{"id":651,"date":"2009-07-09T10:29:48","date_gmt":"2009-07-09T15:29:48","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/?p=651"},"modified":"2016-12-17T03:42:10","modified_gmt":"2016-12-17T09:42:10","slug":"tribute-bands-performers-help-vegas-celebrate-the-60s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.orbitz.com\/blog\/2009\/07\/tribute-bands-performers-help-vegas-celebrate-the-60s\/","title":{"rendered":"Tribute bands, performers help Vegas celebrate the ’60s"},"content":{"rendered":"

By E. C. Gladstone<\/em><\/p>\n

Maybe it\u2019s all an elaborate celebration for the Las Vegas Hilton<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s 40th Anniversary, but suddenly the music of the 1960s is bursting out at all the Las Vegas hotels<\/a><\/strong>. The biggest entertainment buzz right now is for Human Nature<\/strong> (at Imperial Palace<\/a><\/strong>), the unlikely Australian boy band who has remade itself as a Motown tribute soulful enough to get Smokey Robinson himself to present them. With sharp suits, solid singing and more moves than U Haul, they dance in the aisles, they dance on the tables, they even get you to dance<\/strong>! Equally adept at covering the Temptations (\u201cThe Way You Do The Things You Do\u201d), Supremes (\u201cYou Keep Me Hangin\u2019 On\u201d) and even Jackson 5 (\u201cABC\u201d), the quartet is most showstopping when they sing a capella\u2026.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for a more home-grown rendition, Detroit, Michigan\u2019s, own Jin-Jin Reeves leads Hitzville<\/strong>, a less slick but equally sincere Motown revue<\/strong> with two other female and four male singers down the street at the Planet Hollywood<\/strong><\/a>-adjacent Harmon Theatre (a.k.a. Krave). A woman who really knows how to sell a song, Jin-Jin and her crew cover many of the same classics with their own stopless style (though it\u2019s better when they don\u2019t try too hard to mimic), mixing in other soul artists like Aretha Franklin, Tina Turner, the O\u2019Jays and Drifters<\/strong>\u2026<\/p>\n

\"Jersey

Jersey Boys (Courtesy: Kirvin Doak)<\/p><\/div>\n

Though it\u2019s obviously amore elaborate production with a real narrative, Jersey Boys at the Palazzo<\/a><\/strong> (transplanted from Broadway) is also at heart, a tribute to one of the\u201860s biggest vocal groups, the Four Seasons. Within a fence-bound ever-changing set, the men who portray Frankie Valli, Bob Gaudio et al tell the group\u2019s exhilarating and emotional story from all perspectives, while pulling off note-perfect recreations of the band\u2019s unique harmonies<\/strong> and even instrumentations (all of the music is played live onstage) though hits like \u201cSherry,\u201d \u201cWalk Like A Man,\u201d \u201cRag Doll\u201d \u201cOh What A Night\u201d<\/strong> and more. While mature themes and language make this show iffy for the pre-teen set, virtually anyone older will be blown away\u2026<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Fab

Fab Four Live (Courtesy: David Saxe)<\/p><\/div>\n

No one might compare it in terms of production level, but the Fab Four Live<\/strong> at Planet Hollywood\u2019s V Theater<\/strong> also features four men recreating a ’60s legacy — some guys named the Beatles. In just over an hour, the Fab Four, aided only by an Ed Sullivan\/Austin Powers impersonator and two able-bodied go-go girls, tackle 17 of the Beatles\u2019 best with convincing ability<\/strong>, even ones the originals never played live, like \u201cA Day In The Life,\u201d and \u201cWhile My Guitar Gently Weeps.\u201d A late-afternoon matinee time makes this one a good family option\u2026<\/p>\n

Of course, the great thing about Vegas is that more than a few of the original performers come through town regularly (some even actually live here).<\/p>\n