Latest / Vegas Revealed / The Show Must Go On in Vegas... But When? | Ep. 22

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The Show Must Go On in Vegas... But When? | Ep. 22 · Vegas Revealed

0:00
SPEAKER_02: Welcome to Vegas for a video episode to Las Vegas.
0:43
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for being here on another episode of Vegas Revealed.
0:47
SPEAKER_00: You know, uh we're still not back at our home at the Venetian down on the Las Vegas drift.
0:53
SPEAKER_00: Dana and I are still recording uh remotely from our homes.
1:00
SPEAKER_02: That's right.
1:01
SPEAKER_02: Skype has been our good friend lately.
1:03
SPEAKER_02: And gosh, we're taping this on a Sunday.
1:05
SPEAKER_02: And I don't know, Sean, we have the giggles today.
1:08
SPEAKER_02: We do.
1:09
SPEAKER_02: We can't stop laughing and we don't know why, but I think that's a good sign that, you know, things are getting back to normal.
1:14
SPEAKER_02: We're in better spirits.
1:16
SPEAKER_00: Either that or we're just going absolutely stir crazy.
1:19
SPEAKER_02: I think that might be part of it as well.
1:22
SPEAKER_02: I mean, uh, we've talked about this over the last few weeks.
1:26
SPEAKER_02: You know, we've had some openings, we've seen a lot of people here on the strip, um, but we've also seen a lot of back and forth of this whole masquerade, I call it, of people not wearing masks, people wearing masks, videos getting out there of people not wearing masks in casinos, and then changes in the policy of hey, if you're at a table game, you must wear a mask now.
1:47
SPEAKER_02: And it seems like the mask is the hottest topic going.
1:51
SPEAKER_00: It really does.
1:52
SPEAKER_00: And you know, I made a we made a Costco run at my house today.
1:57
SPEAKER_00: And uh what I appreciate is that Costco is requiring everybody to wear a mask inside.
2:05
SPEAKER_00: So when you're in there, it actually feels to me, it feels a little bit reassuring when you're down on the strip.
2:12
SPEAKER_00: That's another story because it's uh there's no real enforcement of any kind of rule.
2:18
SPEAKER_02: Right.
2:19
SPEAKER_02: And and you know, we've had some new numbers out this week, and numbers have, you know, gone up and and hospitalizations have gone up a little bit as well.
2:26
SPEAKER_02: It's still something that we need to all keep our eye on.
2:29
SPEAKER_02: And we're gonna have to see again, uh, it's a new week, and the governor still has not talked at all about any dates that we could see phase three.
2:38
SPEAKER_02: And phase three is when I believe that we'll be able to start having uh ticketed events again.
2:44
SPEAKER_02: And that includes our Las Vegas shows, which is you know what what we're made of really.
2:50
SPEAKER_02: And and for those of you that don't know, Sean and I, um we we've been in the business here in Las Vegas, and I say the business, the media business, the TV broadcasting business for 15 years or each.
3:02
SPEAKER_02: And we moved here and suddenly we were thrown into this world of, you know, blitz and glamour and show openings and and show revamps.
3:10
SPEAKER_02: And we've covered some of the most uh exciting, you know, really moments in Las Vegas uh because when we get a new show, it's not just like the show opens and that's it.
3:22
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's the whole pomp and circumstance.
3:25
SPEAKER_00: Well, and and it really uh contributes a huge part to our uh economy here in Las Vegas.
3:33
SPEAKER_00: A lot of these big headliner shows uh drive uh the the tourists who who end up staying in our hotels and eating at our restaurants and shopping at our stores.
3:44
SPEAKER_00: And uh, we've been here since uh you know Celine Dion had her original show at Caesars Palace and then relaunched her second show.
3:54
SPEAKER_00: Meantime, Brittany Spears launched a show and and brought in a whole new category of of Las Vegas entertainers that uh really have have lured the top-tier entertainment in the industry right here to this little stretch of glitzy road in the middle of the desert.
4:15
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it really is.
4:16
SPEAKER_02: It's funny.
4:16
SPEAKER_02: I hiked to the top of a little mountain today and I was looking down, going, it is really just a strip of buildings.
4:22
SPEAKER_02: And and uh Sean, I mean, you you were host of an entertainment lifestyle show for 15 years.
4:28
SPEAKER_02: You've done one in one one-on-one interviews with a lot of these entertainers here as well.
4:33
SPEAKER_02: What's your favorite interview you've ever done?
4:35
SPEAKER_02: Do you have one?
4:36
SPEAKER_00: Oh my gosh.
4:37
SPEAKER_00: So well, I think my favorite uh she wasn't necessarily a headliner, but Joan Rivers is my absolute favorite.
4:50
SPEAKER_00: Rest in in peace.
4:52
SPEAKER_00: I love Joan Rivers, will till the day I join her in the stars up above.
4:58
SPEAKER_00: But she was just for as as uh brash and and harsh as her comedy routine could be, she was the sweetest and most thoughtful person that uh I have encountered in the entertainment industry.
5:14
SPEAKER_00: Um, I think Paula Abdul was probably a close second.
5:18
SPEAKER_00: And um I think uh as far as being unexpected, probably Celine Dion, because she would just uh break out into song mid-sentence, no matter what you were talking about.
5:34
SPEAKER_00: A little bit a little bit kooky, but I love it.
5:37
SPEAKER_02: Of course, of course.
5:38
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I loved interviewing Garth Brooks.
5:40
SPEAKER_02: It surprised me how sweet and sincere and what a what a great storyteller he was when he came to do his show at the Encore.
5:48
SPEAKER_02: Um, it was a small room of media.
5:50
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure you were probably there too, and we all got a chance to do some one-on-ones, but he was he was really interesting to interview and such a sweet, sweet man.
5:58
SPEAKER_02: I interviewed Joan too, and I remember I said, Joan, what are you wearing?
6:00
SPEAKER_02: And she said, Well, I'm wearing my own jewelry, of course.
6:03
SPEAKER_02: She says, All these people that have their own brand, they walk red carpets and they wear other brands.
6:08
SPEAKER_02: They're idiots.
6:09
SPEAKER_02: You gotta wear your own stuff and promote your own stuff.
6:12
SPEAKER_02: So it was really.
6:12
SPEAKER_00: I tell you what, she was the best pitchwoman there was.
6:16
SPEAKER_02: She really was.
6:17
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, we've had some fun.
6:19
SPEAKER_02: Um, you know, it's always a big deal, and like you said, it drives our economy here in Las Vegas, and we're missing our shows, and we're excited for them to get back up and running.
6:27
SPEAKER_02: But it it's been a tough time for the entertainment industry during these, you know, few months that we've been shut down because they really don't know when they're going to be able to reopen.
6:36
SPEAKER_00: Right.
6:37
SPEAKER_00: And it's been kind of an adjustment for us as well, because after 15 years each of covering uh entertainment and the evolution of entertainment here in Las Vegas, we've kind of had a a lack of entertainment to talk about, which has been kind of odd.
6:56
SPEAKER_02: But we're excited because we have a great guest on the show today, Adam Stack.
7:00
SPEAKER_02: He's the owner of Spy Entertainment, and they run tons of shows in Las Vegas and beyond.
7:06
SPEAKER_02: The Australian Bee Gees, Hans Klock, Boys to Men, Thunder from Down Under, Night School for Girls, and many, many more.
7:14
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, so no better person to talk to than Adam to see what the state of the entertainment industry here in Las Vegas is right now.
7:22
SPEAKER_00: Adam, how are you doing?
7:25
SPEAKER_01: I'm doing good.
7:26
SPEAKER_01: And first off, thank you for having me on your podcast.
7:28
SPEAKER_01: I've been listening to you guys since you first started the first of the year.
7:30
SPEAKER_01: And I'm glad you finally called me to be on it.
7:33
SPEAKER_01: I've been waiting.
7:36
SPEAKER_02: Lucky for you, I had your number and I had your number in my phone.
7:41
SPEAKER_01: I'm glad you had it there.
7:42
SPEAKER_01: Uh yeah, Vegas Entertainment, man, you know, we got hit the most.
7:46
SPEAKER_01: We got hit the hardest out of all the industries because, you know, it's it's a place where mass gatherings gather, right?
7:51
SPEAKER_01: So so it's been very, very tough to be frank with with the with the both of you.
7:55
SPEAKER_01: It's it's been challenging.
7:57
SPEAKER_01: You know, most of my shows are uh entertainers that are not uh American citizens.
8:01
SPEAKER_01: So they fall in this weird gray category where they they don't qualify for any government assistance.
8:06
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, me and my partners in the shows have had to you know pay our performers to kind of just get by.
8:11
SPEAKER_01: Um we've done GoFundMe pages, we're doing you know, all these different things to help make money for the cast, like for Thunder From Down Under.
8:18
SPEAKER_01: We're doing a live stream uh pay-per-view for the first time ever at the space coming up this Saturday, which is wonderful.
8:23
SPEAKER_01: We have thousands of people signed up already, so that's good.
8:26
SPEAKER_01: So we're just trying to be innovative and you know, trying to keep the guys working, doing cameos and whatnot.
8:30
SPEAKER_01: Um, but you know, we're just in this you know weird area where we're you know, we're scheduled to open again uh July 15th.
8:37
SPEAKER_01: Uh this is uh with our MGM shows, right?
8:39
SPEAKER_01: We've got Hans Klock, um, which is actually he's gonna take a wait and see approach, but it's really just down to fund from Round Under and the Australian BG show.
8:46
SPEAKER_01: And I've got my voice to men show at the Mirage, which and they're not scheduled until later on this year.
8:50
SPEAKER_01: So that's uh we'll see what happens with them.
8:52
SPEAKER_01: But you know, we're scheduled to go back July 15th, but again, even the casino executives don't really know what the protocols are gonna be.
8:59
SPEAKER_01: They're waiting for the governor to, you know, go into quote unquote phase three uh to open up uh showrooms.
9:05
SPEAKER_01: They've already opened up um pools, they've opened up restaurants, so we're sitting on the sidelines going, hey, we're small showrooms, why can't we open up with the same protocols?
9:14
SPEAKER_01: So we're prepared.
9:15
SPEAKER_01: You know, we we've gone through the motions of preparing for the absolute dire situation, you know, or or uh to be COVID-friendly, if you will.
9:24
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, we've reduced our capacity by 50%.
9:26
SPEAKER_01: We've clustered the seats where people are sitting, you know, uh six feet apart uh for the most part.
9:32
SPEAKER_01: Um it's gonna be all kinds of you know uh standardization stations coming in the showroom, back of house for the performers.
9:38
SPEAKER_01: Uh uh in between our shows, they're gonna come with those electromagnetic um uh foggers uh to fog down the uh the showroom the seats.
9:48
SPEAKER_01: Uh the ventilation system is gonna be cranked up three different times to change the air.
9:52
SPEAKER_01: Uh so we're doing everything we possibly can to prepare to make it the most safe environment as possible because that's that's our goal, right?
9:58
SPEAKER_01: We have to make it as safe as possible for the customers and also for the cast and the crew.
10:03
SPEAKER_01: So just uh put us in, coach.
10:04
SPEAKER_01: We're ready.
10:05
SPEAKER_01: That's what I'm saying.
10:06
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
10:07
SPEAKER_02: And it's tough too, because you do have smaller showrooms, which is part of, I think, the experience of the shows that you run.
10:13
SPEAKER_02: It's it's great.
10:13
SPEAKER_02: It's a Vegas experience.
10:14
SPEAKER_02: You're up close, you're with everyone, you're having fun.
10:17
SPEAKER_02: Um, it it that is gonna be an effect, it's gonna affect your business too, if only being able to fill, you know, 50% and have, you know, six feet apart.
10:26
SPEAKER_02: I mean, are are you worried about that at all?
10:28
SPEAKER_02: Or you just go with the flow and see what happens?
10:31
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, of course.
10:32
SPEAKER_01: You know, we look at every single aspect, you know, customer experience is paramount, right?
10:36
SPEAKER_01: People come to Vegas to have a good time and they've they've chosen our show over other shows.
10:40
SPEAKER_01: And we want to make sure it's the most potent experience possible, but now it's gonna be the most potent safe experience.
10:45
SPEAKER_01: Not that it wasn't safe before, but safe in regards to the in into COVID.
10:49
SPEAKER_01: So instead of you know spacing people out and there's gonna be empty chairs in the showroom, we've opted to actually remove half the chairs.
10:56
SPEAKER_01: So the customers still will it won't feel like they're they're spaced out that much.
11:00
SPEAKER_01: They'll have a little bit more room at their table to unwind.
11:03
SPEAKER_01: So I I think we're gonna be fine.
11:04
SPEAKER_01: And we had we've had a reimagine thunder because thunder, uh Dane, I'm I think he went back in the day once or twice.
11:10
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, maybe, maybe a few times.
11:13
SPEAKER_01: Who me?
11:14
SPEAKER_01: No.
11:16
SPEAKER_01: But so but our show, uh and Sean, I'm sure you might have seen this or heard about it or been there.
11:21
SPEAKER_01: It's very immersive, right?
11:23
SPEAKER_01: That that that that's what sets us apart from other shows.
11:25
SPEAKER_01: The guys get in the crowd, they go on the tables and stuff like that.
11:27
SPEAKER_01: So the good news is we just renovated our showroom at Excalibur.
11:31
SPEAKER_01: So there's uh actually a um a stage in the middle of the showroom.
11:34
SPEAKER_01: There's runways for the guys to go on.
11:36
SPEAKER_01: So our show can can be still immersive, uh, but they're not gonna actually get in the crowd like they did before.
11:42
SPEAKER_01: So the experience would be pretty much very similar, but not exactly the same.
11:46
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, in our Thunder show, we've toured all over the world, and then we've toured in some markets in the South of America where they had very strict laws, like in Biloxi, Mississippi, the guys couldn't go in the crowd, we couldn't bring girls on stage, they couldn't go down to a G-string.
12:00
SPEAKER_01: So we're prepared for whatever regulation to still deliver a phenomenal show and a great experience for our customers.
12:08
SPEAKER_00: Well, and and throughout the process of trying to reimagine things, uh have there been discussions about looking at different venues for these shows too?
12:20
SPEAKER_00: And and reimagining uh venues that that might be kind of dark spaces for the casinos at this point.
12:28
SPEAKER_01: Well, we've actually done the opposite of that because you know, right now, if we're not allowed to open up our showroom under the because it's classified as a showroom, we thought maybe we could serve food because restaurants like Mayfair Supper Club is allowing people to come in.
12:43
SPEAKER_01: It's a show, it's a it's a supper show, dinner show, right?
12:45
SPEAKER_01: So why couldn't we do the same thing?
12:47
SPEAKER_01: We can partner, you know, Buka De Bepo is next door, they're great partners, they have amazing food.
12:51
SPEAKER_01: You know, we can actually, you know, have Thunder Dinner Show, you know what I mean?
12:54
SPEAKER_01: Or Fiji's dinner show, so we can kind of you know bypass the law to kind of get us through.
12:58
SPEAKER_01: So that's what we're thinking about, not the opposite of going into different spaces because we get the perfect room for it.
13:03
SPEAKER_01: We just have to figure out how to make it work.
13:05
SPEAKER_02: Right.
13:05
SPEAKER_02: Then you can have the napkin in your shirt all ready for your food, but then if you drool a little over thunder down under, you know, you've got the napkin protection as well.
13:16
SPEAKER_01: Leave it to Dana to figure it out.
13:18
SPEAKER_01: Spoken like a true Italian, right?
13:19
SPEAKER_01: Because I don't know.
13:21
SPEAKER_02: You can have the napkin in the shirt, the napkin.
13:24
SPEAKER_02: Let's talk about one of your very successful shows as well, Human Nature, uh, amazing group.
13:30
SPEAKER_02: They've been in town for what, 11 years now, and they had to announce that they're going to stop performing at the Venetian.
13:37
SPEAKER_02: And this is a result of basically the pandemic and the shutdown, and wondering if, you know, it would be possible to come back and be, you know, I guess successful and do what they do.
13:49
SPEAKER_02: So talk a little bit about how you came up to this decision or how they did anyway.
13:53
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, yeah.
13:54
SPEAKER_01: So you're right.
13:55
SPEAKER_01: 11 years they've been in Las Vegas.
13:56
SPEAKER_01: Uh they've been at the Venetian for seven years, which happens to be the longest running show, resident show in the history of the Venetian, which is kind of cool.
14:04
SPEAKER_01: And it was it was a tough decision for the guys.
14:06
SPEAKER_01: It was actually a mutual decision.
14:08
SPEAKER_01: It's called the Force Major Clause, an act of God, an act of nature.
14:11
SPEAKER_01: You know, that's nobody's fault.
14:13
SPEAKER_01: But the casino was opening up in the middle of June, and they wanted us, they wanted to have entertainment there, and they said, hey guys, you know, the room's ready to come back in.
14:20
SPEAKER_01: But the guys were concerned about A, is the clientele going to be here in Las Vegas to actually go to shows?
14:26
SPEAKER_01: Uh, B, even more concerning is the health and safety because, you know, depending on which news outlet you listen to, you know, COVID's a pretty serious thing, and nobody wants to put anybody in harm's way.
14:37
SPEAKER_01: So they were concerned about their health and safety, the crew's health and safety, and most of all the the um the audiences.
14:43
SPEAKER_01: So the casino said, hey, listen, why don't we just part ways amicably?
14:47
SPEAKER_01: Maybe we can try to find another show that'll go in.
14:49
SPEAKER_01: We completely respect what you want to do.
14:50
SPEAKER_01: And we said, you know what?
14:51
SPEAKER_01: We're totally cool.
14:52
SPEAKER_01: We had a great run.
14:53
SPEAKER_01: And and um, you know, it's not the end of human nature's uh Vegas uh uh uh business, if you will.
14:58
SPEAKER_01: You know, there's gonna be a new chapter.
15:00
SPEAKER_01: I've already gotten calls and I've spoken to several other casinos, and and it's just a matter of you know the right place and right time uh to open them up again.
15:07
SPEAKER_01: So they have a little bit of a luxury to kind of just sit back and just wait to see how other shows do, wait to see if there's a second wave coming, you know, and which I think is a pretty smart move.
15:16
SPEAKER_01: It was it was a tough decision, but I think it's a smart the smart one for sure.
15:20
SPEAKER_00: So is there a timeline on getting human nature back to the stage at this point?
15:26
SPEAKER_00: I know you said they're gonna, you know, kind of wait things out, see how things go.
15:30
SPEAKER_00: Um, but in general, I mean, are we looking at like first of next year or something in in 2020?
15:38
SPEAKER_01: Well, I I always like to have a good three months of what I call pre-production.
15:43
SPEAKER_01: When I know I've got a contract at a casino, I know a show is gonna open, so I have about three months to, you know, get all the ticket brokers in line and do all the pre-production rehearsals, build the sets and to get the video content, reimagine the show.
15:54
SPEAKER_01: Uh so with that timeline and given the uncertainty of where we are today, my best guess will be first quarter of 2021, just to give it enough time to do all those things that I just talked about.
16:07
SPEAKER_02: And you know, Sean and I have interviewed uh the guys from Human Nature many, many times.
16:10
SPEAKER_02: I feel like, I mean, and in I'm I I think I'm right on this, that they they made your job easy.
16:15
SPEAKER_02: They were always willing to get out there in the community and basically promote themselves.
16:20
SPEAKER_02: And I feel like that was a huge part of their success.
16:23
SPEAKER_02: And, you know, for you in basically running the show, I mean, that's really nice for you to sit back and go, these guys got it.
16:29
SPEAKER_02: I mean, they they were part of their success as far as their talent, but also letting people know where they were, when they were performing, when they were in town, and and help selling tickets.
16:39
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, Dana, you're spot on.
16:41
SPEAKER_01: You know, that's what before I ever bring an act to Vegas or or create a show uh or partner with somebody that's coming to town, I tell them, you know, the the hard work is gonna be off the stage.
16:52
SPEAKER_01: It's not gonna be, you better bring your A-game on the stage, you better be the branding class, you better be have your professionalism there, but you're gonna have to do an equal amount of work getting into the community, ingratiating yourself, going to charities, you know, getting out shaking hands and kissing babies, as they say in the industry.
17:06
SPEAKER_01: Um, and we've had the most incredible publicist, Michael Caprio, who I'm sure you both know.
17:10
SPEAKER_01: Yes, he's just a complete rock star.
17:13
SPEAKER_01: And uh and those guys are great.
17:15
SPEAKER_01: Like they did make my job a lot easier.
17:16
SPEAKER_01: They got out there and you know, they were always clever with their interviews.
17:20
SPEAKER_01: And you have to remember, too, these guys have been around for many, many years.
17:23
SPEAKER_01: They had a major and they still have a major career in Australia.
17:26
SPEAKER_01: They were, you know, a big boy band back in the late 90s and they reinvented themselves with Mothound, and now they're doing more you know contemporary pop hits.
17:33
SPEAKER_01: So they've been around for a minute, they know what it takes for longevity.
17:37
SPEAKER_01: So when they got to Vegas, they knew what they had to do.
17:39
SPEAKER_01: That this is the this is the next step in their career, and they took it very seriously.
17:43
SPEAKER_01: Here we are 11 years later, and they're still very viable.
17:45
unknown: Yeah.
17:46
SPEAKER_00: Hey, listen, and if if they're looking for uh anything to fill the time, I know they have those uh boy band dance moves.
17:53
SPEAKER_00: They could do some tutorials on on YouTube.
17:57
SPEAKER_01: That's a great idea.
17:58
SPEAKER_01: Let me write that one down.
17:59
SPEAKER_01: That's fantastic.
18:00
SPEAKER_00: Absolutely.
18:02
SPEAKER_00: And kind of, and I know that that you mentioned this, but I I think it's something that a lot of people don't realize that a lot of entertainers here in Las Vegas aren't from the states, and that does pose uh additional challenges in an already difficult time.
18:20
SPEAKER_00: Um, can can you talk a little more about how um entertainers have been have been dealing with with that?
18:28
SPEAKER_01: Yeah, it's very, very challenging.
18:30
SPEAKER_01: You know, if you're an American citizen, then you're entitled to all of the benefits like the unemployment, the PUA, if you're a gig worker.
18:37
SPEAKER_01: Um if you're a foreign national, you get none of that.
18:40
SPEAKER_01: In fact, if you apply for any um benefits from from the country, unemployment or whatnot, then according to their visa, you're not allowed to be here.
18:49
SPEAKER_01: You need to go back home.
18:50
SPEAKER_01: Uh, and if they go back home, there's a quarantine process, there's a cost, a lot of costs involved.
18:54
SPEAKER_01: And if you want to come back, there's a whole process of getting a waiver.
18:58
SPEAKER_01: So it's been very challenging for all performers, but especially the ones that are foreigners, because of those reasons.
19:03
SPEAKER_01: It's been tough.
19:04
SPEAKER_01: So we've been very innovative at being the partners, being the producers of these shows, uh, to make sure they're getting money.
19:09
SPEAKER_01: You know, we took money out of out of our own pocket to make sure they're okay, but they already last for so long.
19:14
SPEAKER_01: So you know, everybody's trying to be we're trying to be innovative and and do different things, like the pay-per-due for fundraising, and you know, the cameos and whatnot.
19:21
SPEAKER_01: We're about to do something with human nature and uh maybe with Hans Klock and Mike Tyson's one of my shows.
19:26
SPEAKER_01: We're talking about doing something with Mike.
19:27
SPEAKER_01: And so you just have to be, you know, clever and innovative.
19:30
SPEAKER_01: Mike's an American citizen, so he's fine.
19:36
SPEAKER_02: And and I feel like you're always thinking of, you know, new show ideas.
19:39
SPEAKER_02: I mean, is that something right now that you just kind of have to put on hold?
19:43
SPEAKER_02: It's more about getting your shows that you have up and running.
19:46
SPEAKER_02: I mean, you know, you're in a difficult position too, because your judge is like, all right, what am I gonna bring in next?
19:51
SPEAKER_02: And how am I gonna keep this going?
19:52
SPEAKER_02: And can I bring these two shows together?
19:53
SPEAKER_02: So, how about you um personally?
19:57
SPEAKER_02: How is this affecting you and in your vision?
20:00
SPEAKER_01: That's a fantastic question because you're right.
20:02
SPEAKER_01: I'm always looking for that other show.
20:04
SPEAKER_01: I've got a bunch of shows in development, a bunch of ideas.
20:07
SPEAKER_01: Uh, but I think the smartest move for me right now is stick with tried and true because I don't want to try anything new at this particular time.
20:14
SPEAKER_01: Let's get things that people are used to.
20:16
SPEAKER_01: Um, you know, half the challenge with uh doing shows in Las Vegas is the ticketing, right?
20:20
SPEAKER_01: Because most of the tickets aren't sold at the box office, but they're sold to these third-party brokers like the Vegas.coms and the EBGs of the world.
20:27
SPEAKER_01: So, you know, you get all those those cogs in the wheel, if you will, um uh spinning.
20:33
SPEAKER_01: It's hard to introduce something new into that to train them all.
20:36
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I'm gonna stick with tried and true for now.
20:39
SPEAKER_01: And of course, I'm always looking for the next thing.
20:42
SPEAKER_01: You know what I mean?
20:43
SPEAKER_01: Uh again, timing.
20:44
SPEAKER_01: That just just just just to have in the sort of the the back pocket when the time is to do something because you have to be innovative.
20:50
SPEAKER_01: You know, there's new crowds coming to Las Vegas, you know, it's just the the resident headliners which were dominating for a while, sort of suck the business out a lot of the mid-tier and lower tier shows.
20:59
SPEAKER_01: So guys like me have to be innovative.
21:01
SPEAKER_01: What's the next thing?
21:02
SPEAKER_01: What's the next, you know, I'm making this up a YouTube or something that's on TikTok, something that's interesting and unique, that's got a license of its own that can compete against the headliners that will have equal power to the to that demographic.
21:15
SPEAKER_01: So yeah, I'm always looking.
21:16
SPEAKER_01: If you have any ideas, give me a call.
21:18
SPEAKER_01: Okay.
21:19
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
21:20
SPEAKER_00: Well, I mean, as you know, before um the whole pandemic hit, you know, Las Vegas was full speed ahead, ready to become an NFL town.
21:33
SPEAKER_00: Before all this happened, uh, were there ideas in the works or or any thoughts in how to um kind of intertwine um sports with entertainment offerings?
21:51
SPEAKER_01: Um yeah, I mean, obviously, you know, with the hockey, the Golden Knights, and like you said, the Raiders, you know, we think of oh, what could what could we tie into that?
21:58
SPEAKER_01: What could we like piggyback on?
22:00
SPEAKER_01: Like Terry Bradshaw did a show at uh at the Lux show, which I thought was a great maybe with sports plan they might they might benefit from that.
22:06
SPEAKER_01: He's got a reality show too.
22:08
SPEAKER_01: Um so you know, we've got some ideas, you know, doing sort of you know, offering um different things for those customers that come to those football games to do while they're here.
22:18
SPEAKER_01: Hey, while you're in Vegas, why not do this?
22:20
SPEAKER_01: Maybe it's sports-related in Thunder from Nun under's case, maybe it's the spouse who might not want to go to the football game, or you know what I mean, the guy goes to the game and the girl goes to the show.
22:28
SPEAKER_01: So we are definitely thinking about that.
22:31
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
22:31
SPEAKER_02: And and before we we let you go, a lot of a lot of guests that we've had on recently, I kind of ask everyone this.
22:36
SPEAKER_02: I mean, what is your sense?
22:38
SPEAKER_02: Um, not necessarily in is Vegas gonna be okay, because I think we will be, and everyone feels that way.
22:44
SPEAKER_02: But as far as the sense of what we were before, do you feel like it's gonna be a totally new place or it's just gonna take a little while to ease back into what we were comfortable with and what we were made of?
22:56
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's going to be a challenge.
22:58
SPEAKER_02: We all know that.
22:59
SPEAKER_02: But do you think everything's gonna kind of come out the, you know, either maybe better, maybe, maybe stay the same or go back to what we were before?
23:07
SPEAKER_01: Listen, I I think Vegas, Vegas is the most remarkable market in the world.
23:12
SPEAKER_01: I think with the most resilient, I think Vegas is gonna have to come back bigger and better.
23:17
SPEAKER_01: People are gonna be so pent up being in Cyprus a long time because we want to come come out and let their hair down and have a good time.
23:22
SPEAKER_01: And we're just the one place in the world that's known for that right here in Las Vegas.
23:25
SPEAKER_01: Uh and also Vegas has, I think, some of the smartest minds onstage, offstage, back of house.
23:31
SPEAKER_01: Uh, I think we're gonna be sort of a template for other markets to look at.
23:35
SPEAKER_01: Because also like like the Disney Worlds of the World and other tourist markets to go, hey, what did they do uh to make it better uh for their customers?
23:43
SPEAKER_01: Because you know, we've got so much at stake here.
23:46
SPEAKER_01: So many people want this to work.
23:47
SPEAKER_01: Uh people that are coming here want it to work, and the people that are here want it to work.
23:51
SPEAKER_01: So to answer your question on an upshot, I think we're gonna come back.
23:54
SPEAKER_01: I think we're gonna come back in a big way.
23:56
SPEAKER_01: And I think it's gonna be, I hate using this the same, the new normal, but it's gonna, of course, it can't be the exact same way, but there's gonna be more you know, uh health and safety protocols because that's what that's what the culture is gonna is gonna demand.
24:07
SPEAKER_01: I think we're gonna step up and knock it out of the park like we do with everything.
24:10
SPEAKER_00: Yeah.
24:11
SPEAKER_00: And uh in a nutshell, what do you think the biggest change is going to be uh in the entertainment scene when when people do come back here to Las Vegas and shows are able to be back up and running?
24:27
SPEAKER_01: It's gonna be how safe does the customer feel?
24:29
SPEAKER_01: How safe does the does the entertainers feel?
24:32
SPEAKER_01: How safe do the people and the worker, the the staffing, the ushers, the ticket takers, the spotlight operator, how safe does everybody feel?
24:38
SPEAKER_01: Once we get all those protocols in place, it's gonna be you know kind of baby steps.
24:42
SPEAKER_01: This is a segment of the population that doesn't care.
24:44
SPEAKER_01: We all know that.
24:45
SPEAKER_01: They're gonna come in and no math, no nuts, I'm in the school, I think it's a hoax, whatever.
24:49
SPEAKER_01: That's their prerogative and that's their thoughts.
24:51
SPEAKER_01: But I think that the casino, in order to survive, is gonna make sure certain protocols are in place.
24:56
SPEAKER_01: And and um, you know, those protocols, whatever it takes to get the doors open, we're gonna get those doors open because people want to see the shows and we want to put the shows on.
25:05
SPEAKER_01: So how long is it gonna take to get to full capacity with those different protocols?
25:09
SPEAKER_01: Time will tell.
25:10
SPEAKER_01: We don't know.
25:12
SPEAKER_01: Hopefully sooner than later.
25:14
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, no, we all hope that.
25:16
SPEAKER_02: You know, we're we're we're we're hoping and we love all our shows.
25:18
SPEAKER_02: Give our best to uh human nature.
25:20
SPEAKER_02: We look forward to seeing them perform again here in Las Vegas.
25:23
SPEAKER_02: And and you know, they didn't get a final show, so we gotta figure that out.
25:27
SPEAKER_02: Um, as far as I know no final show at the Venetian, but maybe maybe we need to see them on a live stream or something.
25:34
SPEAKER_01: Keep your eyes and ears open.
25:37
SPEAKER_02: I figured you heard it here first on Vegas Revealed.
25:42
SPEAKER_02: Thank you, Adam, so much for taking time to talk with us.
25:45
SPEAKER_01: Nah, no, but thanks for having me on, guys, and congrats on your podcast.
25:48
SPEAKER_01: I absolutely love it and I'm honored to be on there.
25:51
SPEAKER_00: Oh, thanks so much, Adam.
25:52
SPEAKER_00: Appreciate the time.
25:53
SPEAKER_00: And stick around.
25:54
SPEAKER_00: Our two tips are coming up next on Vegas Revealed.
26:01
SPEAKER_00: Thanks so much for listening to Vegas Revealed.
26:03
SPEAKER_00: And if you like us, go ahead and give us a review.
26:06
SPEAKER_00: We'd really appreciate that.
26:08
SPEAKER_00: Since we are somewhat new, it always helps to keep our visibility up.
26:12
SPEAKER_00: And we also love hearing from all of our listeners from across the U.S.
26:17
SPEAKER_00: and around the world.
26:19
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you can always find video interviews, content at vegasrevealed.com.
26:24
SPEAKER_02: We also have a YouTube page, an Instagram, a Twitter, a Facebook.
26:28
SPEAKER_02: Follow us on all of it.
26:29
SPEAKER_02: We try and post different things on all of them.
26:31
SPEAKER_02: It's really everything Las Vegas.
26:33
SPEAKER_00: And if you have an idea or a question for us, you can email us at ideas at vegas-revealed.com.
26:43
SPEAKER_02: It's time for Dana and Sean's secret tips.
26:46
SPEAKER_02: And I wanted to start off, Sean, with um Twitter.
26:49
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
26:50
SPEAKER_02: People are often arguing on Twitter, right?
26:52
SPEAKER_02: We see that all the time.
26:54
SPEAKER_00: All the time.
26:55
SPEAKER_02: It seems to be getting worse and worse.
26:57
SPEAKER_02: And nobody can agree on anything.
26:58
SPEAKER_02: But um I utilized Twitter recently, and it was about uh asking people if they were, you know, comfortable traveling in a couple months.
27:06
SPEAKER_02: I I'm thinking about visiting my parents in August.
27:09
SPEAKER_02: And you know, the big thing is the plane ride is long because it's two stops and it's about usually seven hours total.
27:18
SPEAKER_02: And that's my only worry.
27:19
SPEAKER_02: So I just wanted to see like, are you comfortable traveling?
27:22
SPEAKER_02: What do you think?
27:22
SPEAKER_02: But I just wanted to say that you know what, I need to use Twitter for advice more often because the response I got was overwhelming.
27:29
SPEAKER_02: Direct messages and responses on the public timeline from everyone who has traveled already, some people multiple times, like for business or to see family.
27:39
SPEAKER_02: And everyone shared their experiences, both the positives and the negatives.
27:42
SPEAKER_02: And then I even had like a flight attendant respond and say, you know what, here's what we're doing.
27:48
SPEAKER_02: And it's really actually the cleanest it's ever been.
27:51
SPEAKER_02: So you should almost feel more comforted, but make sure you do this and make sure you do that.
27:55
SPEAKER_02: And then some people shared, you know, what they did when they were traveling, you know, some things that they felt really helped them feel more comfortable and more safe.
28:04
SPEAKER_02: So so I loved it.
28:05
SPEAKER_02: And I just thought, you know what, let me just let remind everyone.
28:08
SPEAKER_02: Twitter doesn't have to be fighting all the time, it can be a place that you can gather for, you know, advice or information.
28:15
SPEAKER_02: And I wanted to remind everyone if you're coming to Vegas, put the hashtag Las Vegas or Vegas and ask questions because you'll usually get a response with some inside perspectives.
28:25
SPEAKER_02: You could always reach out to us at VegasReveal.
28:27
SPEAKER_02: We'll respond as well.
28:29
SPEAKER_02: And you know, it's a great place.
28:30
SPEAKER_02: Like people often used to go, you know, back in the day, message boards were huge.
28:34
SPEAKER_02: Remember, like you'd go to a message board and you'd have to wait like maybe two days for someone to respond to your post, but now it's instant.
28:42
SPEAKER_02: So just a tip that I thought would really help some travelers here if you're thinking about traveling to Las Vegas or anything.
28:49
SPEAKER_00: And you know, we talked uh a couple weeks ago how I flew from Lake Tahoe back down here to Las Vegas.
28:57
SPEAKER_00: And one of the things that the flight attendants told us was to keep your uh air vent turned on full blast because that brings outside air into the cabin and helps keep the air fresh.
29:12
SPEAKER_02: Oh, I didn't know that.
29:13
SPEAKER_02: Interesting, because I would have thought that was like a recycled air or something.
29:17
SPEAKER_00: No, so in even the recycled air, they have uh a HEPA filter that that captures like 99.9% of germs and bacteria.
29:27
SPEAKER_00: So they they really have stepped things up and they're they're kind of reassuring you about some of the things that are in place.
29:34
SPEAKER_00: So but it is good, you don't find that stuff out unless you ask the questions.
29:38
SPEAKER_02: No, and it and yeah, and this in every I feel like every single person that traveled says bring wipes with you, wipe everything down just so you know, just in case they missed your seat or they missed your flip it down or whatever.
29:50
SPEAKER_02: And um, you know, and make sure you wash your hands, wear your mask, all that kind of thing.
29:55
SPEAKER_02: Um, and try your best to, you know, make sure that you don't have anyone next to you, which I don't really know the protocol if you have to have an empty seat in the middle or not anymore, or how that works.
30:06
SPEAKER_02: I know they try, but everyone kept saying go for a really odd timed flight because less people will be on board, like an early morning or late night.
30:15
SPEAKER_00: Right.
30:15
SPEAKER_00: I think it's depending airline by airline, too.
30:19
SPEAKER_00: I think southwest through July, through the end of July, I think is keeping middle seats empty.
30:25
SPEAKER_00: And then uh on some uh some other airlines, um, it just depends on capacity.
30:32
SPEAKER_00: They have some rows that have middle seats blocked out, others not.
30:36
SPEAKER_00: Um but you know, once you like the plane I was on, it was only there were only 60 people on a big ass plane, so we all got spread out.
30:47
SPEAKER_00: And everyone pretty much got a rotor themselves if they wanted to.
30:50
SPEAKER_00: So that was kind of nice.
30:52
SPEAKER_00: Not a ton of people are flying right now, so that's the benefit.
30:55
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, that is nice.
30:57
SPEAKER_02: Um, something else we wanted to talk about was it's it's Sunday, so when you when you think Sunday here in Las Vegas, a lot of people in the past used to think brunch, brunch, brunch, where are we going for brunch?
31:06
SPEAKER_02: Things might have changed a little bit these days because people have kind of different things on their mind.
31:10
SPEAKER_02: But we wanted to talk about some of the some of the brunch spots in town, and you have a bunch of favorites that you wanted to let people know about.
31:16
SPEAKER_00: Well, because brunch is one of my absolute favorite things.
31:21
SPEAKER_00: I love getting a group of people together on like late Sunday morning and just hang out, chat, like just take some time, catch up on things that are going on.
31:33
SPEAKER_00: It's I don't know.
31:34
SPEAKER_00: I just think that it's so it's so fun.
31:37
SPEAKER_00: You get to eat, socialize, it's great.
31:39
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
31:40
SPEAKER_02: By the time you leave, it's like 4 p.m., right?
31:42
SPEAKER_00: I know, and then you go home and get ready for for work the next morning.
31:45
SPEAKER_02: Exactly.
31:47
SPEAKER_00: So so these are three of my uh favorite brunch spots here in Las Vegas, and they're on different sides of town.
31:55
SPEAKER_00: So starting on the Las Vegas strip, uh, Mona Mega B, it is great, especially when the town gets back to like full capacity.
32:07
SPEAKER_00: On Sunday morning around 10:30, if you go out there for brunch, you sit out on the patio, the Bellagio fountains are right across the street from you, so it's absolutely gorgeous.
32:18
SPEAKER_00: So, one of my favorites is the baked cheese that has a roasted red pepper reduction around it, and they serve it with garlic bread, and you just scoop it right on there.
32:27
SPEAKER_00: Delicious.
32:28
SPEAKER_00: But the best part about it is that you get to watch people do the walk of shame from the night before.
32:34
SPEAKER_00: So they're waking up at someone else's hotel room, clearly wearing the clothes that they were out at the club in the night before, and like making the trek back to their own hotel room, probably to get in a car and drive back to wherever they came from or hop on a flight or whatever.
32:50
SPEAKER_00: But Mona Mega B at at Paris, Las Vegas, that's one of my favorites.
32:56
SPEAKER_02: And Paris is now open.
32:57
SPEAKER_00: And Paris is now open, Mona B is now open, accepting reservations.
33:03
SPEAKER_00: So brunch is back.
33:05
SPEAKER_00: Uh, also DW Bistro is a great place.
33:09
SPEAKER_00: It's kind of on the west side of town at the Gramercy.
33:12
SPEAKER_00: If you listen back to episode 13 of Vegas Revealed, we had the owner Bryce Kraussman on.
33:17
SPEAKER_00: And uh, Dana, I know this is one of the brunch spots that you frequent, also.
33:22
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I love it there.
33:23
SPEAKER_02: It's great.
33:23
SPEAKER_02: I've been to the drag brunch that they've had.
33:25
SPEAKER_02: I've gotten to the old then when they had the old DW Bistro, the former location, I should say, then moved it to the Gramercy.
33:32
SPEAKER_02: So um, great people.
33:34
SPEAKER_02: It feels very community, but also very hip.
33:37
SPEAKER_02: So it's just a great vibe, you know.
33:39
SPEAKER_00: Yeah, it is.
33:40
SPEAKER_00: And then on the east side of town over in Henderson, there's a great place called Craft Kitchen.
33:48
SPEAKER_00: And uh it's a it's one of my favorite spots.
33:51
SPEAKER_00: If you eat outside, they're they're pet friendly.
33:54
SPEAKER_00: You can have your your little dog with you if you eat outside.
33:59
SPEAKER_00: Um, they have incredible pastries.
34:01
SPEAKER_00: They they have one of the what I love to order there is their crustless quiche.
34:07
SPEAKER_00: It comes in a little rammekin and it's absolutely delicious.
34:12
SPEAKER_00: Um, they have a little side room that can be used for for private parties if you have a larger group.
34:18
SPEAKER_00: So really great place.
34:20
SPEAKER_00: So uh Monomiga B on the strip, DW Bistro on the west side of town, and craft kitchen in Henderson.
34:27
SPEAKER_00: Those are my brunch recommendations.
34:29
SPEAKER_02: All good ones.
34:30
SPEAKER_02: I've never been to craft kitchen, so I'll have to try that out.
34:32
SPEAKER_02: That's in your side of town.
34:34
SPEAKER_00: Next Sunday, Dana, it's a date.
34:36
SPEAKER_02: Okay, business lunch.
34:38
SPEAKER_02: Love it.
34:38
SPEAKER_02: Can we write that off?
34:41
SPEAKER_02: Sure will.
34:43
SPEAKER_02: Sure will.
34:45
SPEAKER_02: Um, okay.
34:46
SPEAKER_02: We hope Tracy um is listening, our tax, our tax lady.
34:50
SPEAKER_02: So we call her a tax lady.
34:52
SPEAKER_02: Tracy, you're officially a tax lady.
34:54
SPEAKER_00: It's probably not the the official term.
34:57
SPEAKER_00: The official term.
34:59
SPEAKER_02: Oh, I told you we were giggly today, folks.
35:01
SPEAKER_02: Um, one other quick little tip that I wanted to let folks know about is something that I've seen people talking about.
35:07
SPEAKER_02: They've been taking pictures of their receipts when they're visiting Las Vegas and going, hey, what's this?
35:11
SPEAKER_02: And there aren't too many of them, but a bunch of restaurants here in town are charging this extra 4% surcharge for the COVID crisis.
35:20
SPEAKER_02: And people are confused about it, going, what the heck?
35:23
SPEAKER_02: You know, I gotta pay this.
35:24
SPEAKER_02: So um, I was looking at an article on Eater to get the full rundown of the restaurants, but I guess it's a Segundo Soul at Fashion Show, great Mexican restaurant, Joe's Seafood Prime Steak and Stone Crab at Forum Shops, also great.
35:37
SPEAKER_02: And then Mona Miga B, like you mentioned.
35:39
SPEAKER_02: But here's the deal, folks, I wanted to let you know if you do see this, apparently it does say on there to help offset restrictions on your business resulting for or on our business from resulting from the COVID-19 crisis, a 4% surcharge has been added to all guest checks.
35:55
SPEAKER_02: But then it does continue with one more line, and this is the important part.
35:59
SPEAKER_02: If you would like this removed, please let us know.
36:01
SPEAKER_02: So I just wanted people to know that you apparently don't have to pay it.
36:05
SPEAKER_02: They're basically asking you to pay it to help them.
36:09
SPEAKER_00: So, okay, so that's good to know.
36:11
SPEAKER_00: If you don't want to pay it, you have to speak up and talk to your server in person about it, which people can be uncomfortable with.
36:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, then you're the grumpy lady that doesn't want to pay the surcharge to help people.
36:24
SPEAKER_00: Well, it's just like when you're at CVS and you get to the end of the little the keypad process and it says, Do you want to donate a dollar to sick kids?
36:32
SPEAKER_00: And then you feel like a crappy person for saying no, but if you donate everything, you'd be broke.
36:38
SPEAKER_02: I know.
36:39
SPEAKER_02: I know.
36:39
SPEAKER_02: It's hard because so a lot of times you've donated to so many other different things, and you're like, I and I sometimes I feel like I need to say that, like, oh no, I gave a donation already, or you know, oh, we did a big community project on this uh, you know, recently, or you know, you feel guilty, but yeah, it's it's one of those things.
36:55
SPEAKER_02: So listen, if you have the money and you can do it, please give.
36:59
SPEAKER_02: If it really is important to you to have it removed, you can you can ask to have it removed.
37:04
SPEAKER_02: There's our tips for today.
37:05
SPEAKER_00: And uh that's another Vegas revealed, the 22nd episode.
37:12
SPEAKER_02: Have a great day, everyone.
37:14
SPEAKER_02: We hope you have a good laugh this week.
37:17
SPEAKER_02: See ya.