I’m going to probably do the same show. I don’t want to change it up. It’s too early in the Vegas residency game to change up the show, you know what I mean? So I just want to extend what I did because people, the response and the reviews are so great that I don’t really want to change very much about anything I did. I’m not even sure about new numbers or new songs. Maybe same things, maybe different things. I have to work that out. You know I’m a person that just goes by what he feels at the moment, so it depends on how I feel.
Q: You ever figure out what that reaction is, that emotional reaction? Is it love? Is it lust on their part? Do you know what it is?
A: It could be a bit of both. A bit of both, man .Most of the women that come out are women of a mature nature, so I really don’t have to go through any wild circumstances right now in my career, in my life.
Q: Has that appeal been there from the start? Or did it come with one particular record?
A: No. It’s been there from the beginning of my CD tour It’s always been there, and I’ve been fortunate, unlike other people, to have that.
Q: How long are you on the road now every year?
A: It varies, you know — 70 days. 80 days. It all really varies, whether I go overseas, whether I stay, don’t go overseas. Keith Sweat is just traveling, doing music. And it’s a good time to have residency in Vegas because now I get to showcase my talent and with all the new things coming in Vegas, I get to continue my residency there and probably pack out a lot more because more people will be there. .
I’ve been to Vegas a million times, man. This ain’t something new for me except for the residency is only a few things I’ve never done, so that I’m doing. But I’ve visited Vegas. I’ve gambled in Vegas. I hung out in Vegas. So, Vegas is not new to me at all. And now you’re becoming a sports city. You already were a gambling city, so why not be a sports city, too?
Vegas gives me the opportunity to showcase my talent in one area for a long period of time. And to sit still in one place and enjoy being situated in one place and not having to travel to my destination. I mean, it definitely does that for me.
Q: Does it ever get awkward when you take off in private and people might expect more from you than you want to give?
A: No, because I know how to go into my own seclusion and have to deal with all that. So, for me that’s good. It’s not difficult. I chose to be in this business, and when you choose to be in a business that’s so demanding, you have certain things that you have to give up most of your time that’s yours because you chose to open yourself to the public, which is not a bad thing. So I made a commitment to live the way I live and do the things that I do.
Q: It is the job and its responsibilities ? Do you have a workout routine that you stick to daily?
A: I work out every day. Even if I wasn’t doing what I was doing, I would be working out. It’s just something you need to do to stay healthy and fit. Getting up in the morning, running on the treadmill, lifting weights basically and trying to eat right. I do probably treadmill for like 30, 40 minutes, and then I lift for about 20, 30, 40 minutes. An hour and a half is usual each day. You have t stay fit for this business. Once Round Two is over in Vegas I go right to Australia for shows.
We’re going to see if the ladies love me as much down there as they do in Vegas. It’ll be my first time in the land down under. It makes it all different and interesting. But the reaction is pretty much the same all over the world. Now though first comes Las Vegas and I’m healthy looking forward to Round Two
