Dita Von Teese | Vegas Seven, Seven Nights | July 6-12, 2017

Striptease on the Strip FREE July 6–12, 2017

W HA T TO DO

AF T ER DARK

By JASON R. LATHAM

Deftones

EXPERIENCE: Party under the Eiffel Tower at the new Moon Tower Thursdays party inside Chateau Nightclub & Rooftop at Paris Las Vegas. The club is skipping EDM for ’80s and ’90s hits and offering a power hour special with $3 select beers and cocktails 10:30 p.m.–midnight. And—oh, we like this—free admission for locals.

10 p.m., $36, chateaunights.com DANCE: Stay out a little later and see Dillon Francis at Wynn Las Vegas’ Intrigue

Nightclub. 10:30 p.m., $20–$45, inside Wynn Las Vegas, intriguevegas.com

HEAR: The legendary B-52s roam into Mandalay Bay’s House of Blues for the first of three weekend shows. 8:30 p.m., $55–$145, houseofblues.com

Meanwhile, Bruce Hornsby & The Noisemakers live up to their name at Brooklyn Bowl. 7:30 p.m., $39, at The Linq Promenade, brooklynbowl.com Richard Cheese and Lounge Against the Machine check in at Red Rock Resort.

8 p.m., $39–$64, stationcasinosevents.com

FRIDAY 7 LAUGH: Comedian and martial artist Joe

Rogan, who once guest-starred in It’s

a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, performs at MGM Grand’s KÀ Theater.

Hopefully he’s got some good Muppet stories. 10 p.m., $33–$59, mgmgrand.com

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And Hard Rock Hotel & Casino hosts The Yhung Wild Nation Tour, featuring SOX

X RBE, OMB Peezy and Lil Shiek, at Vinyl.

7 p.m., $15–$20, hardrockhotel.com DANCE: The big names are out at the nightclubs tonight, starting with ScHoolboy Q at Drai’s Nightclub up on the roof of The Cromwell. 10:30 p.m., $30–$50, draisnightlife.com

The Chainsmokers are back at Encore’s XS

Nightclub. 10 p.m., $45–$65, xslasvegas.com

Right next door, Ookay plays poolside during Nightswim at Surrender Nightclub. 10:30 p.m., $20–$45, at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, surrendernightclub.com And Lil Jon is behind the decks at Hakkasan Las Vegas inside MGM Grand.

10:30 p.m., $20–$30, hakkasanlv.com

SATURDAY 8 EXPERIENCE: Alexis Park Resort hosts

Chromic Con, a cannabis comic

book convention featuring live music, cosplay, wrestling, smoking competitions, “Bong Pong” and celebrity guests. 2 p.m.–midnight, $25–$75, chromiccon.com

HEAR: Rise Against and Deftones rock

the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center with special guests Thrice and Frank Iero and The Patience. 7:30 p.m., $33–$39, dlvec.com

PHOTO BY FRANK MADDOCKS

THURSDAY 6

EXPERIENCE: SLS Las Vegas is trying something new at Foxtail Pool. Take a seat for Sunset Sounds featuring live music from Rick Duarte and a small-bites menu that includes a $12 wild mushroom flatbread, calamari with pepperoncinis for $13 and a $16 artisan cheese plate with a fig and almond cake and seasonal fruits and nuts. 8–11 p.m., foxtailpool.com

MONDAY 10

And, at last, the wait is over for Blondie and Garbage, who bring The Rage and Rapture Tour to The Pearl inside Palms Casino Resort. 8 p.m., $64–$391, palms.com LAUGH: Sinbad serves up laughs at Green

Valley Ranch. The man is a comedy legend. Go to YouTube, pull up “Afros and Bellbottoms” and “Where U Been?” if you’re a nonbeliever. 8 p.m., $29–$59, stationcasinos.com

DANCE: Mandalay Bay’s Light Nightclub has

T-Pain tonight, plus UFC girls Brittney Palmer and Arianny Celeste. 10:30 p.m.,

$26–$38, thelightvegas.com

The D-Boy Diary artist E-40 headlines at Tao Nightclub inside The Venetian.

10:30 p.m., $18–$32, taolasvegas.com And Caesars Palace brings out Above and Beyond to entertain the Omnia Nightclub crowd. 10:30 p.m., $20–$30, omnianightclub.com

SUNDAY 9 DANCE: Don’t want to leave the house until it’s dark on Sunday?

In this heat, we don’t blame you, so when night falls, see Fabolous at Drai’s Nightclub. You’ll be glad you did. $20–$30, draisnightlife.com Clock from top left: Garbage, Blondie, J. Cole.

Or, swing by Hakkasan to see trap favorite Party Favor.

10:30 p.m., $20–$30, hakkasanlv.com

EXPERIENCE: “Burlesque Superheroine” (thanks for that, Vanity Fair) Dita Von Teese brings The Art of the Teese to House of Blues.

The show features costumes and special guests, and highlights include Von Teese’s famous “Lazy” performance from her Crazy Horse Paris residency. 7:30 p.m., $50–$100, houseofblues.com.

Check out our interview with Von Teese in this issue of Vegas Seven.

Alice: A Steampunk Concert Fantasy sounds like something that must be seen to be believed. Go down the rabbit hole as the show kicks off a series of performances on the second Monday of each month at Rocks Lounge inside Red Rock Resort. 9 p.m., $25, alicelv.com SEE: Now that he’s got that Oscar, Matthew McConaughey seems

like he’s too good for all of those romantic comedies he did in the aughts. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days is one we’ll always remember, and you can see it again at The Cosmopolitan’s Dive In Movies night. 7 p.m., $5 (children under 5 free), cosmopolitanlasvegas.com

DANCE: LA Leakers are on tap for Jewel Nightclub’s Flawless

Mondays industry night. 10:30 p.m., $20–$30, jewelnightclub.com

TUESDAY 11 DANCE: New Jersey trio Cash Cash plays the main club at

Omnia, while DJ Shift is at the Heart of Omnia ultra-lounge.

You can’t go wrong either way. 10:30 p.m., $20–$40, omnianightclub.com

WEDNESDAY 12 TASTE: It’s Locals Night at Oscar’s Steakhouse inside The Plaza Hotel and Casino. Specials include 50 percent off apps, $5 well drinks, $5 house wine and $3 beers. You might even see the former mayor. 4–11 p.m., plazahotelcasino.com DANCE: Get over to 1 OAK at The Mirage for a live performance

by YG. 10:30 p.m., $20–$30, 1oaklasvegas.com

And Mackenzie Johnson, a.k.a. MAKJ, gets the call at Surrender Nightclub. 10:30 p.m., $25–$35, inside Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, surrendernightclub.com 7

July 6 –1 2, 2017 vegasseven.com

GARBAGE BY JOSEPH CULTICE; J. COLE BY ERIK K ABIK/ERIKK ABIK.COM

Life Is Beautiful 2016 headliner J. Cole brings the 4 Your Eyez Only Tour over to MGM Grand Garden Arena with guests Bas, J.I.D. and Ari Lennox. 8 p.m., $30–$126, mgmgrand.com

Natural Selection Dita Von Teese embraces the evolution of the tease

By LISSA TOWNSEND RODGERS Photography KAYLIN IDORA

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July 6 –1 2, 2017 vegasseven.com

Dita Von Teese’s The Art of the Teese Burlesque Revue July 10, 7:30 p.m., $50–$100, House of Blues inside Mandalay Bay, houseofblues.com/lasvegas

In a world of yoga pants and logo T-shirts, glamour seems to be in increasingly short supply.

Thank heavens Dita Von Teese has enough of it to spread around. The burlesque queen and fashion icon purveys a glitter and grace that recall the stars of old Hollywood: All red lips, cinched waists and ladylike poise—even when she’s stripping to her scanties. Beyond burlesque, Von Teese has walked runways for Vivienne Westwood and Jean-Paul Gaultier, starred in videos for bands from Green Day to Die Antwoord and has been featured in both Vogue and Fetish magazines, among others.

She has further expanded beyond her career as an ecdysiast into the worlds of fashion and publishing, with lingerie/cosmetic lines and two books—her most recent, Your Beauty Mark: The Ultimate Guide to Eccentric Glamour, offers up a mix of silver-screen fantasy and sensible advice. Von Teese will bring her Art of the Teese show to the House of Blues on July 10, featuring some of her most memorable acts, as well as several other performers. The raven-haired diva spoke to Vegas Seven about evolving routines, developing protégés and being a girl’s girl.

You were a big part of the burlesque revival. How has burlesque changed since then? When I was 21, I thought that

everybody needed to be a certain body shape and everyone needed to be pretty and glamorous. And now ... you start realizing that’s not what makes a great burlesque show. There was a big evolution in the last 20 years, for me, with burlesque, and I think it wasn’t really until ... I was casting my show [that] I thought some of the best performers were not just pretty little pinup girls.

I’m suddenly like: Get performers like Dirty Martini and people who bring the house down.

I have evolved in a lot of ways, and one of those is having great admiration for all the different kinds of burlesque out there and for my fellow performers. … The Crazy Horse [has] the most beautiful dancers. They all have the same body shape. They’re meant to look like beautiful soldiers; they’re meant to look the same.

My show, however, is different in that I really set out to find the best burlesque performers from all over the world who represent different facets of burlesque. We look for diversity in beauty, body shape and ethnicity. Those are things that are very important to me, and I think that [they] really resonate with the audience.

ing who their favorite was. I love when [audience members] go, “Oh, but I love when Ginger Valentine did this. ... Oh, I love when Jett Adore did this.” That’s what I love the most, is when people can’t decide what was their favorite part because it’s all so strong.

Ginger Valentine is performing one of my numbers in the show and wearing one

Are there any other numbers that you’re reviving? I brought back [an act] that

I did as part of the Crazy Horse [show] years ago and I gave it a full makeover with new costumes and with male backup dancers. It’s a striptease parody of Swan Lake, the ballet, but with two stripteasing princes, not princesses. It added a whole new dimension, to have men picking up my stockings and my shorts and taking them away—they’ve got this great butler vibe. They’re super-talented dancers, but now they’ve become great burlesque stars.

They’re great guys. One’s from Puerto Rico and one is from Poland … and they look really good with their clothes off.

Who was your original glamour inspiration? Someone you looked up to as a little girl? Betty Grable was always my fa-

vorite. I don’t try to look like her, but there’s a lot that I gathered from her. She was this pinup girl, a sex symbol but a girl’s girl, like the girl next door. Not intimidating or threatening: the kind of girl who you want to hang out with, the kind of girl who’s happy to give advice instead of trying to work against you. So she was the one who I always loved when I was a little girl, and she’s still my favorite. And she made some of the best musicals of all time, all those 1940s Fox musicals. There are a lot of things that I’ve taken from her movies and turned into a striptease. And, of course, you have Gypsy Rose Lee—her career is really something that I always aspired to have, that long career with lots of different [aspects] besides just doing striptease.

I have evolved in a lot of ways, and one of those is really just having great admiration for all the different kinds of burlesque out there and for my fellow performers.

What else do you look for when choosing performers for your show? I look for

people who obviously have a strong sense of self. I really love seeing performers who are completely in their own character, their own persona—they’re not being derivative of somebody else. It’s my show, but I want people to walk away not know-

July 6 –1 2, 2017 vegasseven.com

of my costumes. I created [it] in 2000 and it’s a big red, wrought-iron filigree heart that lights up and glows, and she’s just beautiful in that number. ... I like watching people do my numbers when they can bring their own character to them and change them—that’s really exciting to me.

I don’t want to see anyone imitate me. I’m like, “That’s like a parody of me. I don’t like watching it, it makes me feel weird.” But [I like] watching people use my props and costumes [to] breathe new life [into them] and do it in their own way.

You’ve brought your show to Las Vegas a few times. Would you ever think of doing a residency? I’ve built up this big

arsenal of burlesque intellectual property, and I’d love put all of it into one show with other performers doing my acts—I’ve started playing with that already. I’d love to spend a bit more time in Las Vegas. I feel like that would be a natural thing to do. …

I’d have to find a room there that would be right for me for an extended stay. 7

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[ DRINK THIS ]

high-alcohol and forTified wines ThaT even purisTs can geT behind

Somm Like It Hot F

or all the ballyhoo that is spread about elevated alcohol levels in wine, you’d think all sommeliers were against the stuff. Not true! Fortified wines—that is, wines that have had additional alcohol added to them—are both delicious and highly versatile. Here are three of the most prevalent styles, and fully somm-approved.

Port

When the War of Spanish Succession broke out in the early 1700s, England was confronted with a terrible problem: They couldn’t get any more French wine to drink. Luckily, Portugal ended up on England’s side and they had just the thing to satisfy the British Empire’s ample thirst: sweet, boozy Port. Alcohol is a natural antiseptic, which comes in handy when you want to prevent spoilage when shipping wine long distances.

Additionally, when the neutral grape distillate (known as aguardente) is added to fermenting wine, it stops the fermentation process, thereby preserving the residual sugars and making the resulting wine sweet.

There are multiple styles of Port but two main categories, the first being ruby (where the wine is sealed in glass bottles like traditional wine) and the second being tawny (a reference to the brownish color the wine takes on from being intentionally exposed to oxygen in barrels).

Try iT : Fonseca Porto 1983, Chambers Street Wines, $80, chambersstwines.com

July 6 –1 2, 2017 vegasseven.com

By Kirk Peterson Advanced Sommelier

Sherry

Sherry is truly one of the most underappreciated wine styles in the world and certainly the most affordable wine available for its level of complexity. Similar to Champagne, sherry relies heavily on the method of production in addition to the quality of the grapes that are harvested. But the magic of sherry isn’t bubbles, it’s a fractional blending system called solera. The process consists of a system of barrels where the oldest wine is removed from the last barrel to be bottled and sent to market. Then the wine from the barrels proceeding is transferred forward to fill the oldest barrel that has been emptied. Young wine is added to the first barrel to refill the system. But the barrels are never fully emptied so there’s a remnant of much older wine left behind along each step of the system, resulting in a finished product that is actually a mixture of many different vintages.

While admittedly very labor intensive, this procedure has enormous advantages. First, it ensures consistency of flavor and style since there’s an averaging effect from mixing the barrels. Secondly, as time progresses, the overall average age of the wine in the system will increase, meaning that a solera will incrementally increase in quality and depth of character. And lastly, this system of partially filled barrels allows for the development of flor, a film of yeast that grows on top of the aging wine and contributes to its flavor in addition to protecting the wine from oxidization and creates a sort of sliding scale of sherry styles. Fino and manzanilla sherries are lighter and unoxidized while amontillado and palo cortado start out under flor but are then intentionally oxidized,

giving them a nutty aroma. And oloroso is dark, rich and fully oxidized. Cream sherries are blends often times based on oloroso, which are heavily sweetened and served as dessert wine.

Try iT : Lustau Palo Cortado Peninsula Sherry, $32, Valley Cheese & Wine, valleycheeseandwine.com

Vermouth

Vermouth is an aromatized wine, meaning that it is flavored with aromatic herbs and spices in addition to being fortified. As an overgeneralization, vermouth comes in two main categories: dry white (commonly referred to as French vermouth) and sweet red (known as Italian vermouth). Originally, vermouth was developed as a medicine where the plant essences dissolved therein were thought to have beneficial health effects. The addition of aromatic botanicals also has the added benefit of flavoring less-than-exceptional wines.

Luckily, we are currently enjoying an explosion of both understanding and passion for vermouth (and its cousins like quinquina, Barolo Chinato, byrrh and Americano) and along with that, the dramatically increased availability of a diverse assortment of aperitif wines on the market. No longer is vermouth strictly relegated as a misunderstood and mistreated mixer; bars across the country are finally putting them center stage. And whether you’re enjoying them in a craft cocktail or simply over quality rocks with a twist of citrus zest, now is a great time to drink vermouth.

Try iT : Dolin Vermouth de Chambery Blanc, $13, Total Wine, totalwine.com

DAYLIGHT BEACH CLUB MANDALAY BAY’S PARTY POOL SHOWCASES A “SUMMERTIME” OF HIP-HOP ALL-STARS

[ POOL TOUR ]

IT’S JULY and pool season

hasn’t reached its midway mark, yet Daylight Beach Club has seen enough action to fill one or two sizzle reels.

Ice Cube performed in early May, and Rick Ross did an Eclipse launch party on April 20 that director of marketing Josh Lang calls, “Hands down the coolest performance I’ve seen.

“The entire city was there. It was bananas,” Lang continues.

“Rick Ross comes out and does 15 songs—a full concert.”

Ross’ show could easily have been the highlight of Daylight’s fourth anniversary, but Lang, who is in his first season, is saving more fireworks for this month.

“We’re going into backyard barbecue—like “Summertime” mode,” he says, referencing the DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince song. “That’s the thought process: Let’s just have a fun party.”

The strategy, to put it in Will Smith lyrics, is, “just a little somethin’ to break the monotony of all that hardcore dance that has gotten to be a little bit out of control” on the Strip.

Daylight wouldn’t have found success if it had aped the programming of competitors Wet Republic and Encore Beach Club, Lang explains.

Instead, it went in another direction and embraced hip-hop.

“We wanted to create a fun party where you shake your ass, have fun, get drunk on a Sunday and don’t feel like you have to sit there and listen to what everyone else is [hearing],” he says.

By JASON R. LATHAM Photography TOMO

July 6 –1 2, 2017 vegasseven.com

THE MENU The Daylight menu has nearly 100 different bottle options to choose from including a $3,500 magnum bottle of Dom Pérignon Rosé and a $110,000 15-liter bottle of Ace of Spades Rosé.

There are Champagne showers, of course, for $150 per bottle, with a three-bottle limit.

Lang also hints at a new “Frosè” frozen drink in the works through a partnership with Moët Hennessy.

THE SCENE One of the most appealing aspects of Daylight is its stage—you can actually dance in front of it. The stage sits at one end of the main pool, with the bar situated at the other end. Surrounding the water are 23 private VIP cabanas and two ultra private bungalows with their own plunge pools.

While most pool-party dress codes will get you turned away for wearing the wrong shorts—“It’s like you’re going through TSA to get into a venue,” Lang says—the rules are more relaxed at Daylight. For Lit Sundays, guests wearing jeans and jerseys are allowed in.

Party games add to the backyard barbecue feeling in July, with cornhole, floating beer pong in the pool, and dominoes and playing cards at the tables.

THE LINEUP If they weren’t kept under wraps, they wouldn’t be surprises, so Lang plays it close to the vest with some of the upcoming concerts on the Daylight calendar.

The aforementioned July 9 event features the return of Rick Ross.

Lang fully expects the hip-hop icon to impress the second time around.

“When you have that want and demand for something, and [artists] come, and they exceed your expectations, it’s an amazing thing,” he says. “You hope to create an [event] for your guests that they’ve never experienced before.”

July 6 –1 2, 2017 vegasseven.com

Daylight Beach Club At Mandalay Bay @daylightvegas Lit Sundays Rick Ross, July 9 Dre Sinatra, July 23 Eclipse Ice Cube, July 13

Kevin Hart at Rehab Beach Club.

By JASON R. LATHAM

[ DAYLIFE EDITION ]

IT’S A DRY HEAT SO GET YOUR SPLASH ON UNDER THE SUN

It’s hot out there, and we can’t afford to waste water. So sip Champagne when you’re thirsty.

SATURDAY 8

SUNDAY 9

The bunnies take over The Venetian’s Tao Beach for Playboy Fridays. Don’t stare; just enjoy the tunes by Los Angeles–based Angie Vee. 11:30 a.m., $14–$23, taolasvegas.com

If you’re crushed that you missed the bikini contest on Friday, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino holds its own Bikini Invitational at Rehab Beach Club. 11 a.m., $20–$40, rehablv.com

Mandalay Bay’s Daylight Beach Club invites you to a barbecue with hip-hop legend Rick Ross.

11 a.m., $40–$60, daylightvegas.com

It is appropriate to stare, to some degree, at the SPYONVegas HOT 100 bikini contest inside Wet Republic at MGM Grand. Just observe the dress code: Cargo shorts are a no-go. Take it from someone who knows. 11 a.m., $20–$30, wetrepublic.com

And Alesso takes the stage at Encore Beach Club. 10:30 a.m., $30–$50, at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, encorebeachclub.com

Comedian/actor Kevin Hart heads back to Rehab for his 38th birthday celebration. Bring a card; it’s the polite thing to do. 11 a.m., $20–$40, at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, rehablv.com

Calvin Harris is at Wet Republic with an assist from Generik, and every ticket purchase is good for a copy of Harris’ new album, Funk Wav Bounces Vol. 1. 11 a.m., $50–$100, at MGM Grand, wetrepublic.com

Adult film star Sarah Vandella hosts the Sunday party at Sapphire Pool & Dayclub. Noon, 702869-0003 for reservations, sapphirepoollv.com

If you’re there just for the music (and the Champagne sprays), Ookay plays Encore Beach Club.

11 a.m., $20–$30, at Encore at Wynn Las Vegas, encorebeachclub.com And order yourself a Watermelon Cooler (it’s goooooood) while DJ Ikon plays your favorite track at Liquid Pool Lounge inside Aria Resort & Casino. 11 a.m., $10–$20, liquidlv.com

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And The Cosmopolitan imports Belgian DJ Felix De Laet, a.k.a. Lost Frequencies, to play Marquee Dayclub. 11 a.m., $23–$32, marqueelasvegas.com

KEVIN HART © JEFF RAGAZZO / K ABIK PHOTO GROUP

FRIDAY 7