Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Get set for flying bikes in a Vegas room
NITRO CIRCUS should never be confused with Cirque du Soleil. “Nitro is about capturing the imagination, like Evel Knievel did so well,” motor sports star, daredevil and noted imagination capturer Travis Pastrana says. “In Las Vegas, we have Cirque du Soleil and all that stuff, but Nitro is all about the stunt aspect, where you can make mistakes. It’s not about doing things perfectly. We have airbag landings soft enough to crash nightly, and hopefully get back up.”
Pastrana speaks specifically of the new Nitro Circus stage show coming to Bally’s in the spring of 2019. As Pastrana energetically describes, the show will invoke the finer elements of motorcycle and BMX daredevil stunts for a Strip audience. Riders will perform high-flying jumps and loops on ramps installed inside Jubilee Theater, where feathered showgirls once soared.
Motorcycle jumps in a Vegas showroom? It can be done. For a frame of reference, Pastrana uses Josh Sheehan’s landmark triple-back flip jump from “Pastranaland,” Pastrana’s own backyard daredevil course.
“When Josh did that triple back flip, he only went 25 feet in distance but he went 100 feet in the air,” Pastrana says during a chat inside a tent at the site of Sunday’s “Evel Live” daredevil event at Caesars Palace. “That’s what we’re kind of doing, taking that information and going quadruple on a bicycle, or a motorcycle doing a double-back flip. When the audience in a theater sees that happening above them, it’ll be a pretty amazing show.”
Pastrana, who won’t actually be performing in the new production, is expected to announce the show to a national TV audience Sunday during the “Evel Live” telecast. The made-for-TV spectacle is co-produced by the History channel (which airs the threehour event live at 5 p.m.) and Nitro Circus.
The upcoming production is a partnership between Base Entertainment, Caesars Entertainment and Nitro Circus, the action-sports brand co-created by Pastrana nearly a decade ago.
“My main job on Nitro is creative and safety, which are kind of two very contradictory things,” Pastrana says.
“The Bally’s theater is mind-blowing, and one of the few theaters where we have no ceiling-height issues. We had width issues, but we can just make the jump steeper, which has been an interesting trial and error.”
Pastrana says producers are still coming up with a name. There is an effort to include his name in the formal title, but he’d rather have the Nitro Circus brand stand — and fly — on its own.
“If you’re name’s on it, people expect you to be there all the time,” Pastrana says. “I love Vegas, but I want to be home more. So I’m trying to go that route; (the co-producers) are trying not to, so we’ll see.”
Goals for the Gossy
Matt Goss releases his new single, “Red Flares,” (my favorite kinda flares) next week. The song, which invokes hip-hop rhythms and vocals uncommon in Goss’ previous releases, was recorded this spring at Studio at the Palms.
The song grooves. Or at least I groove when I listen to it.
Goss is also going freestyle in celebrating his native England’s 2-0 World Cup quarterfinal victory over Sweden on Saturday. Goss-Tastic is offering complimentary admission to his show at 1Oak Sunday night for any patron wearing an English jersey, or any of the country’s fan gear. Goss also offered this impromptu deal on Friday night.
Goss and a group of friends watched England’s victory from the Crown & Anchor pub on East Tropicana Avenue, one of Goss’ favorite VegasVille hangs. England’s support at Crown & Anchor is shown effectively on Goss’ Instagram feed.
Plans of Powers
Golden Tiki and Evel Pie Managing Partner Branden Powers is targeting an October opening for his new pizza restaurant. This hotly anticipated Arts District hangout will take up business at 1212 Main St., next to Casa Don Juan restaurant, across the street from Rebar.
Powers is also dialing up a tribute to late heavy-metal superstar Vinnie Paul, who died June 22 in Las Vegas, at the new restaurant.
“I’m planning an on-site memorial for Vinnie,” says Powers, who is hosting an “Evel Live” watch party at his Evel Pie restaurant on Fremont East. “Either him painted into a mural, or a bronze bust or statue. He is greatly missed.”