Viva Las Vegas (Stage Acts)
Full disclosure: I'm no fan of Vegas. The place has always bummed me out. Vegas has too much of everything in a place that really should have nothing. It's not natural. Fake Venetian canals, fake New York skyscrapers, fake Parisian storefronts all in the middle of a desert. The whole thing is too freaky and too sleazy for my fragile constitution.
Vegas is also the place where musicians go to die. Sometimes, it's a long slow death played out over years during a residency at some Vegas hotel ballroom. Other times, it's a quick one-night stand. For every act who plays Vegas for the ironic satisfaction (yes, I saw Sting open for The Grateful Dead at a '93 Vegas show), there are a casino-full of rhinestoned acts for whom Vegas becomes a way of showbiz life.
A true Vegas musician is different than any other type of musician. A Vegas act contains a cheeseball showmanship that can only exist within the Nevada borders. What happens on stage in Vegas stays in Vegas. Would Liberace make sense at Madison Square Garden? No. Would Wayne Newton rock Lollapalooza? Well, maybe.
So as you peruse this list of Vegas schmaltz, understand that while I'm no fan of Sin City's 24-hour cavalcade of hedonism, I can appreciate the virtues of a good Vegas act as much as anyone. It's an art form and I'm an art lover - even if I don't eat cheese.
GALLERY: See Las Vegas' greatest entertainers
Liberace
Say what you will about Liberace, the dude had style. Throughout the '70s and '80s, the heavily jeweled showman was the highest paid entertainer in the world. His stand at the Las Vegas Hilton earned him $300,000 per week. Dubbed "Mr. Showmanship," Liberace made his stage entrance in a chauffeur-driven Rolls Royce then tickled the ivories on a sequin-covered piano topped with his signature candelabrum. Liberace died in '87. His last appearance was on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" on Christmas. Perfect. Check out his costumes and other stage props at the Liberace Museum. It's a shrine to all that is showy.
Elvis Presley
Elvis' bloated, drug-infused performances Las Vegas that marked the end of his career have become archetypal shorthand for any performer on the downward slide. However, Elvis' relationship with Vegas was more illustrious and complicated than most realize. He first played the Strip in '56 billed as the "Atomic Powered Singer." The shows were so poorly received, that a four-week date was cut in half. His '69 return was a different story. Elvis performed 57 shows over four weeks. They were universally praised and led to a five-year contract paying Elvis $1 million a year. The Strip had a new King. Until he started shooting TV sets in his hotel room.
Wayne Newton
Dubbed "Mr. Las Vegas," Wayne Newton has performed over 30,000 shows in the city. Vegas runs through his blood. He even owned part of a Vegas hotel - the Aladdin - for a couple of years in the '80s. Newton's Vegas run was cut short when a 10-year deal with the Stardust was terminated after six years in 2005. Newton said he wanted more time with his family. It may have also had something to do with the fact that his singing voice has been reduced to a feeble croak. No more "Danke Schoen" for the blue-haired groupies.
Engelbert Humperdinck
Arnold George Dorsey took the name of a 19th century German composer and gained success in the '60s as a mellower version of fellow bare-chested singer Tom Jones. When the record sales dried up, Humperdinck headed to Vegas. He was a perfect fit. Humperdinck describes his credo by saying, "I take the job description of 'entertainer' very seriously! I try to bring a sparkle that people don't expect..." That's show biz. Catch him at the Orleans Hotel.
Celine Dion
Celine Dion was made for Vegas. What other place could contain her vocal histrionics and determination to bludgeon her audience with bombastic, staged sincerity? Caesars Palace even built a $95 million, 400-seat venue called The Colosseum to hold her Dion-ness. From 2003 to 2007, Dion's production, staged by Cirque du Soleil director Franco Dragone, redefined the nature of Vegas residencies. "A New Day..." was the sixth best-selling tour of 2006. Pretty good for a tour with only a one city stop.
Elton John
Elton John took a page from Celine Dion's playbook and also booked himself into Caesars Palace's Colosseum, thus completing his transformation from young, angry, '70s singer-songwriter to crushed velveted, Ethel Merman look-a-like Vegas act. His "Red Piano" production debuted in 2004, featuring video montages by fashion photographer David LaChapelle and Elton himself looking like...a drag queen version of Elton. The show closed in April 2009 and Elton has now been released into the world with Billy Joel.
Cher
Like Elvis Presley, Cher played Vegas in her early days as half of the duo Sonny & Cher. They honed their shtick in 1970 playing Vegas resorts which led to their CBS variety show "The Sonny And Cher Comedy Hour." She returned in '89 with a TV special filmed at the Mirage hotel. Now, at age 61, Cher is back in the house Celine built. "Cher At The Colosseum" runs into 2011. In true Cher Vegas fashion, the show boasts 18 dancers and 18 million Bob Mackie gowns.
Sammy Davis, Jr.
Sammy Davis, Jr.'s Rat Pack status (along with Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Joey Bishop, Peter Lawford, and Shirley MacLaine) gave him a headlining spot at the Frontier Casino in the late '50s. But it didn't get him a room in the hotel. He had to stay across town with the other black performers. Davis finally refused to work clubs that practiced segregation, which played a key role in integrating Vegas hotels and casinos. Davis remained a Vegas institution until his death in 1990.
Barry Manilow
It's surprising that it took so long for Barry Manilow to make a Vegas stand. His hits like "Copacabana," "Mandy," and "I Write The Songs" are perfect for an eight o'clock dinner show before heading to the craps table. Aside from some one-off gigs, Manilow didn't make a real commitment to the Strip until his 1999 NBC special "StarSkates Salute to Barry Manilow." Filmed at the Mandalay Bay Hotel, the show featured ice skating routines set to Manilow's music. Do you need any other reason why Vegas is so magnificent? The Manilow now headlines the Las Vegas Hilton. Sorry, no figure skaters.
Donny & Marie
After a '70s TV variety show and a late '90s TV talk show, the Osmond siblings are now part of the Vegas entertainment family. Their show at the Flamingo promises to "dazzle and delight audiences of all ages." Donny will sing "Puppy Love," Marie will sing "Paper Roses," and everyone will drink Mai Tais (except Donny & Marie - Mormons don't drink). It's a little bit country, a little bit rock 'n' roll, and all Vegas.
