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Does anyone love Brad? – Palazzo September 8-10, 2010

Discussion in 'Vegas Trip Reports' started by SoCalDude, Sep 16, 2010.

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  1. SoCalDude

    SoCalDude Low-Roller

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    My Trip Report

    Does anyone love Brad? – Palazzo September 8-10, 2010

    Back in June I went to see the Cheap Trick Sgt. Pepper show and loved it. Since Cheap Trick is wrapping up the final batch of these shows I wanted to see it one more time.

    TRANSPORTATION

    I drove this time. I left San Diego around 10:15am and was checking in at 3pm. I had a stop in Barstow for In-n-Out and another in Jean for gas. On the way home I made even better time with only one quick bio-break.

    LODGING

    I got a $79 rate through Club Grazie at the Palazzo. That’s a good rate for a great hotel but when you add in resort fee, well not so much. For staying 2 nights and playing almost $40 I got one free newspaper (my final day I went by to get my second newspaper but there was a big line and I figured why waste 10 minutes in line for $1 newspaper).

    My room was nice with a view of the Wynn and golf course. My only complaint was the super heavy blanket/comforter thingy. Way too hot for Vegas (I had the thermostat set for 75) and when I took it off all I had left was sheet. It would have been nice to have just a light-weight blanket.

    GAMBLING

    Not too much exciting to report here. On a whim I put $40 on the Padres to win and surprise, Corey Luebke in his second major league start pitches a shutout. I figured that made it found money so I parlayed the winnings into a $40 bet on the Chargers to win the super bowl (at 15:1). Of my other 3 football bets only 1 came in (Dolphins covered against the Bills).

    Blackjack was up and down but ended up down. I did enjoy gambling at one table with a young couple who had just gotten married. They were fun to chat with (they went on and on about their meal at Hash House a Go Go). At another table I had a guy split 10’s. Wouldn’t you know it he hit 20 on both hands but he took 10’s out of the deck and the dealer hit 18 making me a loser. What do you say? I mean he doubled his money so it’s hard for me to critique him but it made me a loser. I would have just gotten up and left but I was on a hot streak at that table so I bit my tongue.

    DINING

    First night I didn’t eat until after the Brad Garrett show. It ran late so it was about 11pm and most places looked like they were closing up. I went to Lavo since I knew they stayed open late. The place was pretty full and the music turned up way too loud (I love loud music but not when I’m eating). I started with their salad special. Lemon infused watermelon and arugula salad with feta and kalamata olives ($14). The watermelon was delicious but the feta and olives pretty much overwhelmed the subtle watermelon. It was good but probably not a great combination. For entrée I had the parmesan crusted salmon ($26). The fish was well-prepared but the topping was a little too bland. I think it needed a topping with a little more flavor. My glass of pinot noir was okay ($12). Overall it was okay and they had other things on the menu that looked good but it really didn’t seem like my kind of restaurant. It was filled with young-ins waiting for the club to open. Perhaps if I went earlier and dined outside where the music wasn’t so loud I would have enjoyed it more.

    Breakfast the next morning was at Bouchon. I had the American breakfast substituting Lyonnaise Potatoes for eggs. Delicious. The potatoes are sliced with cooked onions. It also came with 2 sausage, and bunch of bacon, big thick toast with homemade cherry jam, a pastry, juice, and coffee ($22). It was very filling and I really loved sitting outside by the pool, reading my $20 newspaper and enjoying my meal.

    That night was the opening of the NFL season but my 8pm show that night was at Paris so I figured if I watched the game at Paris I could catch most of the game and just have a short walk to the theater. So I ended up at the bar right behind the sportsbook at Paris. I was enjoying a Fat Tire and was about halfway through it when I decided I needed some food. I had passed a take-out crepe place so I carefully placed my napkin on top of my glass (which I assumed was the universal bar symbol for “I’m coming back, please don’t take my beerâ€) and walked over to get a crepe. When I got back my beer was gone and my table was now occupied by a group of backwards hat wearing ****** bags. I never found out if the waitress or the ****** bags dumped my beer but I was none too happy. All the chairs were now taken but there was an open table for me to stand at and eat my crepe. The crepe was very good. I got the one with spinach and mushrooms ($10).

    The only other food I had was a baguette I got at the Bouchon bakery which I ate in the car on the way home ($3.50).

    ENTERTAINMENT

    The first night I went to Brad Garrett’s comedy club. The marquee man himself was performing that night (I think they jack up the price on the nights he performs). The show is in the same theater where Bobby Slayton was performing (upstairs). I saw Slayton there about a year ago. The difference was there were about 30 people there for Slayton and you could sit anywhere you wanted. For Brad Garrett they have a hostess seat you. Every single seat was taken and they pack you in like sardines. I don’t think they ever actually sell out because I would see more people arrive and they would bring in more chairs and just tuck them into a corner somewhere.

    The show started a few minutes late with an MC who performed about 10 minutes of totally unfunny material. His jokes centered on sound effects but he’s no Michael Winslow. He did one joke about how it’s hard to appear to be tough wearing flip-flops and another about Prince recording a Christmas song (Rudolf). Ugh. Get off the stage.
    Next up was Kathleen Dunbar. She was pretty funny. Most of her material was about dating when you are older and her teenage son. She performed for about 20 minutes.

    The next comedian was Tom McTigue. I thought he was the funniest of the bunch. He had sort of a slow delivery that snuck up on you and his material was (for the most part) very good. A big chunk of his show was about moving on after his divorce. He was on stage for nearly an hour.

    Finally, Brad Garrett came on. And he wasn’t very funny. On Everybody Loves Raymond he was a number 2. And in his own comedy club he’s still a number 2. He just wasn’t good enough to be the headliner. The majority of his material was insult comedy. Pick someone out of the crowd and insult them. He found someone old and joked about their age. He found someone Italian and joked about them being in the mob. When he actually did some material it really wasn’t all that good. His best jokes were about being divorced but the guy before him and just covered the same territory. I saw Bobby Slayton a year ago and he was practically Mr. PC compared to Brad Garrett.

    So overall it was kind of a disappointing night. The show ran way too long (a little over 2 hours) for being packed in so tight. They really needed to drop one of the comedians. I definitely would not go back to see Brad Garrett however I would go back to his club on a night he is not performing. Hopefully it would not be as crowded on one of those nights.

    The next night I went to see Cheap Trick perform Sgt. Pepper Live. I reviewed this show my previous trip report so I won’t go into a lot of detail. My prior show was about half full whereas this show was sold out. This time I sat in the second row in front of Rick Nielsen. That certainly has its good and bad points. The good, Rick is very entertaining and interacts with the people in front of him (plus you get lots of guitar picks). This night he was flirting with a couple of women in the first couple of rows. The bad is you really have to keep your eye on him because the way he flicks those picks into the crowd you might need to duck or get your hand up in front of you face and that sort of takes away your focus from see the rest of the band and orchestra. But once again it was a great show and I’m glad I got to see it twice before it’s gone.

    THE PROPOSITION

    I have not been approached by a prostitute in Vegas for years and years. I only play table games and I usually play during the day. From what I hear they generally hang out at the slots (where they can sit without actually playing) or at the bars. At night I’m usually dining or attending a show. Well that changed this trip. I was on my way back from the Cheap Trick show. I had just reached the escalators at the Venetian (my Madam Tussauds) when the volcano show started across the street at the Mirage. At the top of the escalator, to the left I could see some people had a nice spot to watch the show so I turned to right see if I could find a similar spot. But the roof over the escalator blocked my view so I immediately turned around and there she was right in front of me. I don’t where she came from but she wanted to know “why I was all alone and if I wanted some company.†She was a very short blond, cute, with crooked teeth but there’s no way I’m picking up a prostitute on Las Vegas Blvd. The whole idea made me chuckle. So I said no and *poof* she disappeared like she was shot out of a canon.

    RANDOM VEGAS OBSERVATIONS

    The Timpano Tavern at the Venetian is already gone. It had just opened (replacing David Burke) when I was there in June. Wow, you couldn’t even make it 4 months. Timpano we never understood why you were there in the first place so we never missed you.

    The line-up of porn slappers stops right at the edge of the Venetian’s property. I wonder if the Venetian and Wynn own the property all the way to the street so they can keep the porn slappers away. I don’t know the reason but I like that it’s a safe haven.

    I’m really impressed with the Tropicana renovation. I was there about a year ago to see Bobby Slayton and it was a pretty dingy place. Now it is well-lit, clean, airy, and the new restaurants look good.

    Fascinating news in LVRJ about Heidi Fleiss and the district attorney in Nye county. I won’t go into detals here (you can look it up online) but sometimes there are coincidences in this world that just make you say “what goes around comes around.â€
     
  2. Jinx

    Jinx VIP Whale

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    Great report, sorry to hear that Brad's show wasn't that good. I'm hoping to see him at some point, just because it's a chance to see him in a smaller venue, but my expectations will be low.

    Amazing how the prostitutes pop up from the shadows and are so adept at disapearring in them as quickly. I've seen it a dozen times, but it still amazes me and makes you realize how many non visible areas are around you in many spots.
     
  3. thecarve

    thecarve Misanthrope

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    Good stuff, SoCalDude.

    My money is on the ****** bags in the backwards hats for pitching your beer and taking your seat. I would assume that most waitresses would understand that you were going to return. ****** bags, on the other hand, are usually pretty unaware of the existence of anyone else.



    If only the porn slappers and timeshare salesmen would disappear as quickly as hookers when you say “no thanksâ€â€¦
     
  4. Chuck2009x

    Chuck2009x VIP Whale

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    Nice report. Bad comedy is painful. I'd guess Brad Garrett writes 0% of his own stuff.
     
  5. VegasBJ

    VegasBJ VIP Whale

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    I have seen Brad Garrett before when he was subbing at the Mirage. I agree -not funny. Also saw Kevin James at the Mirage. Also not funny. Just because these guys were on TV shows that were popular and they were repeating lines written by comedy writers does not make them a good stand up comedian.

    I think Jerry Seinfeld was the one who best carried over his screen persona to his comedy act. Of course, this is one and the same.
     
  6. jlsofl

    jlsofl Tourist

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    Nice report. I'm sorry I will miss Cheap Trick.

    I love reports written this way. Clear, concise, organized and just the right amount of detail.
     
  7. VegasDiva

    VegasDiva VIP Whale

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    Nice report

    Bit disappointed about Brad Garretts non-funny delivery ....I guess because he was on a sitcom , we expect funny oneliner zingers .....

    I wouldn't have minded seeing Cheap Trick I've seen them 2x before , first time in 1977, when they opened for KISS lol and again about 7 yrs ago
     
  8. wbk1711

    wbk1711 Newbie

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    My husband and I went to see Brad Garrett when he was performing at the Soaring Eagle Casino here in Michigan. He was NOT funny then either. He was really mean and picked on people in the audience here too. He started out the act by basically saying how unspohisticated we were in this area, and then went on to insult the Native Americans who own the casino. Very rude and unfunny.
     
  9. SoCalDude

    SoCalDude Low-Roller

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    Nice! I first saw Cheap Trick as an opening act too. They opened for Kansas in 1978. Wow, 32 years ago. *sigh*
     
  10. sabrina

    sabrina Low roller

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    thanks for the report, we would have gone to see BG because we love him on TV and I don't like insulting comedy.
     
    Seinfield
  11. sailor53

    sailor53 Tourist

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    I've had that 'uncomfortable' moment with a hooker on a few occasions. I particularly recall one night years ago at Stardust when a 'lady' approached me for a light at a VP bar. I spied my wife a few feet away and called her over to ask her 'something'. The bartender, who was dropping off a Crown Royal for me paused and said to the hooker - "watch out now!". She left immediately. Thanks to the bride for rescuing me!

    Great report and thanks for a great read!
     
  12. BackInVegas

    BackInVegas VIP Whale

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    I saw them then also

    I was in Denver at the time. Were you like us, the audience(me included) thought they stunk and we were all yelling for Kansas.

    Cheap Trick did not do anything for me until Dream Police came out.
     
  13. SoCalDude

    SoCalDude Low-Roller

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    No I was actually more of a Cheap Trick fan than Kansas. After hearing Southern Girls on the radio I went out and bought In Color and loved it. A friend of mine in high school said he was going to see Kansas and I told him I wouldn't mind going to see Cheap Trick. Well, I guess he had bought 2 tickets for a date that never materialized because he called me the night of the show and asked me if I wanted to go.

    Since then I've seen Kansas 3 more times and Cheap Trick about 20.
     
  14. justmare

    justmare High-Roller

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    We saw Brad Garrett and Ray Romano at the Mirage a few years ago. Ray was funny, Robert had a few good ones, but overall wasn't very entertaining. I was turned off by the insults (although insult comedy is hilarious when Vinnie Favorito does it, go figure!).

    We've seen Sgt. Pepper's three times -- once at the Hilton with the guest performers. It was good, but not nearly as good as it was at Paris without them! I'm so bummed it isn't a permanent show. I would go again and again and again. For me, it was 2nd best to LOVE which is my favorite show in Vegas (have seen it 9 times). I'm hoping they bring Sgt. Pepper's back again.

    Sorry you lost your beer and table. That's not very nice. I don't think young people today know about the napkin trick.
     
  15. tazdev75

    tazdev75 Tourist

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    great trip report!!!
     
  16. PopMegaphone

    PopMegaphone VIP Whale

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    I've only had prostitutes approach me 2x. The first time was at a bar in the center of PH. After I politely decline she proceeded to call me a "faggot".

    The other time I was wasted downtown around 3AM and rather unattractive woman asked if I'd like to <insert graphic details here>.

    Yeesh.
     
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