Las Vegas Review-Journal (Sunday)
Aldean plays first show in LV since Oct. 1
THERE was no mistaking Jason Aldean’s objective in his first show in Las Vegas since the Oct. 1 shooting tragedy. He made sure of that.
“It’s a real special night for us,” Aldean told the packed house at Park MGM’s Park Theater during his “Ride All Night” tour stop Friday night. “We got a lotta people in the crowd tonight who are family to us, so welcome out everybody. It’s good to be back in Las Vegas. This is our first show back, and make no mistake about it, we came back to blow it out for you tonight.”
The crowd roared through that speech. Aldean then launched into “Crazy Town,” from his 2009 album, “Wide Open.”
For the first time, Park Theater’s lower section was set up as a standing, general admission show. A sellout crowd of 5,800 was announced.
Aldean capped the concert with “When She Says Baby,” the song he had just started to perform when the shooting erupted, and a cover of Tom Petty’s “Won’t Back Down,” which Aldean performed on “Saturday Night Live” six days after the shootings.
“Last time we were starting this song here, we got a little interrupted,” Aldean said in introducing “When She Says Baby.” “So let’s finish it, how ‘bout that?”
Earlier, nine songs into the set during “Any Old Barstool,” a man in a wheelchair wearing a Route 91 T-shirt and waving an American flag was hoisted by fans. The crowd again burst into cheers.
Aldean had barely begun the song “When She Says Baby” when the shooting broke out on Oct. 1, 2017, killing 58 concertgoers and injuring hundreds more. Prior to Friday’s show, Aldean was most recently on stage in Las Vegas in April at the Academy
of Country Music Awards show at MGM Grand Garden when he accepted the ACM Artist of the Decade Award.
There was no mention of the Oct. 1 tragedy from the stage that night as Aldean accepted the award from country legend George Strait, who coincidentally is headlining this weekend just next door to Park Theater at T-Mobile Arena.
In an interview prior to the iHeartRadio Music Festival in September 2018, Aldean recalled the shootings and the months that followed.
“For us, it’s sort of been a daily thing. Every night in our meet-and-greets, we meet new fans who were here,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve played a show this year where we haven’t had survivors come out to the show. I feel we do that on a daily basis.”
Dean’s daughter shares memories
Deana Martin can still sense the spirit of her late, legendary father, Dean Martin. That spirit carries to her sense of smell.
Upon Dean Martin’s death on Christmas Day (remarkably enough) 1995, his daughter asked for and received a bottle of his Faberge Woodhue For Men cologne.
“Dad always smelled great,” says Martin, headlining two holiday-themed shows at Myron’s Cabaret Jazz at 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday. “I have his cologne, from his dressing room. It still has the wooden screw top, and when I smell it I’m right back with him.”
That mix of Faberge Woodhue has been discontinued, but you can buy a vintage bottle for JUST $300 on Amazon. As for his daughter’s stash, she says, “I still have it, but it’s evaporating.”
Martin still gets chills when recalling stories about her father, talking of how the family would attend midnight Mass together on Christmas Eve, then open a single present at their Beverly Hills home. Her dad led the decorating of the family trees, stringing up stands heavy with light bulbs while positioned on a tall ladder.
Martin actually performs a parody Christmas song all about fake trees, “I Bought You A Plastic Star For Your Aluminum Tree.” Her set of holiday classics includes “Winter Wonderland” and “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” alongside such classics as “The Lady is A Tramp,” and “That’s Life.”
While visiting Vegas this week, Martin and her husband, John Griffeths, took in Terry Fator’s show at the Mirage on Thursday. They were interested, of course, in Fator’s Dean Martin puppet. Though the schedules aren’t matching this weekend, Martin says she plans to sing with Fator’s tribute figure.
“It’s a fabulous show,” Martin said. “We’re blown away.”
Martin has been singing professionally for more than 50 years. Asked what her famous father would think of her career path, she said, “It would knock him out. He would love it. Told me, ‘Deana, get out there, know all the lines, know the lyrics, don’t be late. Hit your mark and sing from your heart.’ And that’s what I do.”