The home of CSI!!! Oh, and I heard there are some shows and gambling here or something....

Hello all!  I hope you are well!  This past week we were in Sin City; Las Vegas.  And, although the week started out strongly, let me tell you.....it is NOT my kind of town. 

First of all, we stepped off the plane into 106 degree weather.  And it was about that temperature the whole week.  That said, it was a pretty good week.  We stayed at the Golden Nugget Casino, on the "old strip" near Fremont St.  There were certainly a lot of things to see.....some of them I wish I hadn't.....but the area we stayed in afforded us the ability to see the most of what Vegas had to offer. 

Our hotel had a fish tank adjacent to the pool....and a 3 floor waterslide that actually went through the tank.....filled with a bunch of different, large fish, and quite a few sharks.  I got the chance to swim a bit and ride the slide on one of our last days in town.  It was pretty awesome....though, you really couldn't see the fish as well as I had hoped while riding the slide. 

I was joined by a very good friend for most of the week, and we were able to see a lot around us.  I tried to make it to the boys and m'am's promo at the Hard Rock on Tuesday, but given that there are 3 Hard Rocks in Vegas.....I not only got lost, but went to the wrong one.  Oh well.  At least I got to see the Hard Rock, and get my pins!

I watched the show opening night.....the theatre we played, the Smith Center, was magnificent.  A brand new space, costing more than $500,000,000 (see pictures above).  Other than a few kinks that I'm sure they will work out, the theatre is stunning. The sound and space are wonderful, and I hope that the people of Las Vegas know what a jewel they have in that theatre. 

Among other stops, I had to hit Hash House A Go Go.  Famous for their chicken and waffles, I got one of the biggest blueberry pancakes I have ever seen in my life.  It was so good I had to go back the next day to get something else. 

I got to walk around the Flamingo hotel a bit, and most importantly Caesar's Palace.  What a beautiful place.  John Michael had been there before, so he brought me to the Forum shops there, and all over the complex to take pictures (see above). 

Vastly different from Caesar's was Circus Circus.  Much different than I expected.....it's very much oriented to children and families, with rides and midway style games everywhere.  It was a fun day there, but I'm certainly glad we weren't staying at that hotel. 

On Friday, I drove the boys and Rosie to the Stratosphere.  Similar to Seattle's Space Needle, it offers amazing views of the entire area....with visibilty for miles and miles.  The highest observation deck sits just under 900 feet.  But that's not the only reason we were up there.....we went up so that the boys could ride the ridiculous rides up there.  I would try to explain, but I would much rather have you watch the video below.....

One of the highlights of the cast's week was heading to the Neon Museum.  Not far from the hotel, it is a collection and preservation of some of the classic signs from Vegas' history.  I took hundreds of pictures.  The downside was, at 106 degrees, it was more like 115 in the sun with no shade.  But, it was worth it. 

I also got to go on twice in Las Vegas.  The first time on Friday for the entire creative staff and producers as Sam Phillips, and Sunday's matinee as Johnny Cash.  It was great to go on as always, and I loved being able to perform in such a brand new space. 

However, by the end of the week I was very much ready to leave.  An expensive pair of headphones were stolen out of my bag in my dressing room, and the heat and prices really started to get to me.  As one person in our group said, "Vegas is the type of place you want to stay for 2 days.  Not a week". 

So, we're here in Los Angeles for the next two weeks before we get a week off for July 4th.  With tons of friends out here, some visiting, and lots of sights to see, I'm sure i'll have much more to report next week.  Enjoy!

Just too darn hot....

Hello, friends!  I hope this week's blog finds you well. 

Just to be honest, not TOO much excitement last week in Tempe, AZ.  This Maine boy doesn't do well with the heat, so I didn't venture out all that much to take pictures or sight see.  That said, here are the highlights......

As if it wasn't hot enough in Salt Lake City when we left, we arrived in Tempe to find 100 degree temperatures (it got as hot as 106 while we were there).  Needless to say, being outside wasn't really an option during the day. 

On Monday, the boys sang the National Anthem at a Diamondbacks game.  Although I wasn't able to go, word is that the boys did a great job! 

On Tuesday, they went to the Phoenix Hard Rock to show them a thing or two about rock n' roll.  Again, they put on a great show. 

On opening night we ventured to Monti's Steakhouse, a mainstay in Tempe since the late 1800's.  A very unassuming place, but amazingly cool.  The restaurant has 14 different rooms that are all completely different, and can accomodate 900 people at a time.  I actually went there the night before with a friend, and we were lucky enough to sit in what used to be the original courtyard, fountain still intact.  Amazing ribs and bacon wrapped filet.  Mmmm. Bacon wrapped filet......

Over the next few days, most of us layed pretty low, enjoying the air conditioning in our room, and walking around as little as possible.  I did, however, get to visit some of my favorite places from years past.  Tempe is very close to Mesa, where I worked for quite a while at the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre.  Unfortunately, the theatre closed right before I got to town this time.  So, I got to visit my favorite resale store, Buffalo Exchange, and my second favorite record store, Zia Records. 

I had a really nice day shopping with Rosie that Friday, and even helped her pick out a dress or two!  Turns out she had been shopping at a vintage store online, Meat Market Vintage, and it's based in Tempe!  So, she got to see the store she had been shopping virtually at for years.  Pretty cool. 

Above all, I got to spend a lot of time in Tempe with new and old friends.  A college friend of mine works at a children's theatre there, and I hadn't seen her in 12 years.  A buddy that played bass in Ring Of Fire with me also lives there with his girlfriend, and they not only got to see the show, but we hung out together for a few nights.  And, one of my favorite directors was able to see the show, and come out for a drink afterward.  That was the best part of Tempe; spending quality time with people. 

So, we're in Sin City....Las Vegas this week.  I have TONS of pictures and plenty of stories to write for my next blog.  So, make sure to tune in next week!

"Hello. My name is Scott Moreau, and I would like to share this most amazing BLOG with you."

For those of you not familiar with the Tony Award winning musical, Book Of Mormon, the title of this blog is in reference to that.  I thought it was only appropriate for the title of my blog about Salt-uh-lake-uh-see-tee!!!!!!!!!!!1

After a bit of drama and a pretty quick flight, we arrived in Salt Lake to find a drastically different temperature.  Having left Portland, OR that morning at 8 AM with rain and 50 degree weather, landing in Salt Lake to find it to be 80 degrees....it was a welcome change. 

Because we got in so early, we weren't able to check into our hotel right away.  A bunch of us went across the street to get some food, and most of us crashed afterwards, having been able to move into our rooms shortly after 2. 

Later that evening, Austin and I went out to walk around and see the sights a bit.  What a gorgeous city.  Surrounded by Arizona-esque red rocks on one side, and snow capped mountains on the other.  I layed pretty low after that.  It was actually nice to just sit in my room and do nothing, which I usually hate. 

The next day I went back to the Gateway Mall to see the boys do a promo.  It was a great outdoor location, surrounded by some high end retail and TONS of media representatives everywhere.  And, as always, the boys put on a hell of a show. 

In my travels in the next few days, I discovered the Heavy Metal store, an institution in Salt Lake since the early 80's.  Got me some pins, a patch and some Motorhead records.  What could be better?

Then, I made the trek to the Mormon Mecca: The Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Temple, The Mormon Tabernacle, Temple Square, etc. (see pictures above).  What a beautiful area.  And everyone was amazingly friendly.  I'm not sure I've ever had that many strangers say hello to me in the span of 10 minutes. 

On Thursday, the boys and m'am did an exclusive VIP performance at Ruth's Chris Steakhouse right next to our hotel.  Again, they nailed it.  Austin and I were able to watch from the back, and though it was in a small room, and an exclusive crowd, they rocked it out as usual.  Man, I love this show. 

On Friday, Austin, David Lober, David Sonneborn, Krug and I got an amazing tour.  David Lober, our stage manager, had a friend in town that is a production manager for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and other events on the "campus", so she was able to give us a "backstage" tour!  (See more pictures above).  First, we were able to walk onto the stage of the Tabernacle and see the organ, pipes and pulpit up close.  We also got to go into the basement where we were able to see their broadcast booths, rehearsal space, music library, and a whole lot more.  It really was cool.  I'm sure some people may think that that type of thing wouldn't be exciting for someone who is a performer....they'd be WRONG. 

After that, we went to the JCLDS Conference Center.  A massive complex, holding at least two theatres (both of which we saw).  The first, a small, pretty basic theatre.  The 2nd, a MASSIVE 22,000 seat house.  Yes, you read that right.  TWENTY TWO THOUSAND SEATS.  An organ with about 6,000 more pipes that the one in the Tabernacle (this one had about 18,000 pipes.  Still, only the 2nd most in the world.  The first, we learned, is at Wannamaker's department store in Philadelphia.  That one has close to 30,000 pipes.....).  Technologically advanced and just massive.  What an experience. 

The weekend calmed down as the heat started to climb.  Because of the high elevation and the heat, we were all moving pretty slowly by the weekend.  But, it was only a hint of the weather to come. 

Now we're in Tempe, AZ, where the average daily temp is 101.  Yowza.  But, more about that next week. 

Also, coming soon, I will have some very exciting news to report.  However, as they say, until the ink is on the paper, I won't be spilling the beans.  I hope everyone is well, and stay tuned for news from the desert!!!!!!!1