Vegas: Judds, Richie, Strait announce concerts
It’s been a banner week for Las Vegas showrooms.
On the heels of an announcement that the Judds will perform together for the first time in five years at Venetian came the announcement that Lionel Richie is joining Britney Spears and Jennifer Lopez as a “regular” performer at Planet Hollywood. Beginning in April, Richie will play 20 dates through October with ticket prices starting at $59.
Naomi and Wynonna Judd will play nine shows in the Venetian Theater Oct. 7-24. Tickets start at $59.50.
Additionally, country star George Strait will be the inaugural performer at MGM Resorts International’s Las Vegas Arena when it debuts in 2016. Strait is slated to play April 22-23 and Sept. 9-10. Ticket prices haven’t been announced.
Fewer football parties: Continuing the trend of the past few years, casinos are scaling back their football parties. But even as options disappear, there are still good ones to choose from. The best is at South Point, where on Monday and Thursday nights a crowd gathers in the showroom for $1 hot dogs, $3 pizza slices and drink specials that include unlimited draft beer for $15. Other good Monday-night parties convenient to the Strip are at Ellis Island, Gold Coast and Orleans, while the action downtown is in the Triple 7 Brewpub at Main Street Station. On Sundays, the biggest gatherings are at Westgate and Stratosphere, the former having just unveiled a huge new viewing screen.
Fall displays: Bellagio and Palazzo have switched their horticultural exhibits to reflect the onset of fall, with both featuring giant autumnal leaves suspended from the ceiling above collections of pumpkins, cattails, carnations and other seasonal foliage. Palazzo's display runs through Nov. 16; Bellagio’s runs through Nov. 27. Both are free.
Dollar oysters: Get oysters on the half shell for $1 each during Oyster Happy Hour in db Brasserie at Venetian. They’re served daily in the lounge, but only from 5 to 6 p.m. They’re ice-cold West Coast oysters and you can add a draft Bud Light for $4.
Gambling view: Downtown’s Plaza has added a new "party pit” with street-level floor-to-ceiling views onto the Fremont Street Experience. The area next to the front entrance has several blackjack tables and a roulette wheel.
Poker room is back: After closing abruptly this year, the poker room at LINQ has re-opened. It’s the first room to open in a casino in some time, bucking the trend away from small-room live poker.
Question: Which casinos have the best hot-dog deals during football games?
Answer: The two best are at Station Casinos and the Orleans. Station has $1 dogs that come with some combination of relish, kraut, onions, and jalapeno’s (varies by casino) at no extra charge that are sold in the sports books. The Orleans has $2 chili dogs that are available from a cart outside of Brendan’s Irish Pub.
Q: I just read something about DJ salaries that sounds too crazy to believe. Are these guys really making multimillions a year to play records?
A: The top DJs are celebrities who get paid for pulling in the free-spending crowds that follow them. According to Forbes, Calvin Harris leads the list of the world’s highest-paid DJs after pulling in an estimated $66 million last year. He was followed by David Guetta ($37 million), Tiesto ($36 million) and Skrillex and Steve Aoki ($24 million each), all of whom play regularly in Las Vegas clubs.
For information about shows, buffets, coupons and deals, go to www.LasVegasAdvisor.com.