We went to the Paris Casino for dinner on Saturday night. There are tons of shops in the casino, all rather spendy. Afterwards, we strolled next door to Planet Hollywood where we took in a concert. The Coasters, The Platters, and The Marvelettes entertained us for about 90 minutes. I lifted this review of a 2007 show from Go Retro blog.
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![[Coasters.jpg]](Coasters.jpg)
I
f you’re familiar with The Coasters, who opened the show, you could probably
surmise by their whimsical hits such as Yakity Yak (which was sung,
rather badly, by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the movie Twins) and
Charlie Brown that their stage persona is a gas as well. Wise cracking with
glittery suits, they immediately made it clear that this was a party, as they
interacted with the audience and brought them to their feet by performing the
aforementioned hits, as well as Searchin’, Poison Ivy,
and Young Blood.
The Marvelettes were an all-girl group that had pleasant vocals, but could
benefit from the guidance of a professional wardrobe designer. Their spandex
gowns were extremely unforgiving to their less than svelte figures, and combined
with the stage lighting it was pretty obvious that they weren’t wearing bras;
thankfully, there were only adults in attendance. They covered Heat Wave
(which was not a Marvelettes hit), Please Mister Postman, and
Don’t Mess With Bill, which was preceded by a bit of comedic dialogue and
the assistance of a male audience member, who was all too happy to get down with
three braless women in front of hundreds of people.
But the most outstanding portion of the show belonged to The Platters, sans Herb
Reed, one of the original founding members who is still alive. They oozed class
and elegance (their female member wore a beautiful pink gown with matching
gloves that put the Marvelettes’ garb to shame) and immediately launched into
Only You (And You Alone), Twilight Time, The Great
Pretender, and Smoke Gets In Your Eyes - all unforgettable
melodies reminiscent of a time
when boys actually asked girls out on dates and made out in the backseats of
their father’s Chevy. They also performed The Shirelles’ Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow, and Jackie Wilson’s Your Love is Lifting Me
Higher, each member demonstrating powerful vocals that made my eyes teary
at times.
***
On Sunday morning, we got an early start east and has breakfast at the Coffee Cup in Boulder City, Nevada, a few miles from Hoover Dam. Traffic was light and we breezed through the area around the dam heading toward the Hualapai Reservation.