Wayne Newton Archives

Even if it isn’t a Headliner this is a great show. We really lucked out for seating too. Apparently they forgot to advertise the 9:30 show so they weren’t even close to selling out. This worked in our favor when they moved everyone up in seating. We ended up with great seats facing center stage.

The show opens in the Neon Graveyard, a collection of the most iconic signs of old Las Vegas. This was on our list of things to do right along with a visit to the Gold and Silver Pawn shop where Pawn Stars is filmed. It turns out that the props for the show was as close as we came to the real Neon Boneyard.

Anyway, Ernie, the protector of Las Vegas past , emerges from the shadows to lead the audience on a tour through the years.

The journey begins with the dawn of the “Nightclub Acts” of the ’40’s and ’50’s. Extravagant costumes characterized an era of beauty and romance. This was time of the feathered showgirls in scandalous skimpy costumes and rhinestones.

The term “Lounge Lizard” was born while young people flocked the little casino town in the desert. Mr. Las Vegas himself, Wayne Newton, started in one of the little lounges. By the time I made my first visit in the ’70’s Wayne Newton was a headliner but the little lounges still surrounded the casino floor and offered excellent entertainment for the cost of a drink.

The show was a series of celebrity impersonators from Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy David Jr (the Rat Pack) to Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, Sonny and Cher and soul sensation Gladys Knight and the Pips.

Can Can girls and a Wedding Chapel medley captured the essence of the Old Las Vegas.

As the show reached its conclusion we watched the implosion of the famous landmarks that marked the original strip; the Landmark, the Sands, the Aladdin, the Stardust and the Frontier.

The impersonations were great, the music outstanding and the costumes breathtaking. Watching the demolition of Old Las Vegas was sad but the show isn’t intended to let you feel down. It is a tribute to the true spirit of Las Vegas. The talents and personalities who built this mile stretch of desert into the “entertainment capital of the world” are showcased and immortalized in “Las Vegas the Show”!

Can you believe it? Another letter of the alphabet is used to start the names of 8 more states. Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and North Dakota.

Lets go for Nebraska and Nevada. Nebraska first.

Nebraska …No

Nebraska is a Great Plain State. Miles and miles of treeless prairie, ideal for cattle-grazing but not so good for breaking up thunderstorms. Nebraska lies right in the heart of Tornado Alley.

So what is there to do in Nebraska, well one thing comes immediately to mind and that’s storm chasing. Would I do it? I don’t know. Don’t let anyone tell you it’s safe. It is not. Not when seasoned storm chasers like Tim Samaras can be killed by these deadly storms. At one time I would have jumped at that kind of vacation. Now I am not so sure.

So if I’m not going storm chasing, what is there to do? Explore Nebraska’s historic routes – Pony Express, Lewis & Clark, and the Mormon and Oregon trails. Discover things to do – fossil beds and the Niobrara River – canoe, kayak, fish, tube and waterfalls. At Lincoln, the capital, take in the Great Plains Art Museum and Historic Haymarket. Omaha is home to attractions – a zoo, General Crook House. Gerald R. Ford Birth Site, Hot Shops Art Center, gardens, Union Pacific trains and Boys and Girls Town, plus nearby Chimney Rock and the Strategic Air and Space Museum.

So I guess there’s plenty to do in Nebraska.

On to Nevada…Yes, I have been to Nevada but I prefer it’s neighbor to the east, Arizona. Of course the biggest draw for Nevada is Las Vegas….what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas…isn’t that what they say?

Big on most tourist lists is Hoover Dam. I haven’t gone to it but I know many people who have and they all highly recommend it.

My first trip to Nevada was way back in the 1970’s and since I am not a gambler I spent most of my time by the pool or going to shows.

I was only about 5 rows back from the stage for Tom Jones and only a little father back for Mr. Las Vegas himself, Wayne Newton.

Both entertainers really worked hard and put on great shows.

About 10 years ago my sister and I accompanied my mother to Reno.

We took a tour to Virginia City and Lake Tahoe, (Lake Tahoe is actually California) but the high point for me was a show by a group called “RAIN”. They are Beatle impersonators and I love the Beatles.

They did an awesome show taking the Beatles through the years. They had costume changes that matched exactly the way the Beatles looked at different times in their career. It was amazing. It was easy to think you were watching the real thing!