Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., Dean Martin, and Don Rickles were famous in Las Vegas during its golden days. They’re now just distant memories found on YouTube.
But there’s still one Las Vegas legend you can watch performing live on the famous Strip: Wayne Newton.
Wayne Newton, who is 81 years old, recently said he’ll keep doing his regular shows at the Flamingo Hotel until next summer. These shows will happen from January 13 to June 12, 2024, with tickets starting at $82 (excluding fees). You can buy tickets at caesars.com/shows.
“I’ve been performing in Las Vegas my whole life, so I’m going to stay there. Why should I leave and find a job somewhere else?” Newton told the hosts of the TODAY show.
Newton’s career in Las Vegas began in 1959 when he was just 15 years old. He was a high school student from Phoenix. A talent scout offered him a chance to audition. At first, Newton performed with his older brother Jerry. But he eventually started performing alone after his first big hit in 1963, “Danke Schoen.”
Since then, Newton, known as Mr. Las Vegas, has done 50,000 shows for more than 40 million people.
When asked about his favorite memory of Vegas, Newton remembered a show he did in 2016 at the opening of the T-Mobile Arena. He paid tribute to his friends Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., and Bobby Darin, who were all famous performers. During the show, the audience turned on their phone lights while he sang “My Way,” a famous song by Sinatra.
In his current shows, Newton plays around with 13 different instruments, including the fiddle. But there’s one thing he won’t do—karaoke.
“I have perfect pitch, which is both a blessing and a curse,” he said. “If someone is singing off-key around me, it’s painful. That’s why I don’t do karaoke.”
During his performances, Newton takes breaks to share stories about his more than 60 years in the entertainment industry and his friends who have passed away. He shows videos of himself with other famous people like comedians Jack Benny and Jackie Gleason, Elvis, Frank Sinatra and his group called the Rat Pack, and show host Ed Sullivan. He also performs a mix of songs with the late Glen Campbell.
Newton mentioned to John Katsilometes, a columnist for the Las Vegas Review-Journal, that his show is a “bucket list” experience for those who want to experience what Las Vegas was like in the past. He’s noticed more young people, especially young men, coming to his shows recently because they want to know what Las Vegas was like back then.