Backwoods Blog .167

LAS VEGAS (PART ONE)

Backwoods Blog;

in the woods and on the road…

Las Vegas town line (1959) Getty

Part One: Trip to Vegas

Linda and I just got back from our summer vacation in Las Vegas. In case you are wondering “Why Vegas?” perhaps I should explain. Vegas certainly wasn’t on our list of top 10 vacation destinations (neither one of us are into slots or the glitz of the strip in the middle of a desert), but when we heard about a new concert venue called the Sphere, well, that changed everything. The Sphere is an immersive sound and visual entertainment experience (including haptics). The venue opened on September 29, 2023 with rock group U2 booked for a 40 show residency, but it was off my radar. I happened to notice the Sphere during this year’s Super Bowl which was in Vegas, but I didn’t know what it was. In February, tickets for Dead & Company went on sale for a 24 show residency at the Sphere (they later added 6 more dates to bring the total to 30). I received the notification on Friday morning and by Sunday afternoon we had tickets and had booked a trip to Vegas! We purchased one of the concert and hotel packages which included two nights at the Palazzo, which is located right next to the Sphere. Besides being convenient, it also felt like a Grateful Dead convention with deadheads taking over both the Venetian and the Palazzo hotels.

It was a quick trip; fly in – two nights in Vegas – and fly out (on a red-eye).

And it was hot. With an average daytime temperature of 106, it felt like an outdoor dry sauna as we walked around Vegas. Part of our cooling strategy was to walk into one end of a casino, take in the AC (no slots), and then walk out the other end. We also kept our eye out for the occasional overhead mist machines that reminded me of a larger version of misters in the fruit and produce section of a supermarket. (See the photo below.)

The majority of our time in Vegas was spent indoors. The Venetian/Palazzo complex is the world’s largest hotel under one roof with over 7,000 guest rooms, two casinos, a convention center and a canal that runs through its shopping mall with gondolas and singing gondoliers. One of the interesting features was an art installation titled LOVE located in the Venetian Waterfall Atrium. Created by celebrated artist Laura Kimpton as part of her Monumental Word Series, the installation, perforated with bird-shaped stamps, spells LOVE in steel ruby red letters that rise 12 feet tall and collectively span 36 feet across. Kimpton says, “LOVE is about being free to love who you want, the way you want. The bird stamps in the letters represent being able to follow your dreams, which is the message that I hope will inspire people as they interact with the piece. Las Vegas is the city where people pursue their dreams, this sculpture will act as a touchstone for this pursuit.” LOVE was a popular spot for photo opps and selfies, lines were always long. To be continued.

Next time, the concert @the Sphere…

In the desert,

Dave

June 26, 2024