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PhotoDump RoundUp - Week Ending 4/19/25

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PhotoDump RoundUp - Week Ending 4/19/25

A capsule glance at some of the fun Sin City activities last week, as seen through the ‘Vegas Unfiltered’ lens…

Another week around town, and the Vegas Unfiltered lens was snapping at Young Artists Orchestra, Cash After Dark, and Chicken N Pickle. We also enjoyed a landmark collaboration between two terrific solo artists at a swanky jazz club. Let's get started.

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YOUNG ARTISTS ORCHESTRA at the Smith Center

April 13th was the 10th Anniversary Concert Gala for the Dr. Shirley Linzy Young Artists Orchestra. The two-hour, forty-minute performance at Smith Center's Reynolds Hall featured guest vocalists, musicians, and conductors, the Mariachi Internacional, and The Groove Culture Band. The show was divided into two sets featuring YOA Academy Orchestra and YOA Symphony Orchestra.

[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://vegas411-images.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/10203740/20250413_151647.mp4"][/video] [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://vegas411-images.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/10203802/20250413_143206.mp4"][/video] Controversial billionaire Miriam Adelson, whom told you about her here, congratulated founder/musical director Yunior Lopez after the performance. An estimated one thousand patrons attended the show, with proceeds from ticket sales allowing the organization to continue and grow.

Miriam Adelson (center) and her entourage with founder Yunior Lopez (second from left)

For more information on the Young Artists Orchestra, visit this link.

CASH AFTER DARK at OYO Hotel Casino

There are plenty of tribute shows in town, but only one is dedicated to the legendary "Man in Black". CASH AFTER DARK is an authentic Johnny Cash recreation celebrating the entirety of his career. The show features Cliff Wright in the lead, supported by a three-piece band and a rotating cast of female background vocalists.

[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://vegas411-images.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/10203843/20250414_192529.mp4"][/video]

[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://vegas411-images.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/10203911/20250414_200726.mp4"][/video] CASH AFTER DARK is produced by Kurt Brown (ALL SHOOK UP). My "honorable mention" for "Best New Shows of 2024", it recently moved to OYO Hotel Casino's showroom. We had to head over to check out the new location, where ROCK HARD Male Revue and King of Diamonds also perform. You can order tickets for all of those shows here.

THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER at Excalibur

Speaking of male revues, the long-running Australia's THUNDER FROM DOWN UNDER plays a few blocks from ROCK HARD at Excalibur Hotel. So after enjoying an appetizer of Johnny Cash, it was off to the Thunder Showroom for a meaty main course. [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://vegas411-images.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/10203941/20250414_221630.mp4"][/video] [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://vegas411-images.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/10203927/20250414_213356.mp4"][/video]

The men of Thunder are a superior lot, with charisma and handsome faces to equal their dancing skills and chiseled physiques. It's the best male revue in the city, far surpassing the nauseating MAGIC MIKE LIVE and outdated CHIPPENDALES, which is reportedly struggling at Linq's Mat Franco Theater. Check this one out...you won't be disappointed. Tickets here.

CHICKEN N PICKLE in Henderson

Adult "playgrounds" are popping up everywhere, from PLAY PLAYGROUND at Luxor and SWINGERS at Mandalay Bay to ATOMIC GOLF and PopStroke. Family-friendly during the day with an adult vibe after sunset, these entertainment centers combine the Dave and Busters concept with sports bars, chef-driven menus, miniature golf, and nightclubs.

CHICKEN N PICKLE in Henderson is a three-acre multi-level destination. There are indoor and outdoor pickleball courts, cornhole, shuffleboard, ping pong, event rooms, and a central bar and restaurant. Those new to the trendy paddle game can even receive lessons.

The restaurant boasts "clean food" from local markets, free of additives and with a low carbon footprint. The wood-fired rotisserie chicken is fantastic, as are the fresh salads and vegetable wraps. I've been told that the Sunday Brunch Buffet ($23.99 until 2 p.m.) is just as satisfying.

Singer Monique Maffei Hester strikes her best pickleball stance at CHICKEN N PICKLE

CHICKEN N PICKLE is located at 3381 St. Rose Parkway. For full details, including menus, hours, and court reservations, head here.

DAVE DAMIANI at Vic's Jazz Club

Dave Damiani tours regularly across the nation from his home base in Los Angeles. Now he's been bitten by the Las Vegas bug and can't seem to stay away (thank goodness). The handsome crooner, who blends cool jazz sounds with a pop-culture vibe, made a triumphant return to Vic's Jazz Club and Restaurant this weekend.

[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://vegas411-images.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/10204132/20250418_192538.mp4"][/video] [video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://vegas411-images.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/10204147/20250418_194552.mp4"][/video] Friday and Saturday evening shows featured guests like legends Paul Lowden and Marlene Ricci. Audience guests included CHIC COMPASS publisher Ann Parenti and Ben Spano of the Italian American Club. Was Spano scoping Damiani for a potential showcase performance? Is a full production show coming to Myron's? Can we expect regular gigs with Dave and the No Vacancy Orchestra at Vic's? Only time will tell what's next for the city's hottest new star, but we hope it's big.

[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://vegas411-images.s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/10204220/20250418_193916.mp4"][/video] Until his next Sin City visit, check out my review of Dave's latest album HEART TO HEART here. Vic’s Jazz Club and Restaurant is at 355 Promenade Place near the Smith Center for the Performing Arts. For more information, phone 702.755.5299.