“Absinthe” reopened again this week, returning to the Spiegeltent stage at Caesars Palace on St. Patrick’s Day, and I was there. I was also present when the acclaimed variety show reopened for the first time on October 28 and while both nights were full of fun and energy, the audience was truly fired up for this week’s comeback performance. That falls in line with the increased traffic on the Las Vegas Strip in recent weeks as more travelers are visiting the city and more people are ready to return to live entertainment events these days. Elsewhere on the Strip this week, “MJ Live” at the Strat and “Terry Fator: Who’s the Dummy Now?” at New York-New York also returned to action, and David Copperfield’s magic spectacular is next up on Sunday at MGM Grand.
In case you missed it, Imagine Dragons just dropped the video for the band’s new single “Follow You” and it’s very Vegas. Starring comic actors and real-life couple Rob McElhenney and Kaitlin Olson from FX smash series “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” the video was filmed at the Venetian Theatre and portrays a romantic and hilarious private Dragons concert for the couple, set to the new tune written by frontman Dan Reynolds about his marriage to musician Aja Volkman.
Usher with Esther's Kitchen chef Pedro Vidal.
Usher visited Las Vegas this week in preparation for his residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace, which is scheduled to open on July 16. The pop star was spotted at the Area15 art complex as well as downtown Italian food fave Esther’s Kitchen.
Harrah’s headlining magician Mac King, who will be my guest on next week’s Sun on the Strip podcast, is set to make his third appearance on “Penn & Teller: Fool Us” tonight at 6 p.m. Vegas time on the CW Network. The new episode is named for the trick King performs, “The Magic Toilet.” His long-running show on the Strip is tentatively set to return on June 1.
Speaking of Harrah’s headliners: Live entertainment has returned to the Bootlegger south of the Strip in the form of Righteous Brother Bucky Heard, performing “After Hours” every Friday and Saturday from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. accompanied by blues-rock guitarist extraordinaire John Wedemeyer. Seating is limited so make your reservation by calling 702-736-4939.
The Space is stealing some of the Strip’s top comics for a new series called the Comedy Compound, kicking off on April 7 as a live show with $25 tickets and a livestream for $5. Proprietor Mark Shunock is producing the show under his Marshun Entertainment banner and the first edition features “America’s Got Talent” finalist Vicki Barbolak, who recently held a residency at Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club at the Linq Promenade; Bret Ernst from Netflix phenomenon “Cobra Kai,” who has a weekly gig at the L.A. Comedy Club at the Strat; and Comedy Store Hollywood regular Ahmed Ahmed. Also coming up at the Space: concerts from local bands Thee Mess Arounds on March 27, the Yahz Child Collective on April 2 and the Mega-Scopes on April 3. And it’s not too late to make plans to catch the livestream show this Saturday from Original Chaos performing Guns N’ Roses’ debut album “Appetite for Destruction.” Head to thespacelv.com for info.
Comedian Butch Bradley, who has his own residency at the L.A. Comedy Club, recently signed a distribution deal with Comedy Dynamics for his debut comedy special “Butch Bradley: From Las Vegas,” now available on iTunes, AppleTV, Prime Video, Google Play and other video-on-demand platforms. He’s hosting a series of free shows for first responders and their loved ones starting on March 21 and 28 and more information can be obtained by emailing [email protected].