Speaking of stand-up and shows in general, I noticed a strange thing in Vegas: the marquee names that are there are for the most part great…but they are mixed in with acts I didn’t know still did entertainment or, indeed were still alive…

Ongoing gigs down there included, Louie Anderson, Rita Rudner, Joan Rivers, George Wallace and even Donny and Marie Osmond. Donny and Marie play the Flamingo I believe and there is a giant 20 storey poster of them on the side of the building which stares at all patrons of the “Pure” nightclub located in Caesar’s Palace. Which, I think, might be my favourite drinking spot on the strip. It’s a rooftop patio with a giant bar in the middle and various cabanas where groups can surround outrageously overpriced bottles of alcohol and take it all in. I likely wouldn’t have enjoyed myself as much if I was the one paying for all the bottles. But I wasn’t. So I did (thanks again Jack!)

Of course, night time is the best time in Vegas, although if you planned it well enough it can be the best of all worlds. In other words, spend DAYS by the various pools and evenings out on the strip (I should note here that I’m not really a gambler and felt no temptation whatsoever to hang out for hours and hours in casinos. I played a few games of roulette, donated some money to the slot machines and then kept the rest for myself)…anyway, days and nights can be very different in Vegas. Unless you are inside at a casino and don’t know the difference. Which is highly possible.

I’m actually thankful that I had responsibilities during the day, which included kicking off the day’s meetings at 8:00am. Because if I DIDN’T have those responsibilities, well, I’m not sure I would have made it out alive. And every morning, as I scurried blurry-eyed to the meeting room I would pass many, many people clearly still out from the night before and just as excited at 8:00am as they would have been at midnight.

Frito did things up right too, renting out the best two nightclubs in Vegas: XS and Tryst for evening festivities including an awards ceremony people dress up for called “The Salty’s”. I was lucky enough to host the show and one of the companies in attendance was kind enough to pimp me out, literally, in a purple pimp suit complete with bling, hat and cougar print shirt. Anywhere else, the outlandish outfit would get confused looks on the way down from my room. But not Vegas. Everyone just looked and said “hello”. In fact, the most common feedback I got was “yeah, that really suits you”. Great. So I look like a pimp. That’s not the look I was going for.

In any case, The Salty’s was my chance to let loose a little more than I had been doing during the day (though in fairness I think I pushed it just about as far as could be done in a daily stand-up show) and I had an immense amount of fun doing it. And as luck would have it, the Special Events manager for the Wynn was in the house when I was performing, liked what I was doing and may well invite me back for other performances with other groups!

So, long story short, my first (paid) trip to Vegas may well lead to subsequent (paid) trips to Vegas. Meaning without having to sit through hours of blackjack, poker or other time vampire games, I’m up! I really am a lucky SOB sometimes.

So thanks again to Frito for being so fun and bringing me in again and thanks to Vegas for all the sights, all the sounds and all the rounds. I’ll be back soon. If this hangover ever goes away…