Lady Gaga is ‘very Gaga’ at Elton John show in Las Vegas
Lady Gaga was in full Gaga regalia on Saturday night for Elton John’s final weekend performance at Caesars Palace.
“This woman was walking by and I glanced over and went, ‘What? Wait! Yep, yep, that’s Lady Gaga,’ ” said Vegas singer Maren Wade, who happened to be seated a couple of rows and a few seats in front of Gaga at the performance. “She was Lady Gaga-ed out, with the black-and-white-striped coat, the sunglasses, her hair all done up.
“She was beautiful. She was definitely, very Gaga. Easy to spot.”
Tiny Dancer flies to see the Rocket Man. 4 more show left baby. How wonderful life is while you’re in the world #VEGAS #SirEltonJohn pic.twitter.com/AkWdeeMVOu
— Lady Gaga (@ladygaga) May 13, 2018
The superstar whose legal name is Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, was led into the Colosseum with a team of security officers, but otherwise enjoyed the show as any other ticketed fan.
“She was really enthusiastic, she stood up a lot, she was dancing,” said Wade, one of the stars of “The Cocktail Cabaret” at Cleopatra’s Barge, across the casino floor from Colosseum at Caesars. “She was definitely moved by the show.”
John introduced one of his greatest works, “Your Song,” with his usual not to co-writer Bernie Taupin, who was also in the audience. “We knew after we wrote this we were onto something,” Wade recalled John saying. He then added, “I want to dedicate this one to Stefani.”
“I looked over, and Lady Gaga had her hands over her mouth and it looked like she was crying,” Wade said. “She was really touched.” John later announced Gaga in the crowd, honoring her as the godmother to Elijah and Zachary, the two sons of John and his husband, David Furnish.
Prior to the show, Lady Gaga tweeted that she was heading to see her friend during his final run at the Colosseum, which ends this Thursday. “Tiny Dancer flies to see the Rocket Man. 4 more show left baby. How wonderful life is while you’re in the world #VEGAS #SirEltonJohn.” Gaga herself opens her residency at The Park Theater in December.
“I just loved watching her watch the show,” Wade said. “Everyone in the crowd was watching Elton John, then turning and watching Lady Gaga, and watching Elton again. She was right there with the rest of his fans.”
Caparulo shines in debut
John Caparulo opened his dual-headlining residency with Tom Green, called “The Comedy Lineup,” at Harrah’s Showroom on Thursday night.
“I kind of feel like I opened for myself,” Caparulo said after his lid-lifting performance. “It took me a while to get comfortable, but I’ll get the hang of it. The next time you see me, I’ll be more like a professional comedian.”
Funny, because Caparulo was sharp in his first show at Harrah’s, where he toggles nights with Green in the 10 p.m. shows (Caparulo on Thursdays through Saturdays; Green on Sundays and Mondays). Caparulo will partner with his regular opening act, Mark Ellis, at Harrah’s once he finds his footing in the showroom. The veteran stand-up is likely most recognizable for his seven-year run on “Chelsea Lately” ending in 2014.
Caparulo’s role as a foil in relationships has been tempered by his marriage to his wife, Jamie, in 2012. The couple also has a 3-year-old daughter, Madden Jae. But “Cap” still effective as the butt of his own jokes.
“My wife asks me, ‘What are your plans this weekend?’ I just say, ‘Why don’t you just tell me?’ ” He also unfurls a terrific stretch about whales living in captivity in theme parks that attack their handlers. The key reference is, “Maybe they just have ‘creative differences.’ ”
The DLVEC setup
Aerial shots of Downtown Las Vegas Events Center’s official Golden Knights viewing party on Saturday showed the seats and tables in the VGK logo. That work was headed up by Blake Victor, a top Vegas graphics designer and the son The D Las Vegas Las Vegas Vice President of Operations Jeff Victor, who oversees events at DLVEC. Blake developed the pattern with 3D graphics, to scale, and the on-site crew followed his design.
Requisite table setup scene @DLVEC @GoldenKnights watch party #VegasBorn #StanleyCup pic.twitter.com/UFK583tXhH
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) May 12, 2018
Sunday’s event drew about 5,000 fans, including Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman, D Las Vegas co-owner Derek Stevens, the VGK Drum Line and even team mascot Chance the gila monster (who might be mistaken for one of Fremont Street Experience’s buskers if he keeps hanging around that ‘hood).
As Jeff Victor said, “Other than the team’s loss, it was a big success.”
Contact John Katsilometes at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.