"Michael Flatley's Lord of the Dance" closed at New York-New York on July 28, and already Irish step dancing will stay alive in Las Vegas when "Sprit of the Dance" opens at the Golden Nugget downtown on Aug. 19. The show debuted in September 1996 and briefly played at the Aladdin's Theatre last February.

"Spirit of the Dance" with a 20-member cast is taking over a 7:30 p.m. time slot in the 400-seat showroom that is shared by The Amazing Jonathan at 10 p.m. Shows will be Tuesdays through Sundays with tickets priced at $45.

The Who will do their concert at the Hard Rock Hotel on Sept. 14, making up the tour-launch show that was canceled after bassist John Entwistle died at the hotel on June 27. Tickets are $155.50, $305.50 and $355.50.

The annual Andre Agassi Grand Slam for Children concert scheduled for Sept. 28 at the MGM Grand Garden arena will feature Elton John, Robin Williams, Babyface, Martina McBride, Dennis Miller and Carlos Santana. Tickets are $40, $65 and $85, call TicketMaster at 702-474-4000.

Bob Dylan will perform at the Hard Rock Hotel on Oct. 20. Tickets are $78 and $153.

Premier rock musician, Lenny Kravitz with special guests Pink and Abandoned Pools will headline at the Mandalay Bay Events Center on Saturday, Aug. 31. Kravitz is hitting the stage for the first time in three years. The genre defying, multi-platinum artist is touring in support of his sixth studio album, "Lenny." This latest release reached platinum status earlier this year. Tickets range from $25 to $85, call TicketMaster at 702-474-4000.

T. Fox & The Fox City Show will celebrate its third anniversary in the Tropics Lounge at the Tropicana on Saturday, Aug. 24. Part of the excitement includes a brand new CD release called "Icing On The Cake."

T. Fox is a popular singer / songwriter with a six-octave vocal range and multi-instrumental skills on piano, guitar, bass, Midi drums, vibes, flute, sax and harmonica. His repertoire runs the full gamut. The show is free with a one-drink minimum, call 702-739-2222 for information.

The new Hawaiian luau dinner show at the Flamingo called "Baywatch Aloha" has opened. The show at the pool runs Fridays through Wednesdays. Tickets are $42.45 for the show only and $53.03 with dinner, call 702-733-3333.

Frank Sinatra Jr. and his 36-piece orchestra have returned by popular demand to the MGM Grand to perform "Sinatra Sings Sinatra" through Aug. 21. Tickets are $47.50 plus tax and handling fee, call 1-800-929-1111.

The Stratosphere will present "Heavyweight Extravaganza," a night of boxing action featuring heavyweight contender Derrick Jefferson at the Outdoor Events Center on Saturday, Sept. 21.

The Mandalay Bay's giant meeting facility is under construction and will be the fifth-largest convention center in the United States when it is completed next January. The facility will be able to host 75 meetings at one time.

"Splash" at the Riviera will be closed Sept. 11-13, and will reopen on Sept. 14 with an all-new production. This practice of annually freshening up the show continues and will include new costumes, new numbers, and the latest in entertainment technology to the totally new grand finale, "Tribute to America."

The annual Harvest Festival Craft Show will be open to the public at Cashman Field Center near downtown, Aug. 23-25. Over 250 exhibitors will showcase quality hand made American arts and crafts. General admission is $7.50 with $1 off available with a newspaper coupon ad, Harvest Festival flyer or can of food donation. Seniors 62 and older get in for $6.50 and admission is $4.50 for children 6 to 12 yeas old. One ticket is good for all three days.

Magician Fielding West's show at Bourbon Street called "The Fielding West Show: Comedy, Tricks & Naked Chicks" has closed. In the future, West is going to go back to his one-man format.

When it comes to name entertainment, off-Strip resorts are getting into the action with some impressive names.

Sam's Town Live! out on Boulder Highway has booked The Monkees on Aug. 30 and Little Richard on Aug. 31 and Sept. 1.

Texas Station in North Las Vegas has an impressive lineup of headliners this fall: Alan King - Sept. 27; Charley Pride - Oct. 4; Merle Haggard - Nov. 2; Ray Charles - Nov. 8; Connie Frances - Nov. 22-23; and The Oak Ridge Boys next Feb. 1.

The Silverton situated off I-15 just minutes from Tropicana Ave. and the Strip has the following lineup in their showroom: Jan & Dean - Aug. 31; Kevin Sharp - Sept. 14; Chris Chitsey - Oct. 26; and during the National Finals Rodeo Chris Cagle - Dec. 7-8 and Chris LeDoux - Dec. 12 and 13.

TOP OF NEXT COLUMN

A revamped restaurant to check out is Cosmo's Manhattan on East Flamingo past Eastern. In the '70s, Tony Cosmo opened a hidden dining treasure called Cosmo's Underground. The eatery was literally built into a basement structure on Fremont Street and had a following for 18 years.

In the '80s, the restaurateur opened Cosmo's Uptown inside the hot nightspot of the day called the Shark Club, at Harmon and the Strip. He also opened a third location at the Brianhead Ski Resort in Utah. In the mid-'90s, he closed everything up and took a seven-year break, but now he's back with the same chef and recipes. Cosmo's Manhattan will feature Italian and French specialties and live entertainment nightly in the lounge.

Nestled inside Mandalay Bay is the House of Blues with a 1,800-guest live music venue located just off the resort's casino floor. This showroom highlights and constantly adds a diverse array of live entertainment. A couple new names on the list include country's Dwight Yoakam on Sept. 8 and rock 'n' roll's energizer James Brown on Oct. 18.

A popular weekly event at the House of Blues is the Gospel Brunch held every Sunday at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. Admission is $37 for adults and $19 for children 11 years and under. "Praise the Lord and Pass the Biscuits." For information, call the House of Blues Box Office 702-632-7600.

The Las Vegas Natural History Museum located at 900 Las Vegas Blvd. North has celebrated its 11th anniversary as it continues to grow. A new attraction is a submarine playhouse that was constructed for a fund-raiser by carpentry crews at the Bellagio. The submarine is a children's play magnet with flashing lights and controls, opening doors, a CD player and a slide.

Binion's Horseshoe downtown has made a few changes. A number of table games from the former Mint casino area on the west side of the property have been removed and replaced by slot machines. Also, the entire craps pit with three tables on the casino's west side has been removed along with several blackjack tables. The casino cut its east side craps pit, one of the city's biggest, from ten tables to seven, replacing the games with other tables.

The Comedy Stop at the Tropicana continues to feature three new headliners each week. The trio running from Aug. 26-Spet. 1 will be John Fox, Tom Briscoe and Scott Bruce.

Fox walked on stage for the first time at the Comedy Store in June of 1979, and within three months he became a "paid regular." Nowadays, Fox travels up to 40 weeks a year and has accumulated a number of television credits.

Tickets to the Comedy Stop are $17.50 per person, with tax, gratuity and two drinks included, call 702-739-2714.

For the next couple months, the first Monday of the month at the Palapa Lounge inside the Palms will be CSN - Chick Singer Night. It's a showcase for female singers from aspiring beginners to seasoned professionals representing all music styles. Talent needs to show up in the afternoon and run through songs with the CSN band. The shows are fee.

Last month construction began on the latest outlet mall entry in Southern Nevada, the Las Vegas Premium Outlets, a 430,000-square-foot outlet mall located downtown. The $90 million project is being built on a 40-acre parcel between Grand Central Parkway and Interstate 15 south of the U.S. Highway 95 interchange. The retail center, which will feature the top-of-the-market stores, is scheduled to open in fall 2003.

With the extreme heat in Las Vegas, a good place to cool off while playing blackjack is at the Tropicana's main swimming pool from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Hotel guests can enjoy the coolest game of swim-up blackjack. The bet limits are $5 to $50 and players must be 21.

By mid-September, the covered parking garage at Neonopolis will begin charging a fee like its sister facility, the Fremont Street Experience. Of the three Neonopolis exit lanes, two will have machines that accept credit cards while the third will be a cash booth run by an employee.

The parking charges at Neonopolis will be $1.50 per hour. Moviegoers will get their tickets validated for three free hours while patrons of La Salsa, The Saloon, the soon-to-open Jillian's and the other handful of shops will have to pay a flat $1.50 per hour.

The Rampart Casino at The Resort at Summerlin located about 20 to 30 minutes from the Strip has opened its buffet for lunch and dinner. The buffet features daily changing menus including Asian, American and Italian stations plus four special meals: Sunday champagne brunch, prime rib night, T-bone steak night and a Friday seafood buffet. Additional restaurants will open soon.

The Rampart's neighboring competitor is the Suncoast with projections for a $65 million expansion. Plans call for adding a poker room, a new sports book, sports bar, additional slot machines and table games, a new casino bar, a 1,600-car parking garage and four new restaurants by the end of 2004.

Special wine dinners are popular in Las Vegas. Gallagher's steakhouse at New York-New York will hold a Raymond Winery dinner on Aug. 21. The price is $99 per person with a reception and full dinner, call 702-740-6450.

Charlie Palmer Steak and The Verandah at Four Seasons will join forces to present "A Taste of Jazz," an evening of progressive dining and dancing on Aug. 22. The cost is $125 per person, call 702-632-5120.

CONTINUE ON TO...:
>THIS WEEK'S LAUGHLIN SEGMENT
>LAST WEEK'S LAS VEGAS SEGMENT
>VEGAS VIEWS FULL ARCHIVES
>Return to "Heard Around Town"
>Return to Las Vegas Leisure Guide