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It’s kind of a drag, but Les Folies Bergere is closing on March 28th of this year.

Folies has been running at the Tropicana since 1959, and since that time it has become a bona-fide Las Vegas institution.

I’ve seen the show, and while the “old school” Vegas shows are kind of corny by today’s standards, it is very cool for the nostalgia factor.

You more or less got to see what those old hipster farts back in the 60’s sat around and watched while swilling martinis.

I saw the “topless” version of Folies twice, and to be honest, it was anything but erotic.  Unless you have a thing for large breasted women with huge feathered crowns on their heads, the toplessness was inconsequential.

While it wasn’t boner-inspiring, it had that regal “pomp and circumstance” vibe going on.  It was gaudy for the sake of being gaudy, and made no apologies for it.

The “Showgirls” shows are really, really dated, and are reminiscent of a bygone era … but that’s what makes them interesting.

They have been usurped, though.

Now, if we want erections, there are shows like Fantasy or Crazy Girls, or we can just go to strip clubs or have girls delivered direct to us.

People simply aren’t down with the feathered crowns at this point in time.  The average American male isn’t terribly concerned with his naked chicks being adorned with 20 pounds of rhinestones anymore.

The Tropicana has been giving away 2 for 1 Folies tickets for years, and you have to give them credit for keeping the show cranking along for this long.

This is, however, more evidence that Vegas 2.0 is dying a slow and painful death.

In my opinion … Dean Martin, Elvis, Sinatra, etc are waning in popularity with the average Vegas tourist.

Nobody is pining for the “good old 60’s” anymore.

They are pining for the “Good old 2001’s” … before 6:5 Blackjack reared its ugly head in Vegas.  The hell with crooners and classy showgirls, today’s visitor reminisces about good service, reasonable room rates, and generous comps.

“Nostalgic Vegas” is now the Mirage era … or maybe the Mob 80’s.

That whole “swirling martini” shit has been beaten like a sick horse and nobody gives a damn anymore.

In 2009, if you give people the choice between Vegas Showgirls and Free Wi-Fi, they’ll probably choose the latter.

I’m a fan of the Trop, I liked the old show for what it was … but let’s face facts … people want Cirque.

At this point, a single company pretty much dominates everything that is left on The Strip.  That company is, of course, Cirque Du Soleil.

From the Beatles, to Zumanity, to Chris Angel’s new show, it is very difficult to play in this town unless you are affiliated with Cirque in some way.

Some people hate Cirque and attribute the decline in entertainment on the Strip solely to this company.

Frankly, even I am a little surprised at how utterly dominant Cirque has become.    They pretty much own every big show on The Strip now, and it really has become an entertainment monopoly.

I like Cirque shows as much as the next person, but I am not a fan of such dominant strongholds in entertainment choices.  In my opinion, Cirque runs the risk of a backlash with such over-saturation.

Sure, Cirque has different shows, but they are still quite obviously Cirque shows.

I think a creativity void has sprung up around the Cirque culture, and we may be worse off for it.

Gone are the days when casinos used to have popular house shows like “Skintight”, “Eroktica”, “Bareback”, and of course “ Folies Bergere” .  I used to come to Vegas, sit on the hotel room bed, open up “What’s On” Magazine, and have my pick of scores of shows from every conceivable genre.

Now … the pickings have become slim.

Everything has become abstract and decidly artsy-fartsy.

Even non-Cirque shows such as La Reve … look exactly like Cirque shows.   Hell, even Blue Man seems oddly Cirque-ish at this point.

In all honesty, show girls have been “out” for quite awhile.

Whether you love or hate Cirque, you certainly cannot deny their success.  The reason casinos keep installing Cirque shows, is because people pay to see them.

How this plays out in the decade to come is anyone’s guess.

I’d like to see some more choices that don’t involve abstract acrobatics, but apparently, I’m the only one.

Anyway, if you haven’t gotten around to seeing Folies yet, I would highly recommend seeing it at least once.

I would also recommend seeing “Jubilee” at Bally’s, as that will be the final “Nostalgic Showgirl” show remaining in Las Vegas.

Given the current trends, that one may be on borrowed time as well, so absorb what you can before it’s gone.

Vegas 3.0 is in beta, and by all accounts, it won’t be backward-compatible.

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