Jackson brothers returning to Strip
It won’t be a family tell-all, but the Jackson brothers — Jermaine, Tito, Marlon and Jackie — will share rare insights when they return to the Strip in April for the first time in 20 years.
That was takeaway after their weekend brainstorming meetings with local producer Adam Steck, creator of Rocktellz &Cocktails series at Planet Hollywood Resort.
Starting April 20, they will appear in 40 shows over 10 weeks.
One of the brothers told Steck they view the show as “a party with the Jacksons, and that’s what it is going to be,” said Steck.
Only Jermaine was missing, because of the flu, during the long meetings in the former “Peepshow” showroom, said Steck, who launched the Rocktellz and Cocktails concept with Meat Loaf in September.
The brothers will sing, dance and share memories from their Jackson 5 glory years.
“Marlon was telling me how he and Michael would climb on rafters,” said Steck,”when they were 12 or 13 and look down at a topless show and check out the magicians. Michael was infatuated with magic.”
They told Steck about the first time they met Queen Elizabeth and how little Michael — the future King of Pop — asked who she was, using some edgy street language. Okay, maybe that one won’t make the final cut.
“We went through the entire show. There’s going to be an amazing tribute to Michael. There’s definitely a wild moment,” said Steck.
“They did a world tour last year and sold out a lot of iconic venues,” he said.
The last time the brothers shared a stage on the Strip was in February 1994, when they got together for “The Jackson Family Honors,” an NBC special at the new MGM Grand.
Instead of performing, Michael, who never appeared as a solo headliner in Las Vegas, joined the entire family, except for La Toya, for the finale.
Also on the stage that night was Elizabeth Taylor, Quincy Jones, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson and a young phenom named Celine Dion, who would marry later that year.
BIEBER UPDATE
Allegations that pop singer Justin Bieber egged a neighbor’s home resulted in a surprise visit by law enforcement on Tuesday.
Los Angeles authorities stormed into Bieber’s home in suburban Calabasas with a search warrant and found drugs.
A sheriff’s department spokesman said the drugs were in plain sight, but not connected to Bieber, who was among eight people detained in the mansion.
Bieber, 19, was in Las Vegas last week with his father, his agent and his roommate, rapper Lil Za.
THE SCENE AND HEARD
Correction: The Mark Shunock-helmed “Monday’s Dark” benefit for the Nevada SPCA is this Monday at Vinyl inside the Hard Rock Hotel. Doors open at 8:30 p.m., with the first of two shows starting at 9:30 p.m.
SIGHTINGS
Former NFL All-Pro linebacker Takeo Spikes, partying at Crazy Horse III over the weekend.
THE PUNCH LINE
“Meryl Streep did not win (a Golden Globe), so her goons shut down the Ventura Freeway.” — David Letterman
Norm Clarke’s column appears Sunday, Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Reach him at 702-383-0244 or norm@reviewjournal.com. Find more at normclarke.com. Follow @Norm_Clarke on Twitter. “Norm Clarke’s Vegas” airs Thursdays on the “Morning Blend” on KTNV-TV, Channel 13
