Celine breaks, adds shows; Aerosmith’s Kramer missing performances
The Kats! Bureau at this writing is Ham Hall, Row M, Seat 1 for the UNLV Jazz Ensemble I and Latin Jazz CD release concert. Typically writing into an open laptop is frowned upon, but I am at once out of the way and in the mood.
Jazz is inspirational, generally. You can write to it. Not easy to dance to, though.
Unexpectedly, jazz instructor and trombone virtuoso Nathan Tanouye is in this show. He was supposed to be touring with Celine Dion, but the longtime and now former Colosseum at Caesars Palace headliner was forced from the stage by a virus that took her out of four shows through the weekend at the Bell Centre in Montreal.
As she was out, Dion announced a stack of U.S. arena dates in March and April, including a March 29 show at Gila River Arena in Glendale, Arizona, and performances April 2-3 at the Staples Center in L.A. There are no Vegas dates on the tour. And, her new video, “Imperfections,” was released Thursday.
Dion resumes her scheduled shows at Bell Centre on Friday and Saturday. Her world tour opened Sept. 18 in Quebec City.
As it happens, Celine is not the only Las Vegas-linked entertainer missing shows. We have snared more info, as it were. …
Kramer is out
Avid Aerosmith fans have been chirping about the absence of drummer Joey Kramer during the band’s return to Park Theater. Kramer has reportedly injured his ankle in rehearsals and has not performed in the band’s “Deuces are Wild” shows over the weekend — and last Thursday’s show was canceled as Steven Tyler announced he needed a vocal break.
Tyler is back, raging as always. But Kramer is not, and he’s not expected onstage in the band’ s next performance on Tuesday night, and his return full-time has not been determined. Kramer was also out April 23 and April 26 for what was described as a minor shoulder injury suffered in an undisclosed accident, and has not been onstage in the band’s road dates in August. Drum tech John Douglas has been filling in, his common role whenever Kramer is sidelined.
Kramer and Tyler have sometimes appeared to bicker onstage, leading fans to believe there is ongoing tension between the two. Tyler’s musical genius and passion to perform has been evident in the band’s “Deuces” shows, and sources who have known the artists for decades say there are no issues between the band mates. Tyler and Kramer went to high school together and have played together in Aerosmith for nearly 50 years.
Kramer does have a history of health concerns. He was forced off the stage for a show in August 2014, to undergo an emergency angioplasty.
Kramer has since said he works out and has continued to serve as the band’s full-time drummer through its entire history. Aerosmith continues its thundering “Deuces” residency for 13 shows through December, continuing on through June 2020, no matter who is slammin’ the skins.
He owns the room
In our Q&A on Saturday night at Golden Nugget, hotel owner and Landry’s Entertainment owner Tilman Fertitta said he was not planning to invest in Las Vegas properties over the next two to three years, bracing for an economic downturn. He pounces in such times, saying from the stage, “In bad times, I eat the weak.” Also, he said to invest in waterfront property. “People flock to the water,” he said.
Earlier, Fertitta said one of the keys to his success was, “I don’t make bad deals,” and said Las Vegas was among the cities ready for an NBA franchise (along with Seattle and Mexico City) and promised to bring an NHL franchise to Houston, where he also owns the Rockets, “Before I close my eyes.”
Fertitta was in town for a book-signing and release event for his HarperCollins tome, “Shut Up and Listen.” The book is on the Publishers Weekly, Wall Street Journal and USA Today best-seller lists, a swift read and full of insight, aquatic and otherwise.
Beach!
Comic-production veteran Jeff Beacher rolled in with Fertitta, showing up backstage just before the Q&A. Beacher has staged Madhouse at MGM Grand (in what is now the Jabbawockeez theater) and the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel. He was spotted at Fremont Street Experience during the spring, but there has been no word on any progress on a Beacher concept at FSE.
The master promoter has kept his weight off, though, after dropping more than 225 pounds from his high of 400 in October 2014. during his days in Vegas. Beacher enrolled in a raw vegan camp, and later underwent gastric sleeve surgery and focused on refining his lifestyle. He has referred to himself as “a reformed D-bag,” and we’ll let him own the self-analysis.
Great moments in social media
T-Mobile Arena’s Twitter page asked the open question, “Which is more annoying,” with a lineup of a fading WiFi icon, a low laptop battery, a spinning laptop pinwheel, and the San Jose Sharks’ logo.
— T-Mobile Arena (@TMobileArena) September 29, 2019
It was not an open poll, but my own retweet showed the Sharks’ logo the runaway (or, swim-away) winner. I thought the L.A. Kings would be the Golden Knights’ chief rival. Not so, hockey fins. Er, fans.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His PodKats podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
