JenTiki in Vegas: Sunday, 3/22 - Wednesday, 3/25

I'll be getting into Vegas Sunday morning and leaving Wednesday afternoon. I'm planning to hit Frankie's around 3:00 on Sunday and one or two more times during my visit. I also plan to hit Trader Vic's at some point, just so I can say I saw it before it's gone.

If any of the locals, or any other TCers visiting Vegas at the same time, would like to meet up, shoot me a PM.

Mahalo!

How was the trip? Did you get to see Frankie's?

The trip was great! Pdrake, inkylouise, and mrsmiley met up with me at Frankie's on the first day and we had a fabulous time! I even made enough $$ playing video poker to pay for my drinks, a mug (no, not that mug), and a t-shirt! I wish I could say the rest of my gambling went as well as that first afternoon, but that would be a lie.

The second day included lunch with a non-tiki friend at Trader Vic's, which would be a great place if they called it anything else! It's really not bad, it's just not Vic's.

The Tom Jones show from a third row seat was awesome! He did lots of his new stuff, lots of the old favorites, and a few unexpected things as well. Sadly, there was only one pair of panties thrown on the stage (no, it wasn't mine), but the audience was having a great time and the band was seriously rockin'!

I got to spend some time with a couple other friends while I was there, and overall the trip was a nice break from my job and the usual daily grind.

Thanks for asking!

you got to go see Tom Jones on your trip!
that and Frankies would make any Vegas trip SHINE!
Lucky Duck!

I actually tend to schedule my Vegas trips around Tom Jones shows. This is the third time I've seen him there (plus twice in SF)! I was scheduled to see him one other time, but he canceled some shows when his mother passed away. Tom continues to be one of my favorite singers of all time, and a consummate professional. He does a 90-minute show with no breaks, high energy the whole time, and lots of audience interaction. I'm always amazed at how well his voice has held out! He still hits those high notes with clarity and power, and his lower range has mellowed nicely.

I was glad to see he's finally letting his hair go gray, but with his tanned face, he kinda looks like a negative of himself now. One of the coolest things about being so close to the stage this time was being able to see just how blue his eyes really are! I'm so glad he hasn't gone the plastic surgery route that so many other performers have taken. I mean have you seen Wayne Newton lately? That guy's face is stretched tighter than the head on Squid's snare drum!

Another thing I respect about Tom is that everyone I've talked to who has ever had an "in the wild" encounter with him says he's always friendly and appreciative of his fans. Some celebrities can be very rude when they're approached off stage. I have a friend who waits tables at one of the high-end restaurants at the MGM (where Tom plays in Vegas) and Tom and his band eat there at least once a week during his two-week stints in Vegas. My friend said that not only is Tom generous and friendly with the staff, but one time he quietly scolded one of his band members for mistreating a server during dinner.

He is a class act who continues to make great music after over 40 years in the business. The newest CD is awesome! It has a very cool retro vibe about it. Even the mix has the echoey early '60s sound on many of the songs. He's returning to his roots and it totally works! One of the new songs can be heard in the promos for the new series, "Cupid".

I highly recommend a Tom Jones show to anyone who has a chance to see him! Tom rocks!

I felt the same way about scheduling my Vegas trips around Wayne Newton--he was always a part of my Vegas adventures!

On 2009-04-01 11:15, JenTiki wrote:

One of the new songs can be heard in the promos for the new series, "Cupid".

I thought that was Tom, but it wasn't a song I recognised. So cool. I concur about seeing Tom in Vegas (He played The Hollywood Room and MGM, yes?) It's a great venue. The three times I've seen him, no one's thrown their panties up there. Ah well...