A Blue Man Saved My Life

Okay! Back from Vegas. I am so freaking tired.

So, I thought I would do two blog posts, one today, describing the majority of the trip, and one tomorrow describing a singular story of Vegas.

Leaving for Vegas on a Sunday afternoon ruled, I still got my weekend and got to have vacation after a weekend, it was brilliant. My traveling companion for the weekend, John, works at the Renaissance hotel and arranged to have a town car take us to the airport, already we were traveling in style. After a minor delay for us at the airport, which was a major delay for most everyone else, we were on our way to Vegas.

My friend John had never been to Vegas, and when he saw the MGM Grand, I think he might have almost pooped. He loved Vegas on sight, and it was great to know he was all in. We raced into our rooms, which were sleek and tiny (with a flat screen TV in the bathroom, how awesome is that?) and we cruised down to the hotel bar. I got John started on some video poker and we had drinks and smokes and waited for John’s friend Russel.

Russel is a Blue Man in Vegas and he was our total hookup. He showed up to the empty bar with his stunning girlfriend and started filling us in. He’s been in Vegas five years with Blue Man and he started us off with some great stories. We sat with him for awhile until we decided it was time for bed, or they decided….I went and started my love affair with 50 hand video poker, oh my lord.

The next day I was up early after very little sleep, ready to show John the sights. We took a long walk down the strip, 60 degrees and sunny, stopping into the disgusting Imperial Palace for breakfast. I thought John would love New York New York, so went there and had delicious drinks made by Rory the bartender. We got back for naptime (which I didn’t take, who needs naps when you have 50 hand video poker?) and then went back to New York New York for more of Rory’s delicious vodka drinks and got ready for our half price tix to the newest show in town, La Reve. La Reve is at the brand new Wynn hotel, (Russel hooked us up with tix and a huge recommendation). We were skeptical of going, but so glad we did.

The show was ridiculous, in the best way. Very Cirque-like, with amazing feats of physical prowess and underwater swimming. You couldn’t look at one thing without missing something else, it was beautiful and our mouths were agape the whole show. People were flying out of the ceiling, emerging from the pool in the floor and somehow making all of this as sexy as can be.
After the show I forced the group to head back to the disgusting Imperial Palace for karaoke. When we arrived it was mostly locals, each person singing a song that they had practiced, it was like “Duets”. Everyone was so damn serious about their singing, all singing country western songs while I tried to get everyone liquored up to sing. I rocked “On the Darkside” and went on a tirade about the Bears in the musical break and got in trouble for saying “Fuck the Colts!” in the middle of it. Whoops.

John and Russel stayed up way too late on Tues and I was way too hungover (russel swore it was the dry air, or maybe it was the vodka) so I hung out at the MGM grand most of the day and John and Russel took off to see the desert. I was still feeling my hangover when Russel comes through again, bringing me a sweet treat that helps alleviate hangovers. We met back up before the show, John and I trying to be upbeat as it was our turn to check out Blue Man that night. After a death ride to the theater with Russel’s girlfriend, and my increasingly nauseous stomach churning and burning, we got our great seats for the show.

What fun it was to know a Blue Man! My hangover disappeared as soon as I heard the drumbeats. I’ve seen the show before, and it was exactly the same as I saw it 15 years ago for petes sakes, but so fun to watch someone you know do the marshmallow trick. Afterwards Russel took us backstage where we got to see the other Blue Men in states of undress, which for me and John was probably the highlight (you can’t see the cute one’s tats when he’s in that big blue outfit) and then walked us out on that big beautiful stage. Watching John play the Blue Man drums was so fun, and Russel loved watching us enjoy it.

John and I bagged then and went home instead of going to dinner with those guys, I don’t think I’d ever been so tired, but managed to play a gazillion rounds of video poker on my way back upstairs.

Up at 6:45 to fly home the next morning, we picked up some souvenirs and headed into the cold. John’s already planning his 50th birthday in Vegas. He loved it, every second of it, and I loved it, every second of it. And I’m amazed lately by the “different Vegas’”. My first trip was so different from my second was so different from my third and this so different from them all. But also knowing there are people there having a completely different time than we did, rich guys snorting coke in penthouses, people getting married, people in desperation trying to save their lives by gambling money, rich people staying at the Bellagio and going to see shows. I love that it’s so different every time for me and for everyone else.

And now I can’t wait for John’s birthday so I can go back again. Only two more years.

Stay tuned tomorrow for more on my own private Vegas.