Las Vegas rocker restarting off-Strip tavern
The Kats! Bureau at this writing is the Starbucks at the Cosmopolitan. The Strip-facing coffee enclave give a good view of costumed buskers walking to the Bellagio Fountains. Lord Vader must be very hot today.
More from this scene, and elsewhere.
Hatted return
Hard Hat Lounge is returning to business by the end of September, owner and guitar great Frank Sidoris reports.
The refreshed bar on Industrial Road has been dark since May, undergoing further renovations after Sidoris took on the project in August 2022.
Sidoris said in an Instagram post to “expect the much-needed/decades-long upgrades (plumbing being one of them!!!) to the building with zero compromise to the bar experience you’ve known and loved for 61 years.
Hard Hat opened as a diner in 1962. The mural on the wall behind the bar dates to that year. Legend has it, the piece was hand-painted by Frank and Vicky Bowers, Hard Hat regulars who were paying off Frank’s bar tab.
Sidoris has announced a new culinary partner, Bobby Meader and Stay Tuned Burgers. Sidoris originally partnered with Robby Cunningham of Guerilla Pizza, before the two agreed to an “amicable split,” business-wise, at the tavern.
Sidoris now plans a one-year anniversary party in October. The son of Stabile Productions co-founder Angela Stabile and Resorts World casino pro Frank Sidoris is currently touring with Mammoth WVH, opening for Metallica.
We hope the ever-rocking Las Vegas native plugs in when he’s back. We also plan to nab our own hard hat for the club’s wall of fame.
He’s magic
Fielding West arrived for a show in his honor Saturday and handed me a prop, saying, “Hold this for a second.”
It was a battery pack for his oxygen tank. West straightened the tubes leading to his nose, knowing he was going to be in for a lengthy night.
“I might need this later,” he said, taking back the device. “I don’t know how long this show is going to last.” The piece of medical equipment is temporary, West says, as he recovers from COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease).
The great comic magician was feted at Sun City MacDonald Ranch Community Center on Saturday night. Before a packed house in the Green Valley retirement community theater, West was honored by the International Brotherhood of Magicians Fantasma Ring No. 257, covering magicians in Las Vegas.
West’s buddy and magic man Michael Finney showed up as unbilled emcee. He took the stage dressed as Bob the Bird, named for a gag West has used for years. After several minutes of nearly indecipherable shtick, Finney pulled off his mask and West lost it.
“I cried four times,” West would say later. “I completely forgot what I was gong to say when I was thanking people.”
Mayor Carolyn Goodman sent a proclamation naming the day Fielding West Day in Las Vegas. West’s friends in the entertainment community Ruby Coby, Murray Sawchuck, Devlin, Lorenzo Clark, Rocco Silano and Joseph Gabriel performed. Penny Wiggins returned to her Psychic Tanya character, from her days as The Amazing Johnathan’s sidekick.
Among West’s guests were Clint and Janice Ferebee. West and Clint Ferebee have known each other since they were 14-year-old prep students in in Albany, Georgia.
Clint’s father, Thomas, was the bombardier aboard Enola Gay, which dropped the atomic bomb “Little Boy” on Hiroshima in 1945. They were among more than 200 well-wishers and family members in attendance.
West is still performing with the “Lance Burton and Friends” comedy-magic show three times a month. West always packs his oxygen rig, which has become comedic fodder.
When Burton brings West to the stage, he asks, “How long can you go without your oxygen?”
“About 12 minutes,” West says.
After a long pause, Burton says, “All it took was COPD for you to stick to your time.”
Blaine at Wynn!
We mean, as a fan.
With no announcement of his return to Resorts World Theater, stunt star and master extreme showman David Blaine attended “Awakening” on Saturday. We’re saying Blaine’s RWLV show has played out. He cut the final two performances in June because of lingering shoulder problems after his 80-foot drop into cardboard boxes.
We are not ruling out interest in Blaine at another Vegas venue. We are not reading too much into the fact that he was at Wynn, where years ago he met with officials (including Steve Wynn) to discuss a show at Encore Theater. We’ll just say it was a coincidental visit.
Great Moments in Social Media
Last month, MGM Grand’s concierge department received an odd request from a family with a young son. They asked for a pillow fort in their guest room. The concierge asked housekeeping to assemble pillows in a tent with several pillows on the floor. Beautiful work. The kid’s response is @kmaistlez209 on TikTok.
Tease this …
Members of a legendary rock band are expected to appear at the Punk Rock Museum this month.
Cool Hang Alert
SJ & The Ruckus plays 9-11 p.m. Friday at Rush Lounge at Golden Nugget. S.J. Rhodes of “Spice Wannabee” at Excalibur fronts the band. No cover, 21 and over.
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 Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
