A tall, cool one is the order of the night at the D Las Vegas
The Kats! Bureau at this writing is an undisclosed location in Pocatello, Idaho.
OK, I’ll disclose it: The rumpus room of Dad’s house on East Maple Street.
I’m immersed in my annual holiday trek through the Gem State, having landed in Boise on Sunday night and bolting across the intermountain west freeways to “Poky” on Monday. To quote from “Idaho! A Comedy Musical,” I am a Pocatello Fellow.
Thus far, we have enjoyed aggressive holiday noshing and quality hot-bath soaking at Dad’s business, the Lava Hot Springs Inn, about 30 miles southeast of this outpost.
So that’s the scene, and as part of my carry-on baggage I brought with me some items from VegasVille:
THIS REALLY IS A LONG BAR
George Bell, the second-tallest man in the country at 7-feet-8 inches, stopped by D Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Within moments, he had touched off bedlam.
“I have never seen anything like it. Every single person who walked by asked for a photo, and he took one,” said D Casino Director Richard Wilk, himself a giant — in the Vegas VIP industry. “It was crazy. He was more popular than any A-List celebrity.”
And that list includes Zowie Bowie’s Chris Phillips.
A former member of the Harlem Globetrotters and now a deputy sheriff in Norfolk, Va., Bell stopped into the D during a walk-around on Fremont Street (where he could have made a killing as one of the Fremont Street Experience’s ever-present buskers). “He stayed at the Longbar for hours,” Wilk said. “He was really nice and cool to everyone.”
Incidentally, the tallest man in the U.S. is Igor Vovkovinskiy, at 7-feet-8.33 inches, or .33 inches taller than Bell. But in this city, Bell towers above all.
THE PARK PLACE
The moment to remember from the opening of Park Theater on Saturday was Chrissie Hynde’s startled response to her own image from the video screens flanking the stage. “It’s so strange!” was one of her remarks from the stage. It is rare that a performer sees himself or herself on video panels during a performance – those visuals are typically meant for the audience.
Hynde brings abundant stage apittude and experience to any show (lest we forget, the Pretenders played the US Festival in 1983). That an artist with her equity was taken off-guard by the Park Theater’s technology proves the venue offers something different.
Simply, those 20-foot-tall screens are right there, folks, right up in your face.
Expect Bruno Mars, too, to take note of his own-self on those towering screens on Dec. 30-31. He memorably halted the band during the Rock in Rio USA festival in May 2015 to tell the crowd to look at his face on a billboard over Sahara Avenue.
A few additional thoughts about the opening of Park Theater: The sound was dialed in perfectly – full and lush but not too loud – and the sight lines are all unimpeded. I had heard of complaints from the seats in the upper sections, the 300s, being too cramped. I have not tested those. But the lines at the concessions stands were uncommonly long (though I have heard some auxiliary bars are being moved in for the Mars shows) and a high-ranking exec from a competing resort company was trapped in one of those lengthy lines.
You can imagine this person’s assessment of that experience.
Also to be noted: One of the employee doors at the second-level concession stand, which ticket-holders pass as they head to the restrooms, swings out to the common area. Someone walking to the men’s room – hello – can actually run into the door as it’s flung open. Not a major deal, but it’s one of those characteristics that should be reviewed.
But in the final analysis: Big, bright visuals. Great sound. Dazzling sight lines. And Bruno Mars. I’ll take that hand, and so — I believe — will Chrissie Hynde.
DOWNTOWN CROWNED
As reported by my colleague Heidi Knapp Rinella, Downtown Crown British Pub at the Arts Factory has abruptly closed. Owner Ron Shultz is looking to “reorganize,” and the restaurant is locked for the holidays.
Downtown Crown opened in January, taking over where Bar + Bistro operated until it shut down in July 2015. Before that, Tinoco’s Italian restaurant had a pretty steady run at that location on Charleston and Main Street before bolting for Las Vegas Club (which is also now closed). A Paymon’s restaurant moved into the Arts Factory spot, briefly, before Bar + Bistro opened.
As part of the Crown & Anchor and Little Crown & Anchor family, Downtown Crown is (or was) appealing for its 24-hour menu and a good Cuban sandwich.
The target demo was always a curiosity, though, with late-night DJs unleashing dance tracks, a formidable biker clientele milling in the open courtyard, and occasional burlesque-ish performances in the tavern space. Downtown Crown offered a brunch menu; the place was often about empty when brunch was offered. It has always felt the business was still seeking its identity. Maybe that’s being addressed in this reorganization.
Until then, I’ll miss the Cuban sandwiches — and being able to order one at 2 a.m.
ROCK ON … AND ON …
I continue to smile at “Raiding the Rock Vault’s” comeback in March at Hard Rock Hotel’s Vinyl music club. Expect an announcement about the show’s relaunch on Wednesday.
Now we just need everyone to settle down, and turn it up …
IS MISS A HIT?
We must mark the brief run of “The Miss Behave Game Show,” which hustled through Anthony Cools’ room at Paris Las Vegas on Dec. 11-13. The test-drive by Spiegelworld execs Julie Richardson and David Foster was to entice an investor, or plural of such, to set up an extended residency of the show in VegasVille.
Spiegelworld, of course, is the production overlord of “Absinthe” at Caesars Palace, and “Miss Behave” does invoke some of “Absinthe’s” ribald humor and sideshow theatrics.
“Miss Behave” unwinds under the mercurial navigation of host Amy Saunders and her male-yet-androgynous assistant, Harriet. The show’s audience is split into sections marked “iPhones” and “Others,” and an on-the-fly series of audience contests ensue. The “Age Lottery,” in which the hosts counts down ages until a man who might or might not be 70 years old is still standing, is one such game. A live Shazam competition, in which the audience guesses such songs as “Tainted Love,” is also in play. The Dec. 11 show culminated in an inconsequential, but highly invigorating, plastic-ball fight.
The show could well find a short-term home in a 200-seat venue, such as the Paris room. Here’s a thought: Pair it with “Never Sleep Alone,” Spiegelworld’s satirical sex-advice stage production as hosted by “Dr. Alex Schiller.” The shows are trying to hook the same type of audience in similarly fashioned venues and don’t require an inordinate amount of staging. Stage them at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., cross-promote and split rental payment on the room.
“NSA” reportedly enticed something like 10 or 20 or maybe 80 suitors in VegasVille after it was showcased in February. But since then, nothing has transpired.
Call it a quick toss, a fling, or whatever. No matter. Just run the idea by the Dr. Schiller, who is always game.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section, and Fridays in Neon. He also hosts “Kats! On The Radio” Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on KUNV 91.5-FM and appears Wednesdays at 11 a.m. with Dayna Roselli on KTNV Channel 13. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
Note: This version of the column corrects one of the restaurants at the Arts Factory as Paymon’s.
