What's Happening In Vegas...

OK, I've had the question a number of times so at long last, let me explain what's happened and happening with me and my Las Vegas show.

A Ten Year Goal... "AMAZED!"

For ten years I had the goal of having my own show in Las Vegas. In June of 2009 an opportunity presented itself and I went to Las Vegas to be a part of an afternoon show called "AMAZED! The Magic Of Music And Comedy." It was a planned six month run, doing a show every day at the V Theater (Planet Hollywood) and though it was a revolving cast (so each entertainer could continue our touring careers), I anchored it most often, doing approximately 130 shows in addition to touring. The original cast feature Buzz Sutherland and Tim Gabrielson as well. After the first two months, to give this my best effort and commitment, I took the monumental (and expensive) step of moving my family to Las Vegas permanently. My family was wonderfully supportive and we knew there was a greater reason for our moving here.

Though we had varying challenges, in general the show was successful. At the end of our six month run, the show was extended by one week (that's good), and then we closed.

Vegas Phase 2...

During the AMAZED run, I had personally had interest from another hotel/theater, their manager asking about my doing my own show. I instead steered him toward the AMAZED producer who ended up taking over management of the theater. Over the first months of 2010 many, many changes occurred, most unnecessary to go into. Finally, at the end of June, (and to make an extremely long story short), I agreed to anchor an evening show the producer had created called "What Happens In Vegas" (some of you will remember my advertising this on FB, my web site, etc). Though I never cared for the name - our show is family friendly and that name sounds more like adult entertainment to me - I ultimately agreed to be in the show and jumped in all the way.

Launching a show in Las Vegas is extremely difficult, and we certainly had our share of challenges, almost all of which I was up for. However, there was one challenge I could not reconcile: I realized after two months that though I loved performing every night, I hated being away from my family from 4PM-10:30 PM, five-six nights per week. That's PRIME family time and I was missing my 6 and 9 yr old children growing up! The 2:30PM show at the V Theater left me with evenings, but unfortunately, an afternoon show in this new theater would never work because of it's location and the V Theater was unavailable. It became a no-win situation. It's that old lesson, "Be careful what you ask for because you just may get it." I pretty much achieved this ten year goal only to find I didn't like it. So, in late August I gave my notice to the producer: Saturday, Sept 11, 2010 would be my last day.

An Extraordinary Offer...

To get a perspective on this decision, shortly thereafter, completely outside of the show staff, the hotel again offered me an extraordinary opportunity: The chance to make it my own show, and now, to even name the theater after myself. They didn't want "What Happens In Vegas," but wanted me to do my own show. Please understand, an offer like this is what performers dream of all their lives! I'll always appreciate their hotel manager for that offer. It was extremely flattering, and I could see a whole lot of potential for success. But honestly, having a theater named after me was never my goal, and regardless, there was that one fundamental problem: I would still be away from my family every night. No amount of money or prestige was going to change that. I considered all my options, but in the end it wasn't even a hard decision: I smiled and declined.

It Worked!!!

OK, so there were two weeks left for this show. The interesting twist here is that there was a promotional idea that one of our volunteers had had - a wonderful woman named Cid Ernst - which I had always wanted to do to boost attendance at our fledgling show. She wanted to make special offers to groups like teachers, firefighters, law enforcement, etc, posted on their web sites. She knew that if we got lots of people to the show, they'd love it and tell their friends. However, while I was now managing the theater, box office, crew, other performers, hotel liaison, and performing, and I had had no say in promotions. Hence, her promotion was never tried. With only two weeks left and nothing to lose, I gave Cid what she needed to make this promotion happen - just to see if it would work. In the late evening of September 2nd while I was on the road for a corporate show, Cid put the plan in action, and we all waited.

On Thursday, Sept 3rd, the first full day of the new promotion, my flight back to Vegas landed in the afternoon and while driving from the airport my phone rang: It was Carol, my assistant, with results... and words I'd waited 13 months to hear: "Mike! The phone is ringing off the hook!" Hah! It worked. She said they couldn't take reservations fast enough. Our shows were selling big for the last two weeks and it changed EVERYTHING! The performers, the crew, the hotel... suddenly there was a new excitement.

That night we doubled our best weeknight attendance. Friday night we doubled that again. And Saturday, for the first time since moving to Las Vegas, (and first time for the theater more than five years), we sold out! Plus, the following week, our last, was filling up with reservations quickly. I cannot overstate what a big change this was for all of us, including the hotel. They had exponentially better food and beverage sales than they'd had in years, they were bringing in extra staff to handle the crowds, hotel guests were buying tickets, and an excitement filled the air. In fact, demand became so great, the last Saturday night we ended up adding a second show. (See the pictures).

"Mike Rayburn & Friends" Is Born...

While I am an artist in my heart and spirit, I understand a little about marketing, too. In that light here was one last situation that really bugged me and some of the crew: For the last week, with reservations flying in and the producer having handed everything over to me and left, we were going to have a thousand or more people come through for a great show, which they would remember. We all just hated that the title would be "What Happens In Vegas," especially since no one liked the name, the hotel had said the name was done, and I was anchoring a show that would never be called that again. There would be no residual value for anyone and thus, we were missing a huge opportunity. On the other hand, after this show closed, I would certainly continue to perform at least occasionally in my new home of Las Vegas. So, for that last week to retain some kind of value from the show, with support from the crew and other performers, we changed the name to "Mike Rayburn and Friends," from a month-old write-up Cid had done describing the show. For at least one glorious week, I had my own show in Las Vegas!

One More Time...

Now, with this new found success and the hotel liking what was happening, they asked me anew what I wanted to do going forward. They wanted me to continue the show. After much consideration I came up with a possible solution: I told them what I truly wanted to do, and had even asked the producer about a month earlier: I wanted to do show on a limited basis. A few weekends per month, something like that. They, however wanted a show there every night, which is certainly understandable. So we agreed that I would continue doing weekend shows as I wished until they found another act. Those weekend shows were also well-attended and lasted through the first week of November, 2010.

Going Forward...

So, I now do my show on an occasional basis in Las Vegas at different venues, with a pretty decent following. Most recently I performed at a theater called "The Venue...," to a standing room only crowd of over 300 people, and performed with a brilliant entertainer (and cycling buddy), Jeff Civilico (www.jeffonstage.com). I also occasionally feature in a show at the V Theater called, "V Variety."

While it is far from over, thus far Las Vegas has been the experience of a lifetime! There were some negatives involved but I choose not to focus on them. We have a warm, beautiful home with an amazing view of the mountains. I play 90-100 shows on the road and here at home. I have worked with some of the best entertainers in the world in each show and I am profoundly thankful. They include Buzz Sutherland, Tim Gabrielson, Jeff Civilico, Ivan Pecel, Shimshi, Mark Kornhauser, Tommy Wind, Rob Paravonian, Vic Henley, Michael C. Anthony, and others.

Also, I am in the most creative time of my life, writing a lot and working on new projects you will hear about very soon.

Remember I said there was a bigger reason for our being in Las Vegas? Since the move to Vegas, my family and I have been part of planting a church called "Verve." It's a "church for people who don't like church." Click here to check it out and watch the short video on this web site or go to www.vivalaverve.org.

So friends, in paraphrased but adequate form, that is what is happening in Vegas. Thank you all for such awesome support.

All the best,

Mike