Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

‘Thunder From Down Under’ gets a Key to the Strip after rolling through 20 years at Excalibur

Thunder From Down Under

Courtesy/Thunder From Down Under

Clark County Commissioner Michael Naft (center) presents SPI Entertainment founder Adam Steck and the cast of “Thunder From Down Under” with a Key to the Strip.

When live entertainment producer Adam Steck linked up with “Thunder From Down Under” show founder Bill Cross to bring the sizzling male revue from Australia to Las Vegas, the goal was simply to fill a void in the Sin City scene. There were several sexy female revues onstage around town among many production shows lining the Strip, but there was very little entertainment programming directed at women.

Steck, the founder of SPI Entertainment, ended up building a bit of an empire on the Strip, with multiple shows and limited engagements taking place in different casino showrooms and theaters, and his company currently operates two busy venues at Excalibur and the Strat in partnership with those properties. All of it happened because “Thunder” was a huge hit.

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The cast of "Thunder From Down Under" celebrates at Excalibur on July 13.

The show celebrated its 20th anniversary at Excalibur last week with a festive performance that capped Thunder From Down Under Week in Las Vegas, as dutifully declared by a proclamation from the Clark County Commission. On July 5, Commissioner Michael Naft presented the show with the ceremonial Key to the Strip at the iconic Welcome to Las Vegas sign just south of the Excalibur, where “Thunder” takes the stage 11 times every week.

“It was awesome. I’m still pinching myself,” said Steck. “When I was a kid, I thought it would be so cool to get a key to the city, but I thought it meant you’d get everything for free. For me to come to Las Vegas all those years ago, not knowing a soul, bringing ‘Thunder’ for it’s first permanent residency here, then 21 years later we’re accepting the Key to the Strip … It’s the pinnacle. It’s like we’ve conquered our own little piece of Las Vegas.

“You have all these iconic things associated with Las Vegas, and ‘Thunder From Down Under’ is 100% part of that conversation.”

It was already the longest-running male revue in Las Vegas history before “Thunder” reached the recent anniversary. Cross created the show in Australia in 1988. It made its Las Vegas debut in 1993 at the Stardust, eventually moving to the New Frontier for a true permanent residency in 2001, then shifting to Excalibur in 2002. The castle-themed resort’s Thunderland Showroom also currently hosts “The Mac King Comedy Show,” which joined the venue last year, and “The Australian Bee Gees Show,” another SPI production.

Steck said he never imagined this type of entertainment would be the foundation of his business. He originally wanted to be a concert promoter, and he’s done that, too. SPI’s Las Vegas productions through the years include everything from Sammy Hagar’s residency at the Strat Theater to Mike Tyson’s one-man show at MGM Grand Garden Arena.

“When I got into the entertainment business, it was because I loved the feeling of people coming together and having a good time,” he said. “This show is predominantly for women and the good times are times twenty. The amount of joy we get by being the connection for that every night, it’s the best thing ever, and we’re super proud. And this is only the beginning, we have so much more to go.”

“Thunder From Down Under” was among the first Strip shows to get back onstage after the pandemic pause, and this past spring, it relaunched one of its touring productions. A second mobile show could hit the road again in 2023, and a resident show in Nashville has also been discussed.