Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

Columnist Jerry Fink: Lounges are the building blocks of Las Vegas

Does any city in the world have more lounges per square block than Las Vegas?

I don't mean the neighborhood bars, the typical "Cheers" pub where friends drop by for a drink on the way home from work and visit with friends (although Vegas may be in the running for the leader in that category).

I'm talking about bars where you can go for a little entertainment and it won't bust your budget.

Arguably, Vegas may have the greatest number and the greatest variety of saloons in the world.

Where else can you have a drink and watch a lady perform with a cast of trained birds? (Tiana Carroll performs at the Tropicana's Tropics Lounge, 11 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. daily.)

Or see a magician? (Michael Close performs at Monte Carlo's Houdini's Lounge, 8 p.m. until 1 a.m. Tuesdays and Wednesdays.)

Or smoke Turkish water pipes? (The Hookah Lounge, 4147 S. Maryland Parkway, has about 15 of them spread around the small, dark room that is decked out to make you feel as if you are in a tent in the desert.)

At Prana inside the Crustacean restaurant at the Aladdin, you can lounge on antique Vietnam opium beds and sip your drink while listening to music or taking a break from dancing.

Prana is one of the trendy "ultra lounges" popping up around Vegas, expensive places where you dress in the most current fashions and go to see and be seen (others are Curve in the London Club, which is in the Aladdin; Tabu at the MGM Grand; Risque at Paris; Carmel and Light at Bellagio; Venus Lounge at The Venetian).

Don't want to dress up? You can dress down and see what's happening at the sometimes outrageous Double Down Saloon, 4640 Paradise Road, or the funky blues joint Sand Dollar, 3355 Spring Mountain Road, or Pogo's Tavern (where some of the city's top musicians jam from 8 p.m. to midnight Fridays).

Want a lounge with a view? Check out the Top of the World on the 107th floor of the Stratosphere, ghostbar on the 55th floor of the Palms or the VooDoo Lounge on the 50th floor of The Rio.

There are plenty of classic lounges -- one of the best places to capture the flavor of old Las Vegas is the Bootlegger Bistro, 7700 Las Vegas Blvd. South. Owned by Lt. Gov. Lorraine Hunt (a former entertainer), the Bootlegger attracts some of the city's old-time entertainers, and many younger ones as well, on Friday and Saturday nights.

The Peppermill, 2985 Las Vegas Blvd. South, is retro Vegas, its decor reflecting the '70s era, when disco was king.

Capozzoli's Ristorante, 3333 S. Maryland Pkwy., has entertainment nightly, ranging from jam sessions to big band to pop. Tom Jones, the Righteous Brothers and other celebrities often dine there, and sometimes step into the spotlight.

Moose McGillycuddy's is a classic college neighborhood bar near the campus of the University of Nevada Las Vegas, a place to down cheap drinks and shoot pool while unwinding from a hard day of hitting the books.

Murphy's Pub in Henderson has a rotating slate of entertainment that includes big band, jazz, blues, rock 'n' roll, R&B and karaoke.

If karaoke is your thing, there are probably (conservatively) a few hundred venues in town where you can demonstrate your talents (or lack thereof). The granddaddy of them all is the lounge at Ellis Island, the first to offer it more than 20 years ago, and it's still going strong.

Tommy Rocker's Cantina & Grill, 4275 Industrial Road, is a blast on Friday and Saturday nights when Tommy Rocker (real name: Thomas Greenough) and his Conched Out band (a tribute to Jimmy Buffet) perform. Fans are sometimes invited onstage to sing along.

Cleopatra's Barge at Caesars Palace has been around forever, a floating lounge popular with older crowds.

The list could go on for page after page, but it would be meaningless without mentioning Carnaval Court at Harrah's, home of Cook E. Jarr late Fridays and Saturdays.

Jarr, loaded down with gold medallions, is almost a caricature of a Las Vegas lounge entertainer, but his talent is nothing to laugh at.

He could be a poster boy for a city where lounges have almost reached the status of a natural resource.

Lounging around

Now that Richard Boucher has retired from his job working on slot machines at the Las Vegas Hilton, the 71-year-old musician can sit around and blow his own horn.

Boucher -- who plays trumpet, fluegelhorn, trombone and saxophone -- was feted with a retirement party at Capozzoli's Wednesday night during Dennis Mellen's weekly, open-mike jam session. There were too many musicians performing to name, but Boucher was onstage in the thick of the action.

John Kaye, nephew of Mary Kaye (the legendary Mary Kaye Trio) and his classic rock band The Overlords will perform at a benefit for law enforcement Saturday. The event is sponsored by Harley-Davidson, 2605 S. Eastern Ave. The all-day fund-raiser for Fallen Officers begins at 9 a.m. The Overlords will be onstage from noon until 3 p.m.

The Raj Rathor Trio featuring Diana Smith is now appearing from 6 p.m. until 9 p.m. Saturdays at the Emergency Room, 3550 S. Decatur Blvd. The group includes guitarist Rathor, vocalist Smith, bassist Chris Hermes and drummer Joe Thomasula.

Kiss tribute band Black Diamond will perform free concerts at the Cannery at 8:30 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Music will include the best of Kiss from 1974 to 1980.

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