Goss Swings Into Caesars Las Vegas

Matt & The Band

Living in Las Vegas since 2003 has given me an opportunity to see shows, bands, and singers evolve, change and hop from venue to venue. You might see a band play for six months at a casino at one end of town, and move to another venue after their contract is up.

Matt Goss and his band took up residence at the 210-seat Lounge at the Palms from September 2009 to January 2010. After talks commenced between Caesars and Goss’ manager and Pussycat Dolls founder Robin Antin, it was announced shortly afterwards, in January 2010, that Goss would take over Cleopatra’s Barge.

Cleopatra’s Barge is one of the original fixtures from the old Caesars Palace days of the 1970’s. It now holds 165 seats in an intimate, red-swathed nightclub. Red chairs, carpeting, and curtains are part of the new look of the party lounge’s overhaul.



After seeing Goss, his band, backup singers, and backup dancers the Dirty Virgins in their new digs, I still enjoy the show, and the sound was excellent. The way the show is designed patrons can walk by on Cleo’s Way and hear the show spill out of the lounge, or sit next door at the bar to get a listen, if not the visuals. Then afterwards party-seekers can enter the space for free and dance the night away to dance tunes spun by a resident DJ.

I think the band and the backup singers’ movements are limited, however. The Barge was redesigned to accommodate the band, but there are so many performers on it (including horn players and the Dirty Virgins) that they cannot move about as much as they did in the Lounge at the Palms. That’s a shame, because so much of the music is lively and audience-friendly.

Matt still exudes Rat Pack-cool and even has some new tunes including one he put together for the local Fox 5 “More” show: “Lovely Las Vegas.” The show costs $40, which is more than the $25 I paid for the show at the Palms. The Cosmo martini I ordered cost a whopping $16.50. So the show is not a bargain, but it’s worth the cost. I don’t know what tourists will make of the cost of the show and the cocktails, but Matt’s engaging manner and stylish delivery should be able to draw them in.

Photos By Julie Kasperson

Matt Playing Guitar

Matt & Backup Singers

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All photo credits: Julie Kasperson

-VegasJules ( Julie Kasperson ) can be contacted through her facebook page.

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