‘How dare you ask me that question!’ Bruno Mars parties it up at his Vegas club
Bruno Mars made it count on New Year’s Eve, closing ’24 and opening ’25 at The Pinky Ring at Bellagio.
He beat the clock. Barely.
Mars took the stage at 11:57 p.m., or about the time the packed house was wondering if the countdown to ’25 would be accompanied by the samplings of DJ Velvet Hoss (the stage name Mars conjured for Colin Rebey).
Instead, the velvet stage curtain was pulled back to show Mars and his famous backing band, The Hooligans, all dressed identically in gray-plaid suits.
“We’re just going to vibe for a couple of minutes,” Mars said, as the band free-formed to the headliner’s improvised lyrics. Finally, he shouted “Who’s ready for 2025! Raise your hands!”
Mars checked the time from a tablet on stage, read off the numbers with great modulation, and kicked into a funked-up “Auld Lang Syne.”
Then it was a rowdy cover of The Showstoppers’ “Ain’t Nothing But a House Party.” Mars performed as a band member, not the front man, singing and playing bongos, even while smoking his Natural American Spirit cigarettes.
By the time the headliner arrived, just after his sold-out performance at Dolby Live just north at Park MGM, the party was already in open-throttle. The club was packed at its 180-person capacity. It was a well-heeled bunch.
Table minimums started at $10,000, rising to $100,000 for a spot in Bruno’s Champagne Room. One customer bought this offer, lifting the pre-paid reservation figures to $277,000. This info is from Bellagio Director of Customer Development and Host Manager Richie Summers.
Summers, who runs the club’s day-to-day, wasn’t the only exec in the room. MGM Resorts International President and CEO Bill Hornbuckle and his wife, Wendy; and acclaimed architect Brad Friedmutter and his wife, Kim, were in the room for the duration. MGM Resorts Vice President of Operations Alex Enes was also in his customary spot in Mars’ VIP enclave.
But none of these dignitaries were permitted to take photos or videos. Mars has established a phone-free zone at TPR, following his directive to pouch phones in Yondr cases for his Dolby Live shows.
Cloaked in mystique, The Pinky Ring celebrates its one-year anniversary in March. The club — a partnership between Mars and MGM Resorts International — gets its name from the line in “24K Magic,” “Put your pinky rings up to the moon.” Also, Mars gave his father, the doo-wop front man Peter Hernandez, the pinkie ring he wears today.
Mars has previously performed on NYE during his residency at The Chelsea at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (where he headlined from 2013 to ’15), and another NYE show at T-Mobile Arena in 2018.
The 15-time Grammy Award winner entertained a conversation between his two 30-minute, New Year’s Eve sets. I made it over to him, nuancing my way through his assorted security officials.
I asked if he had any comment about the year past and what is ahead. This is his verbatim quote: “Kats! How dare you ask me that question right now! I’m drunk! Ask me tomorrow!”
Hey, who has the time? New Year’s Day is for Anyma at Sphere. (We should note Mars laughed as he made the comment.)
But this is how our headliner of the year in ’24 vaulted into the new year. And of course, his show was far from the only party platform we checked into on NYE.
Caspian’s egg-cellent concept
Caesars Palace’s Caspian’s Cocktails & Cabaret celebrated its first New Year’s Eve. The former Cleopatra’s Barge opened to the public on Dec. 20. Those who ambled in five-six years ago for a Wayne Newton or Dionne Warwick show, or to catch David Perrico’s band, won’t recognize the place.
The concept is similar to the discovery of a “hidden” music club at Barbershop Cuts & Cocktails at the Cosmopolitan, also a Clique Hospitality venture. But Caspian’s is cozier, more plush, hued in red and beige with a long-arching chandelier in the middle.
I caught just a sample of Vegas rocker Indie Florentino’s set, a buoyant cover of The Killers’ “Somebody Told Me.” The Killers are back for three shows Jan. 22 and 24-25. We’re already envisioning a drop-in by the Vegas band, after it plays the Colosseum.
Caspian’s is a new nightspot, just taking hold in ’25, but the space is steeped in history and that’s how they did it in the old days.
Update: Mars did come through with a comment to turn the calendar, checking in at 10:35 a.m. New Year’s Day with, “In 2024 The Pinky Ring opened up at the Bellagio and I truly believe it’s the best nightclub in the word. I can’t wait to Las Vegas sees what I do next. Here’s to 2025. Vegas, baby!”
Cool Hang Alert
A general plug for Fremont Street Experience’s live stages with such no-cover faves as Tony Marques, Alter Ego and 90s Station rotating on the corridor’s three stages. And just as we thought Zowie Bowie was done and gone from FSE, Chris Phillips is back with nights booked beginning in January. His RetroVoxx ’80s New Wave revival is Jan. 10, and original Top-40 ZB band returns Jan. 11. Never, ever say never in this city. Go to vegasexperience.com for intel.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
