Las Vegas

Cher at Caesar’s Palace

It’s kind of funny that I came across this a little while ago since I was writing about Vegas and getting kicked OUT OF Caesar’s Palace in 1987. The thing is, although I was 18 (almost 19), I had no valid ID. Heck, I didn’t even bother getting a driver’s license until I was 20 and almost married. I didn’t have a car, what did I need a license for. It’s not like it is today. Back in the eighties I opened my first checking account so I could deposit my paychecks, without identification. Today you can barely buy bottled water without ID.

Anyhow, while I have never been a huge fan of Cher, some of her stuff is pretty memorable and I can certainly see the value she has added to the music genre, particularly the dance scene, over the last forty years. Holy cow, has it been 40 years? Cher has been performing for over 40 years actually and has released something like 25 different albums during that time, selling over 200 million records, not including the stuff she did with Sonny Bono while they were together.

I had thought Cher was finished with liver performances after her farewell tour that lasted from 2002 until 2005, but apparently not. She is going to be performing at the Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Her show is called, aptly enough, Cher at the Colosseum and debuts early next month (May 6th). It’s going to have something like 18 dancers, flying acrobats and (of course) tons of costumes. She is rotating out with Bette Midler and Elton John, who also do shows at the Colosseum. I would be interested in checking out the show just to see what kind of effects she is able to add in with her music. From what I was reading, she is replacing Celine Dion, so that will certainly be a big improvement. They are also already selling Cher tickets at Caesar’s Palace Las Vegas if you are interested.

The Sahara

When I went to Las Vegas in 1987 we stayed at the Holiday Inn. I think it was called the Holiday Inn Circus or something along those lines. I don’t really remember. We weren’t there all that long. We walked up and down the strip but it was late, so the only Las Vegas Casino that we visited was Caesar’s Palace. There are a couple of ‘iconic’ casino/hotels I think of when I’m talking about Vegas. Caesar’s Palace of course is one, but the Sahara is another. Remember the TV show Vegas with Robert Urich? Dan Tanna was the man. Of course I was twelve when the show aired, so anything even remotely resembling an action series like that got me all excited. Ocean’s Eleven was set there too, at least the original was. I don’t remember where the remake was set. Anyhow, the point is that the TV show and movies set in Las Vegas always show glimpses of the familiar landmarks, including the Sahara.

Would you believe the Sahara is 55 years old? Holy cow! As a result you know right now you can get a really good Las Vegas deal on a vacation at the Sahara. It’s changed immensely over the last 55 years too. Some of the city’s coolest rides are at the Sahara, they have great restaurants on site including the NASCAR cafe, and over 1700 rooms and suites to choose from. Check out the Roller Coaster…

That going backwards stuff is enough to make me want to hurl…

Even though I have already made plans for our 20th anniversary it would be kind of cool to plan a Las Vegas wedding and surprise the wife. Not that I would want the kids there or anything, although I suppose if we were going to be that close to the Marine (he’s at Twentynine Palms, California) we would have to take them and pay him a visit.

Anyway, the point is it’s been a long time since I’ve been to Las Vegas or anywhere else out west for that matter, and it’s high time we went out that way on a vacation.