Wayne Newton

Though he has been a touring workhorse most of his life, Wayne Newton spends most of his time in Las Vegas where he is the most celebrated performer in that city's history. So much so, that he has been given the moniker of "Mr. Las Vegas", and there is no other person more deserving of that honor.

A lifetime of entertaining has seen Newton record 165 albums, and he has performed over 25,000 concerts. Newton took a break from his residency at Bugsy's Cabaret at The Flamingo in Las Vegas and is currently on tour. He made a rare appearance in Lynn, Massachusetts at the Lynn Auditorium on July 9, 2023.

Looking very dapper in his iconic tuxedo, Newton was in great spirits as he greeted the packed theater. Opening with a tribute to his friend Elvis Presley, he played a pair of Presley standards, "C. C. Rider" and "Viva Las Vegas".

While it's well known that Newton can play 13 instruments, he performed an amazing solo on a steel pedal guitar, before doing uplifting covers of Kris Kristofferson's "Help Me Make It Through the Night" and Presley's "Can't Help Falling in Love with You".

Newton's show is called "Wayne: Up Close and Personal", so while the crowd got to enjoy his amazing voice, he also shared some nostalgic (and hilarious) stories as he recounted tales of legends Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Jack Benny and Presley. Newton humorously recalled that during his first meeting with Presley, it was revealed that they were both dating the same woman (which did not stop them from becoming close friends).

Also, Newton ran rare footage during the night of his appearances on several television shows. While all were amazing time pieces, one of the most emotional was Newton doing a duet with Glen Campbell (from Campbell's television special). They did a medley of pop classics, including O.C. Smith's "Little Green Apples", Bobby Goldsboro's "Honey", Campbell's "Honey Come Back", and Engelbert Humperdinck's "Release Me". Newton admitted that Campbell intentionally changed the lyrics to make him laugh during their televised collaboration.

After paying tribute to others, Newton did a spectacular version of his 1963 smash, "Danke Schoen" (which had been intended for Bobby Darin, but Darin generously gave the song to Newton).The song was exposed to a new audience in the 80s thanks to its inclusion in the film "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". Footage of the scene in the film where Matthew Broderick lipsynched "Danke Schoen", was projected on the screen behind Newton as he sang.

Newton followed up with his biggest chart US hit, "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast" (a sad tale of a possible ending of a marriage, but with a happy almost Hollywood-like ending).

Newton next did a nice video tribute to Dean Martin and suprised the crowd as he ran footage of him doing a duet of Martin's hit
"You're Nobody Till Somebody Loves You" with fellow Rat Pack member, Sammy Davis Jr. Newton recreated the duet as he sang his part of the duet live, while Davis Jr's voice and presence emanated from the screen.

Closing out the show, Newton reminisced about Sinatra and finished strongly with an emotionally-charged cover of Sinatra signature song, "My Way".

Saying Newton is the consummate performer is without argument. He is the last real entertainer who emerged from the iconic days of Las Vegas and is one of greatest of all time.