Plan To Rock In The New Year With Bette Now!

The Spectrum
BY ED KOCIELA
”¢ Cruisin’ the Strip
Ӣ September 4, 2009

If you plan to ring in the new year in Las Vegas, better start thinking about it now.

Especially if you want to bring it in by taking in one of the hot shows on The Strip.

Bette Midler, who has been knocking down good numbers at Caesars Palace with her “The Showgirl Must Go On” performances, has extended her stay at the icon of The Strip, recently releasing tickets for new shows from Dec. 30 to Jan. 31.

That includes New Year’s Eve, of course.

Midler brings all of her fanciful characters to the stage, plus she is backed by the Caesar Salad Girls.

Midler is well-known for her bawdy, raunchy comic moments, but I like her best when she sheds the Divine Miss M persona.

She was tremendous in “Beaches,” a beautiful film she did with Barbara Hershey in 1988, and “The Rose,” a not-so-well-disguised biopic of Janis Joplin.

She does just fine when belting out pop and show tunes, but her blues and rock-tinged work are what I like best.

Midler will also continue her exclusive backstage tour package where, for $1,000 a ticket, you can meet her, have a photo taken with her, receive an autographed show program, a VIP escort into the theater and two drink vouchers. The price bumps up to $2,010 for her Dec. 30 and 31 shows.

Regular tickets to her show start at $50 and can be purchased by calling (877) 7BETTEM, logging onto www.ticketmaster.com or in person at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace box office, open daily from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. The show is dark on Mondays, Thursdays and, occasionally, on Fridays.