Music was once the centerpiece to any trip to Las Vegas. In the 1960s, stars like Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra would perform in the showrooms with a 70-piece orchestra behind them, while the lounges — smaller, low-key bars overlooking the casino floor — offered a space for lesser-known players to really let loose. A typical jam session might last until 5 in the morning. No matter what time you checked in, a show was always about to start.
Those freewheeling days are long gone. Yet the lounge itself endures; in fact, it’s enjoying a renaissance. From the Bruno Mars-led Pinky Ring to speakeasy-style clubs like Easy’s and the Count Room, there is a renewed focus on the Strip on bars and restaurants that spotlight local singers in an intimate, theatrical setting. Just make sure you come with requests.
In the late 70s, Bill Murray memorably spoofed a lounge singer on “Saturday Night Live,” yet the caricature holds true. Unlike singer-songwriters, lounge singers generally abstain from original material, bounce wildly between genres and go heavy on charisma. Mostly, their job is to set the vibe.
“We’re not 100 percent the focus point,” said Christina Amato, a singer with a regular gig at the Wynn’s supper-club-inspired venue, Delilah. “We’re creating an environment where people want to come.”
Here are a few standout venues where singers are keeping it old school.
Delilah
It’s worth booking ahead for a table at Delilah, the Wynn’s shrine to Jazz Age maximalism. The glossy, emerald- and brass-accented dining room has 160 seats, yet the performances have a private, invitation-only feel. Compared with those at nightclubs like Omnia and Drai’s, the audiences at Delilah are less shy when it comes to singing along. And that’s the whole point.
“We kept hearing over and over that the music’s just not as good in the clubs,” said Brian Toll, a co-founder of h.wood Group, which operates Delilah and other nightlife venues. “People wanted to go out. They just wanted to hear songs they love.”
A typical entree runs around $55 — but it’s the raucous, late-night shows involving feathered dancers and horn players strolling between tables that sets Delilah apart. And, of course, the singers. Ms. Amato has been a featured performer here since the club opened in 2021. (Other locations exist in Miami and Los Angeles; a New York version arrives in May.)
A Vegas native with a penchant for sparkly gowns and stilettos, Ms. Amato called Delilah a dream gig. The audience frequently includes A-listers, so every night holds an element of surprise.
“The first night I worked here, I got to sing Dua Lipa for Dua Lipa,” she said.
It’s not just visitors who are hoping to score a seat here: Delilah has become a coveted spot for performers, too. That competition is what keeps the quality of the music so high, Ms. Amato said, adding, “Every musician friend wants a good word at Delilah.”
Nowhere
Fontainebleau bills its second-floor bar Nowhere as a speakeasy, though the venue feels more Park Avenue than PDT, the underground lair in New York’s East Village that helped kick off the secret bar craze in 2007. Upon entering, guests pass through a spacious foyer before reaching the main room with its soaring columns, wraparound banquettes and mirrored tabletops. You half expect Truman Capote to be lurking behind the curtains somewhere.
Nowhere is essentially a jazz club, with several house bands performing every night. Free entry and showy cocktails (from $21) make it a great spot for date night, or for solo travelers looking to mingle. The singer Mikalah Gordon makes sure to keep things light.
“You want them to feel like they’re involved in the show,” she said of the audience. Ms. Gordon has a powerhouse voice, and isn’t afraid of mashing up the old and the new. (One number consists of a medley of “Georgia on My Mind” and Justin Bieber’s “Peaches.”) If she spots newlyweds in the crowd, she’ll do Etta James’s “At Last.” Of course, Rat Pack anthems also feature heavily in the set.
“Sinatra is never going to go out of style,” she said.
Indigo Lounge
You won’t find sequins or showgirls at the Indigo Lounge, a no-frills bar that opens onto the Horseshoe’s casino floor. The affordable drink menu ($5 domestic beers) and unpretentious vibe attract a mix of tourists and off-duty business travelers; if they happen to drop in between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m. on a weekend, they’ll get a show.
On a recent Friday night, the singer and pianist Barraque Monfils-Evangelista belted out hits like “Fast Car,” “Careless Whisper” and “As Long as You Love Me” as two women danced nearby. “We love piano bars!” said Kelly Holmes, 56, who was in town with her sister to see “The Wizard of Oz” at the Sphere.
Mr. Monfils-Evangelista took their enthusiasm in stride. Since relocating to Vegas from Houston in June, he has found steady work performing in hotel lobbies, restaurants and bars. He acknowledged that the transient nature of these spaces meant his audience was often distracted or not paying attention at all. But, he said, he prefers it that way. “I enjoy it because I get to be a performer, but I also get to be a bit anonymous,” he said.
Careerwise, Vegas has been good to him. “People tip more here, which I love,” Mr. Monfils-Evangelista said.
Italian American Club
Instead of dropping $100 on tickets to a Rat Pack tribute show, consider visiting the Italian American Club, which offers twice the history for the price of a cocktail ($12.50). The off-Strip restaurant and bar on Sahara Avenue has been around since 1960, and has signed photos of Joe DiMaggio and Tony Bennett to prove it.
The dinner crowd is made up almost exclusively of locals, who come for heaping plates of penne rustica ($25) and double-boned pork chops ($33). John Ilyko, a 66-year-old flight attendant for Southwest Airlines, has been a regular here since the ’80s, and he called the old-time ambience a big part of the draw. “When you come in, they ask if you want to be in the dining room or lounge,” he said. “I prefer the lounge.”
Starting at 6 most nights, the lounge singer Nick Cole, 45, holds court as the restaurant’s official crooner in residence. Born and raised in Las Vegas — his father was a piano player for Buddy Greco — Mr. Cole got his start at the age of 22 with a gig at the Galleria Lounge inside Caesars Palace. And though audiences come and go, the songs have largely stayed the same.
“After dinner, people turn around in their seats — they want to hear ‘One for My Baby’ and ‘Unforgettable,’” he said. “They get such a thrill out of it.”
Havana 1957
The Cuban singer Noybel Gorgoy has been performing on the Strip since 2004, including a role in “Havana Night Club,” a Siegfried & Roy revue in the Stardust, which has since closed. When she was asked to develop a show for Havana 1957, a new restaurant inside the Flamingo serving classic ropa vieja ($32) and empanadas ($18), she saw an opportunity.
“I pulled from everything I know — all the experiences I’ve had as a singer in Vegas, plus my Cuban background,” she said. She chose Cuban classics like “Guantanamera” and “Quizás, Quizás, Quizás” along with cha-cha, reggaeton and modern American hits.
Waving an ostrich feather fan and strutting in front of a lipstick-red piano, Ms. Gorgoy certainly knows how to put on a show. During a recent performance, she joked and invited audience members to the stage to dance. She said that people often tell her how much the experience meant to them.
“They say, I love that this is still going on,” Ms. Gorgoy said. “You come to dinner and have a live show. We should have more of this!”
Ms. Gorgoy’s show at Havana 1957 recently went on hiatus. You can catch her at the Bootlegger Italian Bistro’s Copa Room, performing with Santa Fe & the Fat City Horns on Feb. 16 and April 27. A new Latin-focused act is currently being planned for Havana 1957.
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