We’ve had the pleasure of watching ventriloquist Terry Fator perform on a Las Vegas stage ever since he first appeared, following his winning the big bucks on the second season of “America’s Got Talent. That first show in our village took place on October 14, 2007 in the showroom where Elvis once performed–The Las Vegas Hilton (now the Westgate).
On May 13, 2008 it was announced that Fator had signed a five-year, $100 million contract to perform nightly at The Mirage. He replaced headliner Danny Gans and the theater was renamed the Terry Fator Theatre. Reportedly, Fator’s deal, at the time, was one of the largest entertainment deals in Las Vegas history. When he moved to the Mirage in 2008, we were there to watch him once again. We have been going to his annual Christmas Show and other celebrations every year since.
And the other evening it was again our pleasure to celebrate with Terry–for this night would make it nine years of great performances at the Mirage, located at 3400 Las Vegas Blvd. South, 89109.
We had all been told prior to the show, that he would once again preview a new puppet (when Fator first began his Las Vegas run, he vowed to continuously keep the show fresh and introduce new characters each year as a thank you to his fans), but this year there would be two. My thoughts went wild with expectation of who in the heck it would be? There were no clues. So, after a wonderful pre-show party at the STACK, along with my guest, Linda Molnar, we made it to the showroom and settled down for possibly my 16th time of watching this really nice guy perform.
With that said, two music legends joined the current cast (his current collection of working puppets number 14, (but they don’t all make it to the stage each night) to celebrate this special anniversary: the King of Pop himself “Michael Jackson” appears on stage with Fator as they treat the audience to a medley of Michael’s greatest hits including “Thriller,” and “Betty Jane.” Fator then shows off his ambidextrous puppeteering skills when “Paul McCartney” joins Michael on stage for a duet that features Fator working with both puppets at one time. Fans are then treated to Paul in the solo spotlight…okay with Terry’s help…performing his special take on Beatles classics.
“I’ve been wanting to add more real-life celebrities to the show as my audiences are coming from all over the world and music truly is that universal language – especially when the audience sees Michael Jackson or a Beatle!” said Fator.
The legendary pop stars join the cast alongside Terry’s most beloved characters –Winston the Impersonating Turtle, the world’s greatest Elvis impersonator Maynard Tompkins (if you haven’t seen him before Maynard doesn’t know any Elvis songs), Vikki the Cougar, Fernando V. Francisco, Emma Taylor, “Sir Elton John,” “President Donald Trump,” and earlier in the show Walter T. Airdale was on stage talking about all his numerous wife’s. Well, this is a running gag throughout the show, as it gives Terry the opportunity to show his ability to throw his voice off-stage. Walter can be heard off-stage admitting to having once wed a certain person (who may have been mentioned by Fator during the show). It’s a neat gag.
And without music there would be no singing, and Terry has assembled a terrific band led by Bill Zappia on Keyboard, and also his Musical Director. The remainder of the band are: John Wackerman Drums (Band Leader), Steve Dawson Saxophone, Tom Delibero Trumpet, Dan Trinter Trombone, Jim Buck Guitar, and Donnie Castleman Bass.
Terry is one of the best ventriloquist to ever perform in Las Vegas or anywhere. What really separates him from others is that he is a damn good singer in his own voice, which he shows throughout the show. His vocal impression of Garth Brooks (not this evening however) is dead solid, as is his Michael, Sir Elton John, and others.
Fator’s comedy, singing and celebrity impersonations have earned him the 2017 Best Strip Entertainer award by the Las Vegas Weekly, the 2017 Best Impersonator, Best Comedian, and Best Family Friendly Show awards by the Las Vegas Review Journal’s Best of Vegas, and many more accolades worldwide.
Terry Fator: The VOICE of Entertainment presents Terry Fator Tonight can be seen Monday through Thursday, with selected Fridays and Saturdays available. Showtime is 7:30 p.m., with tickets starting at $59, plus applicable taxes and fees. Tickets can be purchased at the Terry Fator Theatre box office, by phone at 702-792-7777 or 800-963-9634 or online at mirage.com. For more information, visit terryfator.com.
THIS AND THAT QUICKLY:
Acclaimed actor, singer and songwriter Kiefer Sutherland is making his Las Vegas musical debut, performing hits from his debut country album “Down In A Hole,” at Rocks Lounge inside Red Rock Resort on Saturday, April 28, 2018 at 7:30 p.m., alongside special guest Rick Brantley.
Sutherland has been a professional actor for more than thirty years, starring in movies like “Stand By Me,” “The Lost Boys,” “Young Guns,” “Flatliners,” “A Few Good Men,” “A Time to Kill,” “Dark City,” “Melancholia” and most recently, a western called “Forsaken,” as well as the TV series “24.” But unknown to many during his career, he has taken on other vocations with the same kind of dedication and commitment. The first one, beginning around 1992, was that of a cattle rancher and competitive cowboy (roper) in the USTRC team roping circuit. He ran a successful ranch with partner John English for almost a decade. During that timeframe, he won numerous roping events around the country including Phoenix, Indio and the Los Angeles Open.
In 2002, Sutherland, with his music partner and best friend Jude Cole, began a small record label called Ironworks. The goal of this label was to record local musicians and distribute their music at a time when the music industry was going through a monumental shift. Some of their artists included Rocco DeLuca and the Burden, Honey Honey and Billy Boy On Poison. In 2009, Sutherland left the label to recharge and figure out what he was going to do next. In early 2015 Kiefer played Cole two songs he had written and wanted to record as demos for other artists to record. Cole responded positively to the songs and the album grew organically from those recordings. Two songs became four and four grew into six, until Cole suggested that they make a record. Their collaboration resulted in his debut album Down In A Hole.
Rick Brantley was born and raised in the musical mecca of Macon, Georgia, a preacher’s son, soaking up the strains of gospel music, fire-and-brimstone sermons and the echoes of musical legends: Blind Willie McTell, Otis Redding, The Allman Brothers. Brantley learned his lessons well: barely out of high school, his own songs and red-hot band performances led to a publishing contract and new home base in Nashville. Since then, his songs have been covered by artists ranging from Meat Loaf to country crooner David Nail, while he’s continued honing his stage chops as both full-tilt rock-show front man and acoustic solo performer, opening for acts as diverse as John Hiatt, Zac Brown Band, Better Than Ezra, and Steve Earle.
Tickets for Kiefer Sutherland are $45, $75, and $99 plus tax and applicable fees for reserved seating and go on sale Friday, March 16, 2017 at 10 a.m. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. and guests under 21 years must be accompanied by an adult 21-years or older. Tickets can be purchased at any Station Casinos Reward Center and The Fiestas, by logging onto www.stationcasinoslive.com or through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or www.ticketmaster.com. For exclusive ticket pre-sale information connect with Red Rock Resort on Twitter @RedRockCasino and Facebook.
Sin City’s premier rock and metal festival, Las Rageous, is excited to announce the addition of rock powerhouse A Day to Remember to the Friday night lineup. A Day to Remember will be taking the place of Ghost, who had to cancel the date and issued the following statement: “Due to unforeseen production delays, Ghost regretfully will not be able to appear at the Las Rageous festival next month in Las Vegas, NV. We apologize for any inconvenience and look forward to seeing our friends in Las Vegas very soon.”
A Day to Remember joins the exciting festival lineup also featuring A Perfect Circle, Five Finger Death Punch, Judas Priest, and many more! Las Rageous hits the Downtown Las Vegas Events Center for its highly anticipated second year on Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21 in the heart of iconic downtown Las Vegas.
With only 10,000 tickets available for purchase, Las Rageous offers the rare opportunity for fans to enjoy a festival experience in an intimate outdoor setting. Located just off Las Vegas Boulevard at Third and Carson Streets, Las Rageous will take over two city blocks of the historic downtown area. All ages are welcome, and doors open at 4:00 p.m. both days, with headliners taking the stage at approximately 10:00 p.m.
All tickets available for purchase are 2-day festival tickets for both Friday and Saturday. Two-day festival tickets are currently available for $127 (plus fees). VIP tickets are also available starting at $366 (plus fees) and include private viewing from a platform and onsite parking. Tickets are available via Ticketmaster at: https://www1.ticketmaster.com/event/1700537CF73F68F6. as is the case with all festivals the line-up is subject to change and thus no refunds are available. Las Rageous is produced by Live Nation Las Vegas.
Well, gang, that’s it for another week.