After all, you can gamble almost anywhere these days, and, in this economy, you can get a nice hotel room at a good price in a lot of places besides Vegas. Dining and shopping are not working out so well either. In the Internet Age, our great boutique shopping is hardly the draw that it was even a few years ago. We have celebrity chefs, of course, but so do New York and Los Angeles, not to mention Paris (the real one, not the casino). Most of the malls that the tourists traffic in Vegas now are at the brink of bankruptcy or for sale.

That just leaves our claim as the Entertainment Capital of the World. But isn't that claim, too, dated? Elvis and Sinatra are long gone. Even Celine Dion is gone. Traveling Cirque du Soleil shows make a Vegas trip unnecessary. Elton John still tours too. And when Barry Manilow had a new album, he took off from the Hilton to tour. If I was looking at my budget, I would see Vegas as an easy place to cut back no matter how cheap the vacation. That is an ugly realization.

So, the question must be asked: why go to Vegas? What is so special about Vegas? Obviously we remain the big league of gambling. That isn't going to change. But in order to keep thriving Vegas by the end of the '90s built for a market where gamblers' play makes up less than half the money resorts generate. That is now the case. So, even a buffet is supposed to make money at a resort now. This process can not be reversed. And gambling wins alone can no longer keep everyone working and the lights on at the big Strip resorts.

After a great deal of thought, I think I have the solution to draw people back here. Obviously, it is an old idea, but one Vegas seems to have forgotten. Bring back the big-name headliners and get them in contracts so that you can't see them anyplace else. Vegas has never been more conservative in terms of entertainment than it is now. New and upcoming shows include: Donny & Marie, a Cirque magic show with Criss Angel, a Cirque Elvis show, another Broadway show ("The Lion King"), an impersonator,  ventriloquists, Cher and Bette Middler. Yawn. All of this is meant for the traditional Vegas tourist of a few years ago. But people don't actually come to Vegas just to see these shows, no matter how much they would enjoy them once here. We need headliners of an entirely different league who could draw people to Vegas. That is a small and expensive list: Madonna, Guns 'N Roses, Bruce Springsteen or U2. These are just some examples of the sort of acts who could be more profitable doing 10 weeks in Vegas than Criss Angel will be doing 10 years. Or, how about a theatrical show designed and starring David Bowie?

In truth, Vegas is king for making the impossible happen. One hundred million dollars is very little for a show when it draws people into a multi-billion-dollar casino. Cirque's "LOVE" was a hit because Cirque did a good job, of course, but more because boomers were given a unique opportunity to hear the Beatles' catalog with proper sound while looking at theatrical stuff that represented the videos their pre-MTV lives never gave them. There is no mystery to it: the Beatles show is a draw; people come to Vegas because they want to see it. We need more shows like that.

It is disappointing that none of the resorts seem to be thinking in these terms. Instead, the resorts are focused entirely on dropping prices low enough to bring people back. And, of course, that should be done as well. But in reality, there is no reason to come to Las Vegas. We are an empty desert meant for people to come and behave irresponsibly with their money, and casting Vegas as a bargain destination to engage in that behavior has severe limits in a recession.

The truth is that the magic of Vegas comes from making the impossible happen. "LOVE" offers that. And, when so much content can be pirated online (music, movies), live experiences are one of the few forms of entertainment that audiences must still pay to enjoy. That should be a big strength for Vegas, a town that markets a custom live experience to every tourist based on dreams and wallet size.

In short, this city is going to need to do a lot better than bringing Donny & Marie back onto the same stage to draw people in 2009. Yet, right now, this option is not even being considered by resorts I know. In fact, most have contracted out showrooms and have only the most limited say as to what shows are placed on their property -- another profit-making venture that turns casinos into landlords. Pity. In these economic times, people more than ever require a reason for Vegas to be the place to come splurge. I say bring back the real headliners, the ones fans will drive across the country to see. It is a tall order, but that is the way Vegas has always survived and now is the time to remember that.
(photo by Sarah Gerke)