New view at the Palms; Stones’ ‘Exhibitionism’ extended at Palazzo
The Kats! Bureau at this writing is Lucky Penny at the Palms, where the jackhammers and power tools are running full tilt in the hotel’s $485 million renovations.
Nearby, a wall is up, Pink Floyd-style. It’s like a giant maze in here, and I cannot find my way around a hotel I’ve visited regularly since it opened in November 2001. I’m so confused I just asked if my buddy J.O.D. has started his shift at N9Ne Steakhouse yet.
An inside reference, but if you get it, pretty funny.
The latest news out of the Palms is Clique Hospitality projects Apex Social Club and Camden Cocktail Lounge will open in May. Apex takes over the old Ghostbar space on the 55th floor. Camden Cocktail Lounge will be where the open bar Social was located. We’ve been writing of this plan for several months, or at least I have, with the Camden Lounge offering specialty cocktails with plenty of flash and flair in a club boasting an ultra-chic design.
The new lounge should remind of Clique at The Cosmopolitan, with that company’s founder Andy Masi heading up the effort along with partners and Vegas nightlife vets Ryan Labbe and Jason “JRoc” Craig. At the top of all this activity is Palms General Manager Jon Gray, who said in a statement, “As we redevelop Palms from top to bottom, including our most iconic space, it only makes sense to partner with nightlife leaders Clique Hospitality to help bring this vision to life.”
I’m told Clique’s involvement in the company will not preclude Cy and Jesse Waits’ positions as nightlife officials with the Palms. The twin power players of Las Vegas head up the Social Experience Group for Palms owner Station Casinos. They were to lead the nightclubs at the ill-fated Alon resort near the north end of the Strip. Instead, they were snapped up by the Palms and will remain involved in the hotel’s overarching nightlife program. Their future initiatives will come into sharper focus, sometime after the jackhammers are unplugged and hauled away.
Stones rolling
“Exhibitionism,” the Rolling Stones’ extensive memorabilia display at The Palazzo, was set to close Jan. 31, but has been extended through Feb. 25. It’s worth a visit. Even non-fans will find fascinating the Stones’ trek through time.
Sadly, hopes that the band would visit the Strip to promote “Exhibitionism” have not been realized. There are no plans for Mick and the guys to check out such great installations as the recreations of the band’s flats from London in 1962. “Lived in” doesn’t begin to cover it.
Daltrey to The Joint
On the topic of the British Invasion on the Strip ….
Roger Daltrey’s run at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel, set for March 7 and 10, reminds that there are still no shows booked in Las Vegas for the band he fronts — The Who.
Daltrey and fellow Who founder Pete Townshend have been reviewing options for return dates at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace this year. Nothing has been agreed upon in the complex circuitry of the musicians’ scheduling commitments. It seems unlikely, with no dates on the schedule, that The Who will perform on the Strip this year.
Daltrey’s performances are promoted by AEG Presents, which also brought The Who to the Colosseum. The Who have inspired fellow rock legends to seriously consider these extended engagements in Strip theaters. It’s no accident that Aerosmith, for example, was lured to The Park Theater after The Who headlined at the Colosseum.
Bono rocks it!
We speak, of course, of Dennis Bono, who has extended his contract to host his weekly talk show from South Point Showroom through this year. “The Dennis Bono Show” is taped at 2 p.m. Thursdays, no cover (and the room is always filled with Bono’s value-conscious fans).
Bono’s traditionally formatted chat show, which has featured such entertainment luminaries as Tony Orlando, Steve Lawrence and Crystal Gayle along with just about every headliner on the Strip, premiered in 2000 under a six-week deal at Sunset Station. The show moved to Sam’s Town in 2005, then to South Point five years later.
Bono’s show reaches 191 cites on the CRN Cable Television. The audio feed is presented on Channel 951 on Cox Cable at 6 p.m. Saturdays and 3 p.m. Sundays. The radio version airs no 104.7 KJUL-FM at 7 p.m. Sundays. Bono has fashioned a smooth relationship with South Point owner Michael Gaughan and hotel Entertainment Director Michael Libonati, saying he’d agree to a handshake deal with these boys if need be.
The man who once opened for Don Rickles and considers himself a protege of Frank Sinatra keeps it simple. He once told me, “I am a saloon singer, and this is my saloon.”
Who Was Where
New York Rangers teammates Mats Zuccarello, Rick Nash, Jimmy Vesey and Brady Skjei on Sunday night at XS Nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas. Reportedly they were joined by a collection of men in suits, identified as team execs, and Grey Goose with Red Bull and Coors Light, evidently the beverages of choice for a team that just lost 2-1 to the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena .
The place was packed and Marshmello manned the decks, overseeing every shift change …
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him atjkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.