Music used to be the centerpiece of a trip to Las Vegas. In the 1960s, stars like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, and Frank Sinatra played in the Showroom, backed by a 70-piece orchestra, while the Lounge, a smaller, more intimate bar overlooking the casino floor, offered a space for lesser-known players to really hang out. A typical jam session can last until 5am. No matter what time we checked in, the show was always about to start.
Those free-spirited days are long gone. But the lounge itself will survive. In fact, it's undergoing a renaissance. From Bruno Mars-led Pinky Ring to speakeasy-style clubs like Yeezy's and Counting Room, bars and restaurants that spotlight local singers in intimate, theatrical settings are returning to the Strip. Please be sure to bring your request with you.
Bill Murray memorably imitated a lounge singer on “Saturday Night Live” in the late '70s, and this caricature rings true. Unlike singer-songwriters, lounge singers generally avoid original songs, bounce back and forth between genres, and emphasize charisma. Primarily, their task is to create an atmosphere.
“We're not paying attention 100 percent,” says singer Christina Amato, who performs regularly at Wynn's supper club-style venue, Delilah. “We're creating an environment where people want to come.”
Here are some standout venues where singers keep things old school.
Delilah
It's worth reserving a table in advance at Delilah, Wynn's mecca of Jazz Age maximalism. The shiny dining room, accented with emeralds and brass, seats 160, but performances are private and invite-only. Compared to crowds at nightclubs like Omnia and Dry's, Delilah's crowd is less shy when it comes to singing along. That's the point.
“I've heard over and over again that the music isn't very good in clubs,” says Brian Toll, co-founder of h.wood Group, which operates Delilah and other nightlife venues. “People wanted to come out. They just wanted to listen to their favorite songs.”
A typical appetizer costs about $55, but what sets Delilah apart is the raucous late-night show with feathered dancers and horn players roaming among the tables. And of course the singers. Amato has been a featured performer here since the club opened in 2021 (other locations are in Miami and Los Angeles, with a New York version coming in May).
Amato, a Las Vegas native with a love for sparkly gowns and stilettos, called Delilah a dream job. The audience often includes celebrities, so there's an element of surprise each night.
“The first night I worked here, I got to sing Dua Lipa for Dua Lipa,” she said.
Visitors aren't the only ones wanting to secure a seat here. Delilah has also become a coveted destination for performers. Amato said the competition keeps the quality of the music high, adding, “All my musician friends want to get a good word from Delilah.”
nowhere
Although Fontainebleau advertises its second-floor bar, Nowhere, as a bootlegger, the venue feels more Park Avenue than PDT, the subterranean hideout in New York's East Village that sparked the clandestine bar craze in 2007. Upon entry, guests pass through a spacious foyer to reach the main room with soaring columns, wraparound banquettes, and mirrored table tops. You half expect Truman Capote to be lurking behind the curtain somewhere.
It's not essentially a jazz club, with several house bands playing every night. With free admission and fancy cocktails (starting at $21), it's the perfect spot for solo travelers looking for a date night or socializing. Singer Mikala Gordon is trying to keep things light.
“I want the audience to feel like they're a part of the show,” she said of the audience. Ms. Gordon has a strong voice and is not afraid to combine the old with the new. (One song consists of a medley of “Georgia on My Mind” and Justin Bieber's “Peaches.”) If she spots a newlywed in the crowd, she'll sing Etta James' “At Last.” Of course, the Rat Pack anthem also features heavily in this set.
“Sinatra will never go out of style,” she said.
indigo lounge
There are no sequins or showgirls at Indigo Lounge, a no-frills bar that opens onto the Horseshoe's casino floor. The affordable drink menu ($5 domestic beers) and unpretentious atmosphere attract tourists and off-duty business travelers alike. Stop by between 7pm and 11pm on weekends to catch a show.
On a recent Friday night, singer and pianist Barak Monfils-Evangelista belted out hits like “Fast Car,” “Careless Whisper” and “As Long as You Love Me” as two women danced nearby. “We love piano bars!” said Kelly Holmes, 56, who was in town with her sister to see “The Wizard of Oz.” In the sphere.
Monfils Evangelista took their enthusiasm seriously. Since relocating from Houston to Las Vegas in June, he has found steady work performing in hotel lobbies, restaurants and bars. He acknowledged that the ephemeral nature of these spaces often leaves audiences distracted or not paying attention at all. But he said he preferred it that way. “I enjoy it because I get to be a performer, but I also get to be a little anonymous,” he said.
Career-wise, Las Vegas was a good environment for him. “There's a lot of tipping here, and I love it,” Monfils Evangelista said.
italian american club
Instead of dropping $100 on tickets to a Rat Pack tribute show, consider heading to the Italian American Club, which offers twice the history for the price of a cocktail ($12.50). The off-strip restaurant and bar on Sahara Boulevard has been open since 1960 and has autographed photos of Joe DiMaggio and Tony Bennett to prove it.
The diners are mostly locals who come for heaping portions of penne rustica ($25) and two-bone pork chops ($33). Southwest Airlines flight attendant John Irico, 66, has been a regular here since the 1980s and says the old-fashioned atmosphere is a big part of its appeal. “When you walk in, you're asked if you want to go to the dining room or the lounge,” he says. “I prefer the lounge.”
Lounge singer Nick Cole, 45, is in court as the restaurant's resident crooner most nights from 6 p.m. Mr. Cole, who was born and raised in Las Vegas and whose father was a piano player for Buddy Greco, got his start at age 22 gigging at the Galleria Lounge at Caesars Palace. The audience leaves, but the song remains largely unchanged.
“After dinner, people want to turn around in their seats and listen to 'One for My Baby' and 'Unforgettable,'” he says. “They get such a thrill out of it.”
Cuban singer Nouvel Gorgoy has been active on the strip since 2004, including appearing in Stardust's Siegfried & Roy revue “Havana Night Club,” which is now closed. When she was asked to develop a show for Havana 1957, a new restaurant inside the Flamingo that serves classic ropa vieja ($32) and empanadas ($18), she sensed an opportunity.
“I drew on everything I knew, including all my experience as a singer in Las Vegas and my Cuban background,” she said. She chose Cuban classics such as “Guantanamera” and “Quiz, Quiz, Quiz,” as well as cha cha, reggaeton, and modern American hits.
Waving an ostrich-feather fan and striding in front of a lipstick-red piano, Mr. Gogoi certainly knows how to put on a show. During a recent performance, she joked and invited the audience on stage to dance. She said people often say how meaningful the experience was to them.
“They say, 'I'm glad this is still going on,'” Gogoi said. “You come for dinner and do a live show. We should do this more!”
Mr. Gogoi's show at Havana 1957 was recently suspended. you can catch her at bootleg italian bistro Copa Room, performing with Santa Fe & the Fat City Horns on February 16th and April 27th. A new Latin-focused performance is currently planned for Havana 1957.
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