Drake appearance electrifies EDC

By John Katsilometes Las Vegas Review-Journal

7 years ago

Attendees dance during CID’s set at Circuit Grounds on the last night of Electric Daisy Carnival at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, June 18, 2017 in Las Vegas. Bridget Bennett Las Vegas Review-Journal @bridgetkbennett

Attendees make their way through the festival grounds on the last night of Electric Daisy Carnival at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, June 18, 2017 in Las Vegas. Bridget Bennett Las Vegas Review-Journal @bridgetkbennett

Sage Armstrong plays at the Upside-down House while attendees dance on the last night of Electric Daisy Carnival at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday, June 18, 2017 in Las Vegas. Bridget Bennett Las Vegas Review-Journal @bridgetkbennett

The Kats! Bureau is the front straightaway at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, site of the media center for Electric Daisy Carnival. The scene burst with electricity a bit ago when Drake showed up unannounced to perform with producer/songwriter/DJ Metro Boomin on Basspod Stage. Never thought I’d write that sentence, or that such a collection of words would deliver relevance. Nonetheless, Drake performed ”Fake Love” just before midnight, which caused a wave of energy for the tens of thousands of EDC fans.

The scope of this event continues to set standards. The 140,000 population of Sunday night’s EDC would be the fifth-largest city in the state (after North Las Vegas and ahead of Sparks). It would also be the most fashionably aggressive.

More from the scene:

Lewis rehabbing

Entertainment legend Jerry Lewis, hospitalized since June 3 for a UTI, has entered the rehabilitation phase of his treatment.

On Sunday, Lewis’ wife, Sam Lewis, said, “The tedious part is there is nothing new to report. He is off antibiotics, but we don’t want him home until he is strong enough to be at the house. I don’t want him to leave as long as they are still working with him.”

Lewis is also undergoing therapy to strengthen his swallowing reflex and is not up for talking on the phone or with visitors. He turned 91 in March and had been scheduled to take part in a filming this month in Toronto. Those plans are now on hold.

Robert’s cookout

Tropicana Las Vegas launched the 11th annual Las Vegas Restaurant Week with its Summer Cookout Featuring Robert Irvine and friends. The chef also announced that his new restaurant, Robert Irvine’s Public House, will open at July 27 at the Trop. The menu at the 14,000-square-foot, 275-seat restaurant will feature “a range of comfort foods,” says advance promotional material. It’s opening next to the space where the hotel’s sportsbook was once located.

Friday’s event raised $40,000 for Three Square Food Bank of Las Vegas, enough to pay for more than 120,000 meals for Southern Nevada residents and families in need.

Circus revival

I keep hearing, persistently, of a production to open on the Strip that proves traditional circus is still alive, even as Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus closed in May after a 146-year run.

This show seems to have promise, and no (real) animals are used.

The Magic of the Murray

Having eschewed Celebrity Magician as his chosen moniker and nabbing Magic Murray, column friend and scene dweller Murray Sawchuck has dialed up another party next week. On June 28, Sawchuck is celebrating his 100,000th YouTube subscriber at a party at Planet Hollywood. Sawchuck has partnered with maker-of-YouTube-sensations Seth Leach of Los Angeles to stage many entertaining segments that have registered several million views.

Last week, Sawchuck was honored with a shrunken head at Golden Tiki (where dreams come true), and also appeared on the latest episode of “Pawn Stars.”

In the segment at Gold and Silver Pawn, Pete Housley (director of Sin City Theater and the adjacent Cabaret at Planet Hollywood) offered to sell a white tuxedo worn by Jack Kodell, the first magician to ever play Las Vegas. Sawchuck was summoned by “Pawn Stars” co-star Corey Harrison to give a financial assessment of the piece. Sawchuck explained Kodell’s influence on the city: “Without him, I probably wouldn’t be here, Siegfried & Roy wouldn’t be here, David Copperfield wouldn’t be here.” The suit is valuable. It’ll fit somebody.

Transmissions from the Bay

The great San Francisco Chronicle columnist Scott Ostler offered this after the Golden State Warriors’ victory parade Thursday in Oakland on Thursday: “Watching Thursday’s festivities, the fantastic weather, the hundreds of thousands of passionate and adoring fans, in a fantastic city that is blooming, I had this thought: Hope (Raiders owner) Mark Davis enjoys his Vegas Refrigerator Dome packed with pit bosses and high rollers in that city where Hooters is a 20-story building.”

Yes. Hooters does employ many pit bosses, and also cocktail waitresses who might be future Raiderettes.

The Warriors, of course, wound up celebrating their NBA championship all weekend on the Strip, where it got hot but the AC never faltered.

Note: This version of the column corrects the date of Murray Sawchuck’s YouTube viewing party at Planet Hollywood.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.