On a course for adventure …
We finally took a three-hour tour (well, maybe 90 minutes) with Yächtley Crëw at the Palms’ Kaos venue Saturday night. This was pre-Hart, and also pre-sleep, on a busy Saturday night. It’s easy to see why this act is so popular.
They are well-produced, costumed, some acceptable yacht-friendly choreo (think Human Nature, but with instruments and in captain uniforms).
The set list has all the yacht “musts,” with Christopher Cross, Toto and Hall & Oates in the mix. This is the band that sings, “Baby Come Back,” and she does!
Led by front man Philly Ocean (Phillip Daniel), the band has spiced up “Escape (The Pina Colada Song) with some customized lyrics. Let’s just say a couple in the original rendition are a lot more sick of each other in YC’s retelling.
We were interested in the turnout, exuberant but reportedly softer than YC’s opening weekend in October. The band needs to evolve out of its image as a novelty act, and enforce the quality of its production, which is impressive. They are back Dec. 29-30, and again in February.
In Saturday’s presentation, the odd-yachters attracted such MGM Resorts officials as Luxor/Mandalay Bay President and COO Chuck Bowling and company Vice president of Entertainment Chris Baldizan. Anytime we see such an assembly of execs at a show, we wonder if they are yacht-shopping, as it were.
But we understand this crew was there primarily in support of Palms GM Cynthia Kiser Murphey. The esteemed exec served as president of New York-New York from 2008 until spring 2021. Her tenure with company dates to 1992, when she worked at MGM Grand.
Who else … Ah, none other than Kevin Sucher and Kevin Konnor of The Docksidersyacht-rock outfit turned out. Neither had not seen Yächtley Crëw before. Having just closed at The Duomo at The Rio, Sucher, the act’s creator, was checking out the competition, the room, the vibe, all of it. He assures us he wants The Docksiders onstage, in Las Vegas, next year.