Friday, Dec. 27, 2002 | 8:57 a.m.
Jerry Fink's lounge column appears on Fridays. Reach him at [email protected] at (702) 259-4058.
Where does a professional lounge observer begin the New Year?
The Tuscany on Flamingo Road east of Koval Lane would be a good bet. The venue will be in a party spirit, as it prepares to open a 60,000-square-foot casino in mid-January. The hotel, Piazza Lounge and Palazzo Restaurant opened in the summer.
Chuy's Company, headed by lounge legend Chuy Gomez, has been performing in the Piazza since September, drawing in huge crowds with his rock standards and Latin sounds. He is there Wednesdays and Thursdays from 8 p.m. to midnight and Fridays and Saturdays from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.
The crowds will be even bigger New Year's Eve, with Chuy entertaining until 2 a.m. Party packages ranging from $40 to $85 are available.
The 54-year-old Chuy has worked almost every New Year's Eve since he became a professional musician at the age of 15 in his native Tijuana, Mexico, where he sang and played guitar in clubs where prostitutes plied their trade.
New Year's 2000 was his biggest gig, moneywise. He didn't want to talk figures, but he said the party was at the mansion of a local multimillionaire.
"He had a tent with a ball on a pole in the middle, like in New York," Chuy said.
As the countdown began seconds before midnight, a short in the wiring knocked out the sound system.
Without missing a beat, Chuy jumped into the audience and started a conga line
"The only music was a drum, but nobody noticed," Chuy said.
Chuy has been a lounge mainstay in Las Vegas since moving here in 1974, after a career in Mexico that took him from Tijuana to resort cities such as Acapulco and to Mexico City, where he performed with some of the United States' greatest entertainers, including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Paul Anka.
He seems to have found a home at the Piazza Lounge, where he recently was given a six-month contract with an option for another six months.
"I love it here," said Chuy, who will perform for the casino when it holds a special opening for selected guests next month. "It's intimate. It's got class. It has great ambiance. "
As far as entertaining on New Year's Eve, Chuy said he wouldn't know what to do if he wasn't onstage.
"A friend invited me to Miami for a vacation cruise," he said. "But I didn't want to go.
"Never in my life have I taken a vacation. You can say my whole life has been a permanent vacation. You do what you love, and they pay you for it, that's not work. I have never grown tired of it. I love to do what I do."
And that includes being the center of the party on New Year's Eve.
Partying around
My vote for the best free New Year's Eve party in town goes to San Remo's, where Ricky & the Redstreaks will perform in the Chateau Ballroom. Doors open at 11:15 p.m. The Redstreaks play a wide variety of music, mostly classic rock 'n' roll, and are a cult favorite with the rodeo crowd.
There are plenty of parties in lounges from one end of Vegas to the other, but for one night out of the year partiers will have to pay for admission.
A small sampling of the festivities includes:
The Green Room at Santa Fe Station. The party begins at 9 p.m. Admission is $29.95. For information, call 547-5300.
The Stratosphere will host a pool deck party beginning at 9 p.m. Admission is $25. There will be a DJ and a view of the fireworks.
The Gold Coast is featuring "Alter Ego's Rockin' New Year's Eve Bash," beginning at 9 p.m. Admission is $80. The party includes an open bar, hors d'ouevres, party favors and commemorative T-shirt. For information, call 367-7111.
Loveshack will be the featured entertainment at Texas Station's Armadillo Lounge. The party begins at 9 p.m. Tickets are $39.95 in advance and $49 the day of the bash.
Monte Carlo's Brew Pub will hold a bash that begins at 8 p.m. Admission is $125 and includes live entertainment with a band and DJ, a buffet, champagne toast and party favors.
Green Valley Ranch Station Casino's New Year's Eve Party begins at 8:30 p.m. Admission is $39.95, and includes a buffet. For information, call 547-5300.
The Palms will feature parties all over the building, including the Key West Room ($50 in advance; $75 day of the event); Club Buddha ($75 admission); includes dinner); Palapa Lounge ($99 in advance; $125 day of the event). For information on all of the parties, call 942-7777.
Disco Inferno will be the featured entertainment at the Suncoast's Showroom. The party begins at 9:30 p.m. Admission is $29.95. For information, call 636-7075.
Lounging around
A silent auction and fund-raiser for Pamela Whitner, aka Flutterby the Clown, will be at 6 p.m. Sunday at the Velvet Lounge inside the WB State 16 restaurant at The Venetian. The lounge is donating use of the facility for the event. The 43-year-old Whiten has been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.
Check out the new Tequila Bar at Bally's. It's open seven days a week, 10 a.m. until 2 a.m., serving drinks made from more than 50 types of tequila.
The 18-piece Nevada Jazz Orchestra will perform at 2 p.m. Jan. 5 at the Winchester Center, 3130 S. McLeod Drive. Admission is $7, $10 and $15. For information, call 455-7340.
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