New Versions of Old Vegas

by Photo Diva

Monday, November 2, 2009

On Monday, October 19, my hubby and I got a call from James D’Arrigo, the sax player in our band, and his lovely bride, Samantha. They called to see if we’d like to go with them to see a musical act visiting from Nashville that was playing in the Orleans Showroom that very night. I love hanging out with the very talented James and the oh so witty Brit Samantha so we quickly agreed and we met them in front of the box office.

Perry Danos crooning inside the Orleans Casino Showroom

If you’ve never been to the Orleans Showroom it’s a terrific and intimate 850-seat theater that has nice sound, decent lights and comfortable seats — not state-of-the-art like some other venues in town but still a great placate see a show. We went to see some amazing musicians that James knew from his Nashville days who were backing up a good-lookin’ crooner that the powers-that-be were trying to market as “the new voice of Vegas” by the name of Perry Danos. The 90-minute set was mostly cover tunes like “Vehicle,” “We’re In This Love Together” and “Nutbush City Limits” with a couple of original songs sprinkled in for good measure and a nice medley of songs as a tribute to crooners of the past like Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr. and Bobby Darrin. Danos is a polished entertainer with decent vocal chops and has an exceptionally talented and well-rehearsed 11-piece band backing him up which included a 4-piece horn section and three backup singers. With the exception of a beautifully arranged and performed version of Stevie Wonder’s classic ballad “All In Love Is Fair” (the sax solo was flawless) and a simplified duet with one of his backup singers of the Hal David/Albert Hammond penned song “99 Miles From L.A.” the show left me with the impression of being a nice but a stereotypical outsider’s interpretation of a vintage Vegas lounge act. So while the orchestra was really quite remarkable, Danos himself just doesn’t live up to the “new voice of vegas” moniker and overall the show was just a little too homogenized for my taste.

Along the same vintage vein we also went to see Zowie Bowie and their Sunday evening salute to old-school Vegas at the larger and more elaborate Lance Burton Theater inside the Strip’s Monte Carlo Resort on Sunday, October 25, as guests of — you guessed it — James and Samantha, fellow animal lovers and owners of the uber-hot human/canine clothing company Vegas Rock Dog. As the four of us settled into our very comfortable seats near the front of the stage inside a beautiful 1,274-seat venue named for Lance Burton, the master illusionist, I couldn’t help but wonder if the show would be as cheesy as I had heard it was or if it would be more comparable to the pleasant Perry Danos show we had seen just a few days prior.

The assets of Marley and Chris are abundant

The dynamic duo of Chris Phillips and Marley Taylor as Zowie Bowie do the vintage thing well — almost as if they were made for it. Having landed here in Vegas from Arizona about three years ago to do their top-40 lounge act at the then brand-new Red Rock Resort and Casino they seemed to figure out quickly what the Vegas audience wants and expects, built a rabid following and quickly (believe me, three years is quick) worked their way East via a short stint at the Palms to a coveted Strip gig, even if it’s only a three-month contract. The “Zowie Bowie Vintage Vegas Show” — featuring a 15-piece live orchestra with two backup singers — opens with a Robin Leach voiceover to set the mood with Phillips entering the stage in a tuxedo and his fiancé Taylor in a full length gown that was…well…very Fredrick’s of Hollywood-esque in style. The song choices and arrangements were pretty much what I expected and included “I’m Getting Married in the Morning,” “This Could Be the Start of Something Big,” “Hello Dolly,” “Delilah” and “I’ve Got The World On A String” but after hearing Perry Danos’ more cohesive orchestra a few days prior I wasn’t too terribly impressed with Zowie Bowie’s band — while all are fine musicians individually who play in some of the biggest shows in town, they really need to work on becoming a more cohesive unit.

Zowie Bowie showing their vintage Vegas side
at the Monte Carlo

Phillips and Taylor, on the other hand, nailed it. Both have exceptional vocal chops, especially Taylor on “Touch Me In The Morning” and “Come On Baby Light My Fire” (thankfully sans the ultra-cheesy dancers with candelabras on their heads a la opening night) although her vocal styling leans towards beauty pageant. The stage banter between the two headliners is supposed to be reminiscent of the not-yet-dead duet of Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gormé however since it revolved mostly around Taylor’s…ahem…”assets” — which are highlighted throughout the show in frequent changes into more and more revealing gowns — I really don’t get the connection because I just can’t imagine Steve calling Eydie “Miss Big Boobs” onstage. I may be wrong but I don’t think so. So if you’d enjoy a throwback Vegas show with a bit of a modern day edge this show is for you. Tickets for the vintage Zowie Bowie’s Sunday night 7:30 p.m. show are a bargain at under $30 but hurry because the three month run is nearly over and there’s no word yet on if it will be extended.

I am so proud of my first 5k medal

One final note I participated in the first ever Great Pumpkin Run on Friday night, benefiting Easter Seals of Southern Nevada. Surprisingly (especially since it was by far my worst finishing time for a 5k ever) I got 3rd place for my age group which leads me to believe that there were only three women in the 45-49 age group participating. That’s OK, I got a medal which is my first and that was beyond cool. Oh, and I won two tickets to see Phantom from the raffle tickets i bought (which my daughter is thrilled about) so thank you Easter Seals and I hope you do it again next year. If so, I’ll be there with costume on so get my medal ready.

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