Las Vegas Weekly

September 17, 2008 · 12:28 PM

Placido Domingo goes from opera stage to post-midnight party

By Robin Leach

Placido Domingo

Photo: Tom Donoghue

World-famous opera singer Placido Domingo simply dazzled the enthusiastic sold-out crowd at Planet Hollywood’s Theater for the Performing Arts with an emotional and exciting two-hour concert. He was accompanied by the 75-strong brilliant Las Vegas Philharmonic led by Eugene Kohn and sizzling soprano Ana Marie Martinez from Puerto Rico. Placido went from black tuxedo to white dinner jacket to casual black shirt. Then, as it was a Mexican Independence concert, he donned a traditional metal-studded outfit to sing the Mexican national anthem with a 10-piece mariachi band.

Domingo was given the same thunderous applause and standing ovations as a visiting pop-singer. He sang effortlessly, switching between Italian arias, Mexican national songs and even material from “West Side Story” and “The Sound of Music." A trio of girls marched on stage to present them with flowers but Placido gave his to the orchestra’s lead violinist!

When I met him later up at the Strip House restaurant I joked with him that I’d heard his Three Tenors colleague Andre Bocelli once sing an Elvis song out at Lake Las Vegas. Placido joked back: “Ah – but you’ve never seen me in a mariachi band.”

The 67-year-old Spanish-Mexican had a group of 25 business associates and Vegas friends in his "entourage" He was welcomed to the hotel by its president, Mike Mecca, who had watched the concert with several Vegas VIPs, including fight promoter Bob Arum and wife, Lovee, and our Sun chairman, Brian Greenspun with wife, Moira. I was thrilled to be part of the one-night concert crowd. Placido dined at midnight on steaks, salmon and chicken dishes but left room for the sliced 25-layer chocolate cake!

Before the night ended he stopped into the Prive nightclub to drink Bacardi light rum with waters and Red Bull. The famed tenor made up an eclectic group as hip-hop artist Ryan Leslie gave an impromptu performance with rapper pal Lil Jon watching from the DJ booth with his traditional Patron shots. Also there were Britney Spears manager Larry Rudolph who is masterminding her comeback, former NFL star Warren Moon and Robert Horry of the San Antonio Spurs sipping Vodka and Red Bull.

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