When Lady Gaga came to Las Vegas to launch her resident shows Enigma and Jazz and Piano, she brought along some friends, including Brian Newman, who serves as the bandleader for Gaga’s standards-oriented Jazz and Piano show. Newman has taken advantage of his high-profile Vegas gig to launch his own show, dubbed Brian Newman After Dark, a looser, more laid-back production at the NoMad Restaurant. And while it’s true that his famous boss has dropped in a few times, Newman certainly doesn’t need Lady Gaga to put on a world-class performance of his own.
Newman’s music (including his most recent album, 2018’s Showboat) has always been influenced by old-school jazz as much as classic rock, and with After Dark he combines those elements with the influence of old-school Vegas, bringing to mind the classic free-wheeling late-night shows from icons like Frank Sinatra and Louis Prima. “I just really love the camaraderie and community of musicians from Las Vegas,” Newman told Las Vegas Magazine last month before his most recent round of shows, and the more time he spends in town, the more involved he gets in the local music scene. He may not have been in Vegas long, but he’s already right at home.
NoMad Las Vegas, 11 p.m. Dec. 28-31, starting at $49 plus tax and fee, 21+. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
