‘Not Sinatra, not Celine’: Caesars Palace honors longest-running headliner

Jerry Seinfeld’s best friend in the comedy biz showed up by surprise at the Colosseum on Friday night; and if there were a script, George Wallace veered from it immediately.

“I’m choked up. Everyone should have a friend like Jerry Seinfeld. I’m blessed. I’m lucky to know this man,” Wallace said while toting a big “100” plaque, marking Seinfeld’s 100th show at the Caesars Palace venue. “Jerry, I love you and there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Wallace couldn’t resist cracking jokes in his speech, which closed the sold-out show. Wallace shared that he was Seinfeld’s opener when Seinfeld premiered at the Colosseum on May 2, 2003.

“I was actually on this stage before he was,” Wallace said. “He said, ‘I need someone who is really, really good.’ I apparently was too good. He has not asked me to come back.”

Wallace headlined for a decade across the Strip at the Flamingo. The veteran stand-up noted that he and Seinfeld were roommates in New York for 13 years early in their careers.

“I was best man at his wedding (applause),” Wallace went on. “I’m the father of his kids …” The former statement is true.

Just as Seinfeld was about to leave the stage, Friday night’s opener, Mario Joyner, introduced Caesars Entertainment execs Sean McBurney and Terrence O’Donnell.

The two execs formalized and contextualized Seinfeld’s achievement.

No. 100 for @JerrySeinfeld @CaesarsPalace … Twenty-one year unbroken run is the longest ever in the company. And also surprise guest action … @reviewjournal pic.twitter.com/gMQJcXu6SF

— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) September 7, 2024

McBurney, well-suited as usual, said to the comedian, “You are officially the longest-running resident performer in the history of Caesars. It’s not Sinatra. It’s not Celine Dion, it’s Jerry Seinfeld!”

The crowd rose and cheered. Seinfeld covers more years than anyone ever at Caesars Palace. His 100 shows average to about six per year; he took a break from September 2019 through April 2023.

Dion opened the Colosseum about five weeks before Seinfeld premiered and has the all-time record for most performances at the theater with 1,141 ending in June 2019.

Seinfeld reaches 100 during a series of landmarks for Caesars Palace headliners. Adele is also set to hit 100 shows at Caesars when she closes her residency in November. Rod Stewart hits 200 at the Colosseum in March.

Seinfeld didn’t make an acceptance speech after receiving the plaque. His work on this night was finished. But to appreciate the bond between he and Wallace, watch their episode of “Comedians In Cars Getting Coffee.” These legendary stand-ups are great, even sitting down.

Brad Garrett at UNLV

Brad Garrett appeared in an invite-only, off-Strip gig on Friday afternoon. The MGM club operator and headliner was a guest on the UNLV College of Fine Arts “Dean’s Picks” interview series. UNLV College of Fine Arts Dean Nancy Uscher launched the series this summer.

In a chat with theater professor Nate Bynum, Garrett recalled being canned, then re-hired, within weeks by Frank Sinatra.

Garrett was having a tough set at the Sands in Atlantic City that night when he spotted a VIP in attendance.

“John Gotti’s in the front row, dressed in a tuxedo and a top hat,” Garrett said of the mob boss. “I call him, ‘Mr. Peanut.’ This does not go over well.”

After about 10 minutes, the crowd shouted, “Frank! Where’s Frank?!” Experiencing “flop sweat,” Garrett felt a tug at his mic cord, signaling to cut his set. Succumbing to nerves, Garrett closed with, “You’re a great audience. Stick around for Frank.”

Brad Garrett once told a joke as Frank Sinatra’s opening act, “You’re a great audience. Stick around for Frank.” Here w/ @UNLVFineArts professor Nate Bynum in the first UNLV Dean’s Picks series, headed up by Dean Nancy Uscher @ Paul Harris Theatre … @reviewjournal pic.twitter.com/5BnB8EJjcR

— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) September 6, 2024

Sinatra’s henchmen were not happy. Not getting the joke, Old Blue Eyes’ dear friend Jilly Rizzo cornered Garrett in his dressing room after the show.

“He called me ‘Greg,’ because nobody knew my name,” Garrett said. “Jilly says, ‘Why would you say, ‘stick around for Frank?’ Are you making fun because Frank was late. They are here to see Frank.”

A massive bodyguard soon arrived. Jilly asked what this security official heard.

“I heard him say, ‘Stick it to Frank.’”

The joke became a problem. It didn’t matter that the orchestra and stage hands busted up over it. Garrett was told to take “a couple days off.” Jilly told Garrett, “You’ll be opening for Liza (Minnelli) in Reno now.”

But almost immediately, Sinatra forgot that “Greg” had been fired. Within a week, Garrett had been hired again to open for Sinatra in Atlantic City.

“He had no idea who I was,” Garrett said. “And he still called me ‘Greg.’”

Cool Hang Alert

Favorite Vegas showman Frankie Scinta stars in a show that fits his personality, “The Showman,” at 6:30 p.m. (dinner) and 8 p.m. (performance) Friday at Italian American Club Showroom. Scinta is the front man with his band of music director Dan Ellis, multi-instrumentalist Marc Chauvette and drummer Doug Tann.

Scinta has old-school chops, so expect some standards (including some not-performed-before Bobby Darin material) and a new Elton John medley. He’ll tell a joke, maybe toss in some impressions, possibly play the spoons.

Scinta arrived a quarter-century ago with his family act, headlining at the then-Shimmer Cabaret at Las Vegas Hilton (today’s Westgate Cabaret).

The showman has played such venues as the D, South Point, Plaza Showroom and Rio Las Vegas. He’s home today at Italian American Club, where he headlines between road gigs. On Sept. 1, Scinta played Boldt Castle St. Lawrence Rivers’ 1000 Islands near Alexandria Bay, New York.

The showman draws the masses in such shows. His crowd at this one was refreshingly multigenerational.

“There had to be 30 kids at my show, and when I say kids, I’m saying in their 20s. They couldn’t say enough about the show,” Scinta said. “It was, ‘I’ve never seen you, but oh my God we had fun. That’s what is so rewarding. It makes you feel like ‘O.K. I’ve got this.’ It’s what entertainment is all about.”

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.