SPOTLIGHT
Defying Labels
Hard Rock Hotel, 7 p.m. April 16, starting at $40 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
English indie band The 1975 is the rare rock act to still score mainstream hit singles. That is, of course, if you think of The 1975 as a rock band. The band creates music that can easily fit among the glossy pop of 2019, but they’re just as likely to put out a guitar-driven soft-rock song as a synth-heavy electro-pop anthem. That versatility makes The 1975 distinctive among current bands. It’s also has helped them reach a wide audience, from 2013 debut hit “Chocolate” to recent singles “Give Yourself a Try” and “Love It If We Made It” from 2018’s A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships. Although the last single from Brief Inquiry just came out a few months ago, the band is already set to release another album, Notes on a Conditional Form, this summer. For frontman Matty Healy, maintaining a personal connection is key. “The more honest I am, the more it seems to resonate with people,” he told Rolling Stone last year. Whatever he’s doing, it’s working. –Josh Bell
Planet Hollywood Resort, 7 p.m. Sun. & Wed.-Fri., 7 & 9:30 p.m. Sat. (dark April 14), starting at $69 plus tax and fee, 12+. 702.777.2782
Funny Times Getting Freaky How much more MINDFREAK can Criss Angel pack into his new home at Planet Hollywood Resort? It’s hard to imagine a more immersive, technically advanced, illusion-based production. And this isn’t your typical magic show. Not only does Angel freak with your mind, he shows off a little freakiness of his own. When the soundtrack kicks in you can feel the bass in your chest as blinding strobe lights flicker, which overloads
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the senses and leaves the viewer slightly disoriented. Then dramatic illusions unfold, from a mind-boggling levitation routine to a thrilling straitjacket escape. Thunderous music and video contributions from Korn’s Jonathan Davis are peppered throughout the show, and Angel’s sinister alter ego, Xristos, stops by to cut a woman in half with a giant industrial buzzsaw, making this freakshow a spectacle of variety and wonder. –Las Vegas Magazine Staff
Have you ever participated in a sing-along extolling the attributes of an old lady’s pussycats? Well, he-ey! Get yourself out to Ester Goldberg’s Totally Outrageous Brunch and let her tell you all about her feline friends. During the brunch in The Sayers Club, you’ll be treated to numbers with a Donald Trump impersonator, aerialists, dancers, burlesque and, of course, the irascible Esther herself, all just a few feet away from your table. Before the show begins, fill up on classic brunch dishes and, if you’re feeling fancy, a mimosa or two. –Nina King SLS Las Vegas, 10 a.m. & 1 p.m. Sat.-Sun., $69$108 VIP plus tax and fee, 21+. 702.761.7000
The 1975 photo by Brett Lloyd