Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Palms amps up its live entertainment with Frankie Moreno at Kaos

Frankie Moreno

Denise Truscello

Frankie Moreno performs at Kaos at the Palms on July 29.

While another Las Vegas monsoon season storm began to swell with rain and lightning Friday night, Frankie Moreno electrified the first audience of his new residency inside the former nightclub space known as Kaos at Palms.

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Frankie Moreno performs at Kaos at Palms on July 29.

There was literal electricity when about halfway through the show, Moreno played a piano tune that was connected to the venue’s Tesla coil, a transformer installed on the ceiling that produces low-current electrical effects choreographed to the music. Station Casinos built the Kaos club with lots of high-tech bells and whistles to complement the video and audio production elements for DJs like Deadmau5, Kaskade and Marshmello.

Now that the San Manuel Gaming and Hospitality Authority owns and operates the resort, the Palms’ entertainment crew is trying out different programming, with Moreno serving as the reopened property’s first musical residency. After successful initial shows Friday and Saturday, he’ll be back in the room with his band August 19-20 and September 23-24. Tickets and info are available at Ticketmaster or palms.com.

“It’s literally the perfect space for what we do. We built the show specifically for the room,” Moreno said after his Kaos debut. “The energy in there is indescribable. It’s intimate but like an arena at the same time. We are very excited to be there and very thankful to the Palms for [this] partnership.”

The prolific singer and songwriter who performed some of his first ticketed Las Vegas concerts at the Lounge at the Palms more than 10 years ago drew a steady crowd of regulars that usually catch him every month at Myron’s at the Smith Center. Those fans snatched up the tables and booths on the floor while a diverse crowd of Vegas entertainers and industry figures flocked to the mezzanine level to support Moreno and explore what live music could look like in this setting.

Backed by extensive graphics on the many video screens above the stage and around the perimeter of the venue, Moreno first appeared atop his piano in a cloud of fog and rocked through a medley of “C.C. Rider” and his own “The Biggest Cat in Town.” Streamers and cryo-cannons were used during the show, and his girlfriend Lacey Schwimmer (of “So You Think You Can Dance” fame) made a memorable appearance, as did singer and Palms vice president of entertainment Crystal Robinson-Wesley, who took a turn onstage belting out “Fever.”

Overall, it was impressive debut for Moreno in the new Palms, a great combination of a seasoned showman and an intriguing venue for this type of performance. This week, on August 3, the resort's rooftop nightclub Ghostbar will reopen, anchored by another live music production from Skye Dee Miles. Then after Moreno's August shows, the next big concert date at the Palms will be September 3, when Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo bring the beloved Pearl Concert Theater back to life.