I’m back in Vegas, it’s beeyootiful, and I’m killing it on the dance floor. Standing at the bar, a lovely asks, “I saw you dancing. Wow. Are you with the band?” Some guy offered to buy my hat for $100. It seems I’ve become the unofficial house dancer at Bruno Mars’ Pinky Ring. Though Bruno announced in his Saturday late-night set, “It’s not the Pinky Ring, it’s the Panky Rang.”
If you missed my article or Anthony and Andrew’s post-Super Bowl YouTube video, where I strongly encouraged you to high-tail it over to the “Panky Rang” and missed the super value play, believe me, in the world of Vegas club experiences, this is still so far above the rest, ya gotta go.
Everyone I’ve met there have been staggered by hanging with Mr. 24 K Magic, rockin’ it in his super-intimate ultra-posh penthouse lounge. (You never know if he’s there until, well, he’s there, but hint: Hooligans.) Remember, max capacity is an insanely tiny 186, so maybe 170 get in. And on busy nights, there’s a line.
If you come in between 5 and 8 p.m., there’s no table minimum — again, amazing by Vegas club standards. From 8 p.m. on, you’re buying the table for the night. This is a very good thing. Depending on whether the Hooligans (and possibly Bruno) are playing or the Diamonds, the rates change. You can get a table for two for $150, the minimum. But with the Hooligans on stage, it jumps to $300-$700. A larger table for 6 to 8 is $1,000 or more.
If you want to meet the man, be respectful. Don’t bum rush his space, as Carl and Michael, Bruno’s security, will stop you cold with THEIR pinky.
But do tell Baez, the host at the door, that Bobby Vegas sent you. Please.
The DJs spin around the band, who play at least two sets starting at 9 or 10. The Hooligans do mostly jazz and funk for the first set, then more funk, pop, and disco (my fave) the second set. If Bruno joins them, he plays maybe four songs.
I grew up on “Soul Train,” so believe me when I say that when Bruno sings Marvin Gaye, it’s nothing less than amazing. And I bumped into a big guy at the bar who I thought was gonna break down and cry. “I been comin’ to Vegas forevah! An’ I never seen anything like this this. We did shots with Bruno, man! Shots!”
Bringing this back to LVA, is the Pinky Ring still a value play? Let me answer a question with a question.
If two orchestra seats at Bruno’s Dolby Live show at Park MGM set you back $600-$700 smackolas, is it worth spending $700-$1,000 to hang with the man in his very own lounge, living the 24 K magic live? Your other half will love you forever and you’ll talk about it for years. So if you can’t figure that out, please just go back to where you come from.
Oh, and the final secret? SRO is still free, if you can get in. So get in, early.