Las Vegas Mixtape v25: Eagles Ascend at Sphere, Trop Implosion Party, and More

1. Track #1: Eagles @Sphere

For me there’s nothing like the divine sound of high harmonies. And the Eagles delivered truckloads of them last month (October 19) at the Sphere on gems like “Hotel California,” “I Can’t Tell You Why”—which is Timothy B. Schmit’s moment to shine in the show—and “Take It To The Limit,” movingly summoning the spirit of its original member, the late Randy Meisner.

Walking into the Sphere, I couldn’t help but wonder if the Eagles would meet the challenge of performing in a venue that’s driven by startling visuals without sacrificing the intimacy of most of their songs. Glad to say the Southern California band triumphantly pulled it off, utilizing creative imagery as well as projections of themselves to enhance, not overwhelm, the songs.

At the show’s outset, band leader Don Henley kiddingly acknowledged the Sphere’s snow globe-like setting by saying, “There’s stuff going on around you. I hope you brought your Dramamine.” He also told the crowd not to miss the visuals displayed at the very top of the venue, where you could see, for example, guitarist Joe Walsh performing a reliably searing solo on his solo hit “In The City.” Especially on this song, you could feel the force of the venue’s 164,000 speakers.

Much as the eye candy was striking—like the co-ed couple seen swimming underwater in Henley’s solo hit “Boys of Summer” and scenes of the Strip at night during “Life In The Fast Lane”—it was the band’s exquisite musicianship and vocals that still resonate the most in my mind. The late Glenn Frey’s son Deacon Fry evoked the California desert with his warm tone that echoed his father’s on “Peaceful Easy Feeling”; Henley’s falsetto at the end of “One of These Nights” was electrifying; and country star Vince Gill’s voice on “Take It To The Limit” was as luxurious as velvet.

The Eagles began their Sphere residency, as part of their farewell tour, on September 20 and return tonight (November 1). They’re performing on select weekends through March 15, 2025, and by the time the run wraps, they will have played 28 shows (unless more are added). It’s truly a SoCal takeover.

2. Track #2: Tropicana Implosion Viewing Party @OYO Hotel and Casino

The Tropicana Las Vegas is dead and gone. So many memories were imploded on October 9 and simply disappeared into the ether—ones that are destined to haunt Las Vegas Blvd, at least for a little while, until it’s forgotten by most people that the hotel was ever there.

And there I was, last month, at 2:30am in the morning with friends in a hotel room on the 17th floor of the OYO Hotel and Casino, adjacent to the Tropicana property. It was the first hotel implosion viewing party I’ve ever attended.

At the invitation of singer-songwriter-guitar-slinger Roni Lee, I arrived at 11pm. Everyone enjoyed drinks, snacks, and streaming music, while sharing Tropicana memories and waiting for the hotel’s two hollowed out towers to come tumbling down. The Big Event began with a drone show and fireworks, the smoke from which somewhat clouded the spectacle of the implosions that followed. The noise from the two big bangs was, depending on your viewpoint, thrilling, or unsettling, like the horrible sound of wartime.

I raised my glass—and my chocolate and peanut butter doughnut from Pinkbox—to the Tropicana and its Rat Pack era history. But I honestly didn’t feel great about its demise in a world that’s forever changing. It’s said that “progress is progress,” and how you’ve got to roll with the changes—even if that means the planned construction of a new stadium for an out-of-state baseball team (sorry, I’m not a sports enthusiast).

Leaving the OYO one hour after the implosion, it was hard to breathe outside with ominous smoke everywhere. I caught an Uber from a nearby gas station at 3:30am and thought about how the OYO itself might one day be in line for an implosion. This, too, is Vegas baby, as it is said.

3. Track #3: Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana @Summerlin

No small wonder that Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana on Sahara Ave and Fort Apache Rd is especially packed on Mondays from 4pm to close (I assume the same goes for its flagship Henderson location).

That’s when the Italian restaurant offers an outstanding margherita pizza with one topping for only—drumroll, please—$8.00. It’s an extraordinary deal, probably one of the best nighttime discounts in the city, since the pizza (with crushed tomatoes, mozzarella, parmigiano, basil, and oil) is regularly priced at $17.00. I chose the outstanding pepperoni topping.

Debuting almost 20 years ago in 2005, Settebello prides itself on being “one of the first pizzerias in the US to recreate Pizza Napoletana as it has been made in Napoli for centuries.” Look for the eatery, which also has outposts in SoCal (Pasadena, Oxnard) and Salt Lake City, to have a presence at the Vegas Pizza Festival on November 16 at The Industrial Event Space.

4. Track #4: Rival Sons @Brooklyn Bowl

There was that amazing time in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s when Rock Gods like the Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin ruled the Earth, blowing everyone away with their virtuosity and intimidating, larger-than-life stature. This is the era that came to mind while watching Rival Sons headline the Brooklyn Bowl on theLINQ Promenade last month.

Formed in Southern CA, Rival Sons are a twice-Grammy-nominated rock quartet whose debut album came out in 2009. They answer to no one and continue to create music that’s gutsy, moving, and vital. Onstage, they operate with an astounding level of musical and emotional power.  Soulful, raspy vocalist Jay Buchanan supplies the grit, guitarist Scott Holiday provides electric sizzle, and bassist Dave Beste and drummer Michael Miley are thrillingly locked in as a rhythmic unit.

Taking the stage minus his bandmates, Buchanan performed “Shooting Stars” acoustically and promptly mowed down the audience with one of rock’s best voices. Set highlights also included the foreboding and fiery “Nobody Wants to Die”—from their “Darkfighter” album, the first of two discs they released last year—and the anthemic “Keep on Swinging,” which Holiday shot up with crunchy riffs and awe-inspiring flights.

Rival Sons are a musician’s musician group; they were handpicked as the sole opening act on Black Sabbath’s 2016-2017 farewell tour. This is one R-O-C-K band for everyone to believe in. As Buchanan humbly said at the end of their Brooklyn Bowl set, “We’re Rival Sons. We play rock and roll music.”

5. Track #5: Around Town Medley: Xiao Long Dumplings and Irv’s Burgers

There’s a treasure trove of places in Chinatown Vegas to satisfy anyone’s craving for dumplings, and the busy Xiao Long Dumplings at the massive Chinatown Plaza is in my top five.

Whenever I dine there, their lovingly folded and steamed pork wasabi soup dumplings steal the show from my other faves, like the crispy scallion pancakes and sautéed green beans. Everyone should be happy to know that the wasabi not only provides “the kick”—it also has immune-system-boosting health benefits.

Every time I stop into the Eat Your Heart Out food hall at the Durango Casino and Resort, there’s a line at Irv’s Burgers. The big seller is their original “roadside burger,” a simple-but-spot-on patty with American cheese, Irv’s sauce, lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle on a toasted bun.

Irv’s began in 1946 in West Hollywood, and the Vegas outpost is the SoCal chain’s seventh location. Their other menu items include an all-beef Hebrew national hot dog, a pastrami sandwich, and, keeping with the brand, a patty melt. Irv’s is open 8am to 3am every day, so you have no reason not to join the line here.