May day: Ralphie remembers winning, then losing, $5K at Aladdin
Ralphie May remembers the night he beat the house in Vegas. It was a total score. He’d just finished his first performance on the Strip, at the old Aladdin, in the “Comedy Underground” show that was, in fact, in the hotel’s underground promenade.
May snared his payment for the night’s show and sidled up to a roulette wheel. Then the rotund, upstart comic hit a hot streak, piling up his winnings from an initial $50 outlay. He took a stack of $50 chips and placed them on a few numbers around the tables, including No. 17, to coincide with his birth date of Feb. 17.
“One spin, and I won something like $5,000!” says May, headlining at Harrah’s Showroom for an extended run beginning Jan. 26 in the room’s 10 p.m. slot. “It was awesome, my God. Amazing. So these guys come over and say, ‘Mr. May, we’ll escort you over to the cage and get you paid.’ OK! Let’s do it!”
Concern surfaced when May was asked for his ID. “They looked at it and said, ‘Oh, you’re 19?’ And I said, ‘Is there a problem?’ ” May says, laughing. “Ah, yes. So I’m not 21. But this is why I love Vegas – they let me play until I won, then here comes the hammer.” May was summarily banned from the casino and warned not to hit the tables again until he was 21.
That scene unfolded in 1991, and May has since appeared on “Last Comic Standing” (finishing second in the comedy competition) and also headlined at Treasure Island and South Point Showroom. He helped create the “Dirty at 12:30” show at South Point, along with then-South Point Entertainment Director Damian Costa, who has since shifted to Caesars Entertainment and drew May to Harrah’s. May calls the engagement at Harrah’s a “trial run” (he’s booked through the first week in November), and is optimistic he’ll do big business.
“Vegas needs a really funny, dirty, late-night show, and I’ll tell it like it is, I promise you that,” he says. “And you gotta love the audience I bring in. They eat, drink and play. Hey, we’re going out, and that’s what you want in Vegas.” May will let it ride, to coin a phrase, and today he can keep the profits.
ORDINARY AVERAGE GUY
Joe Walsh took the stage at House of Blues at Mandalay Bay on Wednesday night with no fanfare or formal introduction. He looked at the cheering crowd and said, “I haven’t heard any good jokes lately … maybe we’ll just rock ’n’ roll.”
Walsh and his blazing backing band then raced through a sampling of his impressive career. Highlights were the Eagles classic “Take It To the Limit,” played to a video montage of the late Glenn Frey, and “Ordinary Average Guy,” featuring images of firefighters, cops, steelworkers and the like.
Walsh certainly considers himself in that range, despite selling several millions of singles and albums in his nearly 50-year career (more than 150 million records with the Eagles alone). Late in the show, during “Life’s Been Good,” shots of Walsh with several of his world-famous friends filled the screen: Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, Keith Richards, Jimmy Page, Bono, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Grohl, Keith Moon and of course, members of The Eagles.
The transcendent message being that even an ordinary, average guy can achieve greatness. Walsh — a real rock ’n’ roll survivor — is that, earning the heartfelt roar he received at the performance’s end. We’d like a return of this show.
KEY TO THE CLUB
Tiesto is launching his birthday celebration weekend at MGM Grand at 6 p.m. Saturday by accepting a Key to the Strip from the Clark County Commission. Tiesto, who turns 47 on Tuesday (EDM stars have become multigenerational), is the rare superstar DJ to receive such an honor (DJ Khaled was similarly honored in May).
Steve Sisolak (or, if you prefer, will MC S.S.), chairman of the Clark County Commission, makes the presentation in the MGM Grand lobby. A popular club draw for two decades and a premiere headliner at Strip uber-clubs, Tiesto will continue the party during his performance at Hakkasan.
NO MARIE AT INAUGURATION
To quell speculation about her involvement, or non-involvement, in the inauguration of Donald Trump as 45th President of the United States on Jan. 20, Marie Osmond has issued a statement saying she will not participate.
It’s not a political move; it’s an apolitical move. As Osmond wrote: “I had no intention of performing at this inauguration, no matter who won! I try to stay out of politics. I’m an entertainer.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section, and Fridays in Neon. He also hosts “Kats! On The Radio” Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on KUNV 91.5-FM and appears Wednesdays at 11 a.m. with Dayna Roselli on KTNV Channel 13. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.
