Diane Taylor knows something about off-Strip entertainment for locals. Since 2003, when she and her husband moved to Las Vegas from Chicago, Taylor, 82, has spent countless hours investigating and organizing outings, sometimes for friends but mostly for groups.
“One thing I noticed moving out here is that people will talk to you,” says Taylor, who writes a weekly column for the Living Las Vegas website. “These are older folks, many here without family, and they want to know what’s going on.”
Her advice to retirement-age Southern Nevadans who want to mix live entertainment with dining, dancing, and drinks: Be proactive. Reach out to a friendly face.
“Getting people to talk isn’t a problem,” she says.
We certainly didn’t have any trouble finding older folks to talk about their favorite off-Strip nightlife destinations. Here are three to get you started.
Locals Casinos Showrooms
CATHY STRAND, 67, has lived in Las Vegas some 25 years, moving with her husband from North Dakota when their daughter joined the Air Force. When her husband died in August, Strand admitted to bouts of loneliness. Then she crossed paths with neighbor Kathy Ives, 70, “the ringleader.”
Ives and her husband had relocated from Colorado to be with their daughter more than 20 years earlier. When Ives’ husband died about 10 years ago, she too fought off loneliness.
Along with Debbie Deems, 69, who moved from Maryland in 2019 to join her daughter, Strand and Ives hit locals casino-hotels such as Rampart, Suncoast, and Arizona Charlie’s for live music. The women live in northwest Las Vegas and are members of the Centennial Hills Active Adult Center. Their days are often filled with center activities. But their nights?
“I’m the bad one,” Ives confesses. She’s out chasing live music nearly every Friday and Saturday. Strand and Deems can’t make it out every weekend. But when the three hit the town, “We have a ball,” Deems says.
Most locals hotel-casinos have small showrooms or bars with live music, Ives says. Often, the music is free, and the drinks inexpensive. Ives found her way to them after her husband’s death. Looking for things to do, she tried internet and Facebook groups. That was all it took. “So much to do, so many choices,” she says.
The three friends follow Jamit, a two-man group that delivers pop and soft rock hits from the 1970s and 1980s. One Saturday night in April, they danced to the band’s music at the Rampart until 1 a.m.
Ives’ advice: Don’t be shy. Get out there.
“This week, it was Thursday, Friday, and Saturday,” she says laughing. “I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”
Arizona Charlie’s, arizonacharliesdecatur.com; Rampart, theresortatsummerlin.com; Suncoast, suncoast.boydgaming.com
Live Music Lounges
IT'S A SCOUTING mission for John Verville, 51. He enjoys live music in small venues, and he’s pulled into The Composers Room in Las Vegas’ Commercial Center District for a quick drink and look-see.
“Usually, it’s the weekends for me,” Verville says, describing his regular outings. “I’m looking things over here, seeing what the place is about.”
The midweek stop at the venue, which opened in November, was prompted by Paul Gregory, a friend and longtime Southern Nevada musician. Gregory is playing in the cozy Tavern Room (seating for about 60), where nightly music is free. Later, local band Limoncello will cover mostly 1970s and ’80s rock on the larger Showroom Stage (seating about 225). Tonight, patrons listen to Limoncello free of charge. Typically, tickets for Showroom acts range from $10 to $40.
Verville grew up in Las Vegas, left for the military at 18, and returned in 2000. Since then, the security company project manager has been a regular at spots that showcase local bands. He rattles off a half-dozen spots, from the Gold Mine Tavern in Henderson to Jack’s Place Sports Bar & Grill in Boulder City.
“There’s a group of us, all friends, and we just like to be out and listen to the variety, all the different bands.”
Verville and friends mostly avoid the Strip. “Drinks are $17. Parking can be another $20,” he says. “Gets expensive. Too crowded.”
The Composers Room has possibilities, he says. It’s part neighborhood bar-part supper club, with adult beverages at $10 or less and dinner entrees ranging from $20 to $35. The focus is on locals; local entertainment for local audiences.
Verville, a fan of tribute bands that play classic rock and country, says his weekend routine depends on who’s playing and where. “You just have to do a little looking,” he says.
The Composers Room, thecomposersroom.com; Gold Mine Tavern, goldminetavern.com; Jack’s Place Sports Bar & Grill, jacksplacebc.com
Culture Clubs
WHEN NICK MONTANA Sr. came to Las Vegas from Utica, New York, in 1968, he missed his Italian heritage. The food, the people. “Being able to associate with the men and women of Italy,” he says.
Montana filled that cultural void in what then was a fledgling Italian American Club of Las Vegas. More than five decades later, his strongest memories of the East Sahara Avenue spot are linked to community involvement, such as a scholarship program that will spread $65,000 in awards among several Clark County college-bound students this year.
But Montana, a longtime Southern Nevada residential and commercial real estate developer, also realizes the club’s draw continues to be entertainment — and history.
Photographs of Strip legends who either dined or performed at the club cover its interior walls, the black-and-white images bringing the 1960s to life. Frank Sinatra and his Rat Pack sidekicks, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jr., are shown in several photos. (Sinatra donated a Cadillac for a raffle that raised money to build the club, completed in 1962.) Regulars remember seeing comics Shecky Greene and Pat Cooper, and singers Louis Prima and Keely Smith.
In the old days, one of those Strip legends might have jumped from a dinner plate to hit the stage. That can happen today, too.
In March, club president Angelo Cassaro recalls, Tony Orlando joined in with a few verses after a stage act broke into one of his 1970s hits. Maybe “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.” Or “Knock Three Times.” Cassaro’s not sure.
Comanager Ben Spano says a few years ago Frankie Valli rose from his seat when one of his Four Seasons hits was being played, joking with diners: “Hey, that’s my song.”
Montana realizes Southern Nevada is home to a range of cultural clubs but admits a personal bias to the place where he once dined with actor Chazz Palminteri, “It’s unique,” he says. “It’s the food, the ambience, the history.”
Spano books six to eight (mostly local) acts monthly, with individual show tickets priced at $65, including dinner. Membership ($250 annually) is not required. The restaurant, where most entrees cost $30 or less, is open Wednesday through Sunday.
“It’s come a long way since I first joined,” Montana says.
Italian American Club Las Vegas, iacvegas.com