Vegas venues to turn red in national call to action

Las Vegas is turning on the red lights for a blue industry.

The city is joining the nationwide We Make Events Red Alert campaign to support out-of-work entertainment professionals. Vegas flips the switch from 9 p.m.-midnight Tuesday, turning many entertainment venues and businesses red.

The effort is to push Congress to pass the Restart Act, which would deliver financial assistance for millions of Americans — and thousands of Las Vegans — who have lost income due the COVID shutdown.

A complementary event, specific to Las Vegas, is also in the works downtown. Details are being finalized for a “case push” by the We the Entertainment Community of Las Vegas, or WE/EC Vegas. Dozens of the city’s live-entertainment workers will stage an art installation with their equipment crates. The times, location and other specifics are to be announced.

The WE/EC Vegas event is the second such show of support this month. The organization staged a walk and car parade on the Strip on Aug. 20.

The many whose entertainment complex sits on Symphony Park is instrumental in this effort.

“This is all to call attention to the need coast-to-coast for government support during this down time,” Smith Center for the Performing Arts Center President Myron Martin says. “This is a plea for stagehands and artists who are not getting federal unemployment. This is to help people who are struggling to get by right now, and who need support until we can reopen, or prepare for reopening, and put people back to work.”

Dark since March 15 and with no scheduled events this year, the Smith Center is among the venues turning red Tuesday. Specifically, the bell tower at Reynolds Hall will be lit up.

A classic-car parade is being organized, likely to wind from Ahern Hotel to Fremont Street, led by a truck displaying the We Make Events sign made of a truss and bathed in red light. The Plaza is planning a “socially distant” red-carpet event and fireworks show. The hotel is also showcasing a closed pyrotechnic performance by Vegas stunt artist Angelina Puzanova and Show Talent Productions.

At UNLV, the Thomas & Mack Center will be lit up with 48 lasers. The school’s Ham Hall, Judy Bayley Theater and Flashlight installation are also set to be lit up.

Elsewhere, other famous and familiar Vegas live-event venues as Las Vegas Ballpark, City National Arena, the Fremont Street Experience, Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health, Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, Area15, the Ahern Hotel, The Space and Lake of Dreams at Wynn Las Vegas will take part.

Supporters are encouraged to send any “ghost light” photos or shots of vacant venues to social media, using the #WeMakeEvents, #RedAlertRESTART and #ExtendPUA hashtags. The movement is also backing ExtendPUA.org in its lobbying efforts for the continuation and extension of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which also provides relief to people without work due to COVID.

Information about the national campaign is found at wemakeevents.org. A total of 1,500 locations are turning red, including every major North American entertainment destination.

“The entire live events industry is on the brink of collapse. Without financial relief, many businesses stand to permanently close, and families risk bankruptcy and homelessness,” Brad Nelms, director of We Make Events North America, said in a statement. “We want to take this opportunity to show the world the scale of what it takes to make live entertainment events happen and demonstrate how much this crisis has affected our community. This is a human issue, not a political issue, and it requires immediate action.”

Nelms said Tuesday is “a critical time” to move Congress to move forward with the Restart Act legislation.

“We, as an industry, cannot continue to watch from the sidelines and hope for the best,” he said. “Too many people are hurting, especially considering that there’s an immediate solution right in front of us.”

Flav! In our lifetime!

Flavor Flav has made his acceptance speech for Public Enemy’s Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. That appearance was recorded Friday at Ron Mancuso’s Studio 77, which shares the same parcel as his family’s Bootlegger Bistro and Copa Room and Mancuso’s own audio recording facilities.

Flav wore the jeweled clock necklace, the acid-washed jeans, the blinged-out shades. His street clothes, in other words.

Public Enemy was due to accept the award April 18 at Pasadena Civic Auditorium during the at the Grammys’ Special Merit Awards show. That event was KO’d by COVID. Chicago, Roberta Flack, Isaac Hayes, Iggy Pop, John Prine and Sister Rosetta Tharpe are also set to be honored at the 2021 awards on Jan. 21, which is still scheduled for the Staples Center in L.A.

‘Unknown’ opening

A film premiere has been held in Vegas, during COVID reopening. This was the Tara Reid-Richard Grieco-Robert LaSardo horror vehicle “Attack of the Unknown,” unveiled Friday night at Galaxy Theatres at Boulevard Mall.

Reid is best known for her days in “American Pie,” and also (from here), as Bunny Lebowski in “The Big Lebowski.” Grieco was cast in “21 Jump Street” and spinoff “Booker,” and also “Night At The Roxbury.” LaSardo’s credits include “Nip/Tuck,” “General Hospital” and “CSI Miami.”

The film’s production lineup is headed up by Mahal Empire Productions, which raised nearly $200,000 in an indiegogo.com campaign to finish the project.

I had not seen Reid since the “Sharknado 5: Global Swarming” at Linq Hotel in August 2017. She’s always a head-turner, showing up Friday in a sheer, black-lace number and carrying a pair of pooches. For a night, all seemed right with the world.

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.