Nievera proves great new voice in Vegas

Friday, Jan. 16, 2004 | 8:24 a.m.

He's an extraordinary entertainer determined to beat the odds and conquer Las Vegas the way he has conquered his fans in his native Philippines.

The 40-year-old performer is accustomed to singing in front of thousands of people at venues the size of the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Nievera has such a powerful voice that it can fill a huge stadium -- it almost overwhelms in the 400-seat Theatre Ballroom at the Golden Nugget, where he will be performing at least through February.

He is a balladeer who is reminiscent of what Las Vegas used to be all about -- performers such as the Rat Pack, Tony Bennett and Nat King Cole, who dominated the entertainment scene before the rise to prominence of production shows.

Nievera sings the songs of the legends, but he doesn't do impressions of them. He says he is paying tribute to Las Vegas rather than to individuals.

"Sometimes I wish I was born during the days of Sinatra," he told the audience. "I was born at the wrong time -- rappers and hip-hoppers. I'm a balladeer. I love to sing love songs."

Nievera is more than a superb singer with a broad vocal range; he is a complete entertainer with a charisma that quickly wins over an audience.

But will that audience make the trek downtown to support someone it has never heard of, even if Nievera is performing in one of the classiest venues in Vegas and has talent on a par with Clint Holmes (who also got his start at the Nugget)?

The trip is certainly worth it. When you leave the showroom, you feel as if you have gotten more than your money's worth.

Nievera is a charmer who frequently leaves the stage and meanders through the audience, singing to individuals, joking with fans, working the crowd. He isn't one of those passive entertainers who simply announces the next song -- he is a dynamo, full of vitality, who energizes the entire room.

Backed by a nine-piece orchestra, he opens with Van Morrison's 1970 hit "Moondance," then segues into "I Love You More Today Than Yesterday," a 1969 hit by Spiral Staircase.

Those are among the newest songs performed by Nievera. Most of the others are from the '50s and '60s.

Frank Sinatra is one of Nievera's favorite singers. The first of several Sinatra songs he performs is "The Way You Look Tonight." Others include "All the Way," "I've Got You Under My Skin," "Witchcraft," "Come Fly With Me" and "My Way."

His repertoire includes, among many others, Cole ("That's All"), Sammy Davis Jr. ("For Once in a Lifetime") and Bennett ("Who Can I Turn To?").

And Nievera sang a couple of songs he wrote himself -- "I'll Be There for You" (which he said he wrote for his children) and "Be My Lady."

Nievera is a prolific songwriter and recording artist with 25 albums to his credit and who was greatly influenced by the Society of Seven, one of the most popular show bands in Hawaii.

His father, Robert, was a founding member of the group and Nievera's formative years were spent watching them perform.

Like the Society of Seven's shows, humor is an important element of Nievera's production. He has a great sense of humor, often poking fun at himself and his Filipino heritage.

"I'm Hawaiian and Filipino," he says. "That makes me a Puerto Rican."

"I don't do impressions," he says. "I once tried to imitate a perfect husband. I lost that gig in 12 years, and I'm still paying for it."

The closest thing he did to an impression was of Johnny Mathis when he sang "Misty."

Nievera's backup singer, Jenevi Bakch, added spice to the show. Wearing a revealing, low-cut evening gown, she turned up the heat in the room a notch singing Peggy Lee's "Fever" and a version of Ray Charles' '57 classic, "Hallelujah, I Love Him So."

Nievera ended his 90-minute performance with a number of Broadway tunes including "Midnight" from "Phantom of the Opera" and "Somewhere" from "West Side Story" -- another example of his being influenced by the Society of Seven (they, too, wrap up their shows with songs from Broadway).

The Society had a brief stay at the Golden Nugget last year before moving up to the Aladdin (a gig that ended when magician Steve Wyrick took over the showroom).

How long Nievera will be there before he moves to the Strip is anybody's guess. But clearly, the room is too small for someone with such huge talent.