Tribute shows are as much a part of Las Vegas as blackjack, buffets and sunshine. Some productions are cavalcades of impressionists and lookalikes, while others manage to transcend extended emulation with musical talent and artistry. The Australian Bee Gees Show has been paying homage to Barry, Robin and Maurice Gibb at Excalibur for more than eight years, staying alive in a cozy venue large enough for a stage and video screens.
Now with the opening of the Excalibur’s new multimillion dollar Thunderland Showroom, the act can bring Saturday night fever to a new level. More square footage, high-resolution LED screens, next-level special effects and state-of-the-art sound and lighting means primary cast members Michael Clift (Barry), David Scott (Robin) and Wayne Hosking (Maurice) can present the music of the Brothers Gibb in Vegas the way they always wanted to.
Scott previewed Excalibur’s plans for the showroom’s redesign in an interview with Las Vegas Magazine last year when the band was still playing in the showroom’s previous incarnation. “New PA (system), new lights,” said Scott, who said Excalibur planned to “just gut the whole thing out. The seating capacity is going to be a little bit bigger. Not a whole lot bigger, but the actual stage is going to be much bigger. There will be LED-light paneling all around the room.”
The venue upgrade comes with a three-year contract extension, during which time the show will observe its silver anniversary. “We’re fortunate in the whole time we’ve been together, there’s been five of us,” said Scott. Bassist Tony Richards and drummer Rick Powell have backed up Australian Barry, Robin and Maurice since the band’s formation in 1996 as Stayin’ Alive. “We haven’t had a regular road crew. We’ve pretty much done it on our own and hired people to come along with us.”
The Australian Bee Gees Show focuses on the main phases of the band’s career. British Invasion-era songs “Massachusetts,” “New York Mining Disaster 1941” and “To Love Somebody” may be included on a set list along with deep cuts such as “I Started a Joke.” “How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” and “Nights on Broadway” often share space with Barry-penned cuts for other artists including “Grease” (Frankie Valli), “Guilty” (duet with Barbra Streisand) and “Islands in the Stream” (Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers). Then it’s on to the Saturday Night Fever years with megahits like “Jive Talkin’,” “Night Fever” and “You Should Be Dancing.”
Before settling in Las Vegas, The Australian Bee Gees Show had given thousands of performances in more than 50 countries around the world. Scott attributed their success in part to a history of keeping the stage show low budget, which allowed them to hire additional cast members and create an international touring version of the show. “They never had huge production,” said Scott of the Bee Gees during their prime. “They never had the massive lights like Phil Collins and Genesis and Def Leppard. Everybody. They didn’t want that. They kept everything … it was about them, their songs. That was really what it was.”
Excalibur, 5 p.m. Sun.-Thurs. & Sat., $54.95-$69.95 plus tax and fee. 702.597.7600
