Silverton back in concert game

Entertainment has returned to the Silverton, but don't get too used to where you find it.

A Commodores concert set for Saturday is the first ticketed act in more than a year at the resort, which sidelined itself during an expansion project that added 35,000 square feet of new casino and the property's first parking garage.

But the Silverton, with its rustic lodge theme and adjacent Bass Pro Shops, is a popular hangout for the National Finals Rodeo crowd. Management wanted to be back in the entertainment game for the rodeo, booking country headliners Clay Walker on Dec. 5-6 and Blake Shelton Dec. 12-13.

You now can spot a 2,000-square-foot convention tent next to the casino when you approach from Interstate 15. "I wanted the practice," Silverton President Craig Cavileer says of the Commodores show that is basically a player's club perk, but with tickets also sold for $25.

After the first batch of concerts wraps with Keith Sweat on Jan. 17, the tent is supposed to come down in favor of a prefab "sprung" structure, with hard walls and a floor, in a different location.

The two temporary venues keep the door open for two permanent structures down the road, Cavileer explains. Management hasn't given up on a $15 million plan to expand the pool area with an outdoor stage, taking the concept of Mandalay Bay's swim-up stage to the next level.

"We will do it. It's just a matter of when," Cavileer says. The casino hopes to be finished with the permit process for the outdoor stage by May, when it will decide whether to pull the trigger. "Like everyone, we're managing our time and money, trying to figure out, when is the next breakthrough moment?"

Likewise, the tent's current location is mapped out as the future home of a hotel tower that would house a new indoor showroom. For now, Cavileer says he's trying to class up his tent shows. "If people think, 'These are really comfortable chairs,' that's because they're our best convention chairs and cost $300 apiece."

Other acts booked for the Silverton include the Pointer Sisters, Dec. 26; Davy Jones, Dec. 27; Smash Mouth, Jan. 3; Chubby Checker, Feb. 14; Charlie Daniels Band, March 28; and Chris Cagle, April 24. ...

Donny and Marie Osmond convert their Flamingo show to a holiday edition from Tuesday through Dec. 20. The siblings say it's the first time in 30 years they've done Christmas songs together.

In an interview before they opened at the Flamingo, Marie already was up for the Christmas idea, with her sibling rivalry in high gear. "Well, I already have the charts (in my key). Maybe Donny can sing to them," she said with a laugh. If not, "he can sing harmony." ...

Danny Gans closed Saturday at The Mirage and Terry Fator's visage already was on the hotel's outdoor marquee sign Sunday afternoon. Fator and Golden Nugget impressionist Gordie Brown recently announced their ticket prices for next year.

Fator opens Feb. 14 -- with his "official" opening night March 17 -- with four price tiers, here listed without entertainment tax or service charges: $57, $79, $99 and $129, with the top ticket including a photo and front-of-the-line access to his meet-and-greets after the show.

Brown arrives Feb. 5, and somehow figured out how to have five price tiers in a room that only seats 600 people. All prices are rounded up by a nickel: $44, $55, $66, $88 and $110, the latter including a meet-and-greet. ...

"Defending the Caveman," the one-man comic play performed by Kevin Burke, closes at the Golden Nugget on Dec. 4, but moves to the Excalibur for what will be termed a "limited engagement" during comedian Louie Anderson's break from Dec. 16 to Jan. 11.

Excalibur officials have until then to figure out if someone has to go, or if either "Caveman" or Anderson could play in the afternoon. ...

"Fuego Raw Talent" has an original, novel and optimistic promotion for the revue that was nearly stillborn at the Sahara. Students can see the show free through the end of the year if they "agree to blog about their experience at the show through online blogs, newsletters and social media Web sites."

The producer known as N.D. says in a news release, "Because the show appeals to the technology generation, we want to reach out to social media connoisseurs."

Sounds good. Just one question: What if they don't like it?

Mike Weatherford's entertainment column appears Thursdays and Sundays. Contact him at 702-383-0288 or e-mail him at mweatherford@reviewjournal.com.