Big DJs are changing Las Vegas’ tune

If you haven’t been to bed yet, you might know Vegas cleaned Ibiza’s clock for club action this Memorial Day weekend. And we’re easier to pronounce.

Those who follow celebrity DJs are in the thick of so many, it’s hard to choose. The weekend superstars include Tiesto, Paul Oakenfold, Fatboy Slim, Deadmau5 and Erick Morillo, who steered the herd to the Strip by making Las Vegas a Memorial Day tradition.

If you’re sipping your coffee after a good night’s sleep, these names may not mean so much. To translate for pop fans, imagine Rihanna, Britney Spears, Madonna and Taylor Swift all here in one weekend.

Wait a minute. Swift did do an arena show on Memorial Day weekend of 2009. Like Madonna did in 2006. But the big arena acts are missing this year. So are Celine and Garth. At least Barry showed up.

So, has Memorial Day weekend simply been claimed by one market segment? The way the National Finals Rodeo takes over in December?

Or is this a tipping point? Has club life officially conquered Las Vegas and made old-fashioned singing and playing instruments, gulp, irrelevant?

It’s dicey to make solid declarations, but a good weekend to ask the question. And to look at the economics.

Three years ago, Steve Wynn chuckled about the ongoing challenge of “Le Reve,” a show that cleared maybe $15 million after paying its huge cast and crew at Wynn Las Vegas. But Tryst nightclub rang up $70 million with comparative ease.

More recently, Wynn talked about trying to fill up his theater on weekends Garth Brooks isn’t here. The same names tend to come up for recurring residencies, whether it’s Wynn’s place or the Colosseum at Caesars Palace: Billy Joel, Neil Diamond and Michael Buble among them.

But there’s a catch. “The entertainers very rarely want to work for a price that the people are willing to pay,” Wynn said. “Most entertainers are looking for someone to subsidize. They want to give their fans a deal, but they want a big paycheck.”

The DJs are surely cashing big checks, too, but they have no production costs. No crew, no gear to tote around. They use the club’s sound and lights.

In that respect, they are more like stand-up comics. And guess what? A lot of them are here this weekend, too. Chelsea Handler and Daniel Tosh both playing huge venues, surrounded by Bill Cosby, Joan Rivers, Ron White and more.

It’s enough comedy to be a festival, like the one that used to be here in November. Maybe next year, the casinos should team up and market it as one. I’m thinking it wouldn’t hurt to remind people Las Vegas once was known for more than DJs.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.