Reviews — The Vegas Tourist

Sazzy and I had a date night last night. We headed over to the Luxor to see the “Fantasy” (think: Topless show). Fantasy aka Midnight Fantasy has been going on in one form or another for over ten years!!

The newest version is lead by Playboy model, actress, pin-up girl, and all around hottie Angelica Bridges. That alone is almost worth the ticket price… She is the ring-mistress of the evening. Keeping the show moving with her sultry singing, dancing, toying with the audience members, staying barely dressed and introducing the various dance numbers and dancers.

Now before the Chip-N-Dale Magnet slaps the “pig” label on me for taking her daughter to a T&A show, let me say we were not the only couple there. This is a classy show and the audience was pretty good mix of almost everything adult.

A mix of men, women, couples, young, middle aged and old. Seriously, there was a great mix of people. Even two elderly gents who seemed to be out of the nursing home on an evening pass for the first time in years…

I love the Atrium Theater for its intimate feel. It only seats 350 people and its design puts you up close and personal to the stage. So close, you could smell the perfume. I don’t think there is a bad seat in the house. Perfect for this kind of show.

Normally when you think Vegas topless show, you probably think ear blasting bad music, cheesy lighting and some over the hill, former strippers who need more than a lift job. With Fantasy, you would be 1000% wrong on all four counts.

At Fantasy, you get kick ass choreography, music that makes sense that’s not rattling the walls. With nine of the hottest women on the Vegas Strip dancing, teasing and tormenting into the night.

Are they all Barbie knock-offs? Heck no. You have eight gorgeous dancers of various body types, heights, hair colors and ethnicity dancing alone and in groups, through various typical male fantasies. There is something there for just about anyone’s taste.

They have a great way to start the show. The show starts off with a video of the girls primping for their calendar shoot. Than as the screen lifts up, you are at the start of the first fantasy… A lingerie-clad female lounging in bed with a few of her hottest girlfriends.

From there, they went into the gorgeous secretary, the “save a horse, ride a cowboy” (just the way it should have been done in the first place) and the all time favorite of the male world … Cheerleaders doing more than cheering from the sidelines… (If they danced like that in real life, I might actually watch Monday Night Football) Plus a few other sexy numbers…

Angelica Bridges does a great job orchestrating the night. But, she does get some help from comedian Sean Cooper.

At first, I wasn’t too hip on this. I hate that they always have to ruin a great visual buffet with some lame comic while the girls take a much-needed breather. But, I was wrong with Sean.

He started with a really delusional impression of James Brown that turned into a series of great impressions of Sammy Davis Jr., Tina Turner and of course, Michael Jackson. The man has great timing and talent to keep you laughing and moving the show along.

All in all, “Fantasy” is what the other Topless Reviews wished they could be. An erotic, sexy and sultry show that celebrates the female form.

If you are looking for a classy adult show, this is it.

Tickets to Fantasy
See it at Luxor Resort
Starts 10:30 Nightly

I’m going to amaze some of you when I say this; I really enjoyed myself at Legends in Concert, last night. Yes, I know it’s shocking news. Me, enjoying a tribute show.

My view of most celebrity tribute shows (celebrity impersonation) is very low. The show is usually filled with hacks who were once told that they sound/look like so-and-so. So they head to the land of impersonations, Las Vegas. To make a career out of it. They are usually backed by equally unimpressive guys with instruments trying to be real musicians playing around ex-strippers trying to be real dancers.

Ok, so now you know my thoughts as I entered Harrah’s to see Legends in Concert. Let me say two things up front; they need to shoot the sound engineer and there is a reason this show has been around twenty-five years. Wow… The Talent. You need to see this show!

First up was Jerry lee Lewis (Lance Lipinsky). “The Killer” and he nailed the energy, the vibe and the feel of the man himself. Watching him, you understood the reason Jerry Lee had that name attached to him.

As he played, the two giant screens on either side of the stage showed clips of the real Jerry Lee playing the song currently being performed on stage with cutbacks to the show we were watching. And the dude can play the piano like the man himself. If he was the only act to perform, you would be happy to stay and watch…

At one point, he stopped to talk to the audience while still in character. Joking with the audience and informing the younger people in the audience not to be afraid of what was on stage. Those things the men were holding are called instruments and that’s how music used to be made!

He had me hooked. If this was the opening act, the rest of the show is going to blow me away and I would have to rethink my views on tribute shows. Unfortunately the next act almost killed the momentum.

Tina Turner. This is when I realized that the sound engineer needs to be taken out back and shot. Not that he could do anything to improve this hack of a performer, but that he needs to know where the bass knob is on the sound board and turn it down. I think the thumping sound was heavy enough to set off my car alarm in the parking lot.

Tina was the weak spot of the entire cast. Not convincing in sound, looks or mannerisms. Her voice.. eeeuuu. Worse than anything I ever heard come from the real Tina Turner. Thankfully the band and the talented dancers helped make it bearable.

From there the show went to Bette Midler. Pretty darn close in mannerisms and voice. Of all the Bette imitators I have seen, this one ranks at the top. It was also fun to see the clips of the real Bette through the years on the big screens as we watched the tribute unfold.

Now we come to the shocker of the evening. Michael Jackson (Damian Brantley). Not shocking that he was in the show, but shocking that the impersonator was the first I had ever seen that did justice to the Talent of Michael Jackson. Everyone, including me, forgets that he did have some amazing musical talent.

Every other MK impersonation you see plays off his weird looks and his habits, leaving the signing talent to someone else. Not this guy. He shows off the voice and the overall talent that Michael really had. I think even the most critical fans of MK would see this performance and walk away with a different view of “the King of Pop.”

Closing out the show was “the King” Elvis Presley. He was good as Elvis impersonators go. I just never heard Elvis with a slight lisp. He’s not Big Elvis, but he did a very respectable job as Elvis in his early years.

With a final twist, he recreated Elvis’ opening up in Vegas, complete with the larger than life lighted “Elvis” marquee in the background and a quick change in the infamous white sequined jumpsuit. What did you expect from an Elvis impersonator in Vegas??

I will give him bonus points for changing the words to Love Me Tender, to be something of a cheesy pick-up line he used with a female member of the audience. Calling her his Priscilla and asking for her room number! That was pretty original.

That led up to the grand finale with all coming on stage to do a medley of rock hits one at a time. Complete with the dancers and band members taking their turn in the spotlight.

Did I mention the supporting cast? Yes, the normally cheesy, sexy dancers, seeking a pole to dance with? Not here. Nope. Just as impressive as the headlining talent, the dancers were in a league by themselves. Always sexy in a very classy manner and always right on cue.

Like I said, this show will change how you think of tribute shows. The talent filled the stage in all areas (except Tina) including the band. The band didn’t look like a bunch of guys that would hang out together after the gig, but they were talented enough to know they were performing as a group and perform they did.

With the talent on the stage and the screens on either sides giving you glimpses of the stage as well as the performing being impersonated, you would be best to sit further back and center in the theater. Get the full impact of the show.

As one who has survived way too many “tribute” shows, let me say this one will change your thinking. It did mine.

Tickets and info to Legends in Concert