Showroom bookings lack spontaneity

     A look into the crystal ball reveals mostly the usual suspects performing in Las Vegas showrooms over the upcoming months.
      Limited fresh blood can be found amid the predictable parade of Humperdincks and Righteous Brothers -- not forgetting a strong spring concert lineup at the MGM Grand Hotel and U2 at the Sam Boyd Stadium April 25 -- but the scene as a whole is lacking a sense of spontaneity.
      Among the welcome exceptions are the impending arrivals of "you've seen them on TV" comics such as Drew Carey at Caesars Palace (April 18-20), Ray Romano at the Riviera (July 5), and Chris Rock (new date pending) and Jeff Foxworthy (May 16-18) at Bally's.
      Name recognition continues to play a big part in new showroom bookings, which, in defense of those who take on this mostly thankless task, are sometimes coordinated up to a year in advance.
      It can't be easy to pick what act will be a hot ticket in early 1998.
      Other factors contributing to the ongoing flow of familiar entertainers rest largely with the artists themselves. They have to want to play the Vegas market, usually several times over the course of a year, and adjust their schedules accordingly.
      And of course there's the money factor. Resorts that offer salaries (Caesars, Sheraton Desert Inn) simply can't afford to bring in a Tim Allen or Jerry Seinfeld, performers who can earn more money on a TV or movie set than working Vegas on weekends. The same goes for touring acts such as Alan Jackson who would rather play the Thomas & Mack for one night then worry about lesser-paying showrooms.
      Another factor is the advent of four-wall deals (Bally's, MGM Grand), in which artists are paid no salary but reap revenues based on how many people come through the door. Getting 700 people into a show at $50 a pop equals $35,000 in receipts, a nice enough figure that still comes up short in some entertainers' minds.
      So it's something of an uphill battle for bookers, although thankfully the Vegas market is overcoming its long-running stigma as an "elephant's graveyard" for artists well past their prime.
      Among the artists who still reject Vegas for that fading reason, according to sources, are Bonnie Raitt, Tom Petty and country singer Jackson. One-nighters at the Hard Rock Hotel aside, vibrant rockers such as Boz Scaggs and Carlos Santana still prefer to only work casino showrooms in northern Nevada.
      However, the diversity of entertainment options in Vegas has never been better overall and some of the new resort bookings suggest that anything is possible -- provided we're willing to stay patient.
      Local showroom bright spots include the aforementioned TV comics and a couple of bookings at the Desert Inn. Three classic soul groups -- the Stylistics, Dramatics and Chi-Lites -- will play the Crystal Room (June 27-29) followed by rare showroom performances by Greek folk singer Nana Mouskouri (May 30-31). The well-worn Doobie Brothers arrive at the Desert Inn in October and, in perhaps the coolest booking of the lot, blues great Etta James drops in July 11-13.
      With the delay in the Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield fight until June 28, Bally's is trying to reschedule its May 2-3 dates with Rock. Foxworthy has twice played Vegas during rodeo weeks but is now a big enough act to try Bally's.
      The MGM Grand will stick with its regular showroom roster (Rodney Dangerfield, Tom Jones, Four Tops) but will have plenty of new activity in its much larger Grand Garden arena. Phil Collins arrives Saturday, Tina Turner appears there May 10 and Michael Flatley will bring his Irish step-dance "Lord of the Dance" show in July 4-5.
      Top tickets for all these shows range from $50 to $75 each, which is a welcome break from triple-digit ducats that led to lousy crowd counts last year for the Boston Pops and The Who. A lesson apparently has been learned.
      So there you have it -- some encouraging news amid the Mandrells, Newtons and Carlins that continue to clutter up showroom schedules. There is some new talent out there, or at least something different to help break up the monotony of choosing between acts that play here disproportionate to their appeal in other markets.
     
      Michael Paskevich's entertainment column appears Fridays and Sundays.