Ticket prices lower for New Year’s Eve weekend in Tahoe-Reno
By Mel Shields, Sacramento Bee
New Year’s Eve in Northern Nevada casinos is usually a pretty good barometer of the state of the economy. In prosperous and optimistic times, major stars perform for tickets prices of $100 and up. When the outlook is less rosy, the prices come down. Few shows this year have high prices.
That does not mean there are not plenty of shows, and it certainly does not mean they aren’t good ones. It’s just that there are no Liza Minnelli concerts at $250; even when she was here in October the top ticket was only $75. The Silver Legacy has the best weekend lineup, with shows on Thursday, Friday and Sunday, leaving New Year’s Eve to parties.
In fact, sometimes it’s better to avoid the big night altogether, stay away from the teeming masses (especially the mobs on Reno’s Virginia Street and Stateline’s Highway 50 at midnight), and take in a show on Thursday, Friday or next Sunday. The rowdy revelry can be avoided, and tickets are easier to obtain.
Comedian Katt Williams is not for everyone, but he’s become more and more skilled over the past decade. He started as an unknown in places such as the Improv and the Comedy Club in Los Angeles, then built a loyal following in his own room at the Hollywood Park Casino, giving him a greater sense of the atmosphere than many of his contemporaries.
Williams expanded his base with his role as Money Mike in “Friday After Next” and other movie parts (none of them exactly stellar but all reasonable successes) and with his appearances in MTV’s “Wild ‘n’ Out” and in videos by Outkast, Lil’ Kim and others. He’s in the Grande Exposition Hall at the Silver Legacy on Thursday (8pm; 407 N. Virginia St. in Reno; $65, $80; 800.687.8733).