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Jeff Does Vegas takes listeners on a thrilling journey to the world-famous Las Vegas Strip…and beyond! Offering a unique blend of insider tips & tricks, captivating stories, and in-depth interviews with local experts, entertainers, and Vegas insiders, Jeff Does Vegas also dives into the fascinating history & evolution of the city including the stories behind the iconic landmarks, legendary performers, and notorious characters who’ve helped to shape the city’s unique culture. Whether you’re a ”seasoned Vegas veteran” or preparing for your first visit, this is the podcast for all your Las Vegas needs!
Episodes
Monday Oct 16, 2023
Monday Oct 16, 2023
We're roughly a month away from Formula 1 hitting the Vegas strip, and to say it's a "controversial topic" would be a massive understatement.
On one side, you've got the proponents who love it; they say it will bring global attention to the city, shine the spotlight on Vegas as a world-class sporting city, and be a HUGE economic benefit for the city with an estimated $1.2 billion impact.
Then, on the other side, you've got the people who absolutely HATE the event; they're tired of traffic tie-ups & construction chaos, they're disgusted with F1's greed, and they're tired of disruptions on the strip with track preparation - including blocking off the Bellagio Fountains & closing the Mirage Volcano.
Joining me for his second appearance is Todd McCandless, host of The Parc Fermé Podcast, an awesome F1 podcast. As we get closer to "lights out", I thought it might be fun to have Todd back for another chat about the Las Vegas Grand Prix. Todd was here about a year and a half ago after the race was officially announced, but with things fully in motion and race weekend quickly approaching, I figured it was time for an update.
Todd and I also talked about the current F1 season, Max Verstappen & Red Bull Racing's dominance & the effect that was having on viewership, and whether or not the addition of another American-based team would re-spark U.S. interest in Formula 1.
For all the latest on Formula 1, visit The Parc Fermé website and make sure to listen to The Parc Fermé Podcast. Also be sure to follow The Parc Fermé on X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and Instagram.
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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!
Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas
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Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate!
Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!
Monday Aug 07, 2023
Monday Aug 07, 2023
Pro sports is about more than just "the thrill of victory" and "the agony of defeat". It's grown into a massive global industry that contributes hundreds of millions of dollars to the economy. As such, it should come as no surprise that Las Vegas wants to get a piece of the action.
And according to proponents, the impact pro sports can have on a community goes beyond what happens on the field or at the rink; job creation, tax revenue, and increased tourism are often cited as being big benefits to being the home of a pro sports franchise or hosting a big event like the Super Bowl or Formula 1. These "benefits" are also the same ones brought up by team owners when they're trying to convince governments to hand over tax dollars to build new stadiums, as in the case of the Oakland A's likely relocation to Las Vegas.
But are these impacts real? Do communities actually see any major economic benefit? And is there an upside to the government handing hundreds of millions of dollars to billionaire team owners to build venues?
My guest is here to answer those questions - and more! Victor Matheson is a Professor of Economics & Accounting specializing in Sports Economics at the College of the Holy Cross in Worcester, MA. Victor has published numerous articles on the economic impact of hosting mega-sports events as well as the economics of sports stadiums, including the effects of public financing of sports facilities.
Follow Victor on Twitter and check out his Google Scholar profile to read his work.
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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!
Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas
__________________________________________________________________________
Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate!
Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!
Monday Apr 03, 2023
Monday Apr 03, 2023
The very first ever WrestleMania was held at Madison Square Garden in New York City on March 31st, 1985. The brainchild of WWF owner Vince McMahon, WrestleMania played host to roughly 19,000 people at the Garden and was seen across the United States by over 1 million people via closed-circuit television. At the time, it was the largest pay-per-view wrestling event ever.
In the years following, Wrestlemania would become the most successful and longest-running pro wrestling event in history, even setting several attendance records with crowds of over 100,000 people cramming stadiums to watch the show.
But that doesn't mean it was all good...which brings us to this episode of the podcast.
In 1993, 9 years after that first WrestleMania, the WWF (now WWE) decided to try their luck at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas with what was planned to be the most opulent WrestleMania ever. There were elephants, camels, Roman Gladiators, chariots, and even an appearance by Cleopatra & Julius Caesar.
Despite all of that, WrestleMania IX is often regarded as "the worst WrestleMania of all time" and my guest is here to help break down all the reasons why.
Mark Hoke is the host of The Mark Hoke Show, the number 1 rated Pro Wrestling radio show in Las Vegas.
As WrestleMania IX gets set to celebrate its 30th anniversary, Mark and I went in-depth discussing the event; everything from the choice of venue to Bobby "The Brain" Heenan's memorable entrance to the politics behind the controversial ending.
You can listen to The Mark Hoke Show live Sunday mornings at 8am PT on Las Vegas's KDWN 101.5 FM and online via the Audacy app, or listen when you want wherever you get your podcasts.
Also, be sure to follow Mark on Facebook & Twitter for all the latest from the world of pro wrestling.
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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!
Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas
__________________________________________________________________________
Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate!
Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!
Monday May 09, 2022
Monday May 09, 2022
Welcome to a fun-sized bonus episode of the podcast!
This time around, I just wanted to take a moment to drop into the feed to send out a few quick shout-out's and "thank you's" for what's been going on over the last few weeks and share some announcements about what's coming up on the show over the next little while.
There's LOTS of awesome stuff coming up in the next few weeks, so be sure to keep an ear out for that and in the meantime, be sure to check out some of the recently released episodes including:
- EP#112: LIGHTS OUT! F1 On The Vegas Strip
- EP#111: Hoop Dreams
- EP#110: Viva Las Crypto
- EP#109: My Special Guest - Carrot Top
- EP#106: The Big League
- EP#105: Going Through Changes
I also want to give a special shout-out to Ron Wrobel aka "@TrekkerRon" for inviting me on his podcast, "Con Pod: A Star Trek Convention Podcast". This year, Las Vegas's annual Star Trek Convention is making the move from off-strip at the Rio to on-strip at Bally's. Ron and I talked about what it's going to be like for Trekkies attending this year's convention to be smack-dab in the middle of the action. To check out the episode, follow the show on Twitter at @TrekConPod, listen to it here or find it wherever you get your podcasts.
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Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!
Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas
__________________________________________________________________________
Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate!
Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!
Monday May 02, 2022
Monday May 02, 2022
Formula 1 is considered to be one of the premier forms of auto racing. The cars are the fastest regulated road-racing cars in the world with top speeds upwards of 350 km/h (215 mph).
F1 is also one of the richest sports in the world; with 22 races scattered across the globe, F1 reported over $2.1 BILLION in revenue in 2021 and it's not uncommon for the top drivers in the sport to earn well over $100 Million per year in salary alone.
So with all that money flying around, is it any wonder that Las Vegas wants a piece of that pie?
On March 30, 2022 the FIA and Formula 1, along with the City of Las Vegas & the State of Nevada, announced one of the worst kept secrets in motorsports: Formula 1 would be hitting Sin City in 2023.
My guest for this episode of the podcast is Todd McCandless (aka "Negative Camber" aka "the Chief Opinion Officer") from The Parc Ferme Podcast, a long-running F1-centered podcast that goes in-depth into the world of Formula 1.
Todd and I talked about the rising interest in F1 in the United States, the so-called "Drive to Survive" effect on the sport and we took a deep dive into the upcoming F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix, sharing our opinions on the track layout as well as the impact the race will have on the city - both positive and negative.
For all the latest from the world of Formula 1 Racing, go check out the Parc Ferme website, follow the Parc Ferme on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram, and check out the Parc Ferme Podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
__________________________________________________________________________
Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!
Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas
__________________________________________________________________________
Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate!
Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!
Monday Apr 25, 2022
Monday Apr 25, 2022
The WNBA was founded back in 1996 as the women's counterpart to the NBA and started league play in 1997. Originating with just 8 teams, the league has since grown to a total of 12 teams, one of which calls Las Vegas home.
The Las Vegas Aces have been playing ball since 2018 but their history goes back much further than that, and joining me on this episode to talk about that - and much more - is John Maxwell, the team's Director of Media Relations.
John & I sat down during my most recent trip to Vegas to talk about the team's arrival in the city & how they were received, what made Las Vegas an attractive market for the WNBA, and the Aces' passionate & loyal fan base.
If you want to keep up with the Las Vegas Aces, be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. For tickets, game schedule, merchandise and other information, visit the official Las Vegas Aces website.
__________________________________________________________________________
Become a Jeff Does Vegas Insider today for only $5 USD/month & enjoy all kinds of cool perks like early access to new episodes, commercial-free versions of EVERY episode, invites to exclusive live streams & videos, insider-only virtual hangouts and even real-life in-person hangouts IN Las Vegas!
Sign up NOW at patreon.com/jeffdoesvegas
__________________________________________________________________________
Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate!
Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!
Monday Mar 14, 2022
Monday Mar 14, 2022
Ever since the Vegas Golden Knights made their NHL debut back in 2017, big league professional sports has been booming business in Las Vegas. And, following the relocation of the NFL's Raiders in 2020, we can expect to see even more teams & leagues calling Vegas home in the coming years with the NBA and MLB likely additions.
My guests for this episode to discuss the future of pro sports in Las Vegas are Jayson & Paula Williams, husband & wife hosts of The Vegas Fever Podcast, a new podcast that dives deep into the sports scene in "Sin City".
We talked about the impact the Golden Knights have had on Las Vegas, theorized about potential homes for NBA & Major League Baseball teams, and whether or not Vegas can continue to support the professional and minor league franchises that keep popping up in the city.
You can listen to The Vegas Fever Podcast wherever you get your podcasts and be sure to follow Jayson & Paula on Twitter!
__________________________________________________________________________
Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate!
Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!
Monday Nov 29, 2021
Monday Nov 29, 2021
My guest for this episode of the podcast is "Best of Vegas" award-winning trumpeter, composer, producer and conductor, David Perrico.
If you've ever spent any time at the legendary Cleopatra's Barge in Caesars Palace, there's a very good chance you've seen David performing with his Pop Strings Orchestra, in which he takes some of the best musicians in Las Vegas and fuses together Pop Music with Classical Music. And, in addition to Pop Strings Orchestra, David is also the creator & arranger of Pop Evolution, a mash-up of Pop & Big Band music.
Just this year, David landed what might be the most amazing gig ever: House Band at Allegiant Stadium for the Las Vegas Raiders.
David and I talked about what it's like performing in front of 65,000 screaming NFL fans, the inspiration behind creating Pop Strings Orchestra & Pop Evolution, other projects he's working on and much more.
Find out where David is going to be performing next, by visiting his website or following him on Facebook & Instagram.
And, if you want a sample of what Pop Evolution and Pop Strings Orchestra are all about, check these out!
Pop Strings Evolution performing Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" (YouTube)
Pop Strings Orchestra performing Journey's "Separate Ways" (YouTube)
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Don't forget: Jeff Does Vegas is an official Vegas.com affiliate!
Help support the podcast & get exclusive deals by booking your hotel stays, shows, attractions, tours, clubs and even complete vacation packages (including air & hotel) with our special link!
Monday Sep 23, 2019
Monday Sep 23, 2019
For this episode, I've decided to tackle a topic people have been asking about almost since I started doing the podcast: Sports Gambling. Honestly though, I know absolutely NOTHING about betting on sports...so I decided to call in an expert!
My special guest this time around is Minty Bets. Minty is a Las Vegas local who shares her tips & tricks on her Twitter & Instagram pages and she's also a member of the team at WagerTalk TV, where she - along with the rest of the crew - make their weekly picks.
We talked about how and why Minty got into sports betting, we covered common terminology, the different types of wagers that can be made and she shared some tips & tricks and do's & don't's for first-timers.
Follow Minty Bets on Twitter & Instagram and subscribe to WagerTalk TV on YouTube.
Monday Sep 02, 2019
Monday Sep 02, 2019
June 22, 2016 was a huge day for sports fans in Vegas - specifically hockey fans. That was the day that the NHL announced they'd approved plans for professional hockey to come to the Nevada desert, paving the way for the Vegas Golden Knights to officially become the first major professional sports franchise to call Las Vegas home.
As the Vegas Golden Knights get set to kick off their third season at T-Mobile Arena, my special guest for this episode of the podcast is Ken Boehlke - one of the creators and hosts of the SinBin Vegas Podcast. Along with his partner Jason, the pair have been podcasting about pro hockey in Vegas since long before there was actually pro hockey in Vegas.
Ken and I talked about the Golden Knights Cinderella-story inaugural season, how & why hockey seems to working in Vegas as compared to other "non-traditional" hockey markets, what effect - if any - the Raiders & the NFL coming to town will have on the Golden Knights and Ken shared his thoughts on the team's chances in the upcoming 2019-2020 NHL season.
Check out the SinBin Vegas Podcast on your favourite podcast platform or via their website at SinBin.Vegas. Also, be sure to follow SinBin Vegas on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Sunday Mar 31, 2019
Sunday Mar 31, 2019
Freshly back from Vegas Trip #2 of 2019, it's time for another Jeff Does Vegas Trip Report!
And I'm trying something a little different for the trip report this time around; rather than a blow-by-blow, day-by-day report, I'm going to hit the high spots of the trip, share some reviews and share my experiences with you. You know that feeling of dread you get when your friends drag out the photo album and make you look at every single vacation photo? Yeah...that's what I'm trying to avoid.
This Trip Report features reviews of The Park MGM, Tom's Urban at New York New York, The Henry at The Cosmopolitan and Marilyn's Cafe at The Tuscany. My wife and I also had the pleasure of hanging out at the Piazza Lounge in The Tuscany for Kenny Davidsen's Celebrity Piano Bar and we took in some NHL Hockey action at T-Mobile Arena as the Vegas Golden Knights played host to the Winnipeg Jets.