Showing posts with label MSG Sphere. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MSG Sphere. Show all posts

Saturday, August 24, 2019

E-312: McLean


Random Vegas
Binion’s Horseshoe signage contained 8 miles of neon tubing and 30,000 light bulbs when it was installed in 1961 (Neon Museum)

Twitpic of the week


Have you ever had a metaphor scream at you the moment you saw a picture?  Get ready for that experience.  @classiclasvegas shared a picture of, not only a monumental time in Vegas history, but also a passing of the guard.  Showcased in black and white, add further depth to the allegory, this view of the Mirage, under construction, signals that everything is about to change, radically, in Las Vegas.  Captured off strip, the photo showcases the Sands Cylindrical tower in the foreground.  In the background, the scope of the Mirage project is so great, it seems to engulf the Sands, as if to say, I am the future, prepare for obsoletion.  What was once identified as a Vegas icon looks dated and quant in this picture as evolution happens right across the street.  

Saturday, March 3, 2018

E-260: Rape Face



Random Vegas
In 1964, the Thunderbird introduced the new electronic slot machine, the first slot machine that didn't require you to pull on the lever to initiate the game 

Twitpic of the week



Photography is a medium that has allowed mankind to capture the evolution of time unlike any form of documentation in history.  Writing is a medium that has a bias slant to it no matter how hard an author tries to remove any personal feelings on the matter.  Painting and sculpture are, by definition, an artist's interpretation of the subject matter.  But photography simply captures a moment in time and preserves it, allowing each observer to develop their own opinion.  This observer's opinion of this week's winner, brought to you by @TonyIllia, is Las Vegas is the greatest city in the recorded history of mankind.  Every major city evolves over time but none as radically as the Las Vegas Strip.  Look at this fuckin picture. I don't even know this place. Normally you can at least see a shadow of the modern cityscape in a photo from its past, but this version of north strip is unrecognizable.  It's almost easier to convince someone that this is a completely different place than you can that this is the Las Vegas strip of the 70s & 80s.  But it is; and thanks to photography, we have proof.

News


Saturday, February 17, 2018

E-259: Dementing




Random Vegas
The Thunderbird had an entertainment slogan, "You saw it first at the Thunderbird", priding itself on their ability to attract big name talent to perform at their property before anywhere else.  

One night, during a dinner show that involved a horse, in the middle of the production, the horse decided it needed to...relieve itself, right on the stage, at a time when showrooms were also dining rooms and tables were located so close to the stage, they touched it.  The stage lights were quickly dimmed and the resident MC distracted the audience while the mess was cleaned up. Once the show was ready to resume, attempting to make light of the situation, the announcer said "Remember everyone, you saw it first at the Thunderbird".  The crowd responded with thunderous laughter and the slogan became infamous

Twitpic of the week



The longer I do the Twitpic of the week the more I get to stumble across pictures like this.  Pictures I logistically knew existed but hadn't had the opportunity to enjoy until that one fatefully day when @TonyIllia shares it and the history twitch in me starts to tingle.  Good god, look at all the awesome in this picture.  First, the fucking Flamingo Capri!  There just aren't enough pictures of the structure that started as an affiliate property to her namesake before evolving into its only thing, best known as Imperial Palace.  Just behind it, the Holiday Casino Riverboat, a concept originally approved to be built in between the Flamingo Capri and the Flamingo. But possibly my favorite part of this picture is the trick your eye plays on you when you look at it. Like an optical illusion, what your mind knows and what it's actually seeing conflict with one another. The Flamingo and it's multiple high rise towers have existed for so long that, at first, this picture appears to be documenting a time when the property only had one of its 4 hotel towers.  Then you remember, Flamingo's first hotel tower didn't face east and west, it was north and south, and located right off the strip.  Once your eyes re-adjust, what you'll realize is that tower isn't attached to the Flamingo at all.  It belongs to the Holiday Inn.  Then it hits you; the Flamingo was a low-rise property for over 30 years.  This picture is documenting the final remaining years when the Flamingo would look anything like its original concept.  For the record, that means the picture was taken before 1976. Soon it will begin its necessary evolution to prevent obsolesces.  The feather plum signage will be gone and the cascading feather goblet it's famous for today will be introduced.  The porte cochere will be relocated off of Las Vegas BLVD and the casino will be expanded up to the street.  In other words, it's about to become the Flamingo you know it as.

News