Worth my time: Awakening, 1961 Vegas and Elko and Primm, again

There were a few things I've read/watched the past few weeks that have stuck with me. I won't say all of it is stuff you can't overlook, but it was memorable for me for one reason or another. 

I'll start with a detailed synopsis of “Awakening,” a stage show at Wynn. It comes from Sam Novak at Vegas 411, who consumes a wide array of live entertainment, and was fond of the previous Wynn extravaganza, “Le Rêve – The Dream.” I saw Le Rêve five or six years ago, and it was an outstanding spectacle. I get that few things last forever, and stage entertainment is more difficult than ever, but creating anything that lives up to the reputation Le Rêve earned is an uphill battle. 

Sam may be a bit biased when it comes to his beloved Le Rêve, but he'd be shouting at the mountain tops if Awakening came close to providing the same entertainment value. He paints a vivid picture of what unfolded during his ingestion of Le Rêve, and it ain't pretty. The show has already been retooled because it has had a tepid response, and I'm confident Sam isn't the only one who walked away more than slightly disappointed. 

If you have zero interest in a live stage show where tickets are upwards of $100, you'll still find Sam's critique worth your time. 

Old video footage of Vegas finds its way to the social media outlets periodically. Often it's in the form of an individual's home movie camera, which was centuries behind the audio and video quality of today's cell phones. It's amazing how much great video footage, and far more mediocre video footage, of Vegas is available today. 

I have no idea if this video was a new discovery, or the recycling of something that has floated around Twitter for years. But I enjoyed this simple, 45-second look at Fremont Street from more than 60 years ago. 

1961 Vegas

I will close with a couple of videos I enjoyed. Your mileage may vary. 

As I noted a few weeks ago, content associated with prostitution and brothels usually does well. 

I had watched Bobby G's video touring through the northern Nevada metropolis known as Elko, which has its share of brothels. It was a simple, entertaining tour of Nevada life far away from Las Vegas. 

Bobby G and his wife revisited Elko recently, this time as guests of a brothel. A look inside the brothel surprised me a bit. I've seen brothel video before, so I was far from amazed. But I was impressed. I didn't expect the Desert Rose to have as many amenities as it does. I didn't expect it to be a dump, but it was fancier than I would have guessed. 

Is it the most exciting 22 minutes you'll spend this week? No, but if you are curious to see what life is like inside a brothel that isn't an hour away from Vegas, this video will scratch that itch nicely. That's a metaphor I probably shouldn't use when writing about brothels. 

And finally, here's another look inside Buffalo Bill's Resort and Casino, the Primm casino that reopened earlier this year. 

Vegas Confessions Podcast host Julian Romero cranks out a lot of content, both audio and video, about Vegas. Like most content creators, not all of it speaks to me, but it doesn't have to. I can't watch it all. And perhaps that's the key to a successful YouTube channel, providing a variety of content for those who want to see food reviews and guys like me who don't. 

Some of what I heard and saw in Julian's video is comparable to what I saw from a Miles to Memories video I recommend a few weeks ago. But Julian brings plenty of new information in his modest 8-minute video. If you've ever been curious about those California border casinos, this video is worth your time.