Naomi Judd: ‘I’m psyched’ for The Judds’ run at Venetian

By John Katsilometes

Friday, Sept. 4, 2015 | 3:06 p.m.

This is exactly how a phone conversation with Naomi Judd begins, with a riddle:

“OK, a cowboy rides into town on Wednesday,” she says. “He leaves four days later, also on Wednesday. How did he do that?”

“I don’t know,” I say. “Time machine?”

“The horse’s name is Wednesday,” she says.

“Oh! Ah-ha!” I say.

“That’s for your third-grade readers,” she says, laughing.

Good one.

Naomi and Wynonna Judd, themselves, are riding into the Wild West village of … well, the Venetian Theater, on Oct. 7.

The Judds are booked for nine shows in the former “Phantom — The Las Vegas Spectacular” theater. The dates: Oct. 7, 10, 13-14, 16-17, 21 and 23-24. Tickets start at $59.50 (absent fees) and are on sale at the Venetian and Palazzo box office, Venetian.com/TheJudds, (702) 414-9000 and (866) 641-7469.

More highlights from the mother end of the famous mother-daughter country duo:

You’re back in Nashville now, after your media trip to Las Vegas to announce the show, right?

That’s right.

What’s your take-away from that trip?

I am so psyched. We met with all the top entertainment people at the Venetian, and I told all the big guys how psyched we are to be doing this. I got to see the room, the dressing room, make sure they don’t have bed bugs (laughs). I just wanted to tell them how excited we are.

Sounds like you were doing some research.

I was this way when I was a kid. You know, when I would get an assignment to do a theme paper, a term paper, I would do it that night. I used to be a head nurse in an ICU (at the old Rutherford County Hospital in Murfreesboro, Tenn.) I’m one of these very prepared types.

When did this residency at the Venetian begin to take shape?

I guess about three weeks ago …

Wow, that seems quick.

How it went was through my manager, and we were just asked if I’d like to play the Venetian with Wynonna, and I said, “Does a fat lady sweat at a dance?” And we were off, and making our to-do lists.

But the thing I am having the most trouble with is getting my clothes together — the girl who does that is down right now, so I think I’m going to have to go to Hustler to get something exciting.

I can help you with that task. … But I was told recently that country fans in Las Vegas have been underserved over the past several years, which is why there has been an effort to bring in Brooks & Dunn and Reba McEntire into the Colosseum, Shania Twain has played there, and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill have played the Venetian. Did your people tell you about the country fans who visit Las Vegas?

I figured it out when I heard who all’s been there and what’s going on, but Wynonna and I used to be called the Vegas Queens because we would have a standing contract at Caesars to work the first two weeks in December with all those cowboys in town for the NFR, and then we’d come back another time the following year at Caesars.

We worked the Hilton — we were in Vegas all the time, it seemed.

What are you going to be singing, exactly?

Wynonna has a whole new album that she’s turning in in February, with Big Noise, her band. So she’s going to obviously have a set with all of her cool new stuff, which I absolutely love. I like everything she does, and I’m not just saying that because I’m her mother. We’ll do all the classics that people want to hear, all the sing-alongs.

But you never quite know what The Judds will do. … Want me to tell you one of my ideas that everybody laughed at?

Absolutely, I want to laugh.

OK: I’m the one who comes up with all the “what-ifs,” and when I do, Wynonna just slaps her head and says, “Here comes Dolly,” because it’s like when Dolly Parton says something like, “I think I’ll have a theme park!” So, this idea was shot down with a chorus of boos, but I wanted to bring the boxing announcer Michael Buffer on the stage, all in black, and pulls down the microphone to introduce us … “Ladies and gentleman! The fabulous Judd family!” Wynonna is on stage left, and he introduces her, “From Ashland, Kentucky! Wynonna Ellen Judd! And over on the right wing, it’s Naomi Ellen Judd!” And they put some lipstick and hairspray on me, and we face each other, “Are you ready to come out swinging? I mean, singing?” And then we start singing …

It would work if you actually got Michael Buffer to do it.

I know! I know! But everybody just laughed at me …

Well, I am in favor of it . Why not? At what point did Wynonna get involved in the decision to play the Venetian?

Right from the beginning. I cooked a big supper and everyone came to my house. Her people and my people sat around, and we talked about what would make everybody happy, as far as how long the show would go, how much Wynonna music we’d use, how much Judd music. There is a lot of stuff to go over when you have two teams.

What about the staging? It’s a big stage, and there is room to use a lot of video content, like biographical, home movies, that sort of thing.

I think we will do that because there is so much available and so much of a story to tell. But what I found, and what Wynonna doesn’t know, is there is a trap door on the stage …

From the “Phantom” days! That’s right!

And I will use that to my best advantage.

Hah!

We did a Christmas show one time, and we were doing “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” in an 18,000-seat arena, and I got one of my riggers to rappel down as Santa Claus. Well, his beard and the fur around his collar got caught in the wiring, and he was stuck hanging 10 or 15 feet over Wynonna for the whole song. Everyone was laughing except her, and she was almost in tears wondering why everyone was laughing at her until some of his beard started falling on her. Then she looked up and saw Santa hanging there over her head.

Yikes.

We have done some stuff, lemme tell ya. Whew.

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