Postmodern Jukebox Rings in the New Year in Las Vegas

We just returned from a 4 day road trip to Las Vegas to bring in the New Year at the Cosmopolitan Hotel.  You know the old adage: what happens in Vegas…goes on the PMJ blog.

(In the dressing room after the final show.  I was clearly looking at the wrong camera.)

Our shows were at Rose.Rabbit.Lie, a beautiful and intimate venue in the hotel that was conveniently located next to the buffet (I should know, since I ate nearly every meal there).  Since the show played in much larger venues on our most recent tour, it was fun to return to our roots and get up close and personal in a smaller room.

(Ariana Savalas, getting up close and personal with a fan in the front row during “No Diggity”)

New Years’ Eve has a way of bringing people from all around the world together, so I decided to go out in the audience and stream part of the show live for the viewers at home, with the feed visible on the PMJ Facebook page.  I think I stayed incognito reasonably well, considering I got yelled at by security guards at around 8:11 (no hard feelings; glad to see that they were doing their job).

The cast on this four show run was top-notch, as always.  Maiya Sykes slayed “I Believe in a Thing Called Love,”  LaVance Colley hits the hit notes in “Halo,” and Blake Lewis fused beatbox and Sinatra-style crooning in “Radioactive.

Download / Order “Radioactive” from our ‘Swipe Right For Vintage’ album:

Haley Reinhart finished out her incredible 2015 with us on the first two nights, and up-and-coming superstar Sara Niemietz joined us for the last two. Even our Tambourine Guy, Grammy Nominated Tim Kubart made an appearance.  It was an exciting way to end a thrilling year, and to top it off, our tour manager, Will Pepple, scored us some Bruno Mars tickets on New Years' Eve.

(Haley Reinhart, live at Rose.Rabbit.Lie)

The Las Vegas strip has a rich tradition of live music, and we were happy to carry on that tradition and honor the likes of Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis, Jr. in our own way.  Although the Rat Pack came to symbolize Vegas entertainment for many years to come, their influence in Las Vegas extended far beyond music. In fact, it was during Frank and Sammy's residency at the Sands Hotel and Casino in the late fifties that the two of them stood up to citywide racial segregation policies and helped end segregation in Las Vegas for good.

Oh, and one last pro tip for winning big in Vegas: don't gamble.  Or, gamble with the understanding that you're essentially paying for the entertainment value of gambling.  If you do manage to get ahead and win something, never gamble again.  Congrats! You just beat the house.

Hope your 2016 is off to a great start!  PMJ has a show in Kohler, WI on the 22nd, and then it's off to Europe for our biggest tour yet (tix here).  See you at midnight on Thursday for a new Postmodern Jukebox video!

-Scott

@scottbradlee