Heart surgery postpones Penn & Teller show
TELLER is known as the silent partner in Penn & Teller’s hit stage show at the Rio. He’s also one tough dude, and his mettle is being tested again.
Penn & Teller have temporarily taken down their long-running, comedy-magic production, as Teller recovers from open-heart surgery.
Teller had surgery last week, the duo’s longtime manager Glenn Alai said in a statement Monday:
“Teller underwent bypass surgery on Thursday here in Las Vegas and is resting and recovering well. Under doctor’s orders, he will be off stage over the next several weeks with an eye towards returning to performances in late November or early December.”
The duo most recently performed in Vegas on Sept. 25 at the Rio, and most recently on the road Sept. 23 at Mystic Lake Showroom in Prior, Minnesota.
Teller has overcome several health challenges over the past four years.
The 74-year-old illusionist underwent three back surgeries over 18 months covering 2018-2019, returning to the act in February 2020. Penn Jillette performed a “Penn & Friends” show for three weeks ending Jan. 4, 2020. Guest stars Mac King, Piff the Magic Dragon and Matt Donnelly joined the production.
There has been no announcement from the duo’s camp or Caesars Entertainment if any performer or production will fill the dates left open by the show’s pause.
Simple ‘Math’
Ed Sheeran is flying with Allegiant.
The stadium, we mean. Sheeran has issued details of his “+ - = ÷ x” tour, translated in traditional English as “Mathematics,” with a Sept. 9 stop at Allegiant Stadium. This is Sheeran’s first U.S. concert series in about five years. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Oct. 14 at ticketmaster.com. Sheeran’s 2018 “Divide Tour” was the most-attended and highest-grossing tour ever.
Sheeran’s record-setting tour covered 255 shows, grossing $776.2 million. The sales figure surpassed U2’s 360° Tour of 2009-2011 ($736.4 million, according to Billboard stats). That series stopped at T-mobile Arena.
It was reported last week that Sheeran is headed to court over an accusation his 2014 hit “Thinking Out Loud” violated copyright laws by copping Marvin Gaye’s 1973 classic “Let’s Get It On.” Sheeran’s counsel had tried to have the case dismissed. Instead, it will be settled by a jury at a date to be determined.
Reappearing in ’23
David Blaine told us last week he’d headline the Theatre at Resorts World in 2024. He’s specified his first steps toward that end, with dates Jan. 6-7, 28-28 and March 10-11. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at Axs.com/davidblaineinvegas. Blaine is back for his previously scheduled dates Oct. 28-29 and Dec. 16-17.
We have heard that Blaine tightened his show a bit, including cutting his opening number (the plunge into cardboard boxes stacked 6 feet high) by about half.
Our golden knight
Sir Rod Stewart, with a nod to “12 years and still getting away with it,” has extended his residency at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace with 2023 dates: May 3-15 and Nov. 1022. Next year marks Stewart’s 12th at the Colosseum, where he is now dean of the scene.
And now, we dance
“Dancing With the Stars: Live” stops at The Pearl at the Palms on March 12. Pro dancers include Brandon Armstrong, Alan Bersten, Sasha Farber, Gleb Savchenko, Emma Slater, Britt Stewart and “So You Think You Can Dance” champ Alexis Warr now on the “Dancing With the Stars” ABC-TV series. Tickets are on sale at 10 am. Friday at Ticketmaster.com.
Heard it from a friend …
Who heard it from a friend that REO Speedwagon is coming to The Pearl on Jan. 21. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at Ticketmaster.com.
Epps up
The brilliant stand-up Mike Epps is at the Venetian Theatre Feb. 10 and 11. Tickets are on sale at 10 a.m. Friday at Ticketmaster.com. Epps recently issued his Netflix concert special “Indiana Mike.”
Yuletide Fator action
The ventriloquial icon Terry Fator’s cheery “A Very Terry Christmas” returns Nov. 25 to Dec. 27 at Liberty Loft at New York-new York. We expect Duggie Scott Walker is delivering the Christmas cheer this year. Tickets are on sale at terryfator.com.
Mortimer on the hunt
Headlining magician Xavier Mortimer is leaving The Strat at the end of the year. Mortimer’s manager Alex Goude said Monday that the ex-cirque artist is reviewing “multiple options.” Mortimer’s team wants him to be a “destination” headliner, and closer to the heart of the Strip.
The Strat claims to be where the Strip starts, which draws a rebuttal from Sahara Las Vegas, making the same claim.
Cool Hang Alert
Tiki Di Amore is connected to Casa Di Amore, but don’t confuse the two. One is a classically appointed Italian restaurant. The other is a tiki hut on the back patio with a thatched roof, where you could wear a grass skirt and fit right in. That is where Rock You Up plays from 7 to 10 p.m. Friday. This is Tim Soldan on bass and vocals, Eden Caz on vocals, Tito Zuniga on guitar and Bob Antal on drums and (it says here) “airplane pilot.” Bring the Pan Am bag, I guess. But find the ’60s and ’70s classic rock at 2850 E. Tropicana Ave. No cover, and cowbell solos upon request.