‘Showstoppers’ and ‘Raiding the Rock Vault’ latest Strip shows to close
Five months after “Jubilee” ended a 34-year run in Las Vegas comes word that “Steve Wynn’s Showstoppers” and “Raiding the Rock Vault” are closing.
“Showstoppers,” an ambitious bid by Wynn to make a Broadway-style show succeed where others failed, opened in December 2014. Wynn hand-picked the music.
A Wynn spokesman confirmed “Showstoppers” ends Sept. 30.
Musician Janis McKay, author of the new book “Played Out on the Strip: Rise and Fall of the Las Vegas Casino Bands” (University of Nevada Press), said she is saddened by the news that “Showstoppers” didn’t succeed.
“It was kind of a throwback,” she said, “a reminder of the good old days when musicians were featured onstage with singers and dancers and great music, and people not using recorded music.”
“Rock Vault,” a classic rock revue featuring anthems from the ’60s, ’70s and ’80s, opened at the LVH (now the Westgate) in 2013 and moved to the Tropicana in November 2014. It closes July 31.
The all-star cast included: Mark Boals, lead vocals (Dokken, Ted Nugent); Stephanie Calvert, vocalist (Starship); Cian Coey, vocalist (Meat Loaf); Andrew Freeman, lead vocals and guitars (The Offspring, Lynch Mob); Howard Leese, lead guitar (Heart, Bad Company); Robin McAuley, lead vocals (MSG, Survivor); Hugh McDonald, bass (Bon Jovi); Rowan Robertson, guitar (Dio); Michael T. Ross, keyboards (Lita Ford); Jay Schellen, drums (Hurricane, Asia, Badfinger); Paul Shortino, lead vocals (Rough Cutt, Quiet Riot).
THE SCENE AND HEARD
ABC affiliate KTNV-TV, Channel 13 on Monday announced the hiring of veteran columnist Jon Ralston to provide commentary and interviews for the 2016 elections. Ralston has long covered Nevada politics, and currently is a columnist for the Reno Gazette-Journal and a contributing editor at Politico magazine. He previously worked for the Las Vegas Review-Journal; the Las Vegas Sun; KLAS-TV, Channel 8; KSNV-TV, Channel 3; and the now defunct cable channel Las Vegas One. Most recently, his show “Ralston Live,” was broadcast on PBS stations in Las Vegas and Reno. That arrangement ended in June. …
Caesars Palace headliner Elton John, U2 singer Bono and star chef Alain Ducasse found themselves caught up in the Bastille Day massacre in Nice, France on Thursday. Bono and Ducasse were among a group dining together near the seafront where a terrorist drove a truck into crowds after a fireworks show, killing 84 and injuring more than 200. John, who owns a villa in the Nice area, and his five-member band returned from a concert in Albi, France hours after the deadly incident. John’s band was staying in a hotel yards from the site of the carnage. An armed counterterrorism police unit showed up to protect a high-profile group at La Petite Maison restaurant where Bono and Ducasse were dining. Ducasse’s restaurant empire includes Rivea at Delano Las Vegas. … Correction: While Olivia Harrison was at The Mirage on Thursday for the 10th anniversary of “The Beatles Love” show, she did not walk the red carpet or appear at the show. She was not feeling well.
SIGHTINGS
Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, tackling the 1-pound meatball, among other dishes, Saturday at Lavo (Palazzo). … Actor and recording artist Corey Feldman, celebrating his 45th birthday at Intrigue (Wynn) on Friday.
THE PUNCH LINE
“We are just a few weeks from the start of the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. The mayor of Rio is trying to get Pokeman Go in the city ahead of the Summer Games. So now you go to Rio and catch two things.” — Jimmy Fallon
Norm Clarke can be reached at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find more online at www.normclarke.com. On Twitter: @Norm_Clarke.
