The Casino File
A decades-sized chunk of show business history will be on display in Atlantic City casinos this autumn as the likes of Ricky Martin, Tom Jones, Gladys Knight, the team of Steve Martin and Martin Short, and Alice Cooper are headed to town.
As a result, if it’s hot-and-happening acts that you’re seeking this autumn, an Atlantic City gaming hall is probably not where you want to be. But if megastars from the 1950s through the ’90s are what you’re seeking, you are in luck.
In addition to the above-named entertainers, the fourth-quarter talent roster includes such glittering names as Gwen Stefani, Ricky Martin, Babyface and Jerry Seinfeld. There will also be a Broadway musical, a movie screening accompanied by a live orchestra and two stage versions of ultra-popular TV game shows.
Below is a chronological look at some of the more noteworthy bookings (tickets available at ticketmaster.com):
Tom Jones
(Sept. 25; Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa).
Much can change in two years, but if the 86(!)-year-old Welsh popster’s September 2024 show at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City was any indication, this is not to be missed. Rather than wallowing in nostalgia-drenched attempts at capturing his hip-swiveling 1960s heyday, Jones has evolved into a thoughtful veteran who pays homage to his legendary career without embarrassing himself, primarily by reinventing his signature tunes as well as performing more contemporary songs along with his standards.
The Doobie Brothers
(Oct. 2; Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Atlantic City)
This year’s “Walk This Road” tour isn’t focused on the early-’70s hippie-rock iteration of the band, but the R&B-dipped unit featuring “yacht-rock” deity Michael McDonald, who’s back in the fold.
Micky Dolenz
(Oct. 3; Borgata Hotel, Casino & Spa)
Nothing says “time flies” better than Dolenz’s tour, on which he’s celebrating the 60th anniversary of The Monkees. Fans of the “Pre-Fab Four” will want to be there as Dolenz is the last remaining band/TV show cast member, and this is quite possibly his last go-round.
Gladys Knight
(Oct. 10; Borgata)
For decades, Knight was a local-casino mainstay. While the 82-year-old singer — whose biggest hit is 1973’s “Midnight Train to Georgia” — played last October at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall, she hasn’t graced a gambling-den stage since her July 2019 performance at Borgata.
“Little Shop of Horrors”
(Oct. 10; Resorts Casino-Hotel)
The smash musical comedy about a nerdy Skid Row flower-shop employee who develops a blood-lusting plant brings a taste of Broadway to the Boardwalk.
Miss’d America Pageant
(Oct. 11; Caesars Atlantic City)
What began as a gender-bending poke at the Miss America Pageant today stands as a major annual event for Our Town’s LGBTQ community. “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy” avatar Carson Kressley will again serve as emcee.
Ricky Martin
(Oct. 16; Hard Rock)
The Latin-pop sensation who started his career in the mid-1980s with boy-banders Menudo and went on to turn-of-the-century global chart domination is back on the road with his brand of percolating pop with a distinctly Latin feel.
Alice Cooper
(Oct. 31; Tropicana Atlantic City)
After almost 60 years, the man who introduced traditional showbiz trappings to live rock ‘n’ roll remains one of pop music’s top entertainers. That the coolest ghoul of all is playing the Trop on Halloween is a great coincidence.
Babyface
(Nov. 6; Tropicana)
Few in the pop music realm of the past 40 or so years have come close to matching the behind-the-scenes track record of the guy born Kenneth Brian Edmonds. As a writer and/or producer, Babyface has been involved with an astonishing 26 songs that have hit number-one on the Billboard magazine R&B charts; he’s also earned 13 Grammy Awards.
At the Trop, however, he’ll be wearing his performer’s hat. Expect the set to include such hits as “When Can I See You,” “Ready or Not” and “My, My, My.”
Jon Stewart
(Nov. 6; Ocean Casino Resort)
Talk about propitious timing: The Mercer County native, who arguably reigns as the nation’s sharpest and funniest political commentator, will be hitting Ocean a mere three days after the midterm elections. The verbal darts aimed at politicians of all stripes should be furiously flying around Ovation Hall.
Steve Martin & Martin Short
(Nov. 7; Ocean)
Completing what will easily be the most laugh-filled weekend at any casino this year is the return of these two comedy giants. Assuming their format hasn’t changed, expect a two-man variety show that will include standup comedy, sketch comedy, improv comedy, musical interludes and general hilarity all bound together by the obvious affection the pair have for each other.
Gwen Stefani
(Nov. 10; Borgata)
In terms of exclusivity, this is the Big One: The No Doubt frontwoman isn’t coming to town as part of a tour. Instead, this will be a one-night-only affair and her first solo gig since July, when she appeared at the Ottawa Bluesfest in the Canadian capital.
“Love Actually” In Concert
(Nov. 10 and 11; Caesars)
The beloved 2003 rom-com starring Hugh Grant and Emma Thompsom will be screened in the Circus Maximus Theater as a live orchestra performs the soundtrack.
Paul Anka
(Dec. 4; Hard Rock)
Anka has been coming to Atlantic City since he debuted at Steel Pier in the late 1950s, and his Borgata set in April was nothing less than astounding bordering on the supernatural. He’s another octogenarian who seems to defy the laws of human aging, and if you’ve never seen him, you are strongly advised to make it to this show.
Game time
Two of the nation’s most popular game shows are headed to town. On Oct. 10, “Wheel of Fortune Live” comes to Hard Rock, while “The Price Is Right Live” checks into Borgata Oct. 30.
No shows
Finally, as was the case this summer, there are no traditional production shows scheduled between now and the end of the year, although there will be a handful of Christmas-themed programs on the boards.
Chuck Darrow has spent more than 40 years writing about Atlantic City casinos.
