Top 10 things to do in Las Vegas this week
ROCK
1. David Lee Roth
“When they say, ‘party like a rock star,’ who do you think they’re referring to?” David Lee Roth asked a Review-Journal reporter two years ago when he launched his most recent Las Vegas residency. It was a rhetorical question, of course, and he didn’t wait for an answer — we would have gone with the ghost of Ernest Borgnine — as Roth has a penchant for turning a stream-of-consciousness conversational style into a roaring river of one-liners overflowing its banks. Still, at 67, Roth remains a showman’s showman, one of the greatest hard rock frontmen ever, a leg kick incarnate, whose set list of solo hits and Van Halen classics remains close to peerless. See him launch a seven-show Vegas run at 9 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Wednesday at the House of Blues at Mandalay Bay. Ticket prices vary by show; houseofblues.com/david-lee-roth.
–Jason Bracelin
DINING
2. Chef Andre’s return
Andre Rochat — Las Vegas’ own homegrown celebrity chef and the former proprietor of Andre’s French Restaurant downtown, Andre’s at the Monte Carlo and Alize at the Palms — will prepare New Year’s Eve dinner at Marche Bacchus, 2620 Regatta Drive. Seatings for the four-course prix fixe menu will be 4:30 to 6:30 p.m., with seatings for the five-course menu from 7 to 10 p.m.; they’re $125 and $175, respectively. A caviar menu also will be available at all seatings. Call 702-804-8008 to reserve.
–Heidi Knapp Rinella
FAMILY
3. “Disney on Ice Presents Dream Big”
The magic of Disney will inhabit the Thomas & Mack Center when “Disney on Ice Presents Dream Big” arrives with messages of strength, determination and kindness (not to mention some amazing ice skating). Some favorite Disney characters — including Miguel from “Coco,” Moana and Maui, and Anna and Elsa from “Frozen” — will drop by, and so will the Disney princesses. The magic happens Thursday through Jan. 9. Tickets start at $25 at UNLVtickets.com or 702-739-3267.
–John Przybys
JAZZ
4. Nieve Malandra
Jazz singer Nieve Malandra performs at The Underground, the Mob Museum’s basement speakeasy and distillery, at 7 p.m. Sunday, and getting in will be as cool as the show: Guests will be admitted free with a password they can find in The Underground’s Instagram stories. It’s standard operating procedure for shows at the venue, and a full schedule for January (and a link to the Instagram account) can be found at themobmuseum.org.
–John Przybys
POP
5. Katy Perry
Pop star/fireworks-enhanced-brassiere enthusiast Katy Perry will be “Waking in Vegas” on the regular when she launches her first residency here. Titled “Play,” the show will feature the big-voiced singer squeezing her usual arena production, which in past outings featured giant inflatable tacos and rappers dressed as pharaohs, into the cozier confines of the 5,000-capacity Theatre at Resorts World Las Vegas. Hear her “Roar” at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Tickets start at $120 at axs.com.
–Jason Bracelin
COMPETITION
6. Drone Racing League
You can say this about the Drone Racing League: It doesn’t shy away from spectacle. For the final race of the 2021-22 DRL World Championship Season, the league’s top pilots will maneuver their custom drones at 90 mph through an aerial course surrounding T-Mobile Arena. Weezer will play a free show as part of the festivities, which are scheduled to begin at 5 p.m. Wednesday. Visit drl.io/vegas to request free tickets.
–Christopher Lawrence
R&B
7. Lizzo
Over a burping bass line, with a little help from a pregnant Cardi B, Lizzo gets her comeuppance. “They hated on me since I was in school / Never thought I was cool,” the singer-rapper confesses on her latest single, “Rumors.” Oh, how the times have changed. From flirting with “Captain America” Chris Evans on Instagram — and him responding in kind — to winning a clutch of Grammys, Lizzo has become a pop culture avatar for her body-positive bravado and ebullient R&B. Feel good as H-E-double-hockey-sticks when she returns for another New Year’s Eve show in Vegas at 10 p.m. Friday at The Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas. Tickets start at $99 at axs.com.
–Jason Bracelin
CLASSICAL
8. Las Vegas Philharmonic Spotlight Concert
The Las Vegas Philharmonic turns to the tango in its first Spotlight concert — the Philharmonic’s series of intimate chamber shows — of the season, which will feature pieces by Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla. The rhythms begin at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in the Troesh Studio Theater at The Smith Center. Tickets are $72 at lvphil.org.
–John Przybys
VISUAL ART
9. ‘Alchemy,’ a juried exhibit
Spend a portion of this Jan. 6 pondering something other than insurrection and the fragile state of democracy at the closing reception for the exhibit “Alchemy” in the vast rotunda of the Clark County Government Center. These pieces — from the comic brio of Glynn Galloway’s assemblages to the meticulous pointillism of Nancy Good’s paintings — are unified by their use of metal or metallic touches. 6-8 p.m. Thursday, 500 S. Grand Central Parkway, clarkcountynv.gov.
–Scott Dickensheets
TALK
10. ‘Howard Hughes and Las Vegas’
Howard Hughes: Now there was an odd fellow. Definitely a key player in Las Vegas history, but your knowledge of him is likely a patchwork of impressions — hermit; helped usher in corporatization of the Strip; may have looked like Leonardo DiCaprio; those (ugh) Mason jars — that may or may not be true. Historian Geoff Schumacher of the Mob Museum, and author of a book about Hughes’ years in Las Vegas, will separate fact from fiction in a free talk at 7 p.m. Thursday at the Clark County Library. Info: lvccld.org.
–Scott Dickensheets
Looking for more things to do? Check out our searchable database of events, exhibits and restaurants around the Las Vegas Valley.
