Headliners and headdresses return to Las Vegas. Will tourists follow?

Headliners and headdresses return to Las Vegas. Will tourists follow?

Article brief provided by The New York Times
  • Adam Nagourney, The New York Times
June 12, 2021 9:15 PM
  • Adam Nagourney, The New York Times

Penn Jillette, one half of the Penn & Teller magic and comedy act that has helped define nightlife in Las Vegas for decades, bounded onto the stage the other night and looked across a maskless but socially distanced audience scattered across the theater at the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino.

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“We just did 421 days without a live show,” he said, referring to the forced sabbatical that stretched through the end of April, his silent partner, Teller, finally back at his side. “Boy, it’s nice to see people in the theater”…

Fifteen months ago, this bustling tourist destination in the desert shut down almost overnight, as theaters, restaurants and casinos emptied out and Las Vegas confronted one of the biggest economic threats in its history.