Superstar DJ Zedd lights up Club NHL at Zouk Nightclub

The superstar DJ Zedd was at de club on Friday night. So was Vegas Golden Nights President Kerry Bubolz.

The difference between the two is, Zedd drops beats. Bubolz drops pucks.

The scene was Club NHL at Zouk Nightclub at Resorts World Las Vegas, site of the NHL All-Star VIP party. I caught Bubolz just as I entered the nightspot. It was one of those, “That guy looks like Kerry Bubolz … oh, wait,” moments. I shouted that this was precisely the kind of scene I’d envisioned when Las Vegas landed an NHL expansion team. The exec nodded and laughed in agreement.

To reach Bubolz, I meandered through several individuals wearing NHL pins, and even a few donning regulation NHL jerseys. I eventually ran into (really) Cameron “The Igniter” Hughes, who gives a booster shot to the T-Mobile Arena crowd during Golden Knights games.

Bubolz might have felt like a dis-armored Knight in this crowd, but Hughes was definitely in his element. I swear Zedd could hear The Igniter shouting at the booth.

I also happened by VGK broadcaster and ex-NHL player Shane Hnidy, who is suffering a shoulder injury after playing hockey with his son. Torn rotator cuff (and not his first), requiring surgery. You might see him favoring that wing during upcoming telecasts.

The place was jammed. The crowd might not have been the usual nightclub demo, but once you finally work your way into one of these monstrous clubs you understand the appeal. The guy in the Henrik Lundqvist Rangers jersey threw his fist in the air when the party cannons fired from Zedd’s booth. The crowd loved when Zedd unleashed “Thunderstruck” by AC/DC from the booth. The guy knows how to win over a room.

Earlier in the afternoon the NHL All-Star Skills event at T-Mobile drew such name-checks as Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell, and their son, the actor and ex-minor-league hockey player Wyatt Russell; Jon Hamm; Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce of the Kansas City Chiefs; Darren Waller of the Raiders; Ryan Kelly of the Colts; BMX legend TJ Lavin; Carrot Top and Terry Fator.

Zedd was back Saturday, performing for players’ introductions. Machine Gun Kelly played between the second and third periods, and Laugh Factory at Tropicana headliner Murray Sawchuck performed a couple of bits in the first period. He and MGK actually were mistaken for each other backstage.

#TheScene @ResortsWorldLV … The world’s best, or worst #Elvis tribute artist, the #Stardust tribute, #keytar tribute and more … #Vegas #RJnow @reviewjournal pic.twitter.com/cPFfIVts2k

— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) February 5, 2022

The NHL All-Star week and Pro Bowl action drew myriad famous people. We’ll post and publish that collective after the weekend subsides and the house lights are up.

How #Vegas does #NHLAllStar party … @ZoukGroupLV @ResortsWorldLV #RJNOW @reviewjournal @NHL pic.twitter.com/20WJmy2fxR

— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) February 5, 2022

Cirque no soleil

Cirque du Soleil and its acquisition show Blue Man Group were absent from Saturday’s NHL All-Star Game and related events. Cirque simply wasn’t asked to participate. Misfire, I say. It would have been wild to watch the Blue Men deal with Gritty. No reason given.

His life is still beautiful

Life is Beautiful founder Rehan Choudhry said he’s learning along with all other music fans of Rolling Stone’s acquisition of LiB.

“It’s exciting news for the city and really a beautiful thing knowing that the festival will be in the hands of Rolling Stone,” Choudhry said in text Saturday morning. “If you had asked me about purchasing it back when we founded it, I would have told you that it would be a dream scenario.”

A @ZoukGroupLV headliner in action …@Zedd rocks it @ResortsWorldLV #NHLAllStar party … @reviewjournal #RJNow @NHL pic.twitter.com/Ki8LMdx6NN

— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) February 5, 2022

Life is Beautiful was very much Choudhry’s dream when he left his job as entertainment director at the Cosmopolitan to launch the downtown festival in 2013. Joey Vanas, then an official with First Friday, was onboard with his experience in downtown Las Vegas. Financial investment from Tony Hsieh fueled the development of LiB.

Choudhry broke off from the original LiB team in 2015. The visionary then took a shot with a more Strip-centric festival, Emerge Impact + Music, which lasted for two after its takeoff in 2018.

Choudhry has not been back to Las Vegas since 2019. He and his wife, former News 3 anchor Jessica Moore, now live in Manhattan with their two young children. Moore, three-time Emmy Award winner, is an anchor at WCBS.

Choudhry is embarking on another vision, www.chptr.com, a platform that reimagines death memorialization. More info to come in the next couple of months. As Choudhry says, “It’s the first project I’ve fallen in love with since LiB.”

Kool figures

Kool & The Gang nearly sold out Friday’s show and was on a pace to fill Saturday’s performance at International Theater at Westgate Las Vegas. The band is still nails, musically. The crowd at Friday’s show was dancing in the aisles, singing along to “Ladies’ Night,” “Jungle Boogie” and a soaring, set-closing, “Celebration.” The revered, R&B/funk band should be back this year.

How #Vegas does #NHLAllStar party … @ZoukGroupLV @ResortsWorldLV #RJNOW @reviewjournal @NHL pic.twitter.com/20WJmy2fxR

— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) February 5, 2022

Orchestral maneuvers

Former Sacramento Philharmonic & Opera Executive Director Alice Sauro has been appointed interim executive director of the Las Vegas Philharmonic. The company announced Sauro steps in for the departed Anne Berquist, who left the Philharmonic on Jan. 25. The Philharmonic Board of Trustees voted to part ways with Berquist “based on her performance in the role.” Berquist had joined the company in May.

Sauro is a Juilliard-educated violinist who has performed and worked as an orchestra manager for nearly 30 years. Prior to her tenure in Sacramento, Sauro was orchestra manager of the the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. She has lived in Las Vegas for two years.

Cool Hang Alert

The entertainment lineup at Stirling Club at Turnberry Place is worth a look-see, with such faves as Kelly Vohnn, Michael Monge, Elvis Lederer, Joelle Righetti, Tyrone Bowers, Matt Matelko, Cornelius Herring, David Perrico’s Pop Retro and Serena Henry on the February calendar. There’s more, much more, at the club that is open to non-members with no cover charge. Go to thestirlingclub.com for info.

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.