‘Now you’ve been to Vegas’: Mr. Las Vegas joins famed jam band

The String Cheese Incident opened their second set at Westgate on Thursday night with the intro to “Viva Las Vegas.”

This is not a jam-band song.

Then there were showgirls. And in the middle, a guy in black, who was clearly not a member of String Cheese Incident, walked out about 10:40 p.m.

Then a couple near the stage, whose surname happened to be Bender, shouted, “It’s Wayne!”

Mr. Las Vegas, yes. Wayne Newton. Joining the beloved jam band during the opening night of Bender Jamboree at Westgate’s Paradise Mainstage. This was actually a customized ballroom, which during the Bender Jamboree was turned into a 3,000-capacity music hall.

The place erupted when Newton arrived. The Flamingo headliner performed the classic, from the 1964 film of the same name. The crowd sang along. Many spun around in a carefree way, as that is what they do.

After finishing the song, Newton spun his mic windmill-style and escorted the showgirls from the stage. The band from Boulder, Colorado, clearly had a blast. Turns out they are Newton fans and had contacted his management with the offer to play at least a song.

The festival concluded Sunday at multiple venues, and followed the similarly jammed Big Blues Bender from last weekend. String Cheese Incident plays the Paradise Mainstage again on Saturday and Sunday.

The scene was reminiscent of Newton’s pop-up with The Black Keys at Life is Beautiful in 2018.

Bassist Keith Mosely had it right, saying as Newton departed, “Now you’ve been to Vegas.”

The @WayneNewtonMrLV moment … Late-night pop-up w/ @SCI_Official @BenderJamboree @WestgateVegas pic.twitter.com/eHjHur4tFq

— John Katsilometes (@johnnykats) September 13, 2024

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.