2024-06-06-Las-Vegas-Weekly

RUNSTHRU JULY14

SUMMER DAILYTOURNAMENTSCHEDULE DAILY TOURNAMENT

EDITORIAL

PUBLISHER

MARK DE POOTER

mark.depooter@gmgvegas.com

EDITOR

SHANNON MILLER

shannon.miller@gmgvegas.com

Senior Editor GEOFF CARTER (geo .carter@gmgvegas.com)

Managing Editor BROCK RADKE (brock.radke@gmgvegas.com)

Sta Writer GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ (gabriela.rodriguez@gmgvegas.com)

Sta Writer AMBER SAMPSON (amber.sampson@gmgvegas.com)

Contributing Writers GRACE DA ROCHA,HILLARY DAVIS, MIKE GRIMALA, KATIE ANN MCCARVER, AYDEN RUNNELS, RHIANNON SAEGERT, JACK WILLIAMS

Contributing Editors RAY BREWER, JUSTIN HAGER, CASE KEEFER, DAVE MONDT

O ce Coordinator NADINE GUY

CREATIVE

Art Director CORLENE BYRD (corlene.byrd@gmgvegas.com)

Senior Designer IAN RACOMA

Photo Coordinator BRIAN RAMOS

Photographers CHRISTOPHER DEVARGAS, STEVE MARCUS, WADE VANDERVORT

DIGITAL

Publisher of Digital Media KATIE HORTON

Web Content Specialist CLAYT KEEFER

ADVERTISING & MARKETING

Special Publications Editor SIERRA SMART

Senior Advertising Managers MIKE MALL, ADAIR MILNE, SUE SRAN

Account Executives LAUREN JOHNSON, GIANNA PUCCI, ANNA ZYMANEK

Sales Executive Assistants APRIL MARTINEZ

Events Director SAMANTHA LAMB

Events Manager HANNAH ANTER

Events Coordinator ALEXANDRA SUNGA

Event Sales Coordinator MELINA TAYLOR

PRODUCTION & CIRCULATION

Vice President of Manufacturing MARIA BLONDEAUX

Production Director PAUL HUNTSBERRY

Production Manager BLUE UYEDA

Associate Marketing Art Director BROOKE EVERSON

Marketing Graphic Designer CARYL LOU PAAYAS

Production Artist MARISSA MAHERAS

Senior Tra c Coordinator DENISE ARANCIBIA

Tra c Coordinator ALEX HAASE

Distribution Relations Liaison JIDAN SHADOWEN

Fulfillment Operations Coordinator CASANDRA PIERCE

Route Administrator KATHY STRELAU

GREENSPUN MEDIA GROUP

CEO, Publisher & Editor BRIAN GREENSPUN

Chief Operating O cer ROBERT CAUTHORN

LAS VEGAS WEEKLY

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The upgrades here include life.

MARKETPLACE

Photograph by Wade Vandervort

16 THE WEEKLY Q&A

Champion pizzaiolo and Yukon Pizza owner Alex White is really cooking.

20 COVER STORY

Broadacres Marketplace is a cultural touchstone and multigenerational point of connection. 32 NEWS

With World Wrestling Entertainment descending on Las Vegas, will the world’s fight capital become headquarters for pro wrestling too?

SUPERGUIDE

Piecing It Together podcast hosts a live taping, Temptation Sundays celebrates Pride month and more happening this week.

may surprise you. 10

36 MUSIC Vegas’ Hogtrucker has an album release party at Area15.

42 FOOD + DRINK Guy’s

46 SPORTS The numbers behind the 2024

Grocery Games star Robert Lomeli brings fun dishes to Atomic Golf.

World Series of Poker

“The Grapes of Thrash” at Yukon PIzza (Wade Vandervort/ Staff)

SUPERGUIDE

7 p.m., House of Blues, concerts.livenation.com.

PIECING IT

TOGETHER ON BAD BOYS: RIDE OR DIE

You say you need a good reason to go to the movies? How about the fourth installment in the venerable Bad Boys action-comedy franchise, still featuring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence in the roles they originated nearly 30 years ago? And how about staying after the movie for a live taping of David Rosen’s Piecing It Together podcast, during which Rosen, fellow podcaster Korey Kilgore, filmmaker

K.L. Martin and actor Kris Mayeshiro will attempt to name and discuss all the films that inspired Bad Boys: Ride or Die and its three preceding films, perhaps even with your help? Best part is, you can join this roundtable for the price of a regular ticket. What ya gonna do? 6 p.m., $11-$14, Maya Cinemas, piecingpod. com. –Geo Carter

LAS VEGAS

RESTAURANT WEEK

Thru 6/14, venues vary, restaurant weeklv.org

GIRL FROM THE NORTH COUNTRY

Thru 6/9, 7:30 p.m. (& 6/8-6/9, 2 p.m.), Reynolds Hall, thesmithcenter.com

SUPER SUMMER

THEATRE: THE LITTLE MERMAID Thru 6/8, 8 p.m., Boman Outdoor Pavilion, super summertheatre.org

CAIFANES & CAFE TACVBA

8 p.m., Bakkt Theater, ticketmaster. com

GABRIELLE LOPEZ

5:30 p.m., One Steakhouse, one steakhouselv.com

DEAD & COMPANY

Thru 6/8, 7:30 p.m., Sphere, ticketmaster. com

HOGTRUCKER

With Ariel Zetina, Sevyn Love, AFS, A.C. Esme, DJ KittyBoy, 8 p.m., the Wall at Area15, area15. com

JAY

HOLLINGSWORTH

With Carlos Anthony, thru 6/9, 8 p.m., LA Comedy Club, best vegascomedy.com

CASH CASH 10:30 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zouk grouplv.com

SOFI TUKKER 10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, taogroup.com

DEEJAY AL 10:30 p.m., Tao Nightclub, taogroup.com

SPAG HEDDY With Bazzlyne, Skunkz, 10 p.m., We All Scream, see tickets.us

SILVERSUN PICKUPS

(Courtesy/Claire Marie Vogel)

FRIDAY JUN 07

ZACH BRYAN

With Sierra Ferrell, Levi Turner, 7 p.m., & 6/8, T-Mobile Arena, axs.com.

ADELE

8 p.m., & 6/8, the Colosseum, ticket master.com.

BRUNO MARS

9 p.m., & 6/8, 6/12, Dolby Live, ticket master.com

GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNK-

ADELIC

8 p.m., Pearl Concert Theater, ticket master.com.

FROM ASHES TO NEW With Point North, Ekoh, Phix, Elijah, 5 p.m., House of Blues, concerts. livenation.com

BAD CO NATION

8 p.m., the Space, thespacelv.com.

EARL TURNER

7 p.m., Myron’s, thesmithcenter.com

LAS VEGAS ACES VS. SEATTLE STORM

7 p.m., Michelob Ultra Arena, axs.com

FIRST FRIDAY

5 p.m., Downtown Las Vegas, ffflv.org

BIG HAIR: A RAD AND WILD LOVE AFFAIR

7 p.m. (& 6/8, 3:30 p.m.), Las Vegas Little Theatre, lvlt. org

TAYLOR TOMLINSON

7:30 p.m., & 6/8, Encore Theater, ticketmaster.com.

CELESTE BARBER

8:30 p.m., & 6/8, Summit Showroom, ticketmaster.com.

OPERA LAS VEGAS: LA BOHÉME

7:30 p.m. (& 6/9, 2 p.m.), Judy Bayley Theatre, operalas vegas.com.

WAKA FLOCKA Noon, Drai’s Beachclub, draisgroup. com.

DUKE DUMONT

10:30 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zouk grouplv.com

BIIANCO

10 p.m., Discopussy, tixr.com

WIZ KHALIFA

10:30 p.m., Drai’s Nightclub, drais group.com

MARSHMELLO

10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynn social.com

MARTIN GARRIX

10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup. com

DON TOLIVER

10:30 p.m., LIV Nightclub, livnightclub.com

CHRISTINA AGUILERA

9:45 p.m., & 6/8, Voltaire, ticketmaster.com

SUPERGUIDE

SATURDAY JUN 08

JOYNER LUCAS

During his Not Now, I’m Busy tour stop in Nashville on May 25, Joyner Lucas was joined onstage by Jelly Roll to perform “Best for Me,” their new collaborative single that skillfully tackles issues of addiction, compassion and cutting toxicity from one’s life. It’s heady but highly listenable stu from two spotlight-stealing artists who are becoming known for infusing emotion and honesty into their music, and for Lucas, it’s a prime showcase for his smooth and serious flow. The 35-year-old emcee who went viral with “Ross Capicchioni” and “I’m Not Racist” visits Mandalay Bay this weekend as the tour continues. 8 p.m., $51-$100, House of Blues, concerts.livenation.com. –Brock Radke

DON’T TELL COMEDY

8 p.m., Fergusons Downtown, donttellcomedy. com

TIËSTO

11 a.m., Tao Beach Dayclub, taogroup.com

KASKADE

Noon, Ayu Dayclub, zouk grouplv.com

ILLENIUM

10:30 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zouk grouplv.com

DARELL

GABITO BALLESTEROS

8 p.m., the Chelsea, tickemaster. com

HOOBASTANK & SOUL ASYLUM

8 p.m., Fremont Street Experience, vegas experience.com

MICHELLE JOHNSON

7 p.m., Myron’s, thesmithcenter. com

OUIJA MACC

With Darby O’Trill, 8Corpses, Donnie Menace, Vicious Vampira, Frankie Goldie, 7 p.m., Sinwave, dice.fm

FREESTYLE EXPLOSION THROWBACK

JAM

DIPLO

10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com

ZEDD

10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup.com

STEVE AOKI

With Stevie B, Lisa Lisa, Zapp, more, 7 p.m., Orleans Arena, ticketmaster.com

AURELIO VOLTAIRE

8 p.m., Backstage Bar & Billiards, dice.fm

LAS VEGAS LIGHTS VS. MIAMI FC

10 p.m., Daylight Beach Club, day lightvegas.com

LAYTON GIORDANI

10 p.m., Discopussy, seetickets.us

10:30 p.m., Hakkasan Nightclub, taogroup.com

JAMES KENNEDY

10:30 p.m., LIV Nightclub, livnightclub.com

TORREN FOOT

11:30 p.m., Club Ego, posh.vip

7:30 p.m., Cashman Field, lasvegaslightsfc. com

SUNDAY JUN 09 MONDAY JUN 10

TEMPTATION SUNDAYS

Pride Month means extra loud, extra proud, extra fun pool parties at Luxor with the long-running Temptation Sundays. DJs Larry Peace and Lexto got the month-long special parties going last week, and this Sunday’s soundtrack will be provided by DJ Jae Fusz—but that’s only the beginning. The Boulet Brothers’ Dragula queen Fantasia Royale Gaga is set to perform along with Queen Las Vegas residents Angel Phoenix, Akasha L’Statt, Bryce Mansfield and Felicia Fierce, pushing the Temptation into overdrive. Don’t miss the biggest Pride bash at this pool, but if you do, the remaining Sundays in June continue the fun. Noon, $40+, Luxor Pool, temptationsundayslv.com. –Brock Radke

LIL JON 11 a.m., Wet Republic, taogroup.com

CASH CASH & BRYCE VINE

Noon, Ayu Dayclub, zoukgrouplv.com

CEDRIC GERVAIS 11 a.m., Marquee Dayclub, taogroup. com

AUSTIN MILLZ

10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynn social.com

WWE NXT BATTLEGROUND

4:30 p.m., UFC Apex, axs.com

GLITZ: THE SHOWKIDS SHOW

9 p.m., 24 Oxford, etix.com

ROB & ETSUKO MADER QUINTET

1 p.m., Bootlegger Bistro, lvjs.org

KALIMBA

8 p.m., the Space, thespacelv.com

KING FUN

With Spring Breeding, Sunday Mourning, Crochet, Pudgel, 5:30 p.m., Taverna Costera, tavernacostera.com

PETER BERMAN

With Brandon “Gooch” Hahn, thru 6/16, 8 p.m., LA Comedy Club, best vegascomedy.com

DREW DUNN

With BT, Kathleen Dunbar, thru 6/16, 8 p.m., Brad Garrett’s Comedy Club, mgmgrand.mgm resorts.com

JACKIE FABULOUS With Michael Somerville, Eagle Witt, Eric Neumann, thru 6/16, 7 & 9:30 p.m., Comedy Cellar, ticket master.com

DJ LUCKY LOU 10:30 p.m., Jewel Nightclub, taogroup.com

DENISE FULEIHAN & FRIENDS 7 p.m., Maxan Jazz, maxanjazz.com

SUPERGUIDE

LAS VEGAS ACES VS. MINNESOTA LYNX

7 p.m., Michelob Ultra Arena, axs.com

LAS VEGAS AVIATORS VS. SALT LAKE BEES

Thru 6/15, 7 p.m., Las Vegas Ballpark, ticket master.com

JOKER

With 2shay, Owshteen, 10 p.m., Discopussy, posh.vip

PAUL RUSSELL

10 p.m., Drai’s Nightclub, draisgroup.com

NIGHTMRE 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup.com

MILLION DOLLAR BAND With Valley of Fire, 6 p.m., Downtown Summerlin, summerlin. com

SERPENTINE FIRE

7 p.m., Myron’s, thesmithcenter. com

LUCY

6 p.m., Backstage Bar & Billiards, ticketweb.com

ACRAZE

10 p.m., Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial.com

FRANKY RIZARDO 10:30 p.m., Marquee Nightclub, taogroup.com

— Shari S., REAL CUSTOMER

HOT PIE

Champion pizzaiolo and Yukon Pizza owner Alex White is really cooking

Yukon Pizza co-owner Alex White displays his International Pizza Expo World Champion title for Best Non-Traditional Pizza. (Wade Vandervort/Sta )

BY GEOFF CARTER

This past March, scores of pizza makers came to Las Vegas to compete in the International Pizza Challenge, the star attraction of the 40th annual International Pizza Expo. Among t he 500 pizzaiolos vying for recognition was Vegas’ own Alex White, founder and co-owner of Downtown favorite Yukon Pizza, whose exceptional pie—built on a flavorful crust made from a 125-year-old sourdough starter—is the kind you happily line up for.

To hi s surprise, White won first place in the Non-Traditional Pizza category. “That means any style of pizza with any sty le of toppings,” White says. “It’s open-ended, choose-yourown-adventure style.” (Other categories include Traditional, Neapolitan, Pan and World’s Best Cheese Slice.) White took a moment to talk with the Weekly about that World Pizza Champion title, and the adventure he’s chosen.

Tell us about the pie that won you the title.

It was inspired by a favorite snack that I like to have when I’m hanging out or going camping with my wife: I like cold red grapes and roasted almonds. It’s a wonderful combo— sweet, savory, crunchy, juicy, all that stuff. I wanted to translate that into a pizza, somehow.

I came across a recipe for marinating grapes in balsamic vinegar for a day and then grilling them. Once I had that base, I started to work upwards, trying to build a much more complex flavor profile. … Eventually, it had a mozzarella and fontina cheese base, the grilled grapes, and mortadella that we curled up like a little rose on the pizza. When it came out of the oven, I finished it with burrata, mint, basil, some crushed almonds and pistachios I had roasted, lemon zest and smoked salt. It was a multi-layered, multi-textural, multi-flavor combination—a lot of things that represent what I think of as West Coast-inspired pizza. I was born in Northern California, so to me it’s very much a California-style pizza … something very fresh and herbaceous, but still savory and sweet.

Did you think you were going to win?

I went in with low expectations. I was hoping to place in the top 50. Each category had about 100, 150 competitors, and I was up against 99 other pizza makers. These are top people from all over the world—from Japan, South America, Italy—so you’re head-tohead with some passionate, dedicated, serious crafters of the pizza world. … [When I won], I was stunned.

Do you remember the first pizzas you ever made?

Yes, they were terrible. I started out making pizzas in my apartment, when I was in college. At that point, it wasn’t so much about making pizzas; it was more about drinking beer and meeting girls at the party that I was throwing. I’d have a million toppings set up, everyone came through and piled a bunch of stuff onto some poorly made dough, I’d throw it into my oven, and it’d come out a soupy mess. I started to improve, but I took a long road to get there. There was a lot of knucklehead dough-making and going to the library to learn how to make bread. This was 2009; there weren’t YouTube videos on how to make sourdough pizza at home.

Well, you nailed it. I’m a huge fan of your pizza, one among many. From Vegas Test Kitchen to your own brick-and-mortar, Yukon just gets busier and busier. Does your success feel kind of surreal?

I think it’s the result of a few years of focused work—keeping our heads down, building our business in an appropriate way without overextending ourselves … We really tried to take our time and make our decisions based on, ‘We’re going for longevity in this space. Let’s make sure we have a good customer base before we even get in there.’ Over the last year we’ve grown a huge amount, and we are so grateful. We rely on our locals, and our customers who support us week after week, month after month, year after year. It was all I could hope for, having my own little Cheers-style bar of regular pizza eaters that come through for

their slice or their burger or whatever. To be that local, neighborhood spot. That’s something that’s very satisfying to see play out.

Do you feel the love from Vegas’ other pizzaiolos, as well?

When [Good Pie founder] Vincent Rotolo found me at the side of the road doing a pop-up, I knew Vegas was going to be cool. He immediately kind of welcomed me into the brotherhood of pizzas here, with John Arena and Chris Decker over at Metro, the Settebello guys and everybody else in town. They’ve been wholly welcoming of a dude like me who came out of left field, just making pizzas in his backyard. The last five or six years especially has been an amazing show of support and resources from local pizza makers, helping our company to get going where it’s at. I’m dumbfounded by it, but I’m so grateful for it.

Alex White’s International Pizza Expo award-winner, “The Grapes of Thrash.” (Wade Vandervort/Staff)

BROADACRES MARKETPLACE

HAS EVOLVED AS A CULTURAL INSTITUTION AND GENERATIONAL CONNECTION

POINT FOR LOCALS

BY GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ

n When people think of Broadacres Marketplace, mental visions of its canopied food hall, signature micheladas and troupes of couples dancing banda often come to mind. Its 44-acre space bursts with more than 1,000 vendors and fills with thousands of people during the three days a week its gates are open. Some visitors come looking for a quick bite and drink; others stop by to grab essentials like new work wear, cleaning supplies or even a new mattress. But most come to bask in the feel-good atmosphere, and to ward off the Sunday blues with family and friends.

After parking in the extended lot it’s typical to pass by the exiting groups who have already had their fill of the swap meet’s fun. Families walk at a leisurely pace, often chatting among themselves while their kids mess around with their new toys. These days you’re met with a line of people waiting to pay their entry fee, only making the visit feel more buzzworthy.

For me, stepping past that ticket checkpoint is a familiar feeling. For years I’ve taken the same route, past the churros on the right and the cowboy boot stand on the left, my feet naturally moving me toward the epicenter of the grounds, the stage. The distanced guitars and brass instruments grow louder as I journey forth and there’s a faint smell of warm leather, roasted cacahuates and sweet cinnamon in the air mixed with the scent of the heavily cologned men standing by.

My eyes expertly dart around each booth searching for something funny to comment on, like a graphic tee depicting a gangster

SpongeBob, or pinpointing an item I’d want to circle back to, like a photo frame that would fit snugly on my gallery wall at home.

To a first timer, the smells, sounds and sights might be a lot to take in. But once adjusted, many eventually develop a loose personal agenda for their visits, too.

And while it’s often relegated to being a standard place to go on a warm weekend morning, Broadacres’ impact on local culture is bigger and more powerful than we might previously have considered. Admittedly, this appreciation is something I’ve only recently come to in my adult life.

In all forms of culture, there’s a natural instinct to create and gravitate to spaces that feel like home. These little clusters of life come in various forms and reflect the generational characteristics that have been handed down from our elders. For many Latinos in the Las Vegas Valley, Broadacres is a place of comfort that has become a mainstay in our metropolitan lives.

Opened in 1977 by the Bowman family, the grounds of Broadacres grew from a mere four acres to 20 over the course of 30 years. After selling the land to the Danz family in 2007, the property ballooned to the 44 acres it is today. It developed into a full-fledged family extravaganza, designed to keep guests for lengthy visits.

General manager Yovana Alonso’s ties with the swap meet date back to 1993, when she helped her aunt run a booth before eventually becoming an employee with the company. If there’s anyone who knows this place like the back of her hand, it’s Alonso.

A boy stands on stage with Los Metichones Band during a Broadacres performance. (Photographs by Wade Vandervort/Staff)

“Back in the day, [Broadacres] catered to first-generation Latinos,” she says. “We’ve noticed that this demographic has been changing. It’s no longer just first generation Hispanics; there’s now differing ethnicities.”

As a child, this was a place I spent weekend mornings with my family. My mom and stepdad tried their hand at running their own booth, selling discounted furniture pieces sourced from the World Market Center just miles away. I remember practically being dragged out of bed to join them and my mom bribing my sister and I with the promise of fresas con crema or hot champurrado. After each sale my mom would hand off a couple of dollars for my sister and I, encouraging us to walk around and look at trinkets to fight off our boredom. Today, she jokes that her and her husband’s profit margins quickly fell off due to our “little treats.”

Like Alonso and myself, Marina Hernandez, owner of glamor photography studio Memori.ES702, was introduced to Broadacres through her family and now operates her second studio within the grounds. “I used to come with my dad every week,” Hernandez

recalls. “But I also remember that I used to help my friend’s mom with her stand and [my friend] hated coming here.”

Hernandez emphasizes that this connection with Broadacres also infiltrates the lives of her clients. Many of them mention that they too once managed a stand or worked with a family member at this swap meet. Although many share this experience, there’s a tinge of embarrassment when they talk about it. But entrepreneurs like Hernandez shed a new light on this decades-old business model.

“People have told me that they’re proud to see how I embrace my culture,” says Hernandez. “It inspires them to proudly say, ‘Yeah, I am helping my mom,’ or ‘This is where we’re starting, but look—she did it.’ So we can get bigger, too.”

There’s a clear pattern here. From adolescence we’re introduced to one of the most accessible forms of culture that appeals to all age groups. The kids are naturally drawn to the sectioned area of carnival games and amusement rides. Teens gather in groups and walk around each other with an immature curiosity, and the grown-ups go about their

(Photograph by Wade Vandervort/Staff)

Broadacres general manager Yovana Alonso (Wade Vandervort/Staff)

own respective agendas or simply lose time browsing around or dancing.

Nowadays, the youthful masses are more inclined to embrace their brown heritage. Perhaps it’s the connectivity of the internet that bands these groups together, or maybe this new generation simply cares less about what others think of them. Either way, this pride in heritage is contagious. At Broadacres, you can see it firsthand.

Given the general demographics at Broadacres, Spanish speaking is mostly the norm. My mom lovingly refers to me as a coconut— you know, brown on the outside and white on the inside. As a kid, this comparison was most evident when I was put in situations where I needed to speak Spanish. I was always good at rolling my Rs and could proudly sound off the few words I knew, but there was something about ordering from vendors at Broadacres that stopped me in my tracks and made me feel ashamed of not being able to converse.

Even if the conversation was purely transactional, my struggle to keep up made me naturally shy away from practicing the language. “Cuanto cuesta?” I’d ask confidently, followed by an, “Ah, gracias,” putting back the item when I was told a number that I couldn’t quite mentally translate, and furthering my distaste for spending my time wandering the stalls.

I now know that I was too much in my own head about these passing situations. And who could blame me? As a pubescent emo teenager, I was naturally egocentric and failed to realize that my lacking Spanish tongue isn’t a barrier here. Broadacres appeals to everyone, and today, you don’t have to be a Spanish speaker to be included.

During my recent visits, I’ve become keenly aware of the kinds of people who are coming to Broadacres—specifically, the groups of youths that are bringing in new life to the storied space. They’ve infiltrated the Friday night dance events, twirling each other around to the bandas on stage, elbow to elbow with people who’ve been here for years. They’ve embraced grabbing michis with their friends on Sunday mornings to cure their hangovers and recap the prior night’s festivities and chisme. They stop by to grab crisp Pro Clubs or freshly made cheesy machetes.

Whatever the reason for the visit may be, and there doesn’t even have to be a reason, they’re here ... weekend after weekend, without fail.

n For Marina Hernandez, Memori.ES702 is an intersection of all things she loves— glam, photography and human connection. Through private photo sessions with her clients she’s able to capture modern essence with the nostalgic flair that was popularized in the ‘90s and early 2000s. The studio is fully equipped with colorful backdrops, fun props and makeup services to ensure you’re camera-ready. The finished look is airbrushed to perfection, giving all subjects a glow that could never be replicated with an Instagram filter. Hernandez also offers discounts for seasonal sessions such as Mother’s Day and specialty graduation shots. But to me, the best part of the service is leaving with physical copies that’ll last for generations. In a world where everything is posted online, it’s nice to have a physical memento. linktr.ee/memori.es702.

n Growing up, Latino’s Rock was my wardrobe holy grail. It was my version of Hot Topic—the place where I could revel in my musical interests, while snagging band tees that reflected my ever-growing iPod playlist. From The Doors and Black Flag to Joy Division and Black Sabbath, this modest booth was a must-visit for me back then and remains so now.

Today, owner Sergio Octaviano and his wife Monica have worked to steadily expand their growing business and accommodate the rocker demand. Now the Latino’s Rock booth has impressively grown to five aisles, all lined with T-shirts, patches, hats, bags and more. If it wasn’t hard enough to choose a few shirts in the past, the challenge is now even greater. But luckily, tees start at just $18 each, which completely justifies splurging. latinosrockshop.com.

Latino’s Rock owner Sergio Octaviano (Photograph by Wade Vandervort/Staff)

n The state of Michoacán is the famed birthplace of carnitas. The meaty delight is Mexico’s take on pulled pork. When made right, it’s crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. This is the kind of food where warm tortillas replace utensils and you share with friends and family. And in Vegas, La Botana Carnitas is considered one of the best.

Co-owners Manuel Maldonado and Carlos Hernandez make it their humble mission to give the people a piece of pork paradise, and their hard work has earned them a special place in my own family’s culinary affections. Typically, we opt for the sharable pound of carnitas plate for $22, which comes with rice, beans and tortillas on the side. While sitting across from each other under the shaded dining area, we not only relish each other’s company but also the reliable flavors La Botana serves up.

“What I like most about being here is the people,” says Hernandez. “They’re happy about the carnitas and tell us they’re the best that’s what really makes us happy.” facebook.com/labotanacarnitasmichoacanas. —Gabriela Rodriguez

La Botana Carnitas co-owner Carlos Hernandez (Photograph by Wade Vandervort/Staff)

2024 PRIMARY ENDORSEMENTS

U.S. CONGRESS

U.S. Senate

Democratic Primary JACKY ROSEN*

U.S. Senate

Republican Primary GARN MABEY

U.S. Congress

District 3

Democratic Primary SUSIE LEE*

U.S. Congress

District 4

Democratic Primary STEVEN HORSFORD*

U.S. Congress

District 4

Republican Primary BRUCE FRAZEY

Congressional races in which no candidate earned our endorsement:

U.S. Congress,

District 3

Republican Primary

NEVADA STATE SENATE

District 1

Democratic Primary CLARA THOMAS

District 3

Democratic Primary ROCHELLE NGUYEN*

District 4

Democratic Primary DINA NEAL*

District 5

Democratic Primary JENNIFER ATLAS and CHRISTIAN BISHOP (dual endorsement)

District 5

Republican Primary CARRIE ANN BUCK*

District 11

Republican Primary LORI ROGICH

District 18

Republican Primary JOHN STEINBECK

Nevada

NEVADA STATE ASSEMBLY

District 7

Democratic

District 9

Democratic Primary STEVE YEAGER*

District 10

Democratic Primary VENISE L. KARRIS

District 11

Democratic Primary CINTHIA MOORE

District 11

Republican Primary JEFFREY A. LUSTICK

District 16

Democratic Primary CECELIA GONZÁLEZ*

District 42

Democratic Primary TRACY BROWN-MAY*

Nevada Assembly races in which no candidate earned our endorsement:

District 5 – Republican Primary

District 6 – Democratic Primary

District 12 – Republican Primary

District 16 – Republican Primary

NEVADA

HAPPENS HERE Health

The Valley Health System YOUR

All Valley Health System hospitals are accredited by The Joint Commission for meeting performance standards for delivering safe, high-quality care.

Our acute care hospitals hold national certifications in stroke and heart attack care. Our hospitals consistently earn recognition from the American Heart Association® and American Stroke Association® for meeting or exceeding national standards for heart and stroke care.

The Valley Health System hospitals also consistently earn national quality awards for services such as wound care, orthopedics, maternity care, weight-loss surgery and more.

Discover where HEALTH HAPPENS at VALLEYHEALTHSYSTEMLV.COM

IN THE NEWS

“Our ght didn’t just end on Jan. 6. We’re doing this because we love this country. We’re Americans, we believe in democracy, we believe in decency, we believe in the Constitution, we believe in Joe Biden.”

- Capitol police o cer Harry Dunn, during a visit to Las Vegas on May 29 as part of a nationwide tour in election battleground states to campaign for Biden

HOT SHOT

Celine Dion attended a performance of Cirque du Soleil’s The Beatles Love on May 31, also taking in a backstage tour and some facetime with the cast after the show. The show will take the stage for the last time July 6. (Cirque du Soleil/Courtesy)

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Health episode postpones Tyson

Mike Tyson’s fight with Jake Paul has been postponed after the 57-yearold Tyson fell ill on a flight last month. Tyson and Paul said they would announce a new fight date soon. They were scheduled to meet July 20 in Arlington, Texas. Tyson fell ill on a flight from Miami to Los Angeles, and his flight was met by first responders. Tyson’s camp attributed the episode to an ulcer problem. Tyson hasn’t fought professionally since June 2005, but he has been training regularly for several years. He fought Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition in November 2020. “My body is in better overall shape than it has been since the 1990s, and I will be back to my full training schedule soon,” Tyson said in the statement. “Jake Paul, this may have bought you some time, but in the end you will still be knocked out and out of boxing for good.” –Associated Press

MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK OPENING

BY THE NUMBERS

That’s the high temperature forecast for June 9, when former President Donald Trump is scheduled to stage a political rally at Sunset Park in Las Vegas at noon. Trump surely will be a regular visitor to Las Vegas in the months leading to the presidential election. He narrowly leads President Joe Biden in polling in the swing state.

WATER RECYCLING

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto D-Nev., and Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., have announced new funding for a large-scale water recycling facility designed to reduce Southern California’s reliance on Colorado River water and keep more water in Lake Mead.

The Department of the Interior has awarded $99 million to the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California to fund the first phase of the Pure Water Southern California facility, which will produce an estimated 129,000 acre-feet of water per

fight Airport improvements

year, according to the Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA). That’s enough to serve approximately 386,000 households in Southern California and Southern Nevada.

The SNWA has authorized $750 million to fund a portion of the project, which means it will own a share of the recycled water produced there. Spokesman Bronson Mack told the Weekly that the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California will use the SNWA’s share of water locally, in exchange for an equal share of Southern Cali-

fornia’s Colorado River water.

“Rather than pipe and pump that water from LA to Las Vegas, California will simply leave a share of its Colorado River water in Lake Mead for Southern Nevada, which we will access via our existing infrastructure,” Mack said in a statement.

The funding comes from the large-scale water recycling program within the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. Cortez Masto and Lee introduced the program through legislation passed in their respective chambers.

–Shannon Miller

Aviation officials in Las Vegas are praising the passage of a congressional bill that will provide funding for improvement projects at multiple airports in Southern Nevada. The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024, signed by President Joe Biden in May and developed in part by U.S. Rep. Dina Titus, D-Nev., allocates federal funds to a major renovation of Henderson Executive Airport, ultimately financing a third of the $9 million project. The bill includes a 20% increase in the Airport Improvement Program, which will impact projects not only at Henderson Executive, but also at Harry Reid International and the Boulder City Municipal Airport, Titus’ office said. As events like the Super Bowl, the relocation of the Oakland Athletics to Las Vegas, the Olympics in Los Angeles and more impact visitation to Southern Nevada, the Henderson facility will only play a bigger role, Titus said. –Katie Ann McCarver

(Steve Marcus/Staff)

Lee Canyon’s downhill mountain bike park will open for summer and fall seasons June 10. Youth and adult mountain bike rentals and safety equipment are available. Day and season passes are available at leecanyonlv.com

NEW LEGO STORE LANDS IN VEGAS

The Lego Group has opened its 119th US store, and second Vegas location, in Downtown Summerlin. The store offers guidance from so-called brick specialists, and immersive experiences including a “mystery mural” and Lego-building activities.

MANDALAY BAY REMODEL

After two and a half years, Mandalay Bay has completed a $100 million remodel of its convention center. The 2.1 million-square-foot space got enhanced lighting, streamlined signage, technology enhancements and new fine art.

CLARK COUNTY’S SUGGESTION BOX IS OPEN

The county recently launched the Reimagine Spring Mountain website, which has a survey for residents to share their thoughts on the Chinatown area’s future. The survey has drawn more than 250 submissions, but “hundreds of more comments” are expected before it closes this summer, County commissioner Justin Jones said. Find the survey at inspiringspringmountain.com

ADELE IS NOT HAVING IT

Adele had choice words for a fan who yelled “Pride sucks!” during a break between songs at her Weekends With Adele residency June 1, the first day of Pride Month. “Did you come to my f***ing show and just say that Pride sucks?” she said, turning toward the audience from her piano. “Are you f***ing stupid? Don’t be so f***ing ridiculous. If you have nothing nice to say, shut up, all right?”

NO HOLDS BARRED

Suddenly surging WWE finds a perfect sports-entertainment fit in Las Vegas

BY BROCK RADKE NEWS

In 1993, Shawn Michaels retained his Intercontinental Championship in the opening match of Wrestlemania IX, held at Caesars Palace in the former outdoor arena that had been home to several historic boxing matches. Nearly 17,000 pro wrestling fans watched “The Heartbreak Kid”—and later, watched Hulk Hogan regain the WWF Championship—live and in person during the first Wrestlemania event in Las Vegas.

In 2024, WWF has become WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment) and it may be more popular than ever. Wrestlemania is now a twonight mega-card and its 40th edition, held in April in Philadelphia, drew 145,298 fans to Lincoln Financial Field and millions of livestream viewers on Peacock. And it’s set to return to Las Vegas next year, April 19-20 at Allegiant Stadium.

Michaels, now a retired Hall of Famer and WWE senior vice president of talent development creative, doesn’t have to wait until 2025 to come back to Las Vegas. He oversees WWE’s NXT brand, a weekly TV show and sort of developmental league for up-and-coming pro wrestling performers, and NXT Battleground will become the first-ever WWE event at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on June 9. Tickets are available at axs.com

“This is so big for us, especially at NXT, to be the first individuals and the first brand from WWE to

go out there and be in this stateof-the-art facility,” Michaels tells the Weekly. “We are so psyched we’re getting to go and be the first ones at UFC Apex. That for us is a historic moment in itself. But the card we’re bringing, it’s Wrestlemania [level]. It’s just going to be a really big night.”

Battleground is especially significant after September’s merger of UFC parent company Endeavor and WWE, creating TKO Group Holdings, a sports and entertainment conglomerate uniting the biggest brands in mixed martial arts and professional wrestling.

UFC opened the Apex, a 130,000-square-foot event and production facility along the southwestern Beltway, in 2019 to host small-scale fighting events and TV production, but the venue ended up being a godsend for the company during the COVID pandemic. Apex allowed UFC to continue to host and broadcast fighting events in a safe and controlled environment when most venues were shuttered.

The 1,000-capacity Apex has hosted other non-UFC events since then, including the XFL football draft, the Power Slap fighting promotion (owned by UFC CEO Dana White) and the recent Street League Skateboarding tour event. And UFC Fight Night will be back in the building on June 15, headlined by a flyweight bout between Alex Perez and Tatsuro Taira.

Las Vegas has long been known

as the world’s fighting capital and the popularity of the hometown UFC has expanded that reputation beyond boxing, but pro wrestling— certainly more of an over-the-top form of entertainment than a true competitive sport—hasn’t been as prominent. Wrestling traditionally excels in Midwestern, Great Plains and Southern states, but not so much on the West Coast. The merger and the arrival of more and bigger sports and entertainment venues in Southern Nevada could change that.

One of the first live events with fans in attendance at Allegiant Stadium was also one of WWE’s biggest events coming out of the pandemic: SummerSlam in August 2021. It was that event’s first time in Las Vegas and the first time in 34 years SummerSlam had been held at an NFL stadium.

At the time, WWE president Nick Khan—who grew up in Las Vegas and graduated from Bonanza High School—told the Las Vegas Sun that the construction of Allegiant and the addition of T-Mobile Arena to a group of established Las Vegas arenas would hopefully open the door for more frequent WWE programming.

“Vegas has always been a city that attracts everybody. Certain cities attract regional or local folks but not national or international, and Vegas has always been that,” Khan said. “It’s also about how great T-Mobile and Allegiant are, and

their proximity to the Strip shows the brilliance of both developers of those venues.”

Going international has always been a priority for WWE, although there’s been “a really big surge now to really embrace that we cover the world,” Michaels says. In recent months the promotion has taken its biggest stars to premium live events in France and Saudi Arabia, and next up is Clash at the Castle in Glasgow, Scotland on June 15.

“UFC and WWE, TKO as a whole is a global entity. We’ve really begun to see that over the last several months, and UFC has been going all over the world for quite some time,” Michaels says. “It’s amazing to me because I started out [wrestling] in a smaller [promotion] at the Showboat in Las Vegas, before Las Vegas was considered a global entity. But it has become that … and I can only imagine it will get blown off the charts next year at Wrestlemania.

“Las Vegas and Wrestlemania now is going to be so much bigger than Wrestlemania IX, which I was at. I’ve been doing this for 40 years, and every time I think I’ve seen it all, the WWE lets me know I have not.”

Another clear sign of WWE’s widening popularity are two massive new TV deals for the company’s Raw and Smackdown weekly live shows. The three-hour Monday Raw program will move from the USA Network to Netflix in January 2025, and Friday’s Smackdown show will shift from Fox to USA this September. NXT’s regular Tuesday program also lives on USA.

Las Vegas amplified a viral WWE moment during the leadup to this year’s Super Bowl as well. After a decade away from the ring, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson returned to wrestling and appeared to be lining up a Wrestlemania bout against his real-life cousin, champion Roman Reigns. They

made an appearance with other WWE superstars at T-Mobile Arena on February 8, capturing the attention of international media in town for the Super Bowl three days later at Allegiant Stadium.

Some typical theatrics went down and Johnson ended up “turning heel”—becoming a villain—and teaming up with Reigns at Wrestlemania in Philadelphia. His comeback mirrored a bigger return to this world—in January, Johnson, a third-generation pro wrestling star turned actor, entrepreneur and media mogul, joined TKO’s board of directors. “Everything I touch … 100% there is a deeper meaning to it,” Johnson said on CNBC. “Joining this board was unique and different and special, in that I’m sitting at a board that my grandfather and dad helped build, and to help in building a company and growing it globally.”

That’s one of the recent WWE developments that has the company pointed in a new direction. Legendary promoter and former CEO Vince McMahon stepped down amidst scandal in January and is being investigated by the Justice Department for sexual assault and sex trafficking. Now maintaining creative control of is one of Johnson’s former in-ring opponents, Paul “Triple H” Levesque, who has focused on storytelling and giving fans new and old what they want.

“It’s not easy trying to be creative 52 weeks a year, but in my world I try to simplify it, and it’s just fun,” Michaels says. “It’s about being able to step away from the reality of the world sometimes, to fall in love with these characters and follow these stories, and truly be entertained.

“More than anything this culture now is about bringing it back to everyone, because it seems like everyone at one point in their life has had a time when they enjoyed WWE and it was part of their life. All we’re trying to do is bring that back.”

WWE NXT star

Trick Williams is set to battle at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas on June 9.

(Courtesy/WWE)

Hogtrucker (Courtesy/Meg Arzaga)

HOG WILD

Vegas’ Hogtrucker strengthens his home ties on new album Hogtied

BY GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ

From the heart of the neon-lit desert reemerges Hogtrucker, also known as John Stapleton—a wizard of techno sound and genre. The path of his artistic evolution can be traced from the familiar streets of Vegas to the avenues of the Big Apple, where for two years he sought to expand his musical scope and find a personal flair.

“Moving to New York was a big catalyst to my whole DJ career,” Hogtrucker says. “It’s all dancefloor music that I love and always loved hearing in the clubs ... I thought, let me make it myself.”

these out.”

Drawing inspiration from an array of influences spanning from TR/ST to Lady Gaga, Hogtrucker’s musical journey culminates in this highly-anticipated release. Thematically, he croons about feeling tethered to certain people and aspects of his life in Vegas. Most of these ties are good, like those to his partner, and some are challenging, like his ties to the infamous Vegas party life.

June 6, 8 p.m., $25. The Wall at Area 15, area15.com.

Amidst the chaos of New York City, the vision for his new album Hogtied began to crystallize. When the Weekly last caught up with Hogtrucker in 2020, he was preparing to release his first solo EP, Diskogoth, a brooding darkwave infusion of sound—a starkly different project than the pop-forward approach he’s pursuing today.

Now, returning to his roots with a renewed sense of direction, he brings his electrifying fusion of dancefloor pop to the forefront, delivering an album that captures the essence of both his journey and the city that shaped him.

“This album has gone through so many changes with songs that have been written for a while now,” he says. “The core of [the album] would be ‘Hot Blood,’ ‘Vegas Nights’ and ‘HeartBPM.’ I kept writing songs to go along with them that didn’t work, and one day I just started spitting

But the confessions Hogtrucker wears on his sleeve. Listeners will be presented with an 8-song mix of danceable drum & bass, nightclub garage, house and more. While polishing off the final mix of Hogtied, Hogtrucker turned to London-based producer Sevenths and NYC’s Sevyn Love, whose steady hand as the creative director for the project helped to finalize it for its June 7 release.

To top it all off, Hogtrucker is hosting Vegas’ first ever Hogland at Area15 on June 6. A celebration of the record release, he’s joined by some must-see fresh acts, including Ariel Zetina, AFS, A.C. Esme, DJ Kittyboy and the previously mentioned Sevyn Love.

“Locally, I want to have more techno or just full-on DJ centered events, and I think that this will be a good push for it,” says Hogtrucker. “I want this to be like an actual techno club event, no gaps between DJs. We’re all going to mix into each other.”

HEADWINDS’ A.I.DRAWS POWER FROM HUMAN IMPERFECTION

BY GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ

 Local lo-fi garage rock outfit Headwinds bites off just the right amount to chew on latest release A.I. To be honest, the five-track EP, released in January, took a few listens to grow on me. The opening song “Desire” wastes no time introducing your ears to distanced reverbed vocals, psych-inducing guitars and punchy drums— although, its outro is drawn out longer than we expected it to be. But “Heavy Metal Blue” is the standout jammer. Its deeply detuned and slowed sound punches you in the gut while the guitar distortion feels like an alien that might take over your brain ... and before you know it, it’s cut short and we’re catapulted into another headspace on the acoustic “Melody.”

Recorded at The Alamo by Häxa’s Elias Gil and mastered by Shelco Garcia, A.I.’s tracks are digitized from a 1960s-era reel-to-reel tape recorder. The vintage gear does little for the audio’s clarity, but adds to its generally raw aesthetic. All the vocals are live takes, and according to Gil, the vocal effects were made impromptu during recording. The

machine itself picked up the sound, rather than relying on a standalone mic.

“Because of this, you can hear the old machine clunking away through the entirety of the recordings,” Gil says. Once you’ve learned that about that recording process, what seemed like a musical gaffe upon first listen becomes a part of the record’s appeal.

A.I.’s imperfections remind me that rock and roll isn’t meant to be polished. That’s one of the best things about Headwinds—they keep their sound true to themselves. And if you get a chance to catch them performing at one of our beloved dive bars, you’ll want to take a peek into their controlled madness. I’ll never get tired of seeing frontman Gady Miguel Monterroso Calix smash his guitar to pieces at their live gigs. As the set begins to close, he drops to his knees and frantically begins twisting his pedal’s knobs while strumming the guitar’s steel strings, creating an unrelenting noise from the dirty floor.

As Gil puts it, “It ain’t pretty, but it’s rock n roll.”

HOGLAND ALBUM RELEASE PARTY

FILM

LOOKING BACK TO MOVE FORWARD

The history of community radio station KCEP unfolds in a new documentary

BY SHANNON MILLER

Today, Power 88 (KCEP) broadcasts hip-hop, R&B and public service programming to 200,000 weekly listeners in Southern Nevada. 52 years ago, that all started with just 10 watts in a back closet.

A new documentary The Story of KCEP: The Little Station that Could … Not Stop tells the little-known history of the station’s beginnings and many milestones throughout the decades. It presents an opportunity to learn about “the People’s Station” that has been serving the community since 1972.

Without spoiling the juicy details, a little bit of history about KCEP: It all started when the Economic Opportunity Board of Clark County received a license from the Federal Communications Commission to have a radio station to train people in radio broadcasting. Before the station’s first general manager Marvin Logan came along, the station wasn’t really living up to its full potential.

“It wasn’t officially a radio station. They had someone just playing music,” documentary director and co-producer Craig Knight tells the Weekly. “People did hear KCEP on the air, but it was only on the air for a certain amount of hours, and would go away. It wasn’t anything official. … It was a back closet type of thing.”

Logan saw an opportunity, tracked down the Economic Opportunity Board and offered to convert the back-room operation into a legitimate studio radio station.

“It was being run out of a trailer for a few years before eventually ending up at the [Historic] Westside School,” says Knight, who has been general manager of KCEP since 2007.

The station operates out of the Historic Westside School today. And they’ve stayed true to their mission of serving the community with non-commercial, listener-supported radio. In recent years, they’ve put forward a Vote In Power cam-

paign, encouraging listeners to exercise their voting rights and providing information and pathways to do that.

“In 2020, I was hearing from a lot of senior citizens who were very disappointed. And because COVID was happening … they felt like they couldn’t participate in the election, going to the polls, because of the virus. Then there was the situation where the president at the time Donald Trump assigned a new postmaster, and the postmaster started removing [mail-sorting] machines … so they were upset that their vote might not make it with the mail-in ballot [and] might not be counted.”

That sparked the idea to have an event at the election department where everyone could drive through in their car.

The Drop It Like It’s Hot Ballot Drop-Off Parade had hundreds of cars roll through the election department, granting peace of mind to many residents who felt like their options to participate in the election were limited.

It’s just one example of how KCEP connects the community with vital information and resources.

“It’s a requirement that we have to continuously be educating the community. One of the biggest challenges is always fundraising and acquiring grants. It’s always a challenge. We are a public radio station. We sound like a commercial station, but we’re not,” Knight says.

“It’s called public radio because the public has to be invested in it.”

Knight hopes the documentary will raise awareness about how KCEP is invested in the community, and inspire people to donate. Those interested in donating can do so at their website power88lv.com.

Knight also advises keeping an eye on the website and social media accounts for announcements about future screenings of the documentary, and the station’s 52nd anniversary coming up in October.

KCEP archival photos (Vote In Power photograph, top left, by Wade Vandervort/Staff; all other photographs courtesy)

COMEDY

COMEDY CONCENTRATION

Comic and writer

Noah Gardenswartz is in the right place

BY JULIE SEABAUGH

On August 1, 2023, comic and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel writer Noah Gardenswartz moved with his comedian wife Ester Steinberg and their two young children from Los Angeles to Summerlin. Just shy of three months later, Gardenswartz, now 40, released the YouTube special Sweatpants in Perpetuity

Returning as a headliner at Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club on the Las Vegas Strip this week, Gardenswartz spoke with the Weekly about the move and what it’s like for a comedian couple to be living “across the street from a Costco and a Lifetime Fitness.”

What were the circumstances in your moving to Las Vegas?

All the work that I was getting was either on the road as a comic or could be done over Zoom. It was starting to make less sense why I needed to be in LA. When the writers’ strike happened, that was kind of the final straw, as we were deciding whether or not to renew our lease. Why am I paying so much money to rent in a

NOAH GARDENSWARTZ June 7-8, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m., $44+, Jimmy Kimmel’s Comedy Club, ticketmaster.com

(Courtesy/Mindy Tucker)

city where it seems like I’m never going to be able to afford to buy a house, where I don’t even need to be to work? Where is it affordable, we can find a school we like for our children, and you can also be a professional entertainer? Our shortlist basically came down to Atlanta and Las Vegas, and we came and visited Las Vegas. It actually happened that the very first headline weekend I got at Jimmy Kimmel’s was in April as we were deciding. So it was almost serendipitous, where I had a week to go test the waters of Vegas as we were figuring out what we were going to do.

Has the local scene grown to accommodate more numbers of professional comedians?

There are, to the best of my knowledge, I think six full-time comedy clubs in Vegas, one of which has two locations. Headline weeks are Monday through Sunday, or at least they’re running shows all seven nights a week. Then on top of that, probably half a dozen hotels have theater shows where you have major headliners from New York and LA constantly coming in, a lot of which we’re friends with and you can be an opener for. So there’s just a ton of high-level paid work.

Even in the 10 months I’ve been here, I’m seeing more comedians getting better and trying to run independent rooms or do a bar show. Suddenly there is a little bit more of an independent scene growing.

What’s good about Vegas is it does feel like a road gig. When you do a road gig, mostly everyone is from that city and the crowds take on the personality of that town. In Vegas, it’s people from all over the country, all over the world traveling here for the weekend. Instead of doing 30 cities to test your material, you have 30 different audiences coming in one night. It’s like you can condense an entire tour’s worth of experiences. Red audiences, blue audiences, old, young, rich, poor; they’re all here, and they’re all at the same show.

GEORGE CLINTON & PARLIAMENT FUNKADELIC

FRIDAY | JUNE 7

TANK

THE R&B MONEY TOUR WITH KERI HILSON & CARL THOMAS

SUNDAY | JUNE 23

DL HUGHLEY

FRIDAY | JULY 5

IL DIVO

SATURDAY | JULY 6

DINING ON PAR ON

Guy’s Grocery Games star

Robert Lomeli brings fun dishes to Atomic Golf

BY AMBER SAMPSON

Get you a chef that assigns the same amount of value and care to roasted bone marrow as he does to focaccia bread. Then, meet Atomic Golf’s new chef, Robert Lomeli.

The tattooed culinary vet is a victor of the Food Network’s Guy’s Grocery Games and has helmed the kitchens of some of Las Vegas’ best restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill at MGM Grand and the Strat’s Top of the World. When it comes to great food, Lomeli sweats the technique in the best possible way.

“I’ve worked with a lot of chefs at a lot of venues who have taught me how to treat food and how to do things correctly. The thing we did here is we focused completely on the product, we focused on the method,” Lomeli says. “Nothing is worse than going to a place and sitting down and looking at something that looks great … but by the time you eat it, you’re left with this feeling [that] something fell at.

“Every bite you take from this menu, you will look at and say, I was not expecting this.”

Lomeli’s creativity shines in everything he plates at the Downtown complex, where he’s designed three di erent menus for Atomic Golf’s VIP room, Cosmic Lounge and hitting bays. It’s not so much elevated bar food to him as it is “fun

FOOD & DRINK

food. It’s a little bit rustic with a lot of class.”

“Fun” is a signi cant understatement. Where else can you get fried chicharrón nachos, smothered in chorizo, housemade queso blanco and pickled jalapeños ? Where else can you nd bánh mì fries topped with daikon radish, spicy aioli, veggies and a juicy 12-ounce cut of Creekstone Farms New York steak?

The chef has even added a head-scratching lobster popcorn to the menu, with diced lobster tail poached in a decadent beurre monté butter sauce and then served under a mound of freshly popped popcorn seasoned with espelette pepper and black tru e powder.

With so many chef friends nearby in the Arts District, Lomeli acknowledged he needed to step his game up.

“We wanted to make sure we were complementing the neighborhood. We want to make sure we’re standing out with them and saying, you can come here, play, have a good snack, and then go see my friend down the road and have a great dinner at their restaurant and be part of that community,’” he says. “We’re trying to do the right thing by Downtown and making great food along with all these great chefs. That’s why I came to this venue with so much love.”

THREE MUST-TRY DISHES

1

Wagyu steak frites Cosmic Lounge’s take on a classic bistro favorite isn’t just a plateful of fries and protein, it’s a deep-fried and decadent experience worthy of its $74 price point. The melt-in-yourmouth imperial Wagyu strip steak is the star of this dish, amplified by a zesty spread of chimichurri over a bed of fries.

2

Paulie’s pizza Salami and pepperoni make up the dominant meats on this hardy flatbread, and it’s elevated by toppings of fresh ricotta, arugula and mozzarella. But it’s the peppery chili jam that drives those flavors home, giving this pizza a sweetness and spice so addictive, it’s impossible to share.

3 Lollipop wings Golfing and wings don’t always go hand-in-hand, and if they do it’s going to be messy. That’s why Lomeli created these lollipop wings, shaped almost like a handle so you can pull the meat clean o the bone. Just don’t forget to dunk it in some delicious house-made dressing, created from Green Island Danish blue cheese to give it “a little bit of that funkiness.”

–Amber Sampson

Robert Lomeli (Photographs by Wade Vandervort/Sta ))

POKER PARTY

The numbers behind the 2024 World Series of Poker

BY CASE KEEFER

Thousands upon thousands of cardplayers flock to Las Vegas every summer for the chance to win millions of dollars in the world’s most prestigious set of annual poker tournaments.

The World Series of Poker seems to stage a bigger spectacle each year, and the 2024 edition is no different. The constant chirping of chips and bemoaning of bad beats has taken over Horseshoe Las Vegas and Paris Las Vegas on the Strip for the third straight year as part of an eight-week extravaganza.

The $10,000 buy-in Main Event, starting July 3 this year and expected to run through July 17, annually gets the most attention as the crown jewel considered poker’s world championship, but there’s plenty else to anticipate too.

Here’s a look at the World Series of Poker by the numbers.

$403 million 99 10,043

Official tournaments for a coveted championship bracelet, running from the May 28 start to the July 21 conclusion. That’s the most ever, topping last year’s schedule of 95 live bracelet events.

23,068

Entrants in last year’s first-ever Gladiators event, which made for the second-largest live poker tournament ever. The 2019 WSOP still holds the record from when its $500 buy-in “Big 50,” which celebrated the event’s 50th anniversary, spurred 28,371 entries.

214,641

Total entrants spread across last year’s 95 events, another record that should fall this summer.

Total prize pool last year spread across the 95 events, an all-time high. With interest peaking and a larger schedule, this year’s WSOP should top it.

Entrants in the 2023 Main Event, the most ever. The WSOP had come close to breaking the 8,773-entrant bar set in 2006 on multiple occasions before, but finally smashed it last year.

$300

The smallest buy-in bracelet event ever, the “Gladiators of Poker” no-limit Hold ‘Em tournament, beginning June 6. For most of its history, the WSOP maintained a strict $1,500 buy-in minimum for its event but organizers have lowered entries aggressively to attract more skill levels over the past decade.

$250,000

This year’s biggest buy-in bracelet event, the “Super High Roller” no-limit Hold ‘Em tournament, beginning June 21. Sixty-nine of the best players in the world registered for the event last year, with former University of Oregon track star Chris Brewer ultimately prevailing for a $5.2 million first-place price.

8

Years since a Las Vegas local has won the Main Event. Qui “Tommy Gun” Nguyen was the most recent, as the highstakes gambler and Aria Poker Room regular memorably used an ultra-aggressive style to best a field of 6,737 for $8 million in 2016.

Qui Nguyen poses for photographers after winning the World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas in 2016. (AP Photo/Photo Illustration)

114

Different countries represented at last year’s WSOP, another record high. Players from 24 different countries ultimately won bracelets.

17

Career bracelets won by Phil “The Poker Brat” Hellmuth, the most of all time. Hellmuth’s most recent win came last year when he took down the $10,000 buy-in Super Turbo Bounty No-Limit Hold ‘Em tournament for $803,818. Hellmuth now has a big cushion between himself and a four-way tie for second place in the bracelet count. Phil Ivey, Erik Seidel, Johnny Chan and the late Doyle Brunson are tied for second with 10 bracelets apiece.

3

Straight years an American has won the Player of the Year award for best performance across all events on the schedule. Once considered an award for only the most well-known and wealthy players, that perception has started to change. Previous unknown Ian Matakis, a 26-year-old from Fairbault, Minnesota, claimed the prize last year by cashing in 22 events and winning a $500 buy-in online tournament.

67

Different countries have produced bracelet winners in the 54-year history of the tournament.

2

Different countries claimed bracelets for the first time last year. Pavel Plesuv got Moldova in the record books by winning the $1,500 buy-in Millionaire Maker event for $1.2 million before Thai Ha of Vietnam prevailed in the $1,500 buy-in Short Deck No-Limit Hold ‘Em tournament for $111,170.

4

Straight years an international player had won the Main Event, the longest run ever, before Daniel Weinman outlasted last year’s record field to win the first-place prize of $12.1 million. The Atlanta-based pro didn’t come out of obscurity, as he had previously won a WSOP bracelet the year before in a $1,000 buy-in Pot Limit Omaha tournament.

$22,365,691

All-time WSOP earnings by local pro Antonio Esfandiari, which currently sits first in the record books. Fellow local mainstay Daniel Negreanu is closing in, however, and only about $230,000 behind. Esfandiari has held the lead ever since winning the $1 million buy-in Big One for One Drop tournament for $18.3 million in 2012. Hellmuth sits in the third behind the pair with $17.9 million of lifetime earnings.

BY KATIE ANN MCCARVER

VEGAS INC STAFF

Graphjet Technology, a Malaysia-based company that recycles palm kernel shells to produce graphite and graphene, will construct a unique commercial and artificial graphite-production facility in Nevada.

To learn more about Graphjet, Vegas Inc asked Aiden Lee, CEO and co-founder of the business, about its proprietary technology, the Nevada facility and why clean energy is increasingly important.

Give me an overview of Graphjet Technology.

Graphjet Technology is the world’s first and only company with patented technology to recycle palm kernel shells to produce graphite and graphene.

We use palm kernel shells—an abundant natural resource in Malaysia (about 5 million metric tons per year)—that are generated in the production of palm seed oil to sustainably produce these materials for use in a range of next-gen products, such as electric vehicles, semiconductors and more. Graphite is a key and strategic material for making lithium-ion batteries, and we believe it’s more important than lithium. Produced from graphite, graphene

Q+A: AIDEN LEE

Malaysian company has vision to make Nevada a major player in the green energy market powering electric vehicles

is a revolutionary new material known for high conductivity, high strength and ultra-lightweight. It is more than 100 times stronger than steel and five times lighter than aluminum. Ultimately, our goal is to become the leading supplier of these strategic materials to the United States.

Tell me about the new green graphite facility in Nevada. What will its primary function be and how is it unique as a first-of-itskind plant?

Our green graphite facility is expected to be capable of recycling up to 30,000 metric tons of palm kernel material equivalent to produce up to 10,000 metric tons of battery-grade, artificial graphite per year to support the production of enough batteries to power more than 100,000 electric vehicles per year.

Nevada is unique because it will be the first commercial facility in the United States to process green graphite directly from agricultural waste. This facility will (serve) as our launching into the U.S. electric vehicle market, making our product more available, accessible and cost effective for our customers. In addition to our operations in Malaysia, this facility will also strengthen our global production capabilities. Further, this facility eliminates a conversion step in the production process. Our existing commercial plant in Malaysia processes palm

kernel shells into hard carbon, which is then shipped to Nevada, but by using this new facility, we will be able to produce graphite more quickly and position Graphjet as a leading supplier of graphite in the U.S.

What are the logistics of this type of facility?

The facility is expected to create more than 500 high-skilled labor positions. Graphjet expects to invest between $150 million and $200 million into the facility and is currently evaluating financing and strategic options to fund the plant. We are aiming to commission and begin production at our new facility in 2026.

Why is Nevada a good destination for a Graphjet facility of this magnitude?

Nevada is a strategic location because it is located in close proximity to a large quantity of battery manufacturers and automotive OEMs (original equipment manufacturers). These manufacturers will require a significant amount of graphite for future EV battery production, and this facility will help streamline and optimize transportation logistics.

Why is renewable energy so important, and how are Graphjet and Nevada exemplifying that?

As new technologies develop that require more innovative forms of power, we need businesses and manu-

facturers that are capable of producing such materials. At the same time, businesses need these suppliers close to home. Graphjet is helping the U.S. grow and industrialize its EV market by building a greener supply chain and a better battery materials ecosystem. This helps the global critical minerals supply chain to de-risk and to reduce its dependency on one country.

The world needs more graphite and more cost-effective supply sources … that are also sustainable. Graphjet’s technologies cut our carbon footprint by up to 83% and reduce raw material and operational costs by up to 80% compared with traditional methods. Graphjet produces 2.95 C02 emissions per KG of graphite, compared with 17 C02 with synthetic graphite in China and even 9.2 with natural graphite in Canada.

Do you have anything else to add?

We founded Graphjet to produce graphite to support the clean energy transition and EV markets. With palm kernels being a byproduct of more than 5 million tons of waste per year in Malaysia alone, we found this model could help us power the future of electric vehicle technology while significantly reducing our carbon footprint and cost.

We are poised to become the leading source of graphite for the U.S., and we look forward to investing in Nevada and creating many local green energy jobs.

Nevada is unique because it will be the first commercial facility in the United States to process green graphite directly from agricultural waste.”

VEGAS INC NOTES

Spotlighting

Project 150 , a leading nonprofit dedicated to assisting homeless, displaced and disadvantaged high school students, appointed Lorraine Kalayanaprapruit and Mike Heiman to its board of directors. Kalayanaprapruit is senior manager of sustainability and community for Venetian . Heiman is senior vice president of facilities at Fontainebleau Las Vegas

MountainView Hospital named Dr. Mark Gottlieb as its new chief medical o cer and Sonia Baughman as its new chief financial o cer. Gottlieb most recently was chief medical o cer for the physician management division of Universal Health Services, a position he held since 2019. He has overseen clinical initiatives nationally across 10 ambulatory markets and 28 UHS acute care hospitals. Baughman joins MountainView from Southern Hills Hospital and Medical Center, where she was CFO since January 2022.

During their annual Rose and Brotherhood Induction Ceremony, the Las Vegas chapter of the National Fellowship for Black and Latino Male Educators presented the inaugural Roses From Concrete Award to Kelvin Watson executive director of the Las Vegas-Clark County Library District . The award is given to pioneers and activists whose dedication, voices and advocacy have a significant, positive impact on the Black and Latino communities in Las Vegas.

Trent Jarvis is the new vice president business relationship o cer at GenuBank . He has over seven years of experience in relationship

management and business banking, including serving as business development o cer and senior branch relationship banker with Nevada State Bank.

Las Vegas-based cashless payments disruptor Marker Trax hired Wayne Waxman as its new director of marketing. He previously held roles at e-commerce startup The Shipping Store, spearheading its launch across major online retailers including Walmart.com and Amazon Canada, as well as at Coinstar, Bluetooth SIG, global testing leader Zetec, and Fortune 100 tech giant Intel.

Dee for Dentist , a dental practice embracing technological innovations and techniques to treat and manage oral care, hired Dr. Steve Lam and Dr. Ana Hu , both alumni of the UNLV School of Dental Medicine. Lam was hired at the Silverado practice, 8772 S. Maryland Parkway, and Hu at the Medical District location, 2421 W. Charleston Blvd.

Southwest Medical Hospice and Optum Palliative Care promoted Brian Greenlee , R.N., M.S.N., to executive director. He will continue to retain clinical oversight and business management of the programs.

Ovation Development Corporation and its nonprofit partner, Coordinated Living of Southern Nevada , were awarded two grants totaling $21.9 million from Clark County Community Housing Funds for the development of two a ordable housing projects. Combined, the two projects will bring nearly 600 a ordable apartments to Southern Nevada.