Courtesy Hyde Bellagio
Carolina Urrea at Hyde Bellagio.
Tuesday, April 24, 2018 | 2 a.m.
This last Las Vegas weekend was chockful of rock music, including ZZ Top’s debut at the Venetian, record-breaking crowds at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center for the second annual Las Rageous festival and classic car-driving rockabilly fanatics packing the parking lot at the Orleans for the long-running Viva Las Vegas weekender.
And I didn’t catch any of that stuff. My weekend was jammed with wine and cheese at neighborhood favorite Vintner Grill, some quality time with a Vegas stage legend (show review coming later this week) and a few thrills and chills thanks to the zombies of the Fremont Street Experience. Different strokes, folks.
Marc-Andre Fleury at Blue Man Group.
I also missed out on the glamorous action at Hyde Bellagio Friday night, where Miss Nevada USA 2018 Carolina Urrea hosted an over-the-top edition of the club’s Friday Night Social party. It was also Urrea’s official Vegas sendoff as the 23-year-old model and actress with Colombian roots is gearing up for the 67th Miss USA pageant on May 21 at the Hirsch Memorial Coliseum in Shreveport, Lousiana.
Anybody else getting a little restless waiting for the Vegas Golden Knights to return to the ice? Our phenomenal goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury passed the time by checking out Blue Man Group at Luxor Friday night, followed by a backstage meet-and-greet with his family.
Friday also marked the Chippendales debut of new celebrity guest host Tony Dovolani, already known for his smooth moves from TV’s “Dancing with the Stars.” And he didn’t just play host—he choreographed a new dance for the stalwart Rio production and managed to lure Ruby Lewis, star of the upcoming “Marilyn! The New Musical” at the Paris, onstage for a spicy salsa number. Dovolani’s Chippendales engagement runs through May 27.
Tony Dovolani at Chippendales.
On Saturday, “Fast and Furious” film franchise favorite Michelle Rodriguez visited Las Vegas as the special guest for the inaugural broadcast of the H1Z1 Pro League at the newly christened Twin Galaxies Esports Center at Caesars Entertainment Studios just steps off the Strip. An avid gamer who has contributed her voice to the Call of Duty and Halo game franchises, Rodriguez joined TV host Kristine Leahy for the new league’s battle royale debut at Caesars’ new full-service production studio.
In other Vegas esports news: The Luxor’s shiny new Esports Arena Las Vegas had a record-breaking event Saturday night when Tyler “Ninja” Blevins broke the Twitch streaming record he set last month while playing Fortnite with hip-hop superstar Drake. The sold-out Vegas event included 232 players from around the world with $50,000 on the line.
We’re less than a month away from this year’s Electric Daisy Carnival at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway and the dance music megafest’s promoter Insomniac has announced the launch of the fouth annual EDC Week Charity Initiative in partnership with online fundraising platform Surreal. Through May 8, fans can enter a sweepstakes to win a variety of mind-blowing EDC experiences with proceeds going to benefit the Las Vegas Academy of the Arts. Among the many packages up for grabs are a helicopter ride down the Strip with Kaskade, a meet-and-greet with Marshmello during his EDC Week show at XS, a DJ lesson from A-Trak and a chance to be onstage during a set at the Speedway. Win something amazing and make a contribution at givesurreal.com/edc.
Red Mercury Entertainment chief operating officer Carlos Reynoso and local entertainment attorney Robert Reynolds—who just happens to be manager of The Killers, too—announced their partnership to create the 1Farm Local Food Farm Festival, a new family friendly culinary entertainment event set for September 8 at Springs Preserve. Local gardeners, farmers, sustainably minded food and beverage vendors and chefs will provide workshops, tastings, demonstrations and more. Stay tuned to 1farmfestival.com for more details.
