Superstar rapper, nightclub icons mark F1 finale

He say luda. We say cris.

Ludacris!

The actor/recording artist born Christopher Brian Bridges was the man in command (aside from LV Grand Prix victor George Russell and F1 series champ Max Verstappen) at T-Mobile Zone at Sphere on Saturday night.

Ludacris was the race-night headliner for the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. He alternately praised Las Vegas and his hometown of Atlanta, not exactly pitting the cities against one another but saying he loved them both.

But only one of those cities, and one city anywhere, offers a festival parcel next to a bulbous wonder. Ludacris came out smoking, in an artistic context, tearing through a 40-minute set to set up the night’s main event.

“Who’s too fast and too furious!” the 47-year-old, multihyphenate superstar called out. He then performed “Act a Fool” from the “2 Fast 2 Furious” soundtrack, themed for the weekend of racing in Vegas.

Chris Lake opened Saturday night’s show. Alesso and Chromeo performed at the spectator zone on Friday, OneRepublic and The Beaches performed Thursday.

Later at XS Nightclub at Wynn Las Vegas, Swedish House Mafia performed at the Sports Illustrated post-race party. The club was packed by the time Axwell, Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso took the stage at 2 a.m. The superstars had never played an extended series in North America, but where recruited by Wynn Vice President of Nightlife Ryan Jones at the 2022 Coachella music festival in 2022.

“I went up there with their management to see how the crowd reacted to their headlining set,” Jones says. “And once I saw that reaction, it was a slam dunk for me to bring them here.”

Just before the performance, a drone show spelling out the Wynn Nightlife logo was produced over the Encore Beach Club outdoor space, open for the night. Strobes and party cannons erupted during the SHM set, the volume rivaling that of Russell’s winning Mercedes race car.

J Balvin at the Bowl

“Prince of Reggaeton” J Balvin performed an exclusive concert for SiriusXM and Pandora on Saturday, taking over Brooklyn Bowl at Linq Promenade.

The special concert featured performances from the superstar’s latest album, “Rayo.” The performance will air in its entirety on SiriusXM’s Hits Uno (channel 151) at 2 p.m. Pacific on Dec. 6, and SiriusXM’s Caliente (channel 152) at 4 p.m. Dec. 7. The show will also stream on the SiriusXM app.

Carlos has Alibi

Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz appeared at Smooth Operator Dance Lounge at Alibi inside Aria ARIA on Wednesday. During race week, Aria transformed the ultra lounge into the Carlos Sainz Smooth Operator Dance Lounge, inspired by his nickname bestowed on the racing star from singing the song while passing rivals on the track.

Sainz grooved his way into the club (as it should be), with the song played by a DJ and sax musician. Sainz signed autographs and posed for selfies, with hundreds of fans in the venue and a line snaking outside.

Drai in the club

Drai’s Group Vice President of Marketing Dustin Drai took in the SHM show from behind the DJ booth. Drai’s at Cromwell had been booked for private events. Drai’s father, nightlife icon Victor Drai, partnered with Steve Wynn to open Tryst (now Intrigue) at the hotel in 2007, and a year later, XS.

Spiegelworld rocks

Performers from Spiegelworld performed in rotation at the Mercedes Las Vegas Club on Koval Lane. Twin tap tandem Sean and John Scott, the sway pole act and hula-hoop and quick-change artist Craig Reid from “Absinthe” were among those performing Thursday through Saturday.

Food wrap

Quick list of the best of the Patina Restaurant Group’s culinary offerings at T-Mobile Zone at Sphere:

3. Banana Pudding. On Thursday, a worker shouted, “Anyone want banana pudding!” because that sweet dessert in a dish was not moving. But by Saturday, it was snapped up immediately. Strong word of mouth about this one.

2. Beef hot dogs. I’m not a big hot dog fan, but this pepper-and-onion-slathered dog, smothered in mustard, was a trackside gourmet delicacy.

1. Pressed burgers. Yes, pressed with a crispy bun. Convenient, able to control with one hand, and yummy. The crowd ate these up.

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.