T-Pain kicked it off with a sweltering set at Toshiba Plaza on Tuesday afternoon. Flavor Flav was back at the Fortress, along with three Aces, a Westgate headliner and Mr. Las Vegas Wayne Newton.
An eclectic collection of celebs rolled into T-Mobile Arena for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday.
T-Pain played the free concert prior to the game at Toshiba Plaza outside T-Mobile Arena. He then cranked the siren to open the game.
Thousands of fans took in the show and stayed on the grounds for a free watch party. The artist born Faheem Rashad Najm performed his Grammy Award-winning tracks “Good Life,” a collab with Ye (once Kanye West); and “Blame It,” his hit with Jaime Foxx. He also played “Low,” his collab with Flo Rida, which No. 1 on the Billboard charts for 10 weeks, the longest run of any top-selling hit in 2008.
A Golden Knights fan favorite since the team’s inception, Flavor Flav had missed Sunday’s Game 3. He had what can be termed an excused absence. Saturday, he and Chuck D. of Public Enemy joined Bruce Springsteen, Jon Bon Jovi, Dion, Nils Lofgren, Darlene Love, Jackson Browne, Gary Clark Jr. and Sheryl Crow at Springsteen’s “Music America: The Songs that Shaped Us” concert in Monmouth, N.J.
But Flav followed through on his pledge to see the Golden Knights in the Final. In an exclusive interview last week, the 67-year old Rock and Roll Hall of Famer said, “I want to be to the Aces and to the Golden Knights is what Spike Lee is to the Knicks. I want to be there for the Raiders, too. I love my Las Vegas teams, Bro!”
Newton, who like Flav is a day-one Golden Knights fan, also took in his first Stanley Cup Final game. A friend of owner Bill Foley, Newton once said of the Vegas NHL franchise, “I never thought, in all the years I’ve lived in Las Vegas, we’d see an ice hockey team take over this city.”
Jackie Young, Chelsea Gray and Kierstan Bell repped the Aces. Westgate headlining magician Jen Kramer was on hand; she posed for a pic with Flav, which is customary whenever you are within five feet of the rap legend.
Elsewhere, it was Simple Plan singer Pierre Bouviere, comics Jimmy O’Yang and Hannibal Buress, Washington Wizards point guard D’Angelo Russell, MMA combatants Gigi Canuto and Casey O’Neill, PGA golfer Min Woo Lee, Liam Blutman of Barstool Sports, and Serena Neel and Logan Pereira of Netflix’s “Love on the Spectrum.”
Knight moves
In an only-in-Las Vegas turn of events for one of Vegas’s golden knights, Larry Ruvo couldn’t make Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on Sunday. He was being knighted by the Sacred Military Constantinian Order of Saint George at Historic St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church in downtown Las Vegas.
The church was founded October 4, 1908, making it the oldest Catholic parish in the city. It is also located just across from Golden Nugget on Casino Center Boulevard.
Ruvo had long ago committed to being honored, after an invitation straight from the Vatican. He joined the actor Joe Mantegna (“Criminal Minds”) and Las Vegan Rip Mason as those knighted.
Ruvo and his wife, Camille, are co-founders of the Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health in Symphony Park. They are also avid Golden Knights fans, who have a suite at T-Mobile Arena. They were back Tuesday, hosting star chef Michael Mina.
Cup aftermath
About 300 folks turned out to see the Stanley Cup at Hall of Excellence at Fontainebleau during the nearly three hours it was on display Monday. Good turnout, and Hall of Excellence Howard Deneroff said everyone who paraded through left happy. More artifacts are planned near the end of the month.
The Cup’s earlier appearance at Circa’s was for a private NHL party, thus not considered a public event. The Cup is public on social media, shown on a post from the Legacy Club.
Martin aces it
Kyle Martin of the “Piano Man” Billy Joel/Elton John tribute at V Theater at Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood played to a crowd of more than 10,261 on Monday.
It wasn’t at V Theater.
Martin made his debut, as Sir Elton, for the Aces at Michelob Ultra Arena. He performed “Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting” and “I’m Still Standing” at halftime for the sold-out crowd.
“It went great. Sold out stadium and the energy was off the chain,” Martin says. The headliner also notes that he hears “rumblings” he’ll be back.
The Aces won, 101-91. Martin is undefeated. His Elton portrayal was a hit. Make it a residency.
Cool Hang Alert
Christine Shebeck and the is delving — delving, I tell you! — into nostalgia in her next show at Myron’s. The great vocalist hosts “X Marks the Spot: ’70s, ’80s and ’90s — The Music of our Youth” at 7 p.m.. Wednesday at Myron’s — are on stage at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Myron’s. Expect some Blondie, ABBA, Stevie Nicks, Roxette and The Cranberries, from an artist who has lived it. Go to thesmithcenter.com for intel.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykatson X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.