Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Weekend Rewind: Latin Grammys, Kelly Clarkson, Travis Barker and more

Latin Grammys

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Bad Bunny, Marc Anthony and Will Smith perform at the Latin Grammy Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena November 15.

One thing I love about Vegas is its flexibility. It’s fascinating how one thing can take over the town at any given time of year, then days later, on to the next. This week it will be all about a Vegas-style family holiday, but last week Latin music ruled the Strip leading up to the 19th annual Latin Grammy Awards broadcast live around the world from the MGM Grand Garden Arena on Thursday. Performances by Marc Anthony, Will Smith, Bad Bunny, J Balvin, Ozuna, Steve Aoki, Maná, Halsey, Jorge Drexler and many more set the stage on fire, with Uruguayan artist Drexler taking home the song and record of the year awards for his smash “Telefonía.” The official afterparty was held at Hakkasan at MGM Grand, but an equally big bash was held Wednesday night at the Palms club space formerly known as Moon when Rolling Stone magazine hosted Latin Grammy nominees, industry movers and shakers and celebs for a soiree launching Rolling Stone Latin, a new vertical dedicated to the sizzling-hot pop genre.

Powerhouse singer and “The Voice” judge Kelly Clarkson — who did an amazing job hosting the Billboard Music Awards in Las Vegas earlier this year — was in town to celebrate a friend’s birthday and stopped for dinner at Beauty & Essex at the Cosmopolitan Friday night.

Blink-182 wrapped up the first residency run at the Pearl concert theater at the Palms over the weekend, but three more live shows were not enough Vegas for drummer Travis Barker. He celebrated his 43rd birthday at Hyde Bellagio Friday along with the band’s current guitarist and singer Matt Skiba and other pals. It was a nightclub homecoming of sorts as Barker held down a solo musical residency at Hyde in 2015-2016, but he wasn’t done clubbing as he jumped onstage with The Chainsmokers at XS Nightclub Saturday night.

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Kaley Cuoco at "Absinthe."

Also on Friday, former Fifth Harmony singer Normani, in town as a Best New Artist nominee at Thursday’s BET Soul Train Awards at the Orleans Arena, had dinner at Tao at the Venetian, sharing sea bass, crispy rice and salmon with her group.

The ever-changing variety show extraordinaire “Absinthe” has announced an intriguing New Year’s Eve alternative: This party package includes a glass of bubbly in the courtyard from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. on December 31, the show at 9:30 to 11 p.m., then access to a exclusive party in the courtyard until 1 a.m. featuring an open bar, hors d’oeuvres, a DJ and great views of the Strip fireworks. She didn’t get a countdown and fireworks, but “The Big Bang Theory” star Kaley Cuoco did get to go backstage and hang with the Gazillionaire after catching “Absinthe” on Friday.

Ticket alert: The recently announced March dates for Robbie Williams at Encore Theater sold out so quickly, six additional shows have been announced for June 19-29 and tickets are on sale now. Meanwhile at the Westgate International Theater, the ticket-selling machine that is Barry Manilow’s show has added plenty of 2019 dates from March through June and they go on sale Wednesday, November 21.

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Big D at Lucky's Lounge.

It seems like local Golden Knights fans can’t get enough options for away game watch parties and a relatively new alternative is picking up steam. Lucky’s Lounge celebrates desert hockey madness during all road games at its 7345 S. Jones Boulevard and 8025 Farm Road locations with giveaways, games and food and drink specials like $10 shots of Don Julio 1942 and its “Golden Knight” Guinness. The Jones location parties are hosted by 95.5 The Bull and Big D, one of the voices of the Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. He was onsite when the Knights toppled Edmonton Sunday and he’ll be back at Lucky’s on November 29, December 8 and December 17.

Every arena eventually changes its name and the Esports Arena Las Vegas, opened in March at the Luxor in the former LAX Nightclub space, is no different. Allied Esports just announced a multiyear partnership with HyperX, the gaming division of Kingston Technology Company, to rename the cutting-edge venue the HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas. Earlier this year HyperX equipped the venue’s gamers with headsets, keyboards, mice and mouse pads for esports tournaments and special events, and HyperX was also an official partner of Allied for the North American mobile esports truck tour this past summer.

Finally, more changes at the Palms: Longtime Las Vegas nightlife impresarios Cy and Jesse Waits, who had been working on various projects as co-managing directors of social experience for Red Rock Resorts (Station Casinos), are out, having “jointly agreed to terminate the employment arrangements previously entered into by the parties in connection with … the dayclub/nightclub and restaurants that are scheduled to open over the succeeding months,” according to a statement from the Palms. This comes after the recent announcement that the Tao Group will not be operating the big dayclub/nightclub and a restaurant at the Palms as originally planned. So who’s going to run the new things? New Senior Vice President of Nightlife, Daylife and Events Ryan M. Craig, formerly of Drai’s, and new Senior Vice President of Creative Strategy Ronn Nicolli, formerly of Wynn Nightlife.