Entertainment, Las Vegas

To see how the locals put on the productions that dazzle thousands every evening, take this tour.

You will be led by an actual showgirl backstage at the jubilee theater, where you will see the dressing rooms, the costume shop, lighting booths, and under the stage where you can see the actual mechanisms responsible for moving the monstrous sets.

This tour was very interesting, and made me look at the shows I saw afterward in a very different way.

The tours are run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Sundays at 2 pm. You can get the $15 tickets from the Jubilee box office.

Hunting for comps and freebies is all part of the fun in Vegas and one tip is to check the seat pockets in the taxis, they usually have free information booklets that have vouchers for money off shows or 2 for 1 buffets etc. You might also find some in your welcome pack in the room or being given out in bars and restaurants.

There are lots of shows going on each day. It´s easier to enjoy the very good shows in any of the casinos. There are dancers, magicians, you name it. Along the Strip, there are free booklets telling you all about the when and where.

Gambling, gambling, gambling. Or you could get married?

As I wrote in my intro, Vegas has an image to sell. People that live in Vegas know a different story. I suggest you look up one of their pages for real info :-)

Slow to Surface's set was inspiring. Dressed alike in dark Dickies, the band looked like zookeepers on the loose. And the guitar play was just as wild. Steve Penhall and Zach Saucier accomplish an organic stereo effect by unselfishly complimenting each other's phrasing. They pull in and out of ambient/spacey effects while finishing off the other's last note, all before crashing into the chorus in unison. But the guitar work couldn't be pulled off without a rhythm section that shined equally as bright. Drummer Mac Purdy and bassist Adam Handly fuse syncopated fills atop a steady four-four kick, baking it in the oven and pushing out a sonic platter for Benwood to put on his icing. He came out like a tiger screaming at an imaginary bit of prey perched somewhere around the worried soundman's booth, and drove his emotions deep into the icy Club Madrid air. It felt good to be one of the few that remained. I just hope they leave the local band nest soon and spread the good word around the country.

-taken from City Life by Chris King

"With a doorway open to endless possibilities, Slow To Surface is a band driven by their sense of humility, seeking for that path that will lead them to enlightenment. While they are opposed to everything that a Rock Star stands for, given the chance, Slow To Surface would take full advantage of the opportunities that a record label could offer them. In the end, it will come down to whoever is able to fully understand & support what Slow To Surface stands for, and will allow the band to completely express them selves for the entire world to experience…"

-DynamicRock.com E-Zine Magazine July 2001

"There's an open wound of honesty that bleeds through their music; most fans in Vegas aren't prepared to deal with that until they stop doing it for the "nookie." There's some hope, though: It's usually the groups like Slow who play their hometowns unnoticed, and a year later levitate to higher pastures. Slow to Surface performs some of the smartest rock 'n' roll Vegas has to offer. Lyrics that border on poetry and rhythms that shift like a tropical storm, while the fabric of guitar intricacies cinch it all into a tightly wrapped ball of thunder."

-City Life by Chris King

Though most is fake, the shows are real. And many shows there are in Las Vegas! Celebraties enough that want to be the glamourous star of one of hundreds of shows in this place. Musicals, CanCan-dances, Theatre-plays, Stand Up-comedians etc. etc. etc. and ... more. Some hotels have private collections that also can draw your attention. Oriental Palace - for example - has a carcollection with some rather famous and beautiful cars.

If you are planning on seeing a show, any show, make sure you get your ticket long before you travel. Nothing worse than having to wait in line for 2 hours with the chance that you'll not get in! Many shows can be purchased online, for example the Cirque du Soleil shows.

In a new and sparkling edition, the long-honored revue, 'American Superstars,' a full-blown musical production whose principal focus is on fantastic performances replicating famous stars of the show world. You'll see duplications of the likes of Michael Jackson, Madonna, Ricky Martin, Charlie Daniels or Christina Aguilera. It's a fully staged production with colorful dance routines and a great band.