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| September 17, 2004 | NEWEST - PRIOR WEEK - ARCHIVES |
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| "It's The Norm" - Las Vegas Entertainment Events | |
STEVE & EYDIE PLAY ONE MORE FOR THE ROAD
Last May I wrote about three of my friends who had just completed a highly successful engagement at the Stardust Hotel: Steve Lawrence, Eydie Gorme and Vince Falcone. Well, gang, they are back in the Wayne Newton Theatre this weekend, opening Friday through Sunday. I thought it would be okay with you if I just repeated the column I wrote following that performance. So, gang, here it is. Enjoy. Went to see the two best entertainers I've seen in this town in a long time. As you know I did an extensive interview with Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, which ran as a bonus column last week and this week. I personally had not seen the pair perform for a number of years, but that did not mean I wasn't expecting the best. And, gang, that's exactly what I received along with the SRO crowd that attended the Friday night show. From what I was told the same happened Thursday and again Saturday night. And, they will be back! What is great about their adventure into the Stardust Hotel and the Wayne Newton Theatre is they proved a point. No matter what the age of the act, if you have great talent people will come. Like Kevin Costner said in that movie, "Build it and they will come." Steve and Eydie may have just opened the door for more of the greats from the past (not to long ago mind you) to have a local showroom. Some of them now have only one or two places: The Orleans and SunCoast Showrooms. Like my fellow writer, Jerry Fink wrote in his review in the Las Vegas Sun, "I would be happy to stand in another long line, one to sign a petition to force some venue to give Steve and Eydie a permanent home." I too would be glad to stand in the same line! "The One More For the Road" tour supposedly ended at the Stardust Saturday evening. And, like the couple told me when we did the interview a while back, they're honestly tired of the road. "We're at that point in our life where we want to pick and choose our gigs. Living out of a suitcase is not fun anymore. And, hey, we're not youngsters either!" |
 Well, they may not be youngsters anymore, but it didn't show on stage that night. Even with both entertainers not feeling well (Eydie had stubbed her big toe and also had a touch of flu) they performed for a tad over two-hours. The first 15 minutes were spent watching a special biographical film of their remarkable career spanning over 50 years, including those early years with Steve Allen. That alone was worth the price of admission! Vince Falcone conducted the 28-piece orchestra with the exuberance of a younger Vince when he toured with "The Man," Mr. Francis Albert Sinatra for 10 years. Vince put together some of the finest musicians obtainable, including a beautiful full string section. It was wonderful to hear those notes coming from a wood instrument and not a metal tool. Falcone is without question (my opinion again) the consummate conductor. Plus he's one of the nicer guys to work in Las Vegas. I'm proud to call him a friend and so are a lot of entertainers. If you don't have a man (or lady) who really cares about you (the entertainer) you could be in deep doodoo: He would not go out seeking the best musicians, instead he would accept what he could get and let it go. Not Vince! No way Jose! If he works for you, you know he's going to be right on top of everything. That's why he's in demand by a ton of entertainers. They know they can trust him! Enough said. So what do you think? I just hope that some smart entertainment executive at one of our major hotels can convince his bosses that these two fabulous entertainers (along with a few others) can carry a room. Proof? Look at how many had to be turned away at the Stardust the last time they worked the room. And, as this was being written, it was reported that the room was SRO and those tickets were all gone. How good can it get? That's it for me this week. I'm headed for Ely, Nevada, Saturday morning to compete once again in the Silver State Classic Open Road Race. I'll be racing, along with my navigator Jeanine Hefflin in the 135 mph class (we won the class last May) in the red Camaro Z28 Sunday morning. I'm outa here!
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