Taylor Hicks' Summer on The Strip: Takin' It Back To Las Vegas...

Taylor Hicks opens in Las Vegas at Bally’s June 26, for an eight-week stay.

Bally’s isn’t just another Las Vegas Hotel and Casino.

As the MGM Grand, it was the biggest hotel and casino in the WORLD when it opened December 5, 1973, and remained so for some time.

The entertainer for that premier was Dean Martin.

“The 26 story MGM Grand cost $107 million, has over 2,000 guest rooms and suites, six restaurants, two showrooms, a shopping arcade, a movie theater for classic MGM films, and an area for spectators to watch, and wager on, live Jai Alai games.”

It was destroyed by a massive and deadly fire in 1980 that killed 85 guests and hotel employees. The disaster led to massive changes in fire safety regulations. The MGM Grand re-opened in July, 1981. It became Bally’s in 1986 when it was purchased by Bally’s Manufacturing.

One of the showrooms at MGM Grand when Bally’s took over was home to Jubilee, which is still playing 28 years later making it the longest running production show in Las Vegas.

Jubilee presents about 85 performers, both topless and covered, and 1,000 different costumes made with 8,000 miles of sequins. The rhinestones used on the costumes are silver plated Swarovski crystals and the headpieces can weigh up to 35 pounds.  The massive stage is half the length of a football field and the sets weigh up to four tons. 

Bally's marquee featuring Jubilee... 

Bally’s has hosted the biggest names in entertainment: Liberace played here in the 1970s.  Las Vegas was the iconic hangout for The Rat Pack—Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Peter Lawford, and Joey Bishop. When one of them played there, others would show up and usually join in the show.

The rich musical and entertainment traditions of Las Vegas are legendary. It was, and still is, a benchmark for performers to play in LasVegas. There is simply no other “gig” like “playing Vegas.”

Taylor Hicks joins the ranks of those headlining in Las Vegas as he opens at the Indigo Room at Bally’s June 26 for eight weeks.

The Indigo Room is billed as a “grand escape” for a first class time in Las Vegas serving signature cocktails and coffee drinks. It is one of Las Vegas’ “most glamorous destinations” with a stunning lounge environment set apart from the casino floor. It’s getting a makeover designed to accommodate more ticketed entertainment with soundproof curtains and room for larger crowds. The “retrofitting” is scheduled to be completed before Taylor’s opening.

Bally’s is the center of Las Vegas nightlife on The Strip!

Join Taylor Hicks as he brings his fired-up Southern country rock to this Summer on the Strip!


He is joined by the New York Jamie McLean Band for a singeing hot summer party on The Strip—one to be remembered!

BUY TICKETS NOW FOR #thehottestsummershowonthestrip:

http://www.ballyslasvegas.com/casinos/ballys-las-vegas/casino-entertainment/taylor-hicks-detail.html

~~~

COMING UP NEXT:

Taylor Hicks' Summer on The Strip:  Part 2—“Closing Circles”

"Taylor Hicks isn’t just another performer opening in Las Vegas...”

More of  #thehottestsummershowonthestrip!
Get tickets, get packed, get glitz, and get your Vegas on! 
~~~
***Photo Credit at top:  by Amanda Shavers-Davis/Cullman Times; Taylor Hicks at Smith Farms Music Festival, Cullman, AL, May 26, 2012; photo copyrighted and used here with permission; please do not repost. 

***Source Credit: Thanks to cath_tthc for research and pictures for Connections Anthology "Las Vegas 2012" forum with information from:

http://www.infobarrel.com/Bally's_Hotel_and_Casino,_Las_Vegas_Nevada#ixzz1t3pptOEX

http://john-uk.com/LasVegasHistory/LVHISTORY1980s.html

Read more and keep up on the latest from Taylor Hicks' Summer in Vegas:  http://s1.zetaboards.com/connections/index/

Taylor Hicks' Shout Out to Fans!

Taylor Hicks showcases the videography of fans in his latest YouTube TV Channel “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks” released on Friday.

“Thanks, Soul Patrol!” is an eclectic mix from live concerts, artists with whom he shared the stage in 2011, and venues from The Winery in New York City to The Canyon Club in California.

Fans submitted their videos for inclusion in the Riding Shotgun series in which Hicks takes followers along to concerts and appearances with backstage footage, snippets of performances, and glimpses into the life and career of the Season Five American Idol champ.

With a high level of media acumen, fans produced captures of some of the best from 2011—the huge fundraiser for tornado victims in Birmingham, BamaRising, where Hicks “energized” the place with his rowdy “Seven Mile Breakdown” and showcased his dancing acumen. His appearance with the Jamie McLean Band and John Popper at Brooklyn Bowl was caught and proved why his harmonica goes everywhere with him. American Idol “bro,” Elliott Yamin joined him on stage at The Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, CA.

Other concerts were captured from Beau Rivage, Biloxi, MS to Snoqualmie, WA and on stages in between. The Celebrity Pictures and Videos site, Celob.com, picked up and posted the Riding Shotgun episode with: “Taylor Hicks – New @TaylorRHicks Riding Shotgun video with fan clips; some very nice footage in here!”

This special episode of Riding Shotgun was “In Memory of Carson James Sumpter” a very young Birmingham musician who died of cancer in 2011. Carson appeared with Taylor at WorkPlay, 2010, and was backstage at BamaRising. Footage of their collaboration on “Superstition” at WorkPlay preserved an inspirational moment of the young artist doing what he loved.

Hicks tweeted his appreciation to the fans for their offerings:

@TaylorRHicks: “Hey Yall! Thanks to all of you who submitted footage for Riding Shotgun! Here’s a special episode for you. Cheers! bit.ly/AzjeMG”

We add a special shout out to the fans that travel, tweet, and share great videos!

“Thanks, Soul Patrol” shows again that it was a very good year!


Check out all the episodes of “Riding Shotgun with Taylor Hicks” here:
TaylorHicksTV-YouTube