Trumps (and some Las Vegans) dance the night away after historic day
WASHINGTON D.C.
The Kats! Bureau at this writing is a few feet from the stage at the Liberty Ball at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
Shortly, I will ask a stranger in a ball gown to dance to a down-tempo version of “September.”
In the room: About 5,000 (which seems an appropriately conservative estimate) monied and influential individuals — and one scribe from Las Vegas with Alfredo sauce staining his tux. History has arrived with President Donald Trump dancing the night away with first lady Melania Trump.
“When we started this journey, nobody thought we — we, and me — had a chance. But we did it,” Trump said. “Well, we did it. We knew we were going to win, and we won. Today, some people who were not very nice to me said we had a great day, and we did.”
The crowd let out a roar. The Trumps then swayed to “My Way,” eventually joined by family members and the family of Vice President Mike Pence. The group dance closes out a historic day of presidential transition, pomp and protest in the nation’s capital.
More from the night-closing gala:
GRAND DESIGNS
The Vegas contingent included Brad and Kim Friedmutter, he of the acclaimed Friedmutter Group design firm (The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and Red Rock Resort) and she of the modeling and hypnosis world.
The connection to the incoming president is in Atlantic City. Early in his career, Friedmutter designed Trump Taj Mahal “a long time before Carl Icahn owned it,” as he says.
LADIES AND GENTS: THE SIEGELS
Also in the room was Trump’s fellow resort magnate David Siegel, owner of Westgate Resorts timeshares, including Westgate Las Vegas. He attended with his wife, Jackie. Siegel has known Trump for two decades, and Jackie dated Trump briefly before he married his second wife, Marla Maples.
ROCKETTES ROCK IT
An entertainment highlight was an appearance — two, actually — by the Radio City Rockettes. Members had threatened to drop the performance in protest of Trump, but the troupe performed its famous kick line, and the crowd — most holding smartphones trained to the stage — loved it.
And for a Vegas connection to that legendary dance troupe: A satellite production ran for years at the Flamingo Las Vegas. The show opened in 1995, with Susan Anton as the star, and closed in 2000.
SAM MOORE ORDER
On the topic of cellphones …
Sam Moore of the legendary R&B duo Sam & Dave paused while belting out “Soul Man” to admonish the crowd.
“Put your cellphones DOWN!” he shouted in (we think) mock hostility. “It is time to dance and shake what yo mamma gave ya!”
This is the sort of crowd unaccustomed to such an undressing. It managed the former, but not the latter.
FLATLEY LIVES!
A surprise (at least to me) was an appearance by Michael Flatley and “Lord of the Dance.” As he said from the stage, “We came all the way from Ireland!”
Flatley’s dancing days have passed, as he performed for the final time in March 2016 at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace. But he is still the overlord of the “Lord” team as it tours internationally.
ONE MORE ‘SHOWSTOPPER’
As it happens, the finale for “Steve Wynn’s Showstoppers” was not New Year’s Eve. It was Tuesday night at the Chairman’s Global Dinner at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, considered the most exclusive of all inauguration events. Wynn had effectively provided a performance from the musical, which closed for ticketed performances the night of Dec. 31, as a gift to Trump. The celebrity website TMZ first reported the performance, adding that the cost nearly doubled the $1 million budget, and that the Trump inaguration committee ponied up the overage.
Not so, says Wynn Las Vegas spokesman Michael Weaver, who confirmed the performance Friday, saying “the Showstoppers performance was not over budget, and was paid for by Mr. Wynn.” This was not a full-tilt “Showstoppers” performance, as the vocalists sang to tracks rather than with the full orchestra. Had the 36-member ensemble been flown back to D.C., then, maybe, we have budget issues.
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.
