By the 30s, it had become known as the “quickie divorce capital of the world,” the place where stars such as Clark Gable went to annul a marriage. Las Vegas was founded as a city on May 15, 1905, by Mormons. “It’s been my lifelong dream to be a Las Vegas girl. Lady Gaga, whose Enigma and Jazz And Piano shows launched in 2018, is also helping make Las Vegas hip again.
The past two decades, however, have marked a new era in Las Vegas entertainment, with global superstar 30-somethings such as Drake and Beyoncé eager to put their stamp on the city.
For more than 70 years, however, Las Vegas has been home to concert residencies from some of the biggest names in the music business, and stars such as Liberace, Elvis Presley, and Frank Sinatra became almost as emblematic as the city’s blackjack tables.įor a time in the late 70s and 80s, the former frontier town was derided as a retirement home for musical careers, a place where a washed-up old crooner would go for a residency, forlornly singing medleys of their old hits night after night to a few hundred bored or drunk punters and tourists, resting between visits to the slot machines. Comedian Don Rickles called Las Vegas “the boiling pot of entertainment.” It is a gaudy gem in the middle of the desert a “Sin City” built on gambling, live shows and an ethos of instant gratification.
