Mr. Las Vegas Wayne Newton extols city’s resilience
Mr. Las Vegas has not quite experienced anything like this in Las Vegas.
“Only twice have I seen something like this hit the city — when 9/11 happened and the Oct. 1 shootings, ” Wayne Newton said Thursday of the fast-moving pandemic scare. “The difference is, this is so unknown. But I’m being safe, and I’m being optimistic.”
Newton, who turns 78 on April 2, has seen it all in Las Vegas. He debuted with his brother, Jerry, at Carnival Room at Fremont Hotel in 1959. Newton celebrated 60 years in the city last May. The entertainment legend is still performing as scheduled at Cleopatra’s Barge at Caesars Palace, set to resume his schedule Monday night.
Newton has taken part in such civic recovery events as the post-9/11 USO benefit show at Mandalay Bay Events Center in November 2001 and the “Vegas Strong” all-star benefit concert at T-Mobile Arena in December 2017.
Newton no longer enters through the audience — his arrival from the back of the room is a signature move — but says he remains comfortable on stage and with fans in his meet-and-greets.
“My heart goes out to those affected and I pray for their speedy recovery,” Newton said. “This will not diminish the incredible spirit and resiliency of Las Vegas.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His PodKats podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
