The Jeff Does Vegas Podcast

Mid-September 2023, news began trickling out online that MGM Resorts was experiencing - as they put it - a "cyber security issue."  The company said they'd began shutting down systems to minimize the impact of the problem and that their facilities were "operational".

But on social media, it was a totally different story.

Guests at several MGM Resorts, including Mandalay Bay, the MGM Grand, and the Bellagio were all reporting major issues including slot machines & gaming floors shut down, room keys & locks not functioning properly, and hours-long lines waiting to be "manually checked in".

But what happened?  How did it all go down?  And how can it be prevented?

My guest for this episode of the podcast is here to answer those questions - and many others...

FC aka Freakyclown is an ethical hacker, social engineer, co-founder of cyber security company Cygenta, and the author of "How I Rob Banks (and other such places)."  He's spent the last 30 years helping thousands of corporations & organizations advance their security, both online and in the real world.

Learn more about FC on his website, follow him on X (formerly Twitter) and check out his YouTube Channel.  You can also head over to the Cygenta website to learn more about what FC and his wife, Dr. Jessica Barker, do for their clients.

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

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Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

For the newest resort coming to the Las Vegas Strip, it's been a long and strange journey...

Fontainbleau Las Vegas sat completely dormant and roughly 70% complete for almost 15 years.  It's been through ownership changes, multiple bankruptcies, and lawsuits.  It's faced recessions, financial issues, questions about its structural integrity, and even a global pandemic.

But after all that, here we are...powering ahead towards the grand opening of what's shaping up to be one of the biggest & most luxurious resorts on the Vegas Strip.

For this episode, I'm joined by Eli Segall, Investigative Business Reporter and former Real Estate Reporter for the Las Vegas Review-Journal to talk about the past, present, and future of the Fontainebleau.  We went in depth on the history of the property - including the original ownership & concept for the property - and discussed the potential impact the new resort may have on revitalizing the north part of the Las Vegas Strip.

Check out Eli's articles on the Las Vegas Review-Journal website and be sure to follow Eli on X (formerly Twitter).

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Joining me for this episode of the podcast is one of my favorite Las Vegas content creators, Sergio Portesan, the brains behind Viva Las Value, a website/blog all about how to do Vegas like high roller on a low roller's budget.

Last time I had Sergio on the show was a little over 3 years ago, shortly after Vegas had reopened following the big COVID-19 shutdown.  I was unable to go to Vegas due to various travel restrictions in place so I asked him to do a "Trip Report By Proxy" to talk about his Vegas experience.

It's now been almost 6 months since my last trip to the city, but Sergio just wrapped up a visit in the last few weeks, so I thought it might be fun to have him back to do it again.

Sergio shared his hotel experience staying both on the strip and downtown, we talked about what It's like attending a bachelor party with a bunch of Vegas virgins, and we discussed some of the same "challenges" Sergio ran into on this trip that others also seem to be dealing with on their own Vegas trips.

We also got a little serious during our conversation, as Sergio shared the epiphany he had during this trip and the blog post he wrote that's garnered a lot of attention.

Be sure to check out Viva Las Value for all the Vegas tips & tricks you could ever need and follow Sergio on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

I'm going to be totally honest with you...this episode of the podcast is very likely to upset a lot of people.  But everything being said here NEEDS to be said.

After my last trip to Vegas, I released the "NOT The May Trip Report" episode, in which I brought up several things that I didn't enjoy about the city and, in turn, my vacation.  I got a lot of a lot of feedback about that particular episode - some agreeing with me and some STRONGLY disagreeing with me.

I began to think that I was crazy...maybe it was just me.  Then, I started to see a lot of the same comments & complaints being made by people posting on Vegas-related social media channels and by several other Vegas content creators - including bloggers, vloggers and podcasters.

Then, it happened...

Sam Novak, the creator of Vegas Unfiltered (who's appeared on the show before) wrote an article for Vegas 411 titled, "This Is The Worst Time In History To Visit Vegas".

I asked Sam to join me for a conversation about the article as well as the current state of affairs in Las Vegas.  As expected, he was BRUTALLY honest about what's happening in the city.

We talked about construction chaos, skyrocketing costs, the overall state of the strip, and much more.  Plus, I asked the big question: What will it take to FIX things in Las Vegas?

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

This time around on Vegas Book Club, we're heading back to Episode #78 of the podcast and my conversation with David G. Schwartz, UNLV Professor, Las Vegas Historian, and author of the book At The Sands.

December 15, 1952 saw the opening of one of the most iconic hotels in the history of Las Vegas - The Sands Hotel & Casino.

During its heyday, it hosted some of the biggest names in entertainment, most notably the legendary Rat Pack featuring Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr.  And although that might be what The Sands is best known for, there's way more to story than that.

David and I talked about what inspired him to cover the history of The Sands, how "mobbed up" the hotel was, Frank Sinatra's involvement the ownership of the property, and what led to the eventual downfall of The Sands (both figuratively and literally).

Get your copy of At The Sands by David G. Schwartz from your favorite online bookseller.

__________________________________________________________________________

Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

So, you may have noticed this episode of the podcast is titled NOT The May Trip Report...and there's a very good reason it's called that.

Quite simply, there wasn't all that much to report from my most recent trip to Las Vegas.

As you may be aware, I had a trip planned to head to Vegas from May 29th to June 1st.  I had a lot of big ideas of what I wanted to do while I was down in Vegas this time around but, as the old saying goes, "The best laid plans of mice & men often go awry"...and that's exactly what happened on this trip and I ended up leaving town a a day and a half early.

That's not to say I have nothing to report though; I still had a great experience staying at The Horseshoe and I managed to (finally) get to Las Vegas Ballpark to take in a Las Vegas Aviators baseball game.  And, as per usual, I've got a few thoughts on what's happening in Vegas right now, particularly along the Las Vegas Strip.

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

After becoming the first ever magician to win America's Got Talent back in 2014, Mat Franco hit the Vegas strip with his show, Magic Reinvented Nightly at The Linq where he's been performing for almost 8 years.

On my last trip to Las Vegas, I had a chance to sit down backstage with Mat for a conversation.  We talked about what got him into magic & his family's support through his career, his AGT experience, the recent re-vamp of his Vegas show, and much more!

For tickets & showtimes, you can visit MatFranco.com and be sure to follow Mat on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

__________________________________________________________________________

Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

It's time for another World Famous Jeff Does Vegas Trip Report!

This time around, we're re-capping my most recent trip to Vegas, from March 4-11, 2023.  This was trip #2 of 2023 and was easily one of the busiest trips to Las Vegas that I've ever had!

I combined work and play for this trip; my wife joined me for a mini-vacation for the first few days of the trip, then I attended the Podcast Movement Evolutions conference at the Westgate Las Vegas Hotel & Casino for the last half of the trip.

Take a listen for reviews of my hotel experience at Luxor Las Vegas, our amazing meal at Mayfair Supper Club at the Bellagio, the time we spent seeing Mat Franco - Magic Reinvented Nightly at the Linq, and much more!  I've also got tips & tricks for anyone planning on attending a conference/convention in Las Vegas, as well as some thoughts & opinions about what's happening in the city.

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

I've said it before and I'll say it again: Spiegelworld's Atomic Saloon Show is easily one of the best shows - if not THE BEST show - currently running on the Vegas Strip...and I'm very happy to be joined for this episode of the podcast by one of the incredibly talented cast members.

On my most recent trip to Las Vegas, I headed out to the super-secret Spiegelworld HQ for a chat with Petra Massey, better known as Boozy Skunkton, the proprietor of the Atomic Saloon & Brothel who also serves as the MC for the show.

Petra and I chatted about what got her into performing, her career before joining Spiegelworld, the early days workshopping Atomic Saloon, and much more!

Atomic Saloon runs 5 nights a week (2 shows each night) inside the Grand Canal Shoppes at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas.  Visit the Spiegelworld website to get your tickets and be sure to follow Atomic Saloon on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

I always LOVE having other Vegas fanatics on the podcast to chat about the latest happenings in "Sin City".  Back in Spring of 2021, I was joined on the show by Adam Bauer aka "Travel Fanboy" to talk about some of the big changes coming to Las Vegas.  We discussed the sale of the Cosmopolitan to MGM, the sale of the Mirage to Hard Rock, and the impending re-branding of Bally's to Horseshoe.

A year has passed and all of those changes are either complete or well underway, so I decided to reconnect with Adam so we could share our thoughts on those projects as well as some of the upcoming openings and big events coming to the Vegas Strip.

Check out the official Travel Fanboy website for lots of great travel tips & tricks, as well as Adam's latest venture, Cheapskate Vegas, where you can learn to live like a high-roller on a low-roller budget.

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Did you know that approximately 2% of the world's population uses a wheelchair AND that nearly 20% of people have a disability that limits one or more activities of daily living?

If you applied that math to Las Vegas, that means that roughly 840,000 wheelchair users and almost 8.5 million people with different levels of accessibility requirements travel to Vegas every single year.

In the various Vegas-related Facebook groups I'm a part of, I often see questions from people who are apprehensive about visiting the city due to the perception that Vegas isn't very wheelchair friendly.

I wanted to break that perception...so I've called in an expert on the subject of wheelchair travel.

John Morris is the founder & creator of WheelchairTravel.org, a website & blog where he shares his own experiences of travelling as a wheelchair user.  And, like me, John is also a frequent Vegas visitor.

If you want to learn more about John & get all the info you need when it comes to travelling to Las Vegas with a disability, visit WheelchairTravel.org and be sure to follow John on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

__________________________________________________________________________

Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Get ready for another World Famous Jeff Does Vegas Trip Report!  This time, we're recapping mine & my wife's most recent trip to Vegas from December 11th-16th, 2022.

This episode includes reviews of our stay at Paris Las Vegas as well as meals at Roy Choi's Best Friend in Park MGM, Yellowtail Restaurant & Lounge at the Bellagio, The Steakhouse at Circus Circus, and others.  Plus, I share our experiences at Cirque Du Soleil's Mad Apple, Reckless In Vegas and Bat Out Of Hell - The Musical.

I also discuss the latest at The Mob Museum (including drinks & food at The Underground) and share a few thoughts & observations on recent goings-on in Las Vegas.

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

The Las Vegas Strip attracts all types of people.

Vacationers, gamblers, foodies, partiers...and daredevils.  And there's one specific spot on the strip that's been particularly appealing to those who make their living defying death:

The Fountains at Caesars Palace

Since Caesars Palace opened back in 1966, the usually serene spot along Las Vegas Boulevard has played host to multiple brave - and possibly crazy - people who've attempted to jump their motorcycles over the famed fountains.  Some have succeeded but many others have failed...spectacularly.

As we mark 55 years since the very first attempt on December 31, 1967, I invite you to sit back, relax and enjoy this specially re-mastered version of Sin City Stories: A Cunning Display Of Stunts.

If you want to learn more about these daredevils, check out the shownotes for Volume 4 of Sin City Stories featuring articles, photos, videos and more!

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Back a few weeks ago, I decided it might be fun to step outside of my comfort zone and host an official Jeff Does Vegas Ask Me Anything session.

I put it out to you, the amazing listeners of this podcast, to ask me questions about anything you wanted to know - whether it was about Las Vegas, podcasting, my radio career, my personal life...literally ANYTHING.

And you guys didn't disappoint!  You asked some really great questions - both in advance and during the session - and it was a blast to engage with everyone and answer them.

I hosted the original live stream on October 21, 2022 and, as promised, I'm now releasing it as a podcast episode.  I've cleaned it up and done a bit of editing but, for the most part, it's presented here exactly as it happened.

If you'd like to check out the original video version of the Jeff Does Vegas Ask Me Anything live stream, you can find on the Jeff Does Vegas YouTube Channel.

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

On November 21, 1980, the Las Vegas Strip was the site of what would become the third-worst hotel fire in modern U.S. history and what to this day remains the biggest disaster in the history of the state of Nevada.

Early that morning, a small fire broke out in a restaurant on the ground floor of what was - at the time - the MGM Grand Hotel.  The fire quickly spread, engulfing the casino level and sending thick black smoke & toxic fumes to the upper floors of the hotel.  In the end, 85 people were killed and hundreds more were injured.

But what exactly caused the fire and led to such widespread fatalities & injuries?  And what changes were made to ensure that something like this could ever happen again?

As we mark 42 years since this horrific event, these are the questions we aim to answer with this specially re-mastered edition of Sin City Stories: Inferno At The MGM Grand.

If you want to learn more about the history of the original MGM Grand Hotel, the fire that claimed the lives of 85 innocent victims, or any of the other incidents covered in this episode, check out the shownotes for Volume 2 of Sin City Stories featuring photos, videos, articles and more!

__________________________________________________________________________

Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

October 21, 1977 saw the release of what would eventually become one of the best selling albums of all time: 

Meat Loaf's Bat Out Of Hell

The idea for the album came from a musical that writer/composer Jim Steinman had conceived back in 1974.  Meat Loaf & Jim spent most of 1975 re-writing & recording the album, then close to 2 years auditioning the record - and getting rejected by every single record company they presented it to.

After a concert video of the title track aired on BBC Television in the UK, the album gained A LOT of traction...and the rest, as they say, is history.

Bat Out Hell has sold 43 million copies worldwide, it's certified 14x Platinum in the US, and it's spent a record 530 weeks on the UK Album Charts.

Flash forward to the late 90's, when word of a new musical based on the album (and it's sequel, "Bat Out Of Hell II") begins to surface.  The show was officially announced in 2008, workshopped in New York City in 2015, and finally hit the stage in the UK in 2017.  After spending time in London's West End, Toronto, and touring around the world, it was revealed in early 2022 that the Paris Theater in the Paris Hotel & Casino would be home to a new resident production of Bat Out Hell: The Musical.

Joining me for this episode of the podcast is veteran Vegas performer, Anne Martinez, who plays the role of "Sloane" in the show.

Anne & I chatted about what initially brought her to Las Vegas a decade ago, we talked about her love for the music of Jim Steinman & Meat Loaf, and what makes Bat Out Of Hell such a special show.

For more info on Bat Out Of Hell: The Musical at the Paris Hotel & Casino, visit the show's website for showtimes/days & ticket info.  For exclusive pics & videos, be sure to follow Bat Out Of Hell on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

For this Podcast Flashback, I've decided to take a deep dive into the archives and, being that it's Halloween, I thought it might be fun to re-share something spooky.  And it all starts with a simple question:

Do you believe in ghosts?

With Vegas's somewhat shady past & tales of tragedy, it should come as no surprise that Sin City has more than its fair share of creepiness floating around.  A quick search on Google reveals several spots both on and off The Strip that are believed to be haunted by the spirits of the infamous, the famous, and the not-so-famous.

Way back on Episode #41 of the podcast, I was joined by Josef Kruger of Las Vegas Ghost Tours for a conversation about some of the creepiest & strangest stories of Las Vegas spooks & spectres!

If you want to learn more about Vegas Ghost Tours and book yourself on an upcoming tour, be sure to visit their website.  Also, follow US Ghost Adventures on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for all kinds of cool ghost stories not just from Vegas, but from all over the United States!

__________________________________________________________________________

Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

If you're a lover of that vintage Vegas vibe, but also a huge fan of the contemporary rock sound, you're going to LOVE my guest for this episode of the podcast

Joining me this time around is Michael Shapiro, front man for Reckless In Vegas who, after spending the last several years hustling their asses off around Las Vegas at various lounges and showrooms, recently landed their first ever residency gig at the legendary Sahara Las Vegas!

Michael & I discussed what initially got him interested in music, we talked about his early days working in cover bands & touring with other artists, he opened up about his addiction & recovery, and he shared what inspired him to create the unique sound of Reckless In Vegas.

If you want to learn more about Reckless In Vegas and get your hands on tickets to see them live at the Sahara, be sure to visit their website.  You can also follow the band on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

You can also listen to Reckless In Vegas online on Apple Music & Spotify.

__________________________________________________________________________

Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Heads Up: This episode of Jeff Does Vegas contains descriptions of an event that some people may find disturbing or triggering.  Listener discretion is advised.

October 1, 2017. 

It's a date burned into the memories of both Las Vegas residents and visitors.  On that day, the Vegas Strip - a place normally associated with fun & frivolity - became a site of terror for thousands of people attending a country music festival.

From his suite on one of the high floors of a nearby hotel, a gunman opened fire on the crowd and in doing so, committed the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history with dozens of people killed, hundreds of people wounded, and the city of Las Vegas shaken to the core.

2022 marks 5 years since the shooting at the Route 91 Harvest Music Festival and in honor of this tragic milestone, I've decided to release a re-mastered version of the Sin City Stories episode I produced about his incident.

We'll look at the response to the shooting from the people in the city, across the United States and around the world; We'll hear how Las Vegas has healed over the last 5 years; We'll learn about the person who perpetrated this awful attack; And we'll dig into the question that, to this day, still remains unanswered...

Why?

If you want to learn more about what unfolded on October 1, 2017 in Las Vegas including the response of the brave heroes who rushed to the scene, the outpouring of support following the shooting, the investigation into the attack, and the tributes paid to victims following this tragedy, check out the shownotes for Volume 6 of Sin City Stories featuring articles, photos, videos and more.

__________________________________________________________________________

Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Imagine being able to attend a concert featuring some of the greatest rock songs in history from artists like Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple, the Rolling Stones, the Who, AC/DC and Van Halen.

Now, imagine those songs being played by musicians from some of the biggest bands in the world like Whitesnake, Starship, the Cult and Heart.

Stop imagining it because it's reality.  It's in Las Vegas and it's called Raiding The Rock Vault.

Raiding The Rock Vault has been a part of the Vegas entertainment scene for almost a decade with past residencies at the Westgate, the Tropicana and the Hard Rock Hotel with the show recently moving off the strip to the Rio to open a brand new venue, Duomo.

Joining me for a conversation is Sir Harry Cowell, co-creator of Raiding The Rock Vault.

Sir Harry and I talked about some of the incredible artists he's worked with over his long career in the music business, the inspiration behind the creation of Raiding The Rock Vault, the challenges of opening a new venue, and much more!

For more info & to snag tickets, visit Raiding The Rock Vault online and make sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

__________________________________________________________________________

Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Time for another World Famous Jeff Does Vegas Trip Report!  This time, we're going over my most recent trip to Vegas from July 25th-27th, 2022.

This episode includes reviews of my stay at The Mirage as well as meals at Village Cafe at Ellis Island, Ri-Ra Irish Pub in Mandalay Bay, Home Plate Bar & Grill off the strip, Otoro Robata Sushi & Grill at The Mirage and my not-so-awesome dining experience at Mabel's BBQ at The Palms.

I recap my experience touring Allegiant Stadium, home of the NFL's Las Vegas Raiders, talk about some of the changes I saw happening along the Vegas Strip, and I share a few observations on Vegas becoming the new "family vacation destination".

I also briefly discuss the homelessness situation in Las Vegas.  If you want to help support this vulnerable population, please check out the following charities:

• Las Vegas Rescue Mission
• The Shade Tree
• Catholic Charities of Southern Nevada
• Shine A Light

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

"In Vegas, everybody's gotta watch everybody else. Since the players are looking to beat the casino, the dealers are watching the players. The box men are watching the dealers. The floor men are watching the box men. The pit bosses are watching the floor men. The shift bosses are watching the pit bosses. The casino manager is watching the shift bosses. I'm watching the casino manager. And the eye-in-the-sky is watching us all." - Sam "Ace" Rothstein, "Casino", 1995

Since the days of Sam Rothstein and the Tangiers - or Frank Rosenthal and the Stardust, if you will - casino security has come a LONG ways.

The industry has moved on from binocular-carrying staff, wandering catwalks in the ceiling to a world of digitally networked video recording and facial recognition software...and my guest for this episode of the podcast is here to take us behind the curtain and into that world.

Charles H. Barry is an expert in casino and corporate security, surveillance & investigations and currently runs his own consulting firm.  He has over 30 years in the field and has worked with several major gaming companies.  Mr. Barry is also a former law enforcement officer, having worked as a detective with the Phoenix Police Department and as a Special Agent with the FBI.

Charles and I discussed the evolution of casino security over the last several decades, emerging threats to casinos & hotels, and the major event that forced gaming corporations to re-examine their security procedures from top to bottom.

If you'd like to learn more about Charles and the services he currently provides, be sure to visit his website.

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

July 16th, 2022 marks the 77th anniversary of the detonation of the very first atomic bomb and to honor that milestone, I've decided to release a re-packaged version of one of my favorite episodes of Sin City Stories, my Las Vegas history spin-off podcast.

And although the actual test occurred in the desert just outside of Los Alamos, New Mexico, it led to one of the most interesting periods in Nevada's history and a very bizarre tourism industry for the city of Las Vegas.

Just as the cold war with Russia was beginning to heat up, the US Government selected a spot a little over 60 miles away from the glitz and glamour of the Vegas Strip where they could test atomic weapons.  The explosions lit up the sky and the mushroom clouds that came with the blasts could be seen for miles around - including from the rooftops of the hotels in downtown Las Vegas.

If you want to go even further in-depth on the history of Atomic Vegas, check out the complete shownotes on the Sin City Stories website featuring articles, photos, videos and more!  And if you've got a Las Vegas trip planned anytime soon, be sure to visit the National Atomic Testing Museum.

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

2022 marks the 20th Anniversary of one of the hottest shows on the Vegas Strip:

X Burlesque

Having opened back in 2002 at the Aladdin, the show now calls Bugsy's Cabaret home inside the legendary Flamingo Hotel.

Joining me for this episode of the podcast are Matt & Angela Stabile of Stabile Productions.  Matt & Angela are the husband & wife team who created & produce X Burlesque.  We talked about their early life in Vegas with Angela's involvement in several Las Vegas shows & Matt's family managing the career of a comedy legend.  We also discussed the inspiration behind the creation of X Burlesque, and some of the challenges X Burlesque has faced over its two decades in Sin City.

For more information on X Burlesque - including tickets and show dates & times - visit the Flamingo Las Vegas online and be sure to follow X Burlesque on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram.

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!

Welcome to a fun-sized bonus episode of the podcast!

This time around, I just wanted to take a moment to drop into the feed to send out a few quick shout-out's and "thank you's" for what's been going on over the last few weeks and share some announcements about what's coming up on the show over the next little while.

There's LOTS of awesome stuff coming up in the next few weeks, so be sure to keep an ear out for that and in the meantime, be sure to check out some of the recently released episodes including:

• EP#112: LIGHTS OUT! F1 On The Vegas Strip
• EP#111: Hoop Dreams
• EP#110: Viva Las Crypto
• EP#109: My Special Guest - Carrot Top
• EP#106: The Big League
• EP#105: Going Through Changes

I also want to give a special shout-out to Ron Wrobel aka "@TrekkerRon" for inviting me on his podcast, "Con Pod: A Star Trek Convention Podcast".  This year, Las Vegas's annual Star Trek Convention is making the move from off-strip at the Rio to on-strip at Bally's.  Ron and I talked about what it's going to be like for Trekkies attending this year's convention to be smack-dab in the middle of the action.  To check out the episode, follow the show on Twitter at @TrekConPod, listen to it here or find it wherever you get your podcasts.

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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!

Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas

__________________________________________________________________________

Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate! 

Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!