Country superstar to be lauded at Las Vegas Strip event
Blake Shelton has delivered his Ole Red honky-tonk to the Strip. Now he’s being honored at a green fortress to the south.
The country superstar is the honoree at the 27th annual Keep Memory Alive Power of Love gala on May 10 at MGM Grand Garden. The event raises money and awareness for the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health. Ticket are on sale now at keepmemoryalive.org/POL.
Shelton is forging a tight bond with Las Vegas. The platinum-selling recording artist opened his four-level music hall and tavern at Grand Bazaar Shops at Horseshoe Las Vegas this month. He is set to perform at the Power of Love gala, a tradition among honorees.
Last year, Sammy Hagar led an all-star show featuring Rick Springfield, Sam Moore of Sam & Dave, John Mayer, Sammy Hagar, Chad Kroeger of Nickleback, Michael McDonald, a Hagar-Moore duet, Kevin Cronin of REO Speedwagon and comic Nikki Glaser.
The 47-year-old Shelton has sold 13 million albums, 53 million singles and has amassed 11 billion streams internationally. He’s also active as a charity-concert headliner across the country on behalf of the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Foundation.
“Blake Shelton’s music rocks our world, but it’s his philanthropy that steals the show and touches countless lives and we are proud to honor him at the Power of Love gala,” Keep Memory Alive Co-founder and chairman Larry Ruvo said in a statement. “Together, we are directly impacting our local community and improving the lives of family, friends, and neighbors.”
Shelton has concluded his run on “The Voice,” leaving the show last year after 23 seasons as a coach. He resumes his “Back To The Honky Tonk” tour on Feb. 21 in Hershey, Pa. His “Barmageddon” show streams on Peacock.
Stars of the culinary community are returning to the event. Internationally famous chef Wolfgang Puck, a supporter of KMA since it was launched, Evan Funke of the well-reviewed Mother Wolf at Fontainebleau. Each course is to be paired with wines selected by master sommeliers from Southern Glazer’s Wine, Spirits & Beer of Nevada.
The Power of Love generate funds for the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health to find, fund, and facilitate the research, treatment, and educational support programming for patients and their families
The center in Symphony Park focuses on brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Huntington’s, multiple system atrophy and multiple sclerosis. The Ruvo Center receives no public funding. Power of Love has raised tens of millions of dollars through the gala to continue this work.
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 X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.