Nightlife

Catching up with Sisqo before his MDW party at Flamingo’s Go Pool

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The dragon will be unleashed at the Go Pool.

Memorial Day Weekend is when the Vegas pool parties really take off, launching the summer in the biggest way possible. The Flamingo’s Go Pool dayclub is bringing back Sisqo—yes, that Sisqo, lead singer of R&B act Dru Hill and the man who gave the world “Thong Song” in 2000 from his debut solo album Unleash the Dragon—for a live performance Saturday, just one of many big parties set for the weekend.

We tracked down the Baltimore native to find out how “Thong Song” is holding up and talked about Bryan Cranston and Vegas party plans.

You’re constantly touring, as a solo act and with Dru Hill. How does a show like Memorial Day Weekend at the Flamingo’s pool club compare? That’s like my playground. I used to do so many of these kinds of pool parties. Anything high-energy, that’s perfect. Me and my dancers come out flipping. It’s the perfect setting.

Considering “Thong Song,” you kinda have to do these spring break and summertime shows, right? It’s a natural fit. Oh yeah. Every time we play it, gorgeous women want to throw their thong at me, and you can’t be mad at that. People still go crazy for that song every time. Once those first few licks of violin play, everyone still goes nuts like it was 16 years ago.

Does it feel like it’s been 16 years? Not at all. Each year goes by so fast when you’re working all the time. It feels like I’m somewhere different every week. It’s just like one big blur. A year can feel like a week.

Is it just me or does it seem like music from that era is suddenly big again? It is, especially this year. Everything from the ‘90s is really popular this year for some reason. We’ve been asked to do a lot of different things, and in Pitch Perfect 2, for example, they did a cover of “Thong Song” in that movie.

I just did this comedy sketch on Jimmy Kimmel where Bryan Cranston did a parody of My Super Sweet 16 for his 60th birthday, and you know how those kids are on that show, it’s really just about what they want, and [Cranston] was pretty much pouting and screaming to his event planner that if he didn’t get Sisqo and “Thong Song” for his sweet 60, he was gonna lose his sh*t. [laughs]

The song is so well-known that you sometimes get unfairly categorized as a one-hit wonder. That wasn’t even the biggest hit on your record. I was multiplatinum before I put out my first solo album. And yeah, “Incomplete” was the No. 1 single off the album. That kind of stuff would only bother me if it was true.

Are you going to have some time to party in Vegas this weekend? You always have to find a little time to party whenever you go to Vegas, but this time I’m literally like off that stage and heading out to the next show. But … we will. You have to. Now that you mention it I’m dreading the fact that I have another show right after. Maybe we’ll come in like a day early, so I can, you know, Vegas.

Sisqo at Go Pool May 28, 2:30 p.m., $10+. Flamingo, 702-697-2888.

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Brock Radke

Brock Radke is an award-winning writer and columnist who currently occupies the role of editor-at-large at Las Vegas Weekly magazine. ...

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