Blue Chip Casino gets intimate with “Mr. Las Vegas” veteran Wayne Newton

Not counting Elvis Presley or The Rat Pack, who stand in a royal class all their own, Wayne Newton remains the undisputed “Mr. Las Vegas” well over five decades since first serenading Sin City. And while that’s usually the primary place to catch the crooner/multi-instrumentalist/actor, Blue Chip Casino continued adding to its lengthy list of legendary performers with a sold out stop on the 76-year-old’s “Up Close And Personal” Tour of the Boyd Gaming properties.

Last but not least, Wayne Newton brought down the house with the finale “My Way,” basically bringing all the pizazz of the vintage Strip to the Blue Chip, alongside an assurance for anyone who does decide to purchase a plane ticket that he’ll deliver exactly what’s expected and then some.

As the title suggested, Newton favored an understated approach over all-out glitz in the intimate showroom, even going so far as to have full-blown conversations with the crowd in between about an hour’s worth of tried and true selections. It was a brave move that was met with mixed results, but ultimately found the headliner to be gracious, funny and always on the ball.

Newton wasn’t quite as precise vocally but definitely decent enough with whatever the five-piece band put in front of him, including the Presley-popularized “See See Rider” and “Viva Las Vegas,” bits of the blues and ballads galore. Of course there was the constant pop culture centerpiece “Danke Schoen” (dedicated in part to “incredible writer” Philip Potempa and his mother), along with heartstrings-tugging “Daddy Don’t You Walk So Fast,” two tunes that are requisites for any of the veteran’s gigs that never seem to get old no matter how frequently they appear within his repertoire.

The consummate entertainer kept right on rolling with originals, covers and virtual collaborations with the late great Glen Campbell and Sammy Davis Jr., plus a rotating demonstration of his musical adaptability on the guitar and violin. Last but not least, Newton brought down the house with the finale of Frank Sinatra’s “My Way,” basically bringing all the pizazz of the vintage Strip to the Blue Chip, alongside an assurance for anyone who does decide to purchase a plane ticket that he’ll deliver exactly what’s expected and then some.