Enveloping the Senses
Christina Aguilera's influences range from Mariah Carey to Marlene Dietrich, but if her Planet Hollywood Resort residency Christina Aguilera: The Xperience reveals anything about the 38-year-old star's place in the pop diva constellation, it's that she's the heiress apparent to Cher. The six-time Grammy winner took her Burlesque co-star's confident flamboyance to a new level, both presenting a multisensory extravaganza for her devoted fan following and enabling Las Vegas to lay claim to the honorific of "Scentertainment Capital of the World."
Although the use of scent in theatrical presentations likely dates back further than ancient Greece, Aguilera added distinct ambient aromas to each of the respectively different colors and textures of the six different acts in The Xperience. It's also a feast of fashion, let alone Aguilera's song catalog, that rivals any of Cher's more outré couture moments of the '70s and '80s. It's hard to pinpoint the moment when Aguilera became an icon, but once an entertainer's fans take on a collective sobriquet as the singer's "fighters" did, there's no going back to being a mere star.
Aguilera added a healthy helping of songs from last year's Liberation album to the set list at Zappos Theater when she debuted The Xperience in June, including "Maria," "Twice," and her 10th No. 1 dance hit "Accelerate." She created her own universe for her fighters to slip into, with a retrofuturist design theme and a stage set incorporating her trademark letter X.
Reviewers responded ecstatically and lauded her choices of covers and deep cuts that accompanied gargantuan hits such as "Say Something," "Genie in a Bottle," "Beautiful," "Dirrty" and "Ain't No Other Man"; her dramatic entrance during the first slate of shows while singing "Your Body" from 2012's Lotus; and the very presence of Cher herself during empowerment anthem "Fall in Line." –Matt Kelemen
Planet Hollywood Resort, 9 p.m. Dec. 27-28 & 30-31, starting at $40 plus tax and fee. 800.745.3000 Ticketmaster
Gingerbread House
A Sweet Time
The life-size Gingerbread House display at Aria is made of edible ingredients and the numbers are amazing: 400 pounds of gingerbread, 64,000 peppermints, 200 pounds of icing, 80 pounds of chocolate, a thousand pounds of candy. There's also treats for purchase including cookies, hot chocolate, lollipops, peppermint bark, candied oranges and more. –Kiko Miyasato
Aria, free to view through January 6. 702.590.7111
Holiday Magic winter wonderland
Holiday Fun
Through Christmas, enjoy the spirit of the holiday by visiting the. The Linq Promenade as it presents its Holiday Magic winter wonderland. There's a stage show, LED-costumed dancers, stunt acrobatics, street "elves" and snowfall. Festive décor and seasonal music round out the fun, as well as an interactive tree light display that guests can personally create a light show using their smart phones. –KM
6-9 p.m. nightly. caesars.com/linq/promenade/things-to-do
Hot to Trot
Now's your chance to see those legendary Clydesdale horses for real and up close when they make an appearance at The STRAT on Dec. 22 from 12:30-2:30 p.m. in the property's porte-cochère. Eight Clydesdales will be hitched to the Budweiser red beer wagon, and guests are invited to snap pics. Then stop into Blvd & Main to enjoy $3 Bud Light and Michelob Ultra beers. –KM
The STRAT, 702.380.7777
