We knew eventually we were gonna cut loose (footloose). That inevitability played out at the Power of Love Gala on Saturday night.
A medley of Kenny Loggins hits performed by a parade of pop and rock stars capped the 30th anniversary of Keep Memory Alive’s annual gala at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. A sellout crowd of 1,650 well-heeled supporters turned out, dozens taking up the “Posh Pit” at the front of the stage to close the night.
As promised, Loggins, as the night’s leading honoree, performed a rare set of his greatest hits, among them “Footloose” from the blockbuster film of the same name; “Danger Zone,” from the “Top Gun” films; “This Is It”; a nostalgia-tinged duet of “I’m Alright” from “Caddyshack” with his friend of 40 years Richard Marx; and a duet of “Whenever I Call You ‘Friend’” with the terrific Hunter Hawkins.
And in the mix: Gavin DeGraw slowed it down a couple of gears for “Danny’s Song.” Kevin Cronin, late of REO Speedwagon, performed one of his favorites, “Angry Eyes.” Drake Milligan (“Your Mama Don’t Dance”), Rita Wilson (“A Love Song”), Sheléa (“What a Fool Believes”) and Rachel Platten (her original “Fight Song”) took the stage, in the fulfilling night of live performance for which the event is famous.
Holding it together as music director was Greg Phillinganes, who has worked with Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson and Eric Clapton (among many other legends). Comic and actor Chris Hardwick of “Talking Dead” and “The Wall” was the emcee. He was a handful for most of the night, breaking into the classic “Footloose” dance alongside a bemused Phillinganes, Marx, Milligan and McGraw. Hardwick, swept up by many emotions, tumbled to the stage at the end.
As Larry Ruvo, who co-founded the event with his wife, Camille, said as he moved through the crowd, “Just another night in Vegas.”
More moments captured, during the event and from the red carpet:
— Lisa Vanderpump said the Vanderpump Hotel, taking over The Cromwell on the corner of Flamingo Road and the Strip, “will be a work in progress for quite a while” and said its opening “is a couple months away.” She offered, “It’s been a challenge actually for us to take on something so different in hospitality, but it’s been really a great process.” Vanderpump is a supporter of many causes, saying, “I’m doing my part making the world a better place, saving as many dogs as I can, supporting charities that I believe in, speaking on behalf of the LGBTQ, suicide prevention, all those things. If you have all the advantage of celebrity, I think it’s irresponsible if you don’t use it wisely and give back.”
— Cronin spoke to the rift that has prevented him from touring under the REO Speedwagon moniker. This is the result of a dispute between the frontman and Bruce Hall, the band’s famed bassist. “I can still do REO songs, but I’m just not permitted to do it under the name of REO Speedwagon, which is tough,” Cronin said. “But we’ll see. You know, time has a way of working things out, and if it works out that I’m able to use the name again at some point, I welcome that. If not, I’m doing just fine as it is.”
— Country star and former Resorts World Theatre headliner Luke Bryan told me on the red carpet he’s still open to a residency run on the Strip. “We’re always looking at opportunities, maybe down the road to come back, but I don’t know when that’ll be,” he said. “I enjoyed putting that show together. But when you put a Vegas show together, you realize you’re competing with Adele and Usher and so many other others. I wanted this show to stand on its own and be a representation of me, and I was really proud of what we were able to do.”
— DeGraw is a Las Vegas resident. “I’m building a house, down the road,” he said. The pop-soul-rock artist is a 24/7 consumer. “Vegas is one of the few places that suits my lifestyle,” he said. “I’m a food addict. A restaurant guy. You can get a great meal at 3 in the morning, and you can’t do that everywhere.”
— Milligan, who played Elvis on the “Sun Records” series on CMT is (as expected) a big fan of Presley. His favorite song “changes every day,” but he referenced the obscure (at least from here) “There’s Always Me,” from “Something for Everybody” in 1961. “It shows off that vibrato he had in the ’50s, but when he was starting to get into that power-operatic stuff. That’s one of my favorites.”
— It had been a long time between correspondence with Rande Gerber. Nearly 20 years. But he laughed when I reminded him of our pre-opening tour of Cherry at Red Rock Resort (now Rouge Room). We learned of the infamous red-lip-designed urinals on that visit. Gerber was an original partner in Cherry, along with Station Casinos. “Wow, that was a minute ago,” Gerber said. “Good memories.” The memories outlasted the club, which closed in 2010 after a 3½-year run.
— On the topic of opportunities, up for bid was a new Lotus Emeria from Nick Dossa and Vegas Auto Gallery and a visit to the set of Sylvester Stallone’s Paramount+ crime-drama series “Tulsa King” (including lunch, dinner and a walk-on role “if Sly likes you,” as Ruvo said). Listed as “priceless,” that package went for $120,000.
— Comic-acting great and MGM Grand comedy-club proprietor Brad Garrett donated a poker night and dinner, along with dessert — his wife, IsaBeall, is a pastry chef — at his Los Angeles home. Garrett said in a video message, “If you feel like doing a low-stakes poker night with a has-been sitcom guy, this may be your opportunity.” He emphasized Ray Romano would not attend. Still, the lot went for $35,000.
— For the first time, father-son chef teams created the night’s menu. Wolfgang Puck and Charlie Palmer, alongside their sons, Byron Lazaroff Puck and Reed Palmer, pulled together the multicourse meal for the more than 1,600 guests. The items are delivered table-ready, a remarkable feat.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.