By John Katsilometes
A Jewel show is a lot of things -- breezy, pleasing, even spiritual in some cases. But rarely is it truly exhausting. That was the case Saturday night as she christened the 1,800-seat Springs Preserve outdoor amphitheater.
I wish I could tell you how long the wistful young blonde performed. Probably 90 minutes. For me, the show ended after about an hour. Rarely do I cut out of a performance early -- I even made it to the tape of Johnny Dark's performance at the Riviera Comedy Club in July -- but I had to Saturday. I felt Jewel was using her lilting voice and acoustic guitar to hypnotize me, with a certain degree of success.
What I found remarkable about this night at the Preserve, which is an expansive nature preserve (hence the name) that just opened on Valley View Boulevard and Alta Drive, was the use of a large tour bus to haul fans from the Preserve's main parking lot to the amphitheater. No kidding. The walk could from the lot to the theater could not have been more than a half-mile, and this was a crowd accustomed to hiking. Dozens attempted to make their way to the concert on foot, only to be turned back by members of the impenetrable security force that is Wackenhut. (I should note here that the bus driver seemed a bit too happy to be hauling hundreds of passengers even 10 feet, but that is merely the perspective of one man.)
The reason given for the use of a bus that gets maybe a mile to the gallon and belches exhaust (a reminder that I used this bit of wordplay in my lead paragraph) to carry people at a nature preserve was that allowing people to walk the short distance would lead to liability issues. You know, someone might get hit. By a bus.
As we walked out we were able to move easily to the FabMobile, passing the bus. It was still idling, coughing out the fumes while Jewel played the tunes at our new organic sanctuary. Cough.
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One of my favorite Vegas characters is Minnie Madden. The longtime choreographer, dancer and director (who was once president of the Ice Capades, which melted away years ago) has revamped her entertainment newsletter, CallBack. It is now a fully realized monthly trade magazine, with the buoyant Madden as publisher. She started the publication years ago, when it was still known as Dirt Alert. I met Madden about six years ago in a forum far from journalism and was immediately drawn to her dancing brown eyes and close-cropped hair. She reminded me a lot of Liza Minnelli, without the far-flung daffiness. If success in this field depends on energy and focus, CallBack is already a winner.
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Cottages update: My favorite downtown parcel, the quadrant of cottages across from the FunkHouse on the corner of Colorado Avenue and Casino Center Boulevard, ia now surrounded by a fence topped with barbed wire. Soon they will be leveled, ending one of the more colorful chapters in downtown history.
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The other night when I was waiting in line (for 45 minutes, nearly as long as I tolerated Jewel) I spotted Downtown Cocktail lounge owner Michael Cornthwaite entering Cashman Field. I remarked to him the next day that I saw him. His response was that I should have gotten his attention, because he had two spare tickets. Next time, next time. But guys like Cornthwaite never seem to wait in line, y'know?
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On our menus: The No. 1 at Gyro Time on West Charleston Avenue is just $7.95. That's a loaded gyro (which is never to be confused with a loaded Greek) and fries and it is pretty dang good.
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Plate in my head: No make reported, but a fellow motorist has MYSPACE on his/her vehicle. Nice.
Fabulous Las Vegas appears daily (well, almost) at this Web site. John Katsilometes can be reached at 990-7720, 812-9812 or at [email protected]