Cross: ‘It’s my second home... It’s very scary’
A GOLD Coast entertainment pioneer who sees Las Vegas as a second home says watching the shooting horror unfold was heartbreaking.
Billy Cross, whose Thunder from Down Under male revue has been a roaring success as a resident Vegas show since 1993, had about 40 staff near the area of the fatal gunfire.
Speaking from home on the Gold Coast last night, he said the first thing he did when he heard news of the shooting was contact all his Thunder crew to ensure they were safe.
He had both the Vegas resident crew and a globetrotting Thunder crew on a touring break near the scene – including 14 Gold Coasters.
“It’s so emotional. “This is a place where people go to have fun and enjoy themselves and let their hair down and then something like this happens. It’s so random and very scary.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve been up and down that area.”
Cross, who has owned clubs in Vegas where Thunder is one of the top 10 grossing shows, said he had been flying back and forth every six weeks for last 25 years. “It’s my second home over there. You just don’t want to see this. It’s very weird, it’s just not a place you expect to see this.”
His Thunder crew had just finished a show at Excalibur Hotel and last night were still locked inside the showroom at 5am Vegas time, he said.