Shin Lim to toggle with comedy at Strip theater

The Kats! Bureau at this writing is at Sid’s Cafe at Westgate Las Vegas. The restaurant is just around the corner from Velvet lounge. That reference is relevant because Bill Murray rocked the hotel Wednesday night with a pop-up at International Theater (he once portrayed a lounge performer, you see) during the Big Blues Bender HART Party.

Murray and accomplished bluesman Mike Zito of Blood Brothers just walked by, in fact. The Bureau is in the right place.

More from this scene, and elsewhere:

‘Aces’ returning

What was once the “Aces of Comedy” headliner series at The Mirage is moving into Palazzo Theatre, we can confidently report. Live Nation and long-running entertainment company Bill Blumenreich Presents are the series’ promotional partners.

Comedy performances will alternate with magician Shin Lim, who opens for previews Oct. 10.

The “Aces” series opened in 2010 at Mirage Theater, changing titles to Center Stage Comedy when Hard Rock International bought the property.

“Aces” has been a hit since. The series helped ignite the comedy boom among big name theater headliners on and off the Strip. Jay Leno, Wayne Brady,Whitney Cummings, Iliza Shlesinger, Lewis Black, Seth Meyers, Ray Romano, Kevin James, Gabriel Iglesias, Kathy Griffin, Ron White, Bill Burr Daniel Tosh, Jim Gaffigan and Aziz Ansari are among the top who played the room.

I caught Romano and Brad Garrett in the series before Garrett split to open his eponymous club at the Tropicana, later moving to MGM Grand. Many of the headliners who powered “Aces” have since moved to similarly favorable venues — Encore Theater, The Venetian Theatre and The Chelsea at the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas among them. Palazzo will join those venues as a significant player in comedy game. The name (if it is or isn’t “Aces”) and timeline are to be unveiled in due time.

Derulo, Voltaire … And you

Jason Derulo’s return dates at Voltaire at The Venetian are official: Dec. 28-29. Derulo had postponed four dates in July. The official reason was Derulo was prepping for a series of European tour dates.

These NYE weekend performances are presented as “two nights only.” Dita Von Teese opens her new show Sept. 19. English singer-songwriter Jess Glynne plays her limited engagement Oct. 25-26.

Ticket vertigo

We’re seeing a late spike in sales for “V-U2 An Immersive Concert Film at Sphere Las Vegas.” During opening week, sections have been added to exceed the venue’s original capacity. Tickets are still in the $100-$205 range, which by Sphere standards is actually good value. The original U2 show’s prices ranged from about $500 to $1,000 for reserved seats, and between $250-$300 for GA. We’re seeing the concert film Saturday, but early reports to be trusted say it is a mind-blowing event.

Sphere makes it clear

Tying a bow on the Sphere sound issues addressed at Wednesday’s Clark County Planning Commission Meeting, a company rep says in a statement, “We are pleased that the Clark County Commission voted unanimously to approve our application, which included feedback from local stakeholders and we are grateful for their collaboration.”

The commission approved what we reported initially: Sphere will cap the sound levels measured at the venue’s southeast property line at 85 decibels for 12 events per year. Officials will also provide a two-week notice of high-volume events to residents at adjacent Park Towers.

The heightened sound will be permitted from 9 a.m-11:30 p.m. on those days, with the exception of New Year’s Eve, when the heightened volume can run until 1 a.m.

Cool Hang Alert

Chase Brown continues to kick it up at Notoriety Live at 7 p.m. Fridays. Brown has a fervent — fervent, I tell you! — following, singing country hits in his leather vest and matching jacket. He brings the multi-mirrored “Disco Ladder,” and does his best to commiserate with the his tip-wielding fans.

John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.