| 21 may 2001 | they do everyone...even you This is where people come when they want to be, see, or pretend like they are someone else. Whether it's a life-sized wax celebrity sighting at Madame Taussaud's museum, strolling through the "Champaigne" (a.k.a. way-high-dollar and/or private) slot and gaming tables, or the opportunity to witness professional impressionists at nearly every hotel on the strip--thousands of people here make their living by being someone else. Or recreating their memory. Or they are in a cover band. Or they are part of a resort-wide theme. Eighty percent of Las Vegans are in the tourism industry. From the valet guys, to lounge acts, to cab drivers; their sole job is to make sure that you have a primo vacation. When it comes to Vegas entertainers, you can and will find someone who does exactly what you want them to do. Want to see Frank Sinatra? Got him. Madonna? Got her. A live swing dance/big band show? I saw that on Thursday afternoon. If you don't find something that entertains you in this city, then you're in your room raiding the minibar. Try harder. I have to admit that I came here with some fairly common preconceived notions, namely, that if you're not gambling, you're not having a proper vacation. I spent about forty-five minutes of this entire trip doing that, which netted me about 48 dollars. No kidding! I allowed myself ten bucks a day in those nickel slot things, and only lost it on one machine. Every other time, I made anywhere from six to twenty bucks, cashed out, and called it a day. I figured, hey, lunch and a cab! Woo-hoo! Jackpot, schmackpot. Let the machine buy your dinner and kick up your heels. Okay, so anyway, Las Vegas has undergone a lot of changes since the Rat Pack and Elvis days. Either for good or bad, most of the big resorts are corporate-owned. "Hotels" (which are a misnomer, as they are full-service inter-city resorts) such as the Bellagio, the Rio, and Paris provide different levels of entertainment. Many of them are free, and consist of various cover-type bands and ensembles that are on contract with the hotel. It's not a bad deal for an up-and-coming band, or people who simply want to make their living in Vegas. Most of them are pretty good, too. In most smaller cities, you would likely pay cover to a local club to see bands at that level. They have to engage the audience--after all, if they don't, there are likely several other groups ready to take their place. What really stunned Kelli and me, however, were the big-ticket shows. Not Wayne Newton or Lance Burton; they're Vegas staples. We were a tad boggled at the fact that several of the large hotels have an ongoing engagement with "master impressionists". You pay up to 60 dollars to see someone act like all of your favorite entertainers, past and present. They sing, they speak in different voices, they dance. They look eerily like the entertainers you hold at the forefront of your memory. Think I'm kidding? Here's a list:
Kelli and I thought that was a pretty unusual way to make a living, by being someone else all the time. I can't say that we understand the mass appeal of such shows, but obviously there is a huge demand. These guys aren't free lounge acts--they are multi-billion-dollar resort headliners, many of which never hit your television or a movie screen. Their career is all Vegas, all the time. They say that the Las Vegas strip is a Disneyworld for adults. I figure that's about right. Mickey's ears...Elvis' sideburns. Yep, they're about the same size. |
