GamingWire September 29,2002


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COLUMN: Mike Weatherford

Blink and you'll miss new shows

By MIKE WEATHERFORD
GAMING WIRE
  LAS VEGAS -- A bunch of shows you probably don't care about are closing,
and a bunch of shows you probably don't care about are coming in to replace
them.
  Isn't anybody paying attention?
  Did you go see "Men," "Beats of Passion," "Creole Heat" or "Ladies of the
'80s"? Don't raise your hand if you're a friend or relative of the cast.
  Are you going to go see the next magic show, "Gleason Magic," or visit
the Comedy Zone at the Plaza or the "Tickle Me Comedy Jam" at the Blue
Note?
  And don't push me out of your way to catch the last bow of "The Snake
Babe," who spent this month working the Riviera at 11:30 p.m. every Monday.
  It's a classic case of denial. Almost everyone agrees there are too many
shows, but nobody wants to admit theirs is the one that's redundant.
  "There are nine shows in Reno, Nevada, and nine shows at (the Riviera's)
Le Bistro," says entertainer Stephen Sorrentino, who pulled up stakes there
last Monday.
  It always seems as though a Vegas Darwinism is about to lower the boom.
The New Frontier closes its little venue tomorrow, scattering or closing
five shows.
  But then more pop up to replace them. It's the nature of capitalism that
anyone can take a shot. And the fires are fanned by a "rent the room"
climate where any Snake Babe is welcome to put up some cash.
  Dana Strum is bassist for the rock band Slaughter, now involved in
producing the TV show "Las Vegas Now." He says the current state of affairs
reminds him of his early days amid Hollywood's rock club scene, when bands
had to sell their own tickets.
  "Our musical skills and what we did as an act meant nothing," he recalls.
"All the clubs cared about was how many bodies were in the room."
  In the old days, a hotel would finance a lounge revue such as "Creole
Heat" just to generate foot traffic. Now the hotel can collect rent and let
someone else hustle $35.50 for the seedy lounge at the Bourbon Street.
  And yet, producer Dan Rodriguez is willing to move "The Soul of Magic"
there from the New Frontier if a deal pans out. "Maybe fresh ideas could
make it work," he says.
  Everyone believes he or she has unique circumstances. For Rodriguez, it's
a low-dough family show that had decent summer traffic.
  I would never deny the Snake Babe her shot. But I think people miss the
big picture: Everyone's fighting for a piece of the same shrinking pie
instead of trying to make it bigger.
  Has anyone noticed the vast under-30 crowd at the Hard Rock Hotel and
Palms? Or that once De La Guarda failed, no one else has tried to turn them
into ticket buyers?
  If you think there's room for 75 or more shows in Las Vegas, maybe it's
time to grow the market and not the product.

Mike Weatherford's entertainment column appears Tuesdays and Sundays.