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THIS WEEK’S COVER 10 SUPERGUIDE
Drai’s turns into a comedy club, Zombie Rumble brings classic cars and entertainment to Area15 and more this week.
18
WEEKLY Q&A
Poet James Norman blends personal stories with sharp political insight and a modern take on activism.
22 COVER STORY
Turning 65 this month, the “deliberately different” gas station and convenience store chain Terrible’s continues growing and serving communities.
30 NEWS
As Clark County and Nevada put millions toward affordable housing, developers focus on solutions for seniors.
Alejandro Fernández and more Latin artists are coming to Vegas for El Grito. (Courtesy/ Bernardo Garcia)
Peso Pluma at T-Mobile, the Rumbazo festival Downtown and more Latin music events abound for Mexican Independence Day weekend.
38 FOOD & DRINK
UnCommons’ newest restaurant Siempre, J.B. takes diners on a culinary tour through Mexico.
SPORTS
Expectations soar for the Sphere’s first live sporting event, Riyadh Season Noche UFC.
Photographs by Wade Vandervort
Photo Illustration
SUPERGUIDE
DRAI’S COMEDY CLUB
You probably don’t remember because you haven’t been around this long, but well before Drai’s was a rooftop hip-hop destination on the Las Vegas Strip, it was the hottest afterhours basement club in Vegas history (and still is). And before that, it was a super swanky restaurant and lounge that got wilder as the night went on. It seems like this Drai’s space has done it all, but it’s got a new trick to pull from its sleeve this week: stand-up comedy. The limited run of Drai’s Comedy Club brings funnymen Mario Hodge, Gary “G Thang” Johnson and D’Lai to the basement for the inaugural performances and continues every Thursday, Friday and Saturday through mid-October. Considering that our favorite Vegas comedy clubs share those intimate, late-night, anything-can-happen vibes, we expect Drai’s to do it right. Thru 9/14, 7 & 10 p.m., $60. Drai’s After Hours at the Cromwell, draisgroup.com. –Brock Radke
TENPENNY With The Castellows, 8 p.m., Theater at Virgin, axs.com.
HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH EXHIBITION
Thru 11/2, daily
9 a.m.-4 p.m., Las Vegas Natural History Museum, lvnhm.org
DUKE DUMONT 10:30 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com
MURDA BEATZ 10:30 p.m., Tao Nightclub, taogroup.com
RUMBAZO FESTIVAL
Regardless if you know Bad Bunny from J Balvin, one thing we can all agree on is that in Vegas, Latin music is huge. The third annual Rumbazo festival ushers in Mexican Independence Day weekend with a star-packed lineup of Latin artists. Nicky Jam leads the pack as a distinguished musician who’s been operating as a reggaeton romeo since the mid-’90s. Other headliners include Latin Grammy nominee Arcángel and his Latin trap partner De La Ghetto; regional Mexican singer Luis R. Conriquez, whose collaborations with La Adictiva and Peso Pluma have catapulted him into the limelight; Tijuana’s corridos hitmaker Codiciado and many more. Previous Rumbazos have featured the likes of Omar Apollo, Maluma and Jay Wheeler, and this year organizers promise an even more grand two-day show, complete with food, lowriders and a lot of cerveza. 5 p.m., & 9/14, $65-$105, Downtown Las Vegas Events Center, rumbazofest.com. –Amber Sampson
PINK
With Sheryl Crow, The Script, DJ KidCutUp, 6:30 p.m., Allegiant Stadium, ticketmaster.com
With Audio Karate, Rookie of the Year, 8 p.m., Backstage Bar & Billiards, seetickets.us
THE CHAINSMOKERS
With Charly Jordan, 11 a.m., Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial.com
10:30 p.m., Zouk Nightclub, zoukgrouplv.com
SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA
10:30 p.m., XS Nightclub, wynnsocial.com
ZEDD 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup.com
SUPERGUIDE
SUNDAY SEP 15
FUERZA REGIDA
8 p.m., T-Mobile Arena, axs.com
ARTECIOPELADOS & ELEFANTE
7 p.m., House of Blues, concerts. livenation.com
ROCCO
7 p.m., & 9/16, the Wall at Area15, area15.com
CRISTELA ALONZO
8 p.m., Westgate International Theater, ticketmaster.com
DOMBRESKY 11:30 a.m., LIV Beach, livnightclub.com
LAS VEGAS ACES VS. CONNECTICUT SUN
3 p.m., Cashman Field, axs.com.
ZOMBIE RUMBLE FESTIVAL
Who knew punk rock and classic cars went so well together? Dragstrip Zombies CC, apparently. The national car club brings its first Zombie Rumble to Area15, o ering a show in the Quad of more than a hundred hot rods, food, drinks, and live, sweaty punk music. Hardcore vets like Face to Face will headline in the A-Lot, alongside the female-fronted five-piece Tsunami Bomb and Los Angeles punk outfit The Bronx. Those who only want to attend the car show can buy tickets separately, but if you want the full outbreak experience, spring for the full festival. Noon, $25-$35, Area15, area15.com. –Amber Sampson
MONDAY SEP 16 DO IT ALL
TODD REXX With Agostino Zoida, thru 9/22, 8 p.m., LA Comedy Club, bestvegascomedy. com
DJ DRAMA 10:30 p.m., Jewel Nightclub, taogroup.com
SWAN CHARISSE 7:30 p.m., Backstage Bar & Billiards, dice.fm
PATTY POWERS 7 p.m., Maxan Jazz, maxanjazz.com
TONY SGRO & THE HEIST
7 p.m., Composers Room, thecomposersroom. com
SUPERGUIDE
TUESDAY SEP 17
WEDNESDAY SEP 18
THE CHER SHOW Thru 9/22, 7:30 p.m. (& 9/21-9/22, 2 p.m.), Reynolds Hall, thesmithcentevr. com.
(Courtesy/Meredith Mashburn Photography)
LAS VEGAS AVIATORS VS. EL PASO CHIHUAHUAS Thru 9/21, 7 p.m., Las Vegas Ballpark, ticketmaster.com
PLASTICIAN With Beast Fremont, Mugen, 10 p.m., Discopussy, posh.vip
MIKEY FRANCIS 10:30 p.m., Omnia Nightclub, taogroup.com
FILMS: FITZCARRALDO, BURDEN OF DREAMS
Listen up, Werner Herzog-heads, because the Beverly Theater’s got a real barnburner for you today. At 4 p.m., they’re screening Herzog’s 1982 film Fitzcarraldo, whose title character is an arts-obsessed European madman (played by Klaus Kinski) who pushes a 320-ton steamship up and over a hillside deep in the Amazon. And at 9 p.m. comes Burden of Dreams, a 1982 documentary about the making of Fitzcarraldo ... which means that it, too, is about an arts-obsessed European madman—Herzog, playing himself, as only he should—pushing that damn steamship up the hillside for real. It’s not a double bill per se, but you’ll have just enough time to see the first movie, get a nice dinner, then come back to hear Herzog say of the jungle, “The trees here are in misery, and the birds are in misery. I don’t think they sing. They just screech in pain. It’s an unfinished country. It’s still prehistorical. … It is not that I hate it. I love it.” 4 p.m. & 9 p.m., $13 per screening, Beverly Theater, thebeverlytheater.com. –Geo Carter
LIONEL RICHIE 8 p.m., & 9/21, Encore Theater, ticketmaster.com
SAN GENNARO FEAST Thru 9/22, times vary, M Resort, sangennarofeast. com
SNAKEHIPS 10 p.m., Encore Beach Club, wynnsocial.com
James Norman blends personal stories with sharp political insight and a modern take on activism
BY GABRIELA RODRIGUEZ
James Norman’s first encounter with the realities of politics came during his early adolescence. While other kids were concerned with school and playing, Norman was learning about blood diamonds and civil wars from a Liberian refugee who became like a second mother to him.
“This woman that I loved very dearly and was a huge part of my life had her life severely damaged by this luxury item with a completely inflated value,” he says.
It was then he understood that diplomacy isn’t some far-off looming matter—it’s personal, and it shapes lives in ways you can’t ignore. That fire has been burning in him since, and it’s what fueled his fifth poetry collection, How to Set Yourself on Fire and Call It Art
But Norman doesn’t scream his views from a podium. His verses aren’t about grandeur, complex stanzas or hollow activism. He writes
about people, about the everyday struggles of those caught in the crossfire of a world that feels like it’s falling apart. He writes with a modern voice that doesn’t mimic the past. It’s raw, relatable and deeply rooted in situations he’s witnessed and participated in.
The son of a Navy man and a preacher’s daughter turned journalist, Norman has lived and worked everywhere and nowhere—marijuana fields in the hills of California, ships at sea, rundown mansions in South Texas and on miles of open roads. At 39, he’s settled into a steadier rhythm and—besides the restlessness of his own pen—he’s been busy helping writers get published through independent company Zeitgeist Press, touring with fellow author Daryl Gussin, slinging cocktails Downtown, and tanging with underground art projects that serve a greater purpose. With another two-week poetry tour coming up this November, it’s clear Norman hasn’t shaken the itch to keep moving and living.
(Christopher DeVargas/Sta )
Q+A THE WEEKLY Q&A
The title, How to Set Yourself on Fire and Call It Art, and the cover art set up the book di erently in my mind than when I was reading through it.
Can you tell me how this collection came together?
This one was written around the time that Trump was [ rst] running. The political is always the personal and I thought that we were reaching a point where, because of aggregation, social media tools and AI, we’re losing connection to the personal part of our experiences. I wanted to write something that addressed some of the problems of this era but I wanted to do it in a way that felt lived in.
You always want to go big with titles.
Thích Quang Đuc is the monk who’s on the Rage Against the Machine album cover and I’ve always been fascinated that something so self-destructive can be a form of resistance and love. There’s a little bit of a self-destructive streak in all artists I’ve ever met. And the subject matter … I’m not a big fan of government structures and constructs but I deeply believe in people… I tell these small stories because you can be critical while sharing interpersonal relationships.
What’s so refreshing about this collection is it’s a modern voice with these ties to an old way of living that a lot of people can’t even imagine. Traveling across the country, living in a van, hopping trains, all that.
But they can. It’s so easy to blow your life up. All you have to do is pull the pin on the grenade. Here’s a good piece of advice for young writers: Don’t read more than you live. Try to keep it balanced. You should read a lot. But you gotta live a lot too or else you won’t know anything for real. You’ll just have read a bunch of sh**.
Do you feel that any of your beliefs align with what your parents taught you growing up?
It’s funny—here’s the thing that couldn’t even happen today. My mom is and has always been a Democrat. My dad Republican. They’re very traditional party people and that used to not be the end of the universe … I don’t think you can do that today.
My theory is that democracy is su ering from entropic loss. Things used to swing and that’s just a natural byproduct. It’s the physics of a system that doesn’t have new ideas being brought in. So until we get out of a two-party system, there’s nothing that can change the stasis we’ve reached. That’s the part of me that’s an anarchist.
A liberal is someone that believes that, if the world changes, it will get better. A conservative is someone who believes that the world changes and it’ll get worse. Both are completely natural responses to new stimulus that comes out of our lives. Like our upbringing, maybe the traumas we’ve dealt with are our conditioning. The conservative response is often, “We have to stop the world from changing.” The most basic principle of the universe is that change happens. To me, it makes sense to embrace certain parts of a liberal ideology, because you cannot prevent change from happening. You’re either going to be a victim of change, or you can be a participant.
UNIVERSITY OF NEVADA, LAS VEGAS
Malcolm Gladwell, Author and Podcaster
Revenge of the Tipping Point: Overstories, Superspreaders, and the Rise of Social Engineering
Tuesday, October 8, 2024 7:30 p.m.
Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall
Tickets ONLY available at the UNLV Performing Arts Center Box Office, Tuesday–Saturday 12 p.m. – 6 p.m. For information, call (702) 895-ARTS, but tickets cannot be reserved by phone.
UNLV Faculty, Staff and Students may obtain tickets beginning at 12 p.m. on Wednesday, September 4. A valid UNLV Rebelcard is required.
The General Public may obtain tickets beginning at 12 p.m. on Saturday, September 7.
TERRIBLE’S MARKS 65 YEARS OF SUCCESS, GROWTH AND CONNECTION
COMMUNITY CONVENIENCE COMMUNITY CONVENIENCE
BY BROCK RADKE
Terrible’s is so ingrained in the collective consciousness of Southern Nevada that locals barely even noticed when the company changed the name of its 150 stores in the Las Vegas Valley.
It happened only two years ago. After growing to more than 180 locations throughout Nevada, California, Utah and Arizona, the family-operated company decided to make a major branding shift and abandon the longtime label of Terrible Herbst.
“After a lot of market research here and across the country, we found that everyone was calling us Terrible’s, even though Terrible Herbst was the name of the store,” says Bryan Breeden, vice president of advertising and marketing. “That’s just what the community knew us as.”
So all the signs and employee uniforms and countless other elements were simpli ed under the Terrible’s banner at all
those convenience stores and gas stations, as well as 80 car wash spots. The patriotic red, white and blue color scheme didn’t change, nor did the prominent American ags ying at nearly every location.
And Mr. Terrible is still around, the mustachioed mascot sometimes known as “the best bad guy in the west,” an enduring symbol of the irony of the company’s name. The story of that name goes back to the time when Terrible’s rst began expanding into the west, long after founder Ed Herbst opened his rst gas station in Chicago in 1938.
“One of his rst stations was in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and that’s where the Terrible’s name was born,” explains his grandson, Tim Herbst. “He was a real aggressive marketer, always dropping his prices and one of the pioneers of self-serve gas stations. The story goes that once he had his opening in Cheyenne, one of his competitors said now that
this ‘terrible s.o.b.’ was doing business, he was going to sell his station and leave. And a guy who was working for my grandfather put up a sign at the station that said Terrible’s, and that’s how it stuck.”
The westward expansion continued and Ed’s son Jerry Herbst took over the company in 1959, incorporating in Las Vegas under the name Terrible Herbst and establishing three gas stations here by the end of the year. There was no indication then, 65 years ago, that Las Vegas would grow into the city it is today, or that Terrible’s would become such a successful, diverse company
and a ubiquitous part of the community—a convenience store in a city of convenience, somehow connected to its inhabitants in a more meaningful way.
“I think it evolved,” says Tim Herbst, who continues to anchor the company along with his brothers Ed and Troy, three Vegas-born sons of Jerry Herbst. “You either had a gas station with no convenience store or a store with no gas, and then in the ’80s everyone was putting them together. We tried to make ours almost like going to the supermarket once a week, where we had enough products that if you missed
(Courtesy)
something at that store, we can give you that product.”
The idea of filling specific community needs grew to include much more deep and broad endeavors, “giving back to the city that has been very good to us,” he says. “The Strip made this town and made everybody, raised the quality of life and brought jobs and made it such a wonderful city. It’s ten times better now than it was when we were raised here and has so much more to offer.”
If you grew up in Las Vegas visiting Terrible’s to get your car washed or your oil changed or just to pick up a snack and a drink, you probably remember seeing that sticker on the front door indicating the store was a safe place. The stores have been aligned with the National Safe Place Network’s mission to help local youth in crisis for decades,
and that’s one of many outreach and philanthropy initiatives to strengthen the company’s bonds with locals. Mr. Terrible’s Round Up is an ongoing program encouraging customers to donate $1 or $3 at the register to benefit the Las Vegas Chapter of Speedway Children’s Charities, which funds various organizations that meet the needs of children throughout Southern Nevada.
“We are passionate about being members of this community and we pride ourselves on being obsessively focused on our team members and customers,” says Breeden. “We’re across four states and we do very specific community and philanthropy programs in each state.” He also points out the Terrible’s Cares UNLV scholarship program that supports a new incoming student each year.
(Courtesy)
Matt Osa, Terrible’s chief operating officer, says the company’s established practice of surveying customers and local organizations in order to supply specific products to suit the needs of various communities became even more important during the COVID pandemic.
“We were fortunate enough to be considered essential,” Osa says. “The community has allowed us to grow and our goal every day is to support the community. As we grow they grow. COVID was truly an eye opener in how we could support them in their time of need, and it was nice to be open and help the residents of Las Vegas during that time.”
The Herbst family’s involvement in off-road desert racing runs parallel to the company’s brand and ideals and has played a role in that community con-
nection as well. Jerry Herbst, who passed away in 2018, and friend and Las Vegas residential developer Mart Collins founded Terrible Herbst Motorsports, and Ed and Tim Herbst became the all-time winningest team in SCORE Trophy Truck history.
Troy Herbst dominated SCORE Class 1 for years.
“Off-road racing is sort of a big family by itself,” Troy Herbst says. “It’s a passionate community. You’re out there against the environment and it keeps you sharp and thinking. It’s not like [racing] on a NASCAR track.
“I think racing is just in our DNA, from my father to Ed, Tim and I, and our kids. We want to win every day in business and we also love the competition in racing. My dad wanted to keep us together as a family and I think keep us way from any bad environments, and
A Terrible’s sign at the Neon Museum Boneyard (Wade Vandervort/Staff)
The Neon Riley Herbst, #98, son of Troy Herbst. (Courtesy)
Company founder Jerry Herbst (left) and his sons (left to right) Ed, Tim and Troy attend a ceremony marking Terrible’s takeover of three Primm casinos in spring 2007. (Steve Marcus/Staff)
COMMUNITY CONVENIENCE
TERRIBLE’S
MARKS 65 YEARS
“We are big supporters of charities involving kids and veterans. That family connection, spending time with family and racing with their boys out in the desert, it’s really what we are as a company.”
–Matt Osa, Terrible’s chief operating officer
we were always doing something as a family. My mom wishes it would have been tennis.”
Osa says desert racing has added a lot to the company. “We are big supporters of charities involving kids and veterans. That family connection, spending time with family and racing with their boys out in the desert, it’s really what we are as a company,” he says. “The tenure of our employees is significant and it’s very important to us that everyone feels like part of a family. We’re north of 3,000 employees now, and we work hard on engagement to keep that connection with the next generation of customers.”
Terrible’s Casino in Primm in 2009. (Steve Marcus/ Staff)
Through the years, Terrible’s has developed many more ways to stay engaged with current and future customers. Just as established as the gas stations, convenience stores, lube and oil stations and car washes, Terrible’s Gaming includes 270 locations in Southern Nevada at Albertsons and Vons markets in addition to its own stores, and at Terrible’s casinos in Pahrump, Searchlight, Indian Springs and Fernley—or use the Terrible’s Mobile Gaming app anywhere. Terrible’s brought White Castle to Las Vegas, opening in 2015 at Casino Royale on the Strip and adding five locations since then. “Las Vegas didn’t need another McDonald’s,” says Troy Herbst. “We had an opportunity with Casino Royale and we didn’t really know what to do but we looked around the country to find something iconic for the 50-yard line of the Strip. And I still think we’re the only group—White Castle doesn’t franchise so we have a licensing agreement, but it’s been a fantastic relationship, and great to bring something different to the Valley.”
In recent years Terrible’s has
expanded more prominently into the neighborhood tavern business, operating the Ridge on Hualapai Way, Millside Tavern on Losee Road in North Las Vegas, Rocky’s on Maryland Parkway, and Skye Bar & Grill on West Skye Canyon Park Drive, and creating the WSKY brand with three locations in Inspirada, on Warm Springs Road and near Allegiant Stadium.
“We could have gotten into that and played the game like everybody played, but we wanted to allow people to have an elevated tavern-food experience in a place that is truly designed uniquely,” says Osa. “We were one of the first to put windows in a tavern and that was a big choice. It’s about having the opportunity to relax and enjoy your time there, have food and cocktails and sit at a slot machine if you choose to, but really have this engagement with social activities.”
He says the future of Terrible’s will include opportunities to do business across the southwest beyond Las Vegas, and the massive 50,000-square-foot travel center the company debuted in Jean in 2018 could be an indication of what comes next for the gas station-convenience store hybrid.
But there’s still plenty of room to grow in the Valley, and there are more younger members of the Herbst family getting involved in the business, ready to sustain that growth and maintain the company’s core values.
“Tim’s two kids graduated from [college] and both are here working, and they’re like sponges,” Troy Herbst says. “They are really a breath of fresh air, they’re working their butts off, it’s great to see. I know my dad would be very proud to see those kids in the office grabbing onto it so quickly.”
IN THE NEWS
“This feels just right. The explosion of growth in our Valley that has brought renewed energy to our hospitality, gaming, conventions, entertainment and sporting worlds needs to extend to our own citizens. We need to care for all of those that make other people’s dreams come true. We need our own dreams to come true.”
- Elaine Wynn, speaking September 4 at Las Vegas City Hall, where the City Council approved the sale of land for the construction of the Las Vegas Museum of Art
LIT SIGN The Neon Museum and YESCO will celebrate actress Debbie Reynolds’ Las Vegas legacy by lighting the sign for her Hollywood Hotel, which opened on Convention Center Drive in 1993. The celebration, to be held at the museum October 9, will see the restored sign lit up for the first time in three decades. (The Neon Museum/Courtesy)
BY THE NUMBERS
7,906
That’s how many people the Southern Nevada Continuum of Care counted as experiencing homelessness during the annual point-in-time count in January, marking a 20% increase since 2023 and the third year in a row that the number of unhoused residents has increased in Clark County.
CULTURE
A long-awaited major art museum in Las Vegas is closer to becoming a reality after Las Vegas City Council members approved the $1 sale of 1.5 acres in Symphony Park for the construction of the Las Vegas Museum of Art.
The city is working with the new museum, which has partnered with the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) to stand up the $150 million venue. In a teary-eyed presentation to council members, benefactor and LACMA co-chair Elaine Wynn said the museum will provide a space for the community to gather and enjoy.
“During this time in postCOVID history where there are increased feelings of isolation and loneliness, we desperate-
Art museum plans unveiled
ly need this. It’s this concept, creating more community, that’s inspired me to marshal one last e ort of leadership to show my gratitude to the city I love, that has given me so much,” Wynn told council members.
According to city sta , the 90,000-square-foot building at South City Parkway and Symphony Park Avenue will have three exhibition spaces, a gift shop, cafe, outdoor public space, small theater and lobby. Wynn also announced the building’s architect, Francis Kéré, a native of Burkina Faso who won the Pritzker Prize in 2022. Museum director Heather Harmon detailed the building’s planned features.
“Embedded in the DNA of the building are thoughtful references to Las Vegas. The
light permeating through the exterior triangles is a nod to Paul Williams’ Guardian Angel Cathedral; the stone, inspired by a visit to a local quarry, and a reference to Red Rock and our natural surroundings,” she said.
Councilman Cedric Crear, whose ward includes the land for the museum, said he expected it to be a “world-class facility.”
“This is something that is long overdue. We, in the past, have always been considered a city of bright lights and entertainment and gambling, and not much of culture. And we’ve completely shifted that paradigm. And this is just one step toward that,” he said.
Harmon said the museum is looking at breaking ground in 2026, with hopes of opening in 2028. –Shannon Miller
In battleground states like Nevada—where fewer than 10% of votes could sway the outcome of November’s elections—experts are focusing on a community that can cause an electoral shift: new Americans. Las Vegas locals and community organizers gathered September 9 to raise awareness on how naturalized citizens can make their votes count. “Removing barriers to opportunity and ensuring everybody has access to an economy that works for all, ensuring that we can have good lives for our community and our family members is top of mind,” said Nicole Melaku, executive director of the National Partnership for New Americans. Since the last presidential election, more than 41,368 Nevada adults have become naturalized citizens, according to estimates from the U.S. Immigration Policy Center at the University of California, San Diego. When deciding between Joe Biden and Donald Trump in the 2020 race, it came down to about 33,600 votes in Nevada, according to the secretary of state. –Haajrah Gilani
GOLDEN KNIGHTS HAVE DEVELOPED FAN BASE SOUTH OF THE BORDER
Less than a month out from the start of the NHL season, the Vegas Golden Knights reached out to the Latino community by hosting multiple clinics and fan events in Mexico for a week. The franchise set up shop in San Lorenzo Coacalco in central Mexico and Monterrey in the northwest part of the country as part of its “LosVGK” initiative.
In a country with just 14 indoor rinks and a population of 131 million, it wouldn’t seem like Mexico is a hotbed for hockey, let alone a place where an NHL team has fans.
Diego De La Garma, the coach of the Mexican national hockey team, said he doesn’t know if it’s the Vegas Golden Knights logo, jersey or because the team recently won the Stanley Cup, but the team is wildly popular in Mexico.
“We’ve got around 400 kids that have signed up for the clinics. I’m getting emails, messages and stu like that every single day, all day long, about the VGK fanfest they’re going to be hosting here,” Garma said.
Lopez believes the Golden Knights’ trip to Mexico could open the door to possible preseason games in the country.
“The fact of having these brands, these names behind us and trying to get a touch of the game, it’s going to be huge,” Garma said. –Jack Williams
(Kéré Architecture/Courtesy)
SENIOR SOLUTIONS
Affordable housing developers focus on making space for seniors in Southern Nevada
BY AMBER SAMPSON
A 71-year-old retiree, Catherine Singer can’t say enough good things about her home at Capriccio Senior Apartments. It’s a little slice of post-work paradise.
The grounds are something straight out of a resort-style villa, all open floor plans and lush lawns. The resident services coordinator who orchestrates fun activities for tenants onsite is “fantastic.” The shuttle that pops in every Monday to transport residents to do their shopping is invaluable. And the food that’s delivered to her doorstep by Three Square’s Golden Groceries program is a major bonus.
“It’s way better than living in a regular apartment, or a home,” says Singer, a Las Vegan for more than 20 years. “It’s a totally different environment.”
It’s also a far cry from her previous condo, where she forked over extra money every month to cover utilities on top of rent. At the Ovation-owned Capriccio, electricity, water and trash are included expenses, and that alone has been a godsend for Singer, who’s on a fixed income.
For family members, this style of living is a portrait of leisure. For the seniors in their lives, it’s a portrait of independence.
“It means a lot,” Singer said. “I mean, what would you do if you didn’t have it? You’d have to live with your kids. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but you feel like a burden. … It gives you that freedom and you feel good about yourself.”
Development Corp.)
Not every senior’s housing hunt has been as successful. Depending on the Ovation property, an interested tenant could be put on a wait list for two years or more. Singer lucked out by putting her name in before Capriccio opened, but spots fill up fast. Wait lists can range from 100 to 200 people per project.
Compound that issue with the fact that Nevada has the worst affordable housing shortage in the nation, according to the National
Low Income Housing
Coalition.
The Silver State is experiencing a shortage of more than 78,000 affordable housing units, and that’s cause for serious concern.
“When we’re looking at a housing shortage of around 65,000 just in Southern Nevada, 80,000 in all of Nevada, how do we get enough units built? Affordable units are just the tip of the iceberg,” said Jess Molasky, chief operating officer of Ovation Development Corpo-
ration. “We really need to bring in lots more supply in general and really get that in the ground ASAP.” In a 2024 report, the National Low Income Housing Coalition revealed that Nevada had 14 affordable units available for every 100 extremely low-income households. Seniors make up 31% of extremely low-income household renters in the U.S. And with long wait lists, limited income and shrinking housing inventory, they’re at risk
A rendering of an Ovation tiny home. (Courtesy/Ovation
From left, Las Vegas City Councilwoman Nancy Brune, Clark County Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick, COO for Ovation Development Corporation Jess Molasky, Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo, chairman and founder of Ovation Development Corporation Alan Molasky, Nevada State Treasurer Zach Conine and assistant VP for Bank of America Merrill Lynch AJ Welch participate in the groundbreaking ceremony for Ovation Development Corporation’s newest senior affordable housing community in northwest Las Vegas on August 5, 2024. (Staff/Christopher DeVargas)
of being left behind.
Several grants have been issued to address the general need, including a $50 million grant by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to restore the Marble Manor Apartments in the Historic Westside. In May, Clark County Commissioners approved $66 million for nine applicants to build low-income housing. Among those applicants were Coordinated Living of Southern Nevada (CLSN)
and its partner Ovation, which has six new projects in the pipeline, according to Molasky, including a 194-unit senior housing community by South Las Vegas Boulevard and Bruner Avenue.
For more than 40 years, Ovation has become an integral part of the housing solution with 15 affordable housing communities. Last month, the company broke ground on a new $78 million senior housing project in the northwest, adding to its ever-growing inventory of senior-focused developments that provide care and dignity to its residents.
“Every week, we’re feeding a lot of the residents. We take them to doctor’s appointments or there’s a doctor’s office onsite,” Molasky said of the wraparound services that Ovation and CLSN provide. “Then beyond that, we do fun stuff. We have a gardening club. We have a walking club. We play bingo. We’re trying to build community. We’re not just trying to build apartments.”
Ovation’s Decatur Rome Se-
nior Apartments, expected to be completed by 2025, will feature 38 tiny homes and 238 apartments, of which 180 will be marketed to seniors raking in less than 49% of the Area Median Income (AMI) and 96 units for those making less than 59% of AMI. The project, partially funded by the Clark County Community Housing Fund and the state’s $500 million Home Means Nevada Initiative, also sits on land formerly owned by the federal government.
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo has been vocal about the need for more affordable housing, specifically in letters to President Joe Biden where he’s called for a more streamlined approach to making federally owned land available for affordable housing development. Around 85% of Nevada is federally owned, but getting to the point of actually building on it can take years.
At the groundbreaking for Decatur Rome, the governor acknowledged Ovation’s project as a positive step forward, but more is
still needed.
“This issuance of federal land, in partnership with Clark County and the State of Nevada, is locally undervalued. It’s locally short of what we need to achieve as a community within the state,” Lombardo said.
“I think it’s important for people to realize the lift that is needed to ensure that we have housing for people in need. We’re doing everything we can, with our efforts and our ability, to ensure that we increase upon the inventory, and this is all a part of it.”
More solutions are imminent. Lombardo said the state has “more than 4,000 affordable rental homes in the Nevada Housing Division pipeline, which will increase our overall affordable inventory by 10%.”
Nevada State Treasurer Zach Conine also said the Board of Finance is putting “more money into affordable housing than ever before.”
“It’s my pleasure to see another almost 300 units in our inventory,” Conine said. “God knows we need it, and we need it now.”
THE STRIP
¡VIVA LAS VEGAS!
Mega music events continue to expand Mexican Independence Day
BY BROCK RADKE
If it seems to you like there’s no limit to the volume of mega-sized concerts and entertainment events wedged in and around the Las Vegas Strip during the annual Mexican Independence Day weekend celebration, you’re not alone. As far as we can see, this phenomenon gets bigger every year. Sid Greenfeig concurs with our take—and as senior vice president of concerts for Live Nation Las Vegas, putting it all together is a big part of his job.
“Whenever we get to this time of the year, I look at my wife and say, ‘Let’s reconnect in October, because I’m going to be at work,’” Greenfeig jokes. “We work diligently in booking this weekend pretty far out in advance, and a lot of these artists are heritage acts, someone like Alejandro Fernández who’s been here the last 22 years performing in the city. When you start talking about future years, it’s almost become a tent pole for these artists on their tours. It’s a tradition that we’ve continued to develop and grow.”
Live Nation alone is responsible for 37 Latin music and comedy shows taking place in Las Vegas in the days surrounding the September 16 holiday, including Fernández’s concerts at MGM Grand Garden Arena (Sep. 14-15), the Los Bukis residency shows at Dolby Live (Sep. 13, 14, 18, 20 & 21), Banda MS at Michelob Ultra Arena (Sep. 13), Fuerza Regida at T-Mobile Arena (Sep. 15) and Cuco at Brooklyn Bowl (Sep. 14).
Other major concerts this weekend include Lucero & Mijares at Resorts World Theatre (Sep. 13), Grupo Duelo at the Theater at Virgin Hotels Las Vegas (Sep. 13), the Rumbazo Festival at the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center (Sep. 13-14) and Carin Leon at Michelob Ultra Arena (Sep. 14).
As Latin music has taken over the global charts in recent years, more up-and-coming and major Latin artists have visited Las Vegas at other times of year, Greenfeig notes. But like country music during rodeo
(All photos/Courtesy)
week in December, Latin sounds are omnipresent in September, and this year’s lineup is bolstered by more than legacy artists like Los Bukis, Grupo Firme, Emmanuel and Gloria Trevi. Peso Pluma, arguably the biggest name in regional Mexican music right now, makes a tour stop at T-Mobile Arena on September 13.
“The arrival of an artist like Peso Pluma ... helps bring a younger fan base to continue this tradition,” Greenfeig says. “It’s fantastic to see the evolution of what used to be the same acts growing and changing and giving fans options that run the gamut.
“To have Los Bukis here [this weekend] is also really special. They are basically the Beatles of Mexican music and for all of us to believe we can maintain and grow and create this rst-ever Latin-speaking residency, it’s massive. And the guys love the experience here, and it’s de nitely opening doors for other artists.”
For many years, celebrating this holiday in Las Vegas revolved around Mexican and other tourists coming to town to enjoy entertainment along with a major boxing event. That’s happening again with Canelo Álvarez vs. Edgar Berlanga at T-Mobile, plus the UFC 306 event at Sphere (see page 42), both on September 14.
But it feels like music may have overtaken sports as the primary attraction during this annual celebration on the Strip.
“I think it can be compared to other big Vegas weekends, but what makes it unique is there are not many cities in the U.S. I can think of where you can have 15-20 shows in the span of three days,” Greenfeig says. “I can’t think of any other market that can support that, plus these are high dollar values. You have Canelo ghting, UFC getting behind this at Sphere and hundreds of thousands of fans in town.
“It’s amazing how this city can handle what it does on a week-toweek basis and then to have over 100,000 fans pouring into this city with that commonality to see Latin music and heritage and ghters and just be part of the celebration.”
MUSIC
“It was after I got out of my first relationship, so naturally when you’re 16 and that happens, you feel like the world is fu**ing ending. The things that I would write would be very passionate, and it kind of merged into poetry without me realizing it.”
After graduation, Saara started recording her own music, quickly compiling a catalog of singles that process first loves over lush guitar strings (“Time 4 U”), tackle insecurities (“Bravado”) and explore emotionally unavailable people (“Daisy”).
Those familiar with R&B mainstays like SZA and Jhené Aiko will hear similarities in Saara’s tenderly lilting vocals, but an even greater inspiration has always been Raveena, an Indian American R&B star influenced by Bollywood, Billie Holiday and Bjork.
“She’s such a spiritual artist that I resonate with so much. I love how she’ll intertwine so many different beautiful aspects of our culture into everything that she’s doing in a way that I’ve also kind of aspired to,” says Saara. “I think she’s so cool, and it’s just a cool thing to see a South Asian woman on a f**king Coachella stage.”
The importance of Raveena’s representation— a rarity in R&B— isn’t lost on Saara, who is also Indian American.
“But I don’t think it ever necessarily deterred me. If anything, it excited me,” she says. “Not only is it emboldening to be able to strive to be one of the first people to do it, it’s also exciting to see how I’m able to do it on my own.”
FOR THE CULTURE
Vegas R&B singer Saara creates a candid catalog of love and heartbreak while honoring her Indian American roots
BY AMBER SAMPSON
Saara has no patience for the parties. The Las Vegas musician says as much in her R&B dance hit “Clockwork,” where she sings about sloppy women slipping out of their heels and drunken men slipping on their words.
It’s a song of repetition, born out of a love for Kaytranada beats and the nightmarish realization that she’s been stuck in a perpetual loop for far too long.
“I’m in my car, zooming the hell out and looking at my life and thinking about where I’ve been. This all feels very monotonous. I feel like I’m doing
the same exact thing every weekend,” she says. “I feel tired. I feel drained. Then I gradually started painting the picture and complaining about what it was that I felt was draining me, which was the same environment, the same music.”
The 25-year-old’s ability to assign that feeling to words, under the guise of an infectiously catchy club beat, places her in a league of young, contemplative artists who have something to say and aren’t afraid to do it while making you dance.
“I remember distinctly where it started. It was my first heartbreak,” Saara says of her songwriting.
Saara harkens back to her heritage in a forthcoming music video for her single “Daisy,” where she films herself singing while getting her eyebrows threaded in a local shop. It’s something the artist says she’s been wanting to do for years, and while it was tough to keep her composure (“Did you see how bloodshot my eyes were? I’m like, trying not to cry.”), the pain was worth the homage to her upbringing.
“Eyebrow threading shops feel so closely correlated to who I am in such a weird, minor but major way,” Saara says. “When I first started high school my mom let me actually start getting my eyebrows threaded. But obviously it’s a staple of South Asian culture. You go to most threading shops and it’s a brown lady that’s gonna thread your eyebrows and get you right.”
As if she wasn’t already putting herself into her music, Saara has found a way to do it as authentically as possible. In the last few years, she’s performed at various venues, including Sand Dollar Downtown and the Space. And now she’s focused on making more music, possibly for an EP next year. While writing was once something she did in solitude, Saara says she’s getting comfortable inviting others into the process. But in terms of whose opinion she values most?
“I’m working on making it be mine,” she says.
Saara ffm.to/missdaisy
(Courtesy/Taylor Shae)
ANA BÁRBARA
REINA GRUPERA TOUR
SATURDAY | SEPT 14
LOS ÁNGELES AZULES
THURSDAY | SEPT 26
LUPITA D'ALESSIO GRACIAS TOUR
SATURDAY | OCT 19
YURIDIA
SIN LLORAR US TOUR 2024
SATURDAY | OCT 26
ALWAYS AUTHENTIC
Siempre, J.B. celebrates regional Mexican cuisine
BY SHANNON MILLER
I’ve never been to Mexico, and I’d like to change that. I’ve read the country contains more than 50 ecological zones, from mangrove swamps to forests to deserts to coasts. So when I think about visiting, it’s hard to know where to begin. The urban forests of Mexico City, mountains of Puebla, and deserts and coasts of Oaxaca and Jalisco are all so diverse.
Until I make my way over there, my tastebuds can guide me on a culinary journey at Siempre, J.B., the newest restaurant at UnCommons. Created by Ayya Hospitality Group (which also conceived the Mediterranean-inspired Pine Bistro in Southern Highlands and C&R Public House and Eatery at Town Square), the upscale-casual restaurant offers a range of appetizers, salads, seafood, grilled meats and cocktails inspired by the unique ingredients and recipes of different regions of Mexico.
“We are ready to take guests on a journey of Mexican dining unlike any other in the city,” says Ayya Hospitality Group partner Lowell Raven. “Through our extensive travels, generational recipes and collaboration with some of the brightest minds, we’re bringing to Las Vegas a labor of our love that showcases the passion and unbelievable possibilities of Mexican cuisine and cocktails.”
The menu covers a lot of ground, and is organized somewhat regionally. There’s an entire section for ceviche and crudo, “from the ocean” and “from the grill” items, and blended entrees.
Chef de cuisine Román Andrés, who has served as executive sous chef at the Black Sheep and sous chef at Alexxa’s at Paris, has dug into his trove of family recipes, sharing a mole poblano recipe, which shines on chicken with rice ($25) and enchiladas.
The salsa sampler ($15) proves that salsa can take many different forms— chile de arbol with pepitas, mango habanero, pickled tomato and tomatillo-avocado. And chunky guacamole ($10) is served in a stone mortar with pepitas.
Not every recipe follows tradition. Yellowtail crudo ($19) comes with
cilantro-lime dressing and pico de gallo. The scallop and uni tostada ($21) presents thinly sliced raw scallops— enhanced with uni, caviar and seaweed—atop a traditional tostada shell. Branzino ($32) with cherry tomatoes, tomato puree, cilantro and potatoes, makes for a satisfying seafood entree. From the grill, carne asada ($52), made from an eight-ounce skirt steak, is presented on a flaming hot stone.
If you go to Siempre and don’t have at least one of the restaurant’s four aguas frescas, 14 creative cocktails or seven signature margaritas, you’re doing
SIEMPRE, J.B.
6887 Helen Toland St. #105, 702-665-6918, siemprejb.com. Daily, noon-11 p.m. (Courtesy/ Ayya Hospitality Group)
FOOD & DRINK
yourself a disservice. Fresh fruits and house-made syrups elevate these beverages with nuanced flavors and quality ingredients. And, per Ayya standards, they’re served at the right temperature in beautiful glassware.
Aguas frescas ($7) provide a base for many of the cocktails or are delicious on their own. The Jamaica agua fresca is bursting with floral, fruity notes, while horchata gives slightly sweet and cinammony refreshment.
Margaritas, on the rocks or blended, feature Dos Caras and Siempre’s aguas frescas. These margaritas are
the only in the world to use a “special reserve blend” of Dos Caras mixed with Siempre reposado, aged for more than six months. I recommend the refreshing Hecho en Mexico ($15) made with cucumber, lime and mint.
For dessert, try the spiced carajillo ($15) a warming nightcap with Casamigos Reposado, Licor 43 espresso, cinnamon and allspice. With these comprehensive, full-flavored offerings throughout a 100-seat dining room, patio and 18-seat bar, Siempre, J.B. is poised to take diners on a dynamic culinary adventure.
DINING NOTES
Taylor Persh cooks at the Palms, Ciao Vino opens at Boca Park and more
Ciao Vino has opened in Boca Park at 740 S. Rampart Blvd., open 3-10 p.m. daily. Anchored by chef de cuisine Joel Myers (Vetri Cucina, Osteria Fiorella), Ciao Vino offers regional Italian specialties including seafood, steaks, Roman-style pizzas, house-made pastas and more.
Taylor Persh, former executive chef of the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea experience at Lost Spirits Distillery, continues a series of popup dinners at the Nove space at the Palms every Friday and Saturday at 5 and 8:30 p.m. through September 28. Priced at $300 per person, tickets are available at storyofamuse.com
Mon Ami Gabi at Paris Las Vegas presents its 25th anniversary dinner on September 19 at 6:30 p.m., a five-course menu with wine pairings for $150 per person. Dishes include truffle and foie gras pate en croute, vol au vent of Burgundy escargots, lobster-stuffed Dover Sole duglere and more. Reservations are available at OpenTable or at monamigabi.com/las-vegas/
Eataly Las Vegas at Park MGM will launch its new Uncorked Wine Dinner Series on September 26 in its Toscana 10-seat private dining room. The first event will feature the wines of Lamole di Lamole with future dinners occurring monthly through the end of the year. For more info, visit parkmgm. mgmresorts.com.
Local institution Khoury’s Fine Wine & Spirits is celebrating 20 years this month with a special event on September 28 starting at 2 p.m. featuring a keg tapping of two anniversary beers, the release of an anniversary red wine created by Desparada Wines and Herman Story Wines, food from Pioneer Saloon’s Chuck Wagon and Happy Ending Chocolate, and more. For more info, visit khourysfinewine.com. Chef and TV personality Aarón Sanchez will host the second annual Aarón y Amigos fundraising event to benefit the Aarón Sanchez Impact Fund on September 28 at 4 p.m. at SpeedVegas. Participating local chefs include Rick Moonen, Ronnie Rainwater and John Baez, and tickets and info can be found at aaronsanchezimpactfund.com/amigos24. Mokbar by Esther Choi is set to open at the Forum Food Hall at Caesars Palace this fall, serving Korean favorites like pan-fried dumplings, buns, fried chicken, bibimbap and more. -Brock Radke
UFC promising a sporting event that “will never, ever be replicated” in debut at Sphere
BY CASE KEEFER
The origin of one of the most anticipated and expensive ght cards in Las Vegas history traces back to Tom Brady and U2.
Late last year, the now-retired, seven-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback came to town to attend the Irish rock band’s Sphere residency. He invited close friend Dana White to tag along and the UFC president quickly agreed, saying, “I’m in,” without thinking too much about it.
He didn’t realize what a transformative experience it would be, taking in a concert at the $2.3 billion venue with all its cutting-edge production values. Midway through, White sat overwhelmed.
“I went, ‘Holy sh**, this is incredible’,” White recounted. “Immediately I realized that U2 was not the star of the show; the Sphere was the star of the show.”
He naturally started daydreaming how he could employ the space for his promotion and has never stopped since. Putting on the rst live sporting event in the history of Sphere has become a full- edged obsession for White, who has devoted countless time and resources to maximize the space.
The culmination of all that work comes September 14 with Riyadh Season Noche UFC, a 10- ght event at Sphere.
“What (U2) did was cool or whatever, but we are going to take this thing to a (new) level,” White promised.
The lengthy title of the card—a shift from the originally and traditionally-coined UFC 306—serves as a re ection on how much has gone into it. More than two months before ght night, White said he had already spent $20 million on production costs to the point that he sought outside presenting sponsors.
Saudi Arabia proved a natural t as the country continues to invest billions of dollars into sports with its Riyadh Season series of festivals having now included premier ghts over the last couple years. The UFC held its rst-ever event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in June, and White tore himself out of Sphere long enough to y across the world to be there.
Most of White’s work on the event hasn’t taken place inside the actual venue anyway, but rather a space at the UFC’s headquarters o Jones and the 215 Beltway transformed to lay
(Courtesy/UFC)
out all the plans. He did take the board of directors from TKO Group Holdings, UFC’s parent company, to Sphere shortly before the venue hosted the 2024 NHL Draft in late June.
The UFC had its own event running concurrently to the draft, UFC 303, so White said he didn’t see much about how the NHL utilized Sphere. The draft
generally drew rave reviews, but never one to mince words, White wasn’t impressed with the glimpses he caught.
“That’s going to be like kids playing with crayons compared to what we’re doing,” he said.
Details about what’s exactly in store have been scarce, though the Hollywood Reporter did unearth bits of info. The pub-
RIYADH
SEASON NOCHE UFC
September 14, early prelims 4:30 p.m., main card 7 p.m., $700+. Sphere, ticketmaster.com.
TV: Early prelims 4:30 p.m. on UFC Fight Pass; full prelims 5 p.m. on ESPN News; main card 7 p.m. on ESPN+ pay-per-view; $80 at plus.espn.com/ufc.
lication reports each ght will take place in a di erent “world” introduced as part of a lm created by a team headed by famed director Carlos López Estrada. White said another accomplished director would be on-site and in charge of translating the live experience into the pay-per-view available on ESPN+. A normal UFC pay-per-
view has one production truck; Riyadh Season Noche UFC will have four.
“What we’re going to attempt to pull o , I’m telling you right now: This will never, ever be replicated,” White said.
“Nobody will ever do this again. It won’t make sense for anybody. It’s just too much money. This will be one of the greatest
so, who defends her women’s yweight title in a trilogy ght against Valentina Shevchenko in the co-main event, to top-tier prospects like lightweight Daniel Zellhuber, who faces Esteban Ribovics on the main card.
The 25-year-old Zellhuber, who trains at Xtreme Couture in Las Vegas, began campaigning to get on the card ever before his last ght, when he battered Francisco Prado for a third straight victory.
“I feel this event is for all the people, the true ghters out there, the people that wake up at four in the morning to be a gardener, to be chefs, to be cleaning stu ,” Zellhuber said. “I feel that those are the true heroes of this event and that’s why this event is happening. I’m ghting for all my people and I’m proud of being a Mexican and having the opportunity to represent my country on September 14.”
things you’ll ever see live and we’re going to try to pull o one of the greatest things you’ve ever seen on TV, too.”
White hadn’t really thought about staging an event at Sphere before the U2 show because the UFC is an o cial tenant of T-Mobile Arena with a contract in place to stage at least four cards per year there. MGM Resorts International gave White its blessing to pursue Sphere but then booked a boxing match between Mexican superstar Saul “Canelo” Álvarez and Edgar Berlanga on the same night.
The latter is a point of contention with White, who said he felt disrespected by the decision.
That’s in large part because Riyadh Season Noche UFC is also an ode to the Mexican ghting spirit and to celebrate Mexican Independence Day.
The lm is “a love letter to Mexico,” according to White, and the rst nine ghts all feature at least one Mexican ghter.
That includes everyone from Mexican champion Alexa Gras-
The main event won’t feature a Mexican ghter but it’s one of the best ghts the UFC could currently book—bantamweight champion Sean O’Malley defending his title against top contender Merab Dvalishvili.
O’Malley has become one of the UFC’s biggest stars with a striking-centric style, but Dvalishvili has a wrestling-heavy attack that could be the antidote to solving the champion.
“The Machine” Dvalishvili, who lives and trains locally, has won 10 straight and relentlessly talked trash to “Suga” O’Malley throughout the run.
On any other card, O’Malley vs. Dvalishvili would unequivocally steal the bulk of the excitement. But Sphere itself is the true headliner of Riyadh Season Noche UFC.
White won’t downplay expectations, and he can’t contain his enthusiasm.
“It won’t just be the greatest UFC event of all time,” White said. “It will be the greatest sporting event of all time.”
LAS
The story, to me, is something everyone can understand, which is a redemption story. These people may be not where they want to be, and then they’re given an opportunity to, basically, be back on top again.”
Q+A: YANIS TSOMBANIDIS
Combination of music, art and game design pulls consumers into the story of Squid Game
BY KATIE ANN MCCARVER
VEGAS INC STAFF
Las Vegas-based gaming manufacturer Light & Wonder partnered with Net ix to create a slot machine based on the streaming giant’s hit show, the South Korea-set thriller Squid Game Vegas Inc sat down with Yanis Tsombanidis, vice president of game design at Light & Wonder and lead creator behind the Squid Game slot machine, to learn more about the new game, the inspiration behind it and how slot machines overall can be valuable vessels for storytelling.
How did the Squid Game slot machine come to be?
I’m always on the hunt for a good story to tell on the slot machine. You’re always looking out for something that will resonate with people and the player (that’s) timeless. And so the second I saw Squid Game, that was something that I loved straight away. The show was great and had a lot of depth to it but was very simple on the surface.
And I love the story. The story, to me, is something everyone can understand, which is a redemption story. These people may be not where they want to be, and then they’re given an opportunity to, basically, be back on top again.
And that can translate—whether they’re trying to get their souls back, trying to get their humanity back—so many ways.
And on top of it all, what I love, it’s also just a very simple treasure hunt, which I think is something that in our industry connects with players.
Game
We’ve also found that when you’re on the device for a long time, the player just wants to be taken on an adventure.
Can you talk a little bit about the machine itself, the game and what it looks like?
We tried to keep it in line with the show. It’s basically a big pig full of money above, and then below it’s just players looking at it, wanting to get to it. And so that’s where we start.
And, like the show, once you trigger a feature, you play a game to then try to get closer to the pig. And so in the game, the pig has money on it. It’s got cash written on it. And all the jackpots are in pigs. And so everything is connected to pigs.
So, basically, I’m telling the player, “The money is in the pigs, and that’s what you’re trying to get.” And that connects with the show too. And, like the show, the way you get closer to the money, the way you win that money, is by eliminating people. So the more people you eliminate, the more pigs you get on screen.
As the Squid Game machine rolls out, what should people be excited
about?
You don’t see these kinds of brands in the casino. This is really a fresh brand—very contemporary. But what I love about the game is, the mechanic is great—very simple—but the art is beautiful. It’s just very cinematic, and just something you don’t normally see on a slot machine.
And also the sound. Storytelling is fundamental, but a huge part of storytelling is sound—(it’s) music. It just builds a picture in your head that is hard to compete with when you try to do the art. So we’ve always tried to focus on the sound, the music, and try to make that a huge part of it, because that gets into you even when you’re not trying to listen.
How are slot machines a natural medium for telling this kind of story?
Storytelling is fundamental to every other form of entertainment. Storytelling is always a powerful way to communicate.
When I go to the casino, I will look at a theme on a cabinet, and I want to be taken to that world. And so when I sit down, I’m always hoping for more. What’s the next part of this thing? If you equate it to a treasure hunt, also—which I think all slot machines are—you want to see that next thing. You want those extra little carrots here and there to keep you moving forward. That is fundamental to making a slot machine, so why not add a story to it that now brings the player in and takes him to somewhere else?
Any good story, any good book, any good movie—you lose track of time. Before you know it, three hours have passed, and you’re like, “I was having so much fun, I was just drawn into it.”
Have you heard any feedback from people who have played the Squid Game machine?
I’ve been watching videos. I watch the bloggers—the YouTubers—play Squid Game. I can tell that they’re looking at it going, “What is this?” (because) it’s so di erent. And then they’ll get sucked into the world.
I was watching one YouTuber, and they got a big win, and that music— we wanted it to be like a dance song. It’s likely something you’d hear in a nightclub. And so I just saw the YouTuber dancing. He goes, “Oh, I want the soundtrack for this game.”
And that’s exactly what we were aiming for. And that made me so happy to see someone experience the game the way it was designed.
VEGAS INC NOTES
Audrea Hooper was appointed executive director of the Downtown Vegas Alliance, a nonprofit organization that connects its members and Downtown stakeholders to influence growth in Las Vegas. Hooper, a DVA member who previously served on the board, brings more than 15 years of experience executing large-scale events, brand awareness campaigns, tours, festivals, product launches, exclusive private parties and more to the executive director role. She has worked with national brands including Red Bull, Crocs, Levi’s, the Rose Parade, and Life is Beautiful to name a few. In 2021, Hooper founded Till Death Do Us Party, an event and party planning business, with offices located in Downtown Las Vegas.
Joshua Gilmore, a partner with Bailey Kennedy, has been named to the 2024 U.S. Benchmark Litigation 40 and Under list which features successful, rising tal-
HELP WANTED
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Varian is an EOE.
ent in litigation across the nation.
With the divestiture of the power and water transmission operations of Basic Management Inc., Stephanne Zimmerman steps down as CEO of BMI and its affiliated companies, including the LandWell Company. She will retain her chief financial officer and treasury duties. Lee Farris was named CEO of the BMI Companies while retaining his position as president. Farris has and will continue to oversee all aspects of planning, development and land sales for the Cadence master-planned community. He continues to oversee all environmental issues including carrying out large-scale environmental projects for the BMI Companies.
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck named Greg Brower co-chair of the firm’s Government Investigations & White Collar Defense practice group. He joins Jason Dunn in leading this
practice group focused on representing corporations and individuals across the country in complex criminal and internal investigations, state attorneys general actions, inspector general and congressional matters, as well as related civil and regulatory, including SEC, CFPB and FTC proceedings.
Snell & Wilmer is announced that associate Erin Gettel has been selected as a new lawyer representative for the U.S. District Court, District of Nevada, by the court’s judges and the State Bar of Nevada Board of Governors. Lawyer representatives assist the court with improving the administration of justice. They provide input on myriad issues affecting the operations of the federal courts. Gettel is an associate in the firm’s commercial litigation practice group. Prior to joining Snell & Wilmer, she was an assistant federal public defender for the District of Nevada in the trial unit.
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2024
3:00 P.M. - 7:00 P.M. M Resort Pavilion 12300 Las Vegas Blvd. Henderson NV, 89044
PREMIER CROSSWORD HOROSCOPES “U2”
BY FRANK LONGO
ARIES (March 21-April 19): One of the longest bridges in the world is the 24-mile-long Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana. During one eight-mile stretch, as it crosses Lake Pontchartrain, travelers can’t see land. As you journey from one mode to the next, Aries, you may lose sight of familiar terrain for a while. Have faith, gaze straight ahead and keep going.
TAURUS (April 20-May 20): In the coming weeks, you can attract minor miracles and fun breakthroughs if you treat your life as an art project. I urge you to fully activate your imagination and ingenuity as you work on the creative masterpiece that is you.
GEMINI (May 21-June 20): At age 7, Prince wrote “Funk Machine,” his first song. Have you thought recently about how the passions of your adult life first appeared in childhood? Now is an excellent time to ruminate on this. You are primed to discover forgotten feelings and events that could inspire you going forward. To nurture the future, draw on the past.
CANCER (June 21-July 22): In the coming weeks, I suspect you will be extra dexterous and nimble in every way, including mentally, emotionally and spiritually. You and your sexy soul may be extra supple, lithe and flexible. These superpowers will serve you well if you decide to improvise and experiment.
LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): The internet is filled with wise quotes that are wrongly attributed. I bring this to your attention, Leo, because it’s a crucial time for you to be dedicated to truth and accuracy. You will gain power by uncovering deceptions, shams and misrepresentations. Be a beacon of authenticity!
VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): Peregrine falcons can move at a speed of 242 miles per hour. Although you can’t literally travel that fast (unless you’re on a jet), I am confident you can make metaphorical progress at a rapid rate. Your ability to transition into the next chapter of your life story will be at a peak.
LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): Mythically speaking, I envision a death and rebirth in your future. The death won’t be literal for you, nor anyone you love. Rather, I foresee the demise of a hope, the finale of a storyline or the loss of a possibility. Feeling sad might temporarily be the right thing to do, but I want you to know that this ending will ultimately lead to a fresh beginning.
Sch. in Cambridge
According to
Big name in photocopiers 8 Blue Devils’ sch.
Mornings, in brief
Inhabitant
Tennis great Arthur
Seven-card poker variety, e g.
Marisa of film
Vinyl albums, in brief
Booming
Liquor
Russia’s Gorbachev
Tears into
Scannable ID in a market 26 “It’s cold!”
U K. “Inc.” 32 Sleuth’s aid 33 Great athletes get elected to it: Abbr. 34 54-Across orbits it 35 Headed out
37 Compared with 41 Daisy relatives, for short
43 Mother Teresa, e g. 44 Place for a fanny pack
45 Censors, as part of a text
46 With 122-Down, rodent with a barklike cry 47 Ready 48 Ankle bone
49 Eurasian mountains 51 Horse to bust
Suffocate
Homer, e g.
Sort
Addition total
“Eureka!” moments
As originally placed
Minions’ leader in Despicable Me 72 Fresno-to-L.A. dir.
Gossipy tidbit 75 Pertaining to an arm bone 78 Got the gold
Gorbachev’s fed.
How- -- (DIY manuals)
“Of course!”
Nashville awards org.
Great elation
Rebuke to “Brute”
Ballet attire
Entered stealthily
Wed again
Anomalous
Affixes to a corkboard, e.g.
Cargo weight
Relatives, informally
Test out
Frau’s “Alas!”
Pulverize
Prefix with biology
Tiny role
Wheel middle
Verbs’ counterparts
Spherical bacteria
Improves superficially, with “up”
Filmmaker Preminger
24/7 sources of $20 bills 121 Cackling bird 122 See 46-Down
Inits. at Indy
Half of sei
Not for sale 59 Matt of Friends 61 Taken-back auto, for one 63 Village People album with the song “Y M C A.” 64 Kind of roof with four sloping sides
Jay-Z’s genre
SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Did you ever get cheated or lied to? If so, I suspect you will soon get a karmic recompense. An atonement will unfold. A reparation will come your way. A wrong will be righted. A loss will be indemnified. My advice is to welcome the redress graciously. Use it to dissolve your resentments and retire uncomfortable parts of your past.
SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): One of my oldest friends is Sagittarius-born Jeffrey Brown. We had rowdy fun together in our twenties. He later became a highly respected, award-winning journalist because he channeled his wildness into disciplined expression. In the coming months, Sagittarius, I urge you to make him one of your inspirational role models.
CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Let’s hypothesize that you will be alive, alert, and active on your hundredth birthday. If that joyous event comes to pass, you may have strong ideas about why you have achieved such marvelous longevity. I invite you to imagine what you will tell people on that momentous occasion. Which practices, feelings and attitudes will have turned you into such a vigorous example of a strong human life?
AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): George Washington had a half-brother named Lawrence, who was 16 years older. In his time, he was a renowned landowner, soldier and politician. Historians say that his political influence was crucial in George’s rise to power. Is there anyone remotely comparable in your life, someone who is your advocate? Who works behind the scenes on your behalf? If not, go searching for them.
PISCES (Feb. 19-March
20): Over 15 centuries ago, Christian monks decided Fridays were unlucky. I mention this because a Friday the 13th is now upon us. If you are afraid of the things those monks once feared, this could be a difficult time. But if you celebrate radical empathy, ingenious intimacy, playful eros and fertile intuition, you will be awash in good fortune.
