Pair rap, hockey? Fine use of Logic
TKats Bureau at this writing is 3535 bar at The Linq Hotel. Fizzy water is pouring freely, and the house music is jacked up at this watering hole, which is currently serving as media headquarters for the Emerge Music + Impact festival.
The Mat Franco Theater, just up the escalators, has also been transformed, morphing into a music club for the weekend event. More on Mat in a minute.
Until then, more from this scene and elsewhere:
Golden Knights rap shot
The NHL is planning a pregame concert starring the rapper Logic, to be held outside T-mobile Arena before the Vegas Golden Knights’ Stanley Cup playoffs opener Wednesday night.
The logical (heh) location would be Toshiba Square. The Golden Knights’ Twitter feed says, “Details to come as we know more!” No response at this writing from texts to the team’s PR raps. I mean, reps.
Louie Las Vegas
Louie Anderson’s new book, “Hey Mom: Stories for My Mother, But You Can Read Them Too,” is out. The book is a collection of letters from Anderson to his late mother, Ora. Anderson began writing about three years ago as he was cast as Zach Galifianakis’ mother in the FX show “Baskets,” for which Anderson won an Emmy.
A Las Vegas resident, Anderson is prepping a live concert recording May 24-26 at South Point Showroom.
All three shows are ticketed performances, same as Anderson’s usual appearances. The difference: The veteran comic’s material will be hard-focused on Vegas, and he plans to shop the show to cable networks or even just post it himself on his Facebook page.
“I’ve been performing in Vegas since the ’80s. It’s my home, and I love it,” Anderson said in a phone chat Friday. “This is going to be a Las Vegas special with jokes I’ve been telling for years. I want it recorded. I don’t want it to be lost.”
Symphonic convergence
The Las Vegas Philharmonic released its 2018-19 season at the Smith Center, and the music of “Psycho” is in the lineup (but no cutlery allowed at Reynolds Hall, folks). Most intriguing is what is planned for the 2019-20 season: a full symphonic production of the Composers Showcase of Las Vegas.
Philharmonic music director Donato Cabrera says he was struck with the idea during the Composers Showcase at Myron’s Cabaret Jazz in February. The next day, he and Composers Showcase co-founder Keith Thompson met for coffee.
“I told Keith it would be fantastic to bring these incredible artists inside Reynolds Hall and pair them with the Philharmonic. He agreed and we’re doing it,” he said.
The Composers Showcase celebrated its 12th anniversary Wednesday night at Cab Jazz. The show has hopscotched around Vegasville from its original home at Suede restaurant. It’s spent time at the Liberace Museum, Creative Studios and Garfield’s in Summerlin before landing at Cab Jazz in 2012. The show has consistently drawn some of the best composers in the city, and Wednesday was no exception.
And on that topic …
Ex-“jersey Boys” cast member and “Marilyn: The New Musical” at Paris Theater co-star Travis Cloer performed his latest original, “I Can’t Love You More” at Wednesday’s Composers Showcase show. This is a handy way to mention Cloer’s next gig, April 13 at the Italian American Club. Cloer and his four-piece backing band will perform a wide spectrum of classics, including a couple of Four Seasons songs from Cloer’s days when he played Frankie Valli on the Strip.
Cloer was invited back to the club showroom during his debut there in December, when proprietor Benny Spano called out to the stage, “I have an offer you can’t refuse!”
That is the Italian American Club way.
Franco’s big reveal
Quick fact about Mr. Franco: He’s become friendly with Joe Esposito, the vocalist on “You’re the Best,” the theme from “The Karate Kid.” A few years earlier, Esposito was in the band Brooklyn Dreams, which collaborated with Donna Summer on her hits “Heaven Knows” and “Bad Girls.”
Esposito is also known for the hit song “Lady, Lady, Lady” from “Flashdance.”
Franco and Esposito have actually recorded a Youtube clip of the two performing “You’re The Best” — Franco plays guitar — and get this: Esposito is a Vegas resident who plays with the band Small Change at Round Bar at Rampart Casino. The band is back April 20-21; Franco met Esposito when checking out the band in November. Crazy. So look for some social-media posts from Rampart Casino.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@ reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @ Johnnykats1 on Instagram. As of 9 p.m. Friday:
1. Woman says Las Vegas GOP campaign adviser made her his slave
A Las Vegas political adviser who worked on national campaigns and highprofile Nevada races enslaved and battered his ex-fiancée before police responded to a domestic dispute last week, the woman told the Reviewjournal.
2. Las Vegas police officers shoot, kill armed motorist
A man died Friday morning after Las Vegas police shot him during a traffic stop in the east valley. 3. Famous underground
Las Vegas house to open to public — PHOTOS
The famous Las Vegas property called The Underground House will get a rare public viewing on April 28 as part of a celebration of the city’s architectural history hosted by the Nevada Preservation Foundation.
4. Las Vegas mother on verge of legal residency detained, ordered out of U.S.
Cecilia Gomez walked into the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Las Vegas last month for what she thought would be a routine interview. Instead she was taken into custody and ordered deported.
5. The Mercer opens as
Las Vegas luxury rental complex
Once lost to foreclosure, The Mercer today is a luxury rental complex that’s open for business.