A party vibe, $10K dances with Michael Buble at Power of Love gala
Larry Ruvo performed “the lap” through the tables at MGM Grand Garden Arena on Saturday night. As usual, he was stopped repeatedly during this hug-interrupted strut to the stage during the 22nd annual Keep Memory Alive Power of Love gala.
Time and again, the co-founder of Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Cleveland Clinic was halted as he moved through the crowd. Among those well-wishers were Academy Award-winning actress and author of the book “The Seasons of My Mother: A Memoir of Love, Family, and Flowers,” Marcia Gay Harden; Las Vegas marketing and public relations power player Billy Vassiliadis of R&R Partners; Myron Martin, president of The Smith Center for the Performing Arts; and The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas CEO Bill McBeath.
Everyone wanted a piece of Ruvo, who continually remarked, “Stay with me — something big is going to happen onstage in a few minutes.” It did, as headliner Michael Buble asked couples to come up and dance to his final songs — for $10,000 per couple. “And hey, if you’re single, pay $10,000 anyway — we might get some threesomes going up here.”
The offer was intended to be limited to 10 couples, or $100,000 total. But maybe 30 folks or more did “The Twist” to “You Can Never Tell.” The groovers included Larry and Camille Ruvo, and a cascade of red paper hearts fell on the crowd to crown another event.
“This man is my hero,” Buble said as Ruvo walked to the stage. “I am honored to support him … I might want to dance with him, too.”
How’s Myron?
Martin made it to the end of the four-hour program after spending the day charting ticket sales for “Hamilton” at The Smith Center. Tickets for the May 29-June 24 shows sold out almost immediately, with untold buyers still awaiting purchase on the Smith Center website.
I asked Martin how many text messages he’d received Saturday. He just shook his head.
“Whether you’re talking about texts, phone calls, emails, direct messages, whatever number you think that is — it’s higher,” Martin said. “I have never seen anything like this in my life.” One prominent Las Vegan talked of the scarcity of tickets, telling Martin, “If I can’t get a ticket, you KNOW it’s a tough ticket.”
A page turner
Harden wrote her book about her mother’s slow slide into Alzheimer’s disease. She had a chance to tour the Ruvo Center at Symphony Park.
“I was so, so impressed,” she said near the end of the event. “It made me hopeful. I understand how important the facility is and how important this night is, too.”
McBeath’s ‘Opium’ take
The man who showed faith in entertainment company Spiegelworld to bring “Opium” to The Cosmopolitan said of the show, “It’s going to be a home run.” Many reviews — including my own — describe the show as “weird,” but that’s not uniformly negative. The raunchy, interplanetary farce seems set for a long trek. One positive sign, which defies even negative accounts of the show, are bar sales: “Opium” sells an average of $3,000 per show at its bar inside the theater, according to McBeath. That figure probably makes the accounting department smile, even if the show does not.
Buble’s moment
Zealously embracing the party vibe, Buble smiled at his roaring reception and said, “Don’t you wish when you showed up for your job, people would lose their (expletive)?”
Even those in the audience who fit that description laughed and cheered. But Buble’s salty remark was the rare moment in the gala’s history where profanity was unleashed from the stage (there would be three or four more instances from the pop superstar). It was also a rare night when a single headliner performed for the gala crowd.
Past events have invited multiple stars onstage, including last year when Jon Bon Jovi and Jennifer Hudson (who was called to the show after Gwen Stefani dropped out late for health reasons). In 2013, Bono of U2 topped a star lineup that included Herbie Hancock and Jordin Sparks on a night honoring Quincy Jones and Michael Caine. The next year, Carole King, Queen Latifah, Andy Garcia, Rita Moreno and Jon Secada performed. In 2015, Celine Dion and Andrea Bocelli performed “The Prayer,” in a show also starring Robin Thicke and George Benson.
Nonetheless, Buble smoothly rolled through a 15-song set in a fast, loose and frequently funny performance. He certainly charmed a “posh pit” shimmying in front of the stage, and also Ruvo, who hugged Buble and said, “You have no bigger fan in this room than me, and you over delivered.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
