Las Vegas strip clubs suspended in COVID sweep
The Kats! Bureau at this writing is the Westgate SuperBook’s Super Bowl party, scaled back to 25-percent capacity and spaced out according to COVID protocols. There are about 500 folks in the SuperBook, with pockets of 50-capacity parties in the ballroom, International Theater and other venues.
#TheScene ... Super Sunday action @WestgateVegas @SuperBookNV #SuperBowl @reviewjournal #RJNow pic.twitter.com/QVRZuVXmI5
— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) February 7, 2021
In all, between 2,000 to 3,000 folks came to Westgate specifically for the Super Bowl, as the hotel keeps to its 25-percent capacity limit. Last year, 10,000 people filed into the hotel for the event.
This year’s big-game party is kind of like a three-and-out. Time to punt.
Onward:
Stripped clubs
Vegas adult-entertainment hovels Larry Flynt’s Hustler Club on Dean Martin Drive, Minks Las Vegas on Emerald Avenue and Spearmint Rhino on Highland Drive were all dinged by Clark County licensing enforcement agents on Super Bowl weekend.
According to Clark County officials, all were issued “emergency suspensions” during routine monitoring inspections for violations of various COVID directives issued by Gov. Steve Sisolak.
Hustler and Minks were reopened Sunday. The violations against Rhino were scheduled to be issued Sunday. All are allowed to operate at 25-percent capacity, as long as all other COVID protocols are obeyed.
The penalty against Flynt’s club, which was reportedly for violating capacity limits, meant “Sexxy” could not perform on Saturday night. The show announced on social media it was postponed for in-house maintenance and also for additional rehearsals.
Jennifer Romas’ production, in which the cast and crew are masked and distant from the audience, is scheduled to return Thursday night.
Spin zone
The Skating Aratas from “V — The Ultimate Variety Show” found a good side hustle over the weekend. The husband-and-wife tandem of Victor and Jenny Arata performed at the NFL Experience party in the venue built adjacent to Raymond James Stadium in Tampa.
Davis calls it
Asked who he liked in Sunday’s Super Bowl, Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis answered, “Raiders!” He’s picking them next year, and for all the years.
Davis was in Tampa for the game, but says he’s not sure if he’ll attend any Raiders games at Allegiant Stadium in the 2021 season unless it is full capacity and all Raiders’ ticket-holders can attend.
‘Extravaganza’ indeed
A show that plays 50 to 50 (the same number of cast and crew as audience members) notched its 100th performance over the weekend. We speak of “Extravaganza” at Bally’s Jubilee Theater. The variety production has played 99 shows during COVID. It premiered March 14, just before the shutdown, and it was closed that night.
Producer Hanoch Rosènn plans to continue to run the show at a loss until entertainment returns to full capacity (or at least 250), and is also eager to return “WOW” to Rio this year.
“We are going to continue,” Rosènn said via text Sunday. “The energy is there, even with 50.” As for the monetary loss, the longtime mime says, “You can call it, ‘investing.’”
Wiz-bang
Grammy Award-winning rap star Wiz Khalifa visited Blume Kitchen & Cocktails in Henderson late Saturday night. He and his crew were at the nightspot for about an hour and left at 2 a.m. Also in the mix were former UNLV Lady Rebels the Gonzalez twins, Dylan and Dakota. Those two drew such superstars as Drake to Lady Rebel hoops games.
That you, Steph?
Stephanie Sanchez, who spent nine years as the front woman of “Fantasy” at Luxor, performed with her new band, The Trust, at THE HUBB Bar & Grill in Pahrump on Saturday night. Sanchez was most recently an MGM Resorts International entertainment exec before COVID cutbacks freed her up to start singing again.
Sanchez’s bandmates are guitarist Steve Heath. bassist Merry Adin and drummer Glenn Gallarde. They plan to make it a regular hang, over the hump.
From the Gossy
Matt Goss is having a time of it with his new conversational podcast, aptly titled “Conversations with Matt Goss.” His most recent guest is column fave Larry Ruvo, who talks of the Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, and his long friendship with Frank Sinatra, among other Vegas-esque topics.
Goss’ new album is due out this year. He told the Guardian in a story published last week that the strangest thing ever written about him during the heyday of the boy band Bros was “that Luke and I were genetically engineered.”
That’s Luke Goss, Matt’s twin brother. The only thing engineered for these two is the music.
Noel in the now
Expect a new burlesque concept from Icebar and 1923 Prohibition Bar at Mandalay Bay owner and CEO Noel Bowman. He’s already casting and prepping the show for when this town really opens up. As always, when it does, we will be there.
What we can lose …
… in live entertainment until we’re back at full capacity: Singalongs and callbacks for 50 people, and the question,
“Anyone here from outside the U.S?”
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.
