Iconic Las Vegas venue, rock residency claim prestigious music awards

The Kats! Bureau at this writing is at a table on the marble floor of at Nona’s Homemade Sandwiches at Fontainebleau’s food court. Try the tuna wrap, if you have $25 to burn. The place is slammed with (I surmise) WWE fans in town for Wrestlemania 41.

Fontainebleau is the event’s host hotel, so expect a lot of transmissions from LIV Nightclub, venue for “Wrestlemania After Dark” events. Headliners over the four events, starting with Thursday’s opening party, include Machine Gun Kelly, Metro Boomin, Flo Rida and Valentino Khan. I’m seeking quality time with Rob Gronkowski, especially, hosting his Beach Club party Sunday. The full frivolity, from Friday-forward, is listed below.

More from this scene, and elsewhere:

Sphere & Co.

Sphere is without peer, at least in the United States, according to music-industry pub Pollstar. The trade magazine presented its 36th annual awards on Tuesday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in L.A., with iHeart Radio personality Valentine hosting.

The magazine honored Sphere as the No. 1 venue in the U.S. O2 Arena in London topped venues outside of the U.S.

Dead & Company, a Sphere headliner, was honored with the Residency of the Year award. Huge, even if that award was just for Las Vegas residency headliners. Garth Brooks, The Killers, the Eagles, Lady Gaga, U2, Bruno Mars and Adele were among those who qualified in this awards cycle. The Eagles and Adele joined Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden among the list of nominees.

Dead & Co.’s honor was the second straight for Sphere. Grateful Dead co-founder Bob Weir and John Mayer accepted the award on behalf of the band.

“All I can say is, big thanks,” Weir said in accepting the award, thanking the crew that has followed the band over the past decade. “Our 2024 ‘Dead Forever’ residency was something special, 30 shows, 115 different songs, $2 million raised for nonprofits. And it sure kept us off the streets last summer. It was a creative high point for all of us.”

From Mayer, “The set list, as I understand it, has been a 60-year puzzle. To add content to that has been an unbelievable daily puzzle to help solve.”

U2, which closed its series in March 2024, was last year’s residency champ. Sphere captured the Best New Concert Venue of the Year (Over 5,000 Capacity) last year.

Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour” won the Major Tour of the Year honor. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band claimed Rock Tour of the Year. Both played Allegiant Stadium, which was topped by SoFi Stadium as Stadium of the Year (U.S. only).

Nate Bargatze, an Encore Theater regular, was honored with Comedy Tour of the Year for “The Be Funny Tour.”

In two categories filled with strong Las Vegas candidates, Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Florida was named Casino/Resort Venue of the Year; and Brooklyn Paramount in New York was Theatre of the Year.

Zak’s sacked

It was with great sorrow to learn Zak Starkey has been dropped as drummer for The Who. Sad for the band, specifically.

Ringo Starr’s son, and Keith Moon’s godson, was dismissed after a reported dispute at the band’s Teenage Cancer Trust shows on March 18 and 20 at Royal Albert Hall. Roger Daltrey. who heads up that charity’s fundraising, seemed frustrated at the sound level of Starkey’s playing. Daltrey has said he has been losing his hearing at age 81, which couldn’t have helped him balance the show’s audio.

Daltrey stopped several songs, saying he was having trouble hearing the band over Starkey’s heavy performance. Afterward, Starkey was told his run was done.

The episode brought to mind a time I had with Starkey in August 2017, after The Who played the Colosseum. We piled into a black Cadillac Escalade, along with his then-girlfriend and now spouse Sharna “Sshh” Liguz, and cruised to the OG Sand Dollar Lounge on Spring Mountain and Polaris. The two were playing a late-night/early morning gig after The Who show.

Starkey and Sshh conversed and bickered comically at high modulation.

“Will you stop (expletive) shouting now?” Starkey said during the drive. “I just got off sage with The Who!”

“I’m shouting so you can hear me!” Liguz called back. Then, turning to me, she offered, “He’s deaf, you know!”

Starkey cut in, “She’s called ‘Sshh.’ Now do you get it?”

Starkey spent 39 years with The Who. That night at the Sand Dollar, he showed he’s also a terrific rock guitarist.

“I taught myself,” he said. “I was always knocking about with it around the house.” After The Who, we feel this 59-year-old kid will be alright.

Sweets for the summer

Las Vegas burlesque headliner and purveyor of the party Melody Sweets created a YouTube series, “The Sweets’ Spot,” from her Las Vegas home. The originator of The Green Fairy role in “Absinthe” is returning to her performance home, Myron’s, at 8 p.m. June 21 with “Summer Fling.” It’s B.Y.O.F. (Bring Your Own Floaties) as Sweets bakes up originals and performs covers as timeless as she is.

Sweets says, “The show’s gonna be funny, flashy, a couple of costume changes and risque old songs about the birds, the bees and everything in between.

There shall be a band and guest acts, possibly an unbilled visit to the stage from Sweets’ father, Wayne. Also, some rattling of body parts. It’s a celebration of variety and frivolity from Sweets, who most recently delivered a crisp performance in her Valentine’s Day-themed show.

As the burlesque types say, more to be revealed. Showtime and go time is 8 p.m., tickets on sale at TheSmithCenter.com.

Tease this …

At The Venetian, they’ll always have Paris. Or, will have Paris for a time. Check back for an explanation …

New Music Alert

“Fantasy” at Luxor vocalist Lorena Peril debuted her latest single, “Sunflower,” on “The Dennis Bono Show” Thursday afternoon. This is her third original song in her partnership with Thiago Gusi, a fine artist himself and one of these “hugging” people.

Cool Hang Alert

I don’t know that I can find a better rock vocalist than Travis Cormier of Raiding the Rock Vault. He’s at Hard Rock Cafe on May 10 and 17, playing the Van Halen classics and more. This concept coincides with Sammy Hagar’s revival of his VH classics at Dolby Live. No cover — for Cormier, we mean. Go to cafe.hardrock.com for intel, for Cormier and also RV’s ongoing schedule.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.