Go see Wayne Newton to see the last old school Vegas act performing, at one of the last of the old school Vegas hotels. Yeah, it's hokey, and no, Wayne can't sing like he could when he was 30. But he is still a heck of a performer and he loves the crowd and what he is doing. We bought the infamous "Golden Circle" tickets, sat right up front, and enjoyed pretty much every minute. Don't expect a Wayne Newton concert; it's more of a variety show, hosted by Wayne and featuring his band. All of his backup singers are given a featured song, as well as several of his backup musicians. They're all very talented, and you can tell it's a group that has fun at what they're doing. This probably isn't a show for people who come for only the Wynn era LV. There's no Cirque mystique, no Celine glamour. Just some music, some comedy, a showroom. Old school. (No one has ever told Wayne he needs to be politically correct either; no doubt which political party he supports, no shortage of Brokeback Mountain jokes; the only part that bugged me)
Now: the Golden ticket. You do get great seats, right up front. You also get a "meet and greet", which is just a hug/handshake and a photo. No autographs, no conversation, no personal photographs. After the show, you wait in a line, and one at a time, you get your picture taken with Wayne. (Who is a very nice man, btw.) The free picture is wallet sized, you pay $10 for a 5x7.
The real hassle is how hard they make it to actually pick up the darn pictures. You can come back that same night in between 11 and 11:30-but frankly, in Las Vegas I have other plans for my night than waiting for my Wayne picture. Or, you can come back the next night after 6pm, use a courtesty house phone to call the photo people, and wait for them to come out with the pictures for you. Pain in the butt. For the extra $$, they need to find a much better system. So be forwarned about that, if you choose to do the Golden Circle.
However, Wayne was one of the highlights of my trip, and I'll always be glad to say I saw Mr. Las Vegas.

I am a Wayne Newton fan now! We wanted to see something totally vegas and decided to go see Wayne Newton. I don't understand what the rest of these people were expecting.... Wayne is old, he has dyed jet black hair, he wears a lot of makeup, he looks plastic, he really can't sing that well anymore... but that stuff is obvious right. His voice really didn't sound that great, he is now more of an entertainer than a singer... if you go with an open mind and just want to lounge back in the pleather red booths and order a couple of cocktails and watch a cheesy but funny vegas show... go see wayne!

We had tickets for the Wayne Newton show at the Flamingo on 3/2/06. We spent the extra money to get tickets in the "Golden Circle" which promised a meet-and-greet and photo with Wayne. When we were seated at the beginning of the show, we were told to stay seated afterward for this. The show itself was a lot of fun - very kitsch and very Vegas. Although Wayne's voice is not as good as it used to be he is still a great entertainer and we thoroughly enjoyed it. After the show we were excited about the meet-and-greet but were dismayed to notice that about 1/3 of the theater remained seated - we were all in the "Golden Circle." After that we were shepherded into the casino to wait in a long line for our "meet-and-greet," which consisted of a handshake and quick photo with Wayne taken by their photographers. No personal photography or autographs are allowed, and you only get 2 wallet-size photos free. 5 x 7s are extra. In summary, if you like Wayne, you will enjoy the show, but buy the cheap seats and don't waste your time with the "Golden Circle."

I admit it - we went to this show thinking it would be fun, and kind of 'kitch-y', but no.....Mr Newton can no longer sing AT ALL. He sounded like a frog - unable to hit notes and as scratchy and hoarse-sounding as someone with full blown bronchitis.

There were plenty of people - particularly ladies of a certain age, who seemed to enjoy the show anyway, so I guess it depends on your taste!! But if you want to hear a SINGER, this is not wortth any amount of money. Mr. Newton - retire already!!!