New shows set to open

Good thing visitor volume has been on a steady climb, because more shows just keep opening.

Two more have been announced for the Tropicana's resurrected Tiffany Theatre: Recycled Percussion, moving across the street from the MGM Grand, joined by fellow "America's Got Talent" alumni Sideswipe in the afternoons.

And the little Clarion (formerly the Greek Isles) will soon be boasting five -- yes, five! -- new titles.

Recycled Percussion, the drum exhibition quartet big on the college circuit, opens Monday in the theater leased by independent operator Jay Bloom. The troupe will do six shows per week at 7 p.m.

Group founder Justin Spencer says a 21-and-older age restriction "nearly killed us" in the Studio 54 club at the MGM. The Tropicana is open to anyone older than 5, and the new stage also accommodates large props and stunts the troupe couldn't fit into the club.

Las Vegas producer Adam Steck takes the helm of the drum show from veteran Boston-based promoter Bill Blumenreich. Watch for Recycled Percussion in the opening number of the Latin Grammy Awards today.

Sideswipe offers a mix of martial arts, dance and acrobatics that was seen on the first season of "Talent." The troupe will perform at 2 and 4 p.m. daily, with the previously announced Beatles tribute "Yesterday" at 5:30 p.m.

Business has perked up since the Greek Isles became a Clarion, bringing the clout of its name and reservations network.

Producers have new optimism for the hotel's two venues, long considered a first-rung entry point on the local ladder of show business.

Two producers separately contracted with Clarion management for the larger showroom. Evenings will go to "America's Soul Music," a coverall name for a plan to rotate veteran R&B concert acts in three-month intervals.

Afternoons will host magician Aaron Radatz, staging a family-oriented showcase with an emphasis on value: Full-priced adult tickets are $20, with discounts kicking in from there.

"We know we're new to town. We want to get their attention," Radatz says of the low price point for the show starting Nov. 18 in a 2:30 p.m. time slot.

"Soul" producer Vincent Deane, a concert promoter in the Northeast, says he has been coming to Las Vegas since 1973. "When I'm walking the Strip I see my age group (he's 58), and there's nothing for them."

Deane hopes to cure that with the old-school showcase debuting Wednesday. First up is Russell Thompkins Jr. and the New Stylistics. (Thompkins, the original lead singer, parted company this year from the name-branded Stylistics.)

Elsewhere in the Clarion, producer Ray Wolf will put his name on the 90-seat venue originally built as a film screening room by Debbie Reynolds when the hotel bore her name. Wolf says he restored the original comfy theater seats.

Starting Monday is unsinkable impressionist Larry G. Jones at 8 p.m., followed Wednesday by the debut of the "Naughty Boys Hypnosis Show" featuring Corbin Craft and Rolan Whitt.

Both shows -- and their producer -- are alumni of the Harmon Theater. ...

If you have a military ID and you're staying home tonight, you're missing out.

Several shows are offering Veterans Day specials. Prominent among them: producer David Saxe offering veterans and active military free tickets for 15 titles at his two theaters in the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood.

There also is a $45 show-and-buffet combo for "The Lion King" and free admission to Madame Tussauds waxworks.

Soldiers themselves get into action with some "GI Jams," a live version of the website devoted to military performers, on Friday at The Cannery. ...

What does the $100 ticket hike for Garth Brooks at Wynn Las Vegas tell us?

Sure, there are the stated reasons of supply versus demand. But there also is room for assumption in the announcement that for the superstar's second year of residence, all seats go from $143 to $253 (inclusive of fees).

Hotel chairman Steve Wynn's statement says tickets were still undervalued given the demand for what he calls "living room" concerts. Despite the singer's price sensitivity to fans, price appears to be less an issue than trying to score a ticket.

The less-obvious assumption relates to Brooks' deal with Wynn being a throwback to the old days of Vegas, when the casinos wrote a check to the entertainers instead of passing the risk along to independent producers.

There was no way the old ticket price could cover all of what Wynn had to pay Brooks. By definition, a loss-leader means Wynn was betting on fans making up the difference at the casino tables and restaurants, as they did in the Sinatra era.

The price hike suggests to me they were not.

Granted, it's risky to generalize. Don Henley's old lyric about "a Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac" comes to mind, and Brooks has so many fans that a fair percentage of them must be rich.

But my guess is that more of them were walking straight in and straight out of the theater, not stopping for dinner at Alex.

Contact reporter Mike Weatherford at mweatherford@ reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0288.