Tuesday, Jan. 23, 2007 | 7:03 a.m.
Lots going on in Las Vegas lounges: new ones open, old ones close, entertainers moving, others looking for new gigs.
The Beatles Revolution Lounge is the latest ultralounge to come on line in a city that is deluged with the high-tech spin on one of its oldest forms of entertainment.
A creation of Cirque du Soleil in connection with the Beatles tribute musical "Love," the intimate, 5,000-square-foot, psychedelic-themed venue opened recently at the Mirage.
Although it's name is Revolution and was inspired by the group that rode the waves of anti-establishment culture of the '60s, there is a dress code. No baggy pants or shorts. No running shoes, work boots or baseball hats.
The lounge features different entertainment on different nights, from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m.:
The cover charge varies nightly. Local women are always admitted without charge.
Joe Darro moves
Keyboardist-vocalist Joe Darro's six-year engagement at the Plaza's second-floor lounge ended a couple of weeks ago, but he's now performing in the lounge at Becker Steakhouse.
The 71-year-old entertainer has been performing in local lounges probably about as long as anyone in town.
Since arriving here in the mid-1960s, Darro has worked with almost every top name in the business, among them Sammy Davis Jr., Shecky Greene, Pat Henry, Louis Prima, the Mary Kay Trio, Jack Jones and Debbie Reynolds.
Darro performs from 7 to 11 p.m. Sundays through Tuesdays in the lounge at 2400 N. Buffalo Drive.
Darro continues to perform at Nora's Cuisine, 6020 W. Flamingo Road, where he has been for the past six years.
Michael Lee returns, temporarily
Lounge singer Michael Lee - a big hit at Fitzgerald s for two years - has been out of town but he returned recently for an engagement at the Cannery's Pinup Lounge.
"I've been traveling all over the country, doing my thing," said Lee, who bought a home in Virginia during his travels.
Lee's repertoire of songs includes R&B, country, soul and favorites from the history of pop and rock music.
The former Sacramento police officer and ex-Marine can be heard from 8 p.m. until midnight Thursdays and Sundays and 9 p.m. until 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays through Jan. 28.
Zingers closed
The eclectic Zingers lounge, 1000 E. Sahara Ave., closed abruptly a couple of weeks ago.
Longtime Vegas entertainer Karin Denise ("Splash," "Naked Angels") was just hitting her stride at the venue where cross-dressers and straight people met on neutral ground to enjoy good music and dancing.
"It's too bad because we really had a great time there," Denise said. "Not to mention that now I'm out of work with my band once again in the Entertainment Capitol of the World."
That shouldn't be a problem for long. The talented singer-dancer usually lands a gig. The only problem is, fewer lounges offer performers a living income and others are resorting to DJs.
Commander's Palace closed
David "Mojo" Poe's six-year gig in the lounge at Commander's Palace inside the Aladdin ended last week when the New Orleans-based restaurant closed.
Owners are looking for a new location for their restaurant, and Poe - hot on the clarinet, playing Dixieland - wants his many fans to know he'll let us know where he lands next.
Poe is one of the most interesting musicians in town. He has performed all over the world. He was with Black Dog when it was the first group invited to play in mainland China when the communist nation opened its doors to the world.
A child musical prodigy, he was born in Birmingham, Ala., where he gained an appreciation for bluegrass and country music. He was raised in Chicago, where he fell in love with jazz and blues. Before he was a teenager, he was performing with Muddy Waters and touring with Benny Goodman.
In the early '60s, he was part of Dick Clark's "Caravan of Stars," a concert tour that traveled around the country with some of the major pop stars of the time, performing one-night engagements.
He also conducted the orchestra for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey at Circus World in central Florida for 3 1/2 years.
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