Shows that you were happy to see

I wasn't sure on how to title this. I've seen many shows at casinos both in Vegas and Atlantic City.
There are shows that I never got to see like Danny Gans, I kept saying I was going but then I didn't because he died. Then there were a couple others like the Righteous Brothers one of my all time favorites, I guess that ages me. I saw the original with Bobby Hatfield, one of the greatest voices ever, before he died.
I also so John Pinnate and he was one of the funniest comedians I've ever seen. There a few others that I would have like to see but they never appeared again in Vegas. I saw Chicago in Vegas without Peter Cetera but lucked out when he did a show in AC and he was great.
Any hits and misses?

 

I enjoyed Tape Face and Shin Lim as far as recent shows go. Meaning pre-covid

 

We have been to Vegas maybe 20+ times? We always see LOVE. On every trip.

We did get to see Danny Gans before he passed. Saw one of the Righteous Brothers in Tunica. John Pinnate is a scream.

But - we will not return to Vegas until we can see some shows, especially LOVE.

 

I've seen 59 shows mostly Vegas some AC and many multiple times.
I had tickets to Donnie and Marie show 4 times in Vegas and two times in AC, Donnie showed only once in Vegas. Other times she had various others filling in. The best show was with Donnie, though no show was bad.

 

My wife's answer would be Barry Manilow.

She loved Donnie and Marie...she hasn't washer her hand since Donnie touched it...

I thought John Fogarty but on a fantastic show.

Cirque shows are a miss with me.

Carrot Top is a show that I could go back to pretty often.

Cher? Not so much. Too many costume changes and not enough singing.

So many shows. so many opinions and thoughts...

 

We saw Smokey Robinson sometime around 1988 at Bally's Grand in AC, two couples. They had the room set up with long tables that were perpendicular to the stage. I tipped the Maitre 'd a whole $20, folded up nicey-nice. I don't think he unfolded it nor realized it was a double sawbuck, but he brings us to a table almost smack dab in the middle and we had the seats against the stage. For one or two songs, Smokey sang right into my wife's eyes and she melted. It was an incredible night not to ever be repeated.

Sam Kinison at Tropicana in AC, I think it was 1989. That was just about when Howard Stern syndicated his show in Philly, Kinison was a frequent guest. Wow, he was foul mouthed and funny as hell. Several folks got up and left shortly after the show started. I don't think they were fans.

Al Green at House of Blues in the Showboat AC, what an intimate room, a great show.

About two years ago, we saw Frankie Valli at Hard Rock AC in the Etess Arena. We loved Jersey Boys on Broadway and had to go. I didn't care if he used auto tune, this 84 year old still had it. On the other hand, I really don't care for the Etess Arena, it has the ambience of a multi purpose basketball arena complete with raised seats that can be moved around to suit the performers. It could host a basketball game, a boxing match, and a Kiss concert (scheduled for August 21). The room has lousy acoustics and if you happen to get a floor seat, be prepared to stand. That wasn't a problem at the Frankie Valli concert, most of his audience couldn't stand for more than a few minutes. Almost forgot, the stage is only a few feet above the floor, so if you are petite, you will have a tough time seeing the act.

Celine Dion about two years ago at The Colosseum, what a great show. She was a little chatty between songs, maybe that is to rest her singing voice? Otherwise, she put on a great show.

For what its worth, the showroom at Tropicana AC is a little dated, but the acoustics are really good. Honorable mention goes to the Guess Who, we saw them about a year ago. The drummer is the only original member, but true to Canadian form, he was a total gentleman and way too polite for a rock and roller. A good show though.

Can't think of any misses.

 

Elton John, Cher, Love...twice, Michael Jackson One, Celine were all great! Jubilee, O, were good....but not as entertaining as the others. I miss Vegas

 

I saw Smokey Robinson twice in AC, once he did all new songs -which really disappointed me. The next time he did his oldies and that was fantastic show.
Donnie and Marie Show that I saw with him actually there, I gave the usher a $20 and he moved us all the way down to the 2nd or 3rd row but way to the right end of the aisle. My friend gave me a look as if these are better than we had? Well comes 5 minutes before showtime the usher comes to jus and moves us to the center and first booth - best seats in the house as far as I was concerned. I looked at my friend and he had a huge smile. I saw Frankie Valli in 1995 my first Vegas trip he had none of the Season behind him but a different group. Yes, Celine chat listed 10 minutes talking instead of singing - boring part of the show. My brother and I saw David Brenner - i forget which casino, but I met him in the airport talked for about 5 minutes before he got up to catch his plane.I saw Jersey Boys on Broadway and in Vegas, I the nk there was different lead in Vegas. I could go on.

 

Two stand out for me, though I could make a long list here. But the first two that came to mind are Celine at Caesars Palace - I saw that twice last year and thought it was incredible. I saw her also in Cahrlotte in January of this year and thought it was significantly ... not as good. I would never have seen that on my own, all happened do to influence of very close female friend, but if she was still doing her thing at Caesars Palace I'd go again. Outside of that, meh.

The other is that I saw Dennis Deyoung on what I think is his 2nd or 3rd most recent show to date, back in late February of this year, and it was less than a week or two later that he packed it in and went home due to Covid. I almost didnt go due to a venue change turning my 2nd or 3rd row reserved seat in to general admission. At the urging of @luck.ofthe.draw I went anyway just to scope it out, and as luck would have it, ended up in this front row seat, and he still has it, and it was a great show. He's one of the many people I've seen who dont likely have too many more shows left in em due to age. So had I not gone that night it's pretty likely I wouldnt have had another chance. And I got to see him real up close and personal.

 

I've also seen a bunch of shows in Vegas over the years, probably too many to list them all. I've also regretted not seeing some of the show that I kept putting off for far too long and then, poof, they were gone! Anyways, here are a few...

Favorite big production show: LOVE - I like Cirque shows and this is by far my favorite one and I've lost count on how many times I've seen it. I've seen most of the Cirque shows in Vegas, except for Elvis and MJ's ONE.

When they started bringing broadway shows to the strip, Phantom was also pretty good. I've seen the original Phantom of the Opera in New York and here in Chicago, but they made some changes to the Vegas production so it was shorter with more "flashy" stuff included. LOL

A few others shows that I really enjoyed are Terry Fator, Le Reve, Lance Burton, Fantasy.

Concerts: I haven't been to a lot of concerts in Vegas, since I can often see the same bands, etc. when they come here to Chicago. I saw LeAnn Rimes in Vegas when she was still popular and she put on a fantastic show. I also saw Sheena Easton on a couple of my early Vegas trips and both times she put on a great show. I think I enjoyed her show more because it was in one of the smaller theaters at MGM, so it was in a more intimate setting. I also saw The Fab Four back when they performed at the old Sahara. They're one of the best Beatles tribute groups that I've seen so far.

Favorite Comedian: I'm usually not into comedy shows, but I have to say that Carrot Top is hilarious! I had my doubts before I decided to see his show, but I'm glad that I did. I wouldn't mind seeing his show again!

Missed Opportunities:
*Wayne Newton - back when he was still performing at the Stardust.
*Danny Gans
*Siegfried & Roy
*Donnie & Marie

 

I've seen a number of good shows over the years, but the one that sticks out the most for me is seeing Wayne Newton perform. I'm fairly young (and was probably the youngest in the audience by about 20 years) and never really thought to go see him, but I went on a recommendation from a few here on VMB. It was great to see and hear a Vegas legend talk about his life and perform a few songs.

 

Penn and Teller tops my list. I've seen their show multiple times, and they have always been great.

 

I don't see a lot of shows, because I save most of my $$ for gambling! LOL
However, here is my Hit and Misses list:

HITS
* Danny Gans - Saw him in Dec at Rio, great show and again at the Mirage. Sad he died.
* Stevie Nicks - at Caesars. Awesome, awesome, even in the bleeder seats!
* Don Rickles @ GN - What a hoot! He was in his eighties when I saw him. Still had it.
* Mystere @ TI - My first CIrque show, so always a place in my heart.
* Pirate Battle @ TI - the Old Treasure Island. A blast watching this on the plant walkway
* Carrot Top @ Luxor - Always funny, always something new. Would go see him often.
* Le Reve @ WYNN - Amazing show. Sad to see it gone.
* Starlight Express @ The old Stardust (my very 1st show!)

MISSES
* Jay Leno - At Mirage, I fell asleep (He was good years ago when I saw him in Dallas)
* Ka @ MGM - Couldn't wait to get out of the seat
* Love @ Mirage - Ho Hum... I am just NOT a Beatles fan.

That's about all I have.

 

Not a show person, but Danny Gans was great. Saw Jubilee at Bally's courtesy of buddy's cousin who was shift manager. Not my cup of tea. My favorites are the comedy clubs going back to the Improv at the Riv. Legends was also pretty good. Guess I enjoy performance more than production.

 

I dont think Ive ever seen a Vegas show I disliked.

Cirque in order seen Mystere, O, Zumanity, Love and Ka. Mystere was favorite, but that may be due to being first.. Love was my least favorite.
Glad I saw Le Rève before it shuttered.
Paul Simon at MGM Garden was great
Dennis DeYoung at Thunder Valley in CA was fantastic.... he revealed it was his 70th birthday during the performance.
I enjoyed Opium.... Absinthe and Atomic Saloon remain on my must see list.

Edit: I saw the adapted, shortened, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Starlight Express in the 90s. Was ok. Glad I never tried to see the full-length version on Broadway.

Vegas Golden Knights isn't a show but it was my first NHL game in 40 years! Big Chicago Blackhawks fan, lotsa games in 60s, 70s. So the fan entertainment at T Mobile was noteworthy to me.... therefore an tangential mention in this thread.

 

I can't think of a single one I did not enjoy either. Even those that I was dragged to and thought would majorly suck (Showgirls Of Magic, Buck Wild) were quite entertaining and enjoyable.

 

pretty much every show i have seen in vegas has been good to great only 2 i hated were

Human Nature and Zarkana (or whatever the name of the cirque du soleil show at Aria was)

 

Wow, I thought I was the only person that didn’t like
Human Nature. I’m a white guy I just don’t get these white guys singing this music - they sing the words but there’s no soul in their music.

 

I'm very glad we saw Danny Gans before he died (too young.) Great show! Also very glad we saw Sigfried and Roy, Smothers Brothers, Wayne Newton, Donny (we paid to meet and my wife got a kiss) and Marie, and Rich Little. So many great shows over the years.

 

Anybody else remember Crazy Horse Paris at MGM? Absolutely gorgeous all “natural” young women....