John Katsilometes on how ballooning Vegas ticket prices are becoming national news

Monday, April 17, 2006 | 7:26 a.m.

This weekend a new character on "Saturday Night Live," a morose figure known as Debbie the Downer (played by Rachel Dratch) lamented losing a large sum of money in a slot machine.

"What happens to my $72, stays in Vegas," Debbie the Downer told her friends (including host Lindsay Lohan) during a bachelorette party, playing off the famous "what happens here, stays here" slogan. "Now I'll never see Barry Manilow."

She wasn't going to see Manilow for $72 anyway. Manilow's cheapest seat is $110.50. Even satire can't keep pace with rising ticket prices in Las Vegas. A recent report in USA Today - using information from www.lasvegasadvisor.com - shows precisely how high and how fast those prices have grown.

Ticket prices to Las Vegas shows have risen nearly 16 percent in the past year, according to the site operated by Advisor President Anthony Curtis. Lasvegasadvisor.com tracks ticket prices, and reports that the average price of a Vegas show today is $62.02, up from $53.66 a year ago.

Twelve shows have a top ticket price of $100 or higher, and those shows range from Wayne Newton at Flamingo Las Vegas (who tops out at $103.50) to Cirque du Soleil's "Ka" at MGM Grand.

At the moment, Manilow (Las Vegas Hilton) has the top ticket price of $253.50, edging Celine Dion at Caesars ($225). The top production show price is $150 commanded by both "O" (Bellagio) and "Ka."

In Las Vegas, "Big ticket prices go part and parcel with the new upscale scene," Curtis is quoted as saying in the USA Today piece. Vegas has "trained people to spend (more) money on everything, from their rooms to shopping."

Many shows offer deals for Nevada residents (the "Hairspray" weekend matinees are just $50 for locals, any seat, for a show that usually goes for $74.50 to $113) and such last-minute sellers like Tix4Tonight (877-849-4868) and Tickets2Nite (888-484-9264) offer late-breaking deals.

One reason for the ramp-up in prices is there are simply fewer shows in Vegas, according to Curtis' count - 77 citywide this year, down from 84 a year ago.

NoteMart

More shows: The brush-up at Santa Fe Station includes a slick new showroom, Chrome, which presents a wide swath of entertainment - on the bill there are lounge vet Jerry Tiffe and the longtime Prince tribute act Purple Reign ...

Going off the rail: The latest from Monorail President/Chief Executive Curtis L. Myles III is that it will be about five years before the Monorail extends to the airport and along the west side of the Strip.

Myles is quoted in the April edition of Nevada Profiles, the official publication of the Nevada Tourism Alliance, as saying, "Our plan right now is to start the extension to the airport and be on the same time line as the airport is for terminal three. Terminal three today is tentatively scheduled to be open sometime in the early part of 2011."

Most recently Myles put the time frame at 2010. He added that, ideally, both Monorail expansions would start simultaneously - sometime next year - to open in the same time frame as the new McCarran International terminal ...

Steam Iron: An act known as the Iron Maidens, said to be the world's only female tribute to Iron Maiden (and who's to argue?), is performing at the Empire Ballroom at 10 p.m. Tuesday ...

Tip of the hat: Hogs & Heifers Saloon in downtown Las Vegas has started its Hard Hat Friday's promotion; workers in the construction and maintenance industry are treated to $2 pints of Bud and Bud Lite from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. every Friday. You must present proof of vocation to receive the discount, and if you bring a hard hat, you receive an official Hogs & Heifers sticker ...

A must-see for any member of the Las Vegas public relations community: The movie "Thank You for Smoking," which is so wrong - and so great - in so many ways ...

Love ya, see ya: Reader spots the plate LVYACYA, framed with the message "Buh Bye."