By Two hours before Lady Gaga’s 8 p.m. Enigma show start time, the lobby at the Park MGM is flooded with die-hard fans—self-proclaimed “Little Monsters” running toward the early-entry general admission line. Thanks to a recent $550 million investment, there’s plenty to look at inside the sprawling, newly renovated property. But for those not going to her show—the high rollers at the casino and the folks already on their third Long Island iced tea—showtime is now, and on display are the wild, outrageous outfits worn by passing Gaga fans. (I can hear an older woman at the bar whispering to her visibly distraught husband: “It’s for Gaga.”)
Grant Karpin is one of those fans. Well over six feet tall in over-the-knee leather stiletto boots, a royal blue baby-doll dress, and immaculately-applied matching eye-shadow, he’s a spectacle—one who fits the “Little Monster” archetype: stylish, young, and gay. “Lady Gaga saved me from suicide when I was 11 after her album Born This Way came out,” he tells me. “She’s my favorite person on the planet.”
Tonight is Karpin’s 21st birthday, but I’m a little surprised by his company. Instead of a crew of fellow 20-somethings throwing back shots, at his side are his mother, Mimi Karpin, 51, and his grandmother, Eileen Jadoga, 68. As Karpin introduces me to the women in his life, Mimi giggles nervously, tugging on her sleeveless top. His grandmother—who looks a little like Stevie Nicks—whips out her phone to pull up her grandson’s Instagram account on her iPhone, proudly showing off his skills as a fashion student. “I would do anything for him,” she says. And so would his mother. “Because of Gaga and Grant, I am here in heels—and I never wear heels,” Mimi says. “I’m the most understated dresser...and I have this on.” She points to the crystal embellishments on her outfit.
Three months later via email, I ask Karpin if he and his squad ever indulged in 21st birthday drinks that night. “I did share a cocktail with my grandma at Momofuku Noodle Bar at the Cosmopolitan—which was kind of iconic, not gonna lie.” Apparently, in 2019, what happens in Vegas stays in...the family group chat.
Las Vegas first became one of America’s most popular getaway cities thanks to Frank Sinatra and the Rat Pack in the ‘60s, followed by Elvis Presley in the ‘70s. After, it earned a reputation as the place where musical legends like Wayne Newton and Donny and Marie Osmond came to hang their hats. But that all changed with the 2003 arrival of Celine Dion’s show, now the highest-grossing residency of all time. Thanks to Dion’s impact, the Strip has welcomed younger, more contemporary acts like Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, Jennifer Lopez, and Gwen Stefani over the past 16 years. Since last fall, current pop stars at the height of their professional success—from Lady Gaga to Bruno Mars, Drake, and Cardi B—have kicked off or announced plans to launch their own residencies, a sign that now, Vegas is not only attracting Hollywood’s cool kids, but also music fans who never expected to spend time in Sin City. Fans like Karpin—and myself.
In both February and June, I traveled to Las Vegas to watch Gaga’s Enigma and Jazz and Piano shows. Yes, twice; I’m a self-professed superfan. But I admit that when I heard Gaga was going Vegas, I thought to myself: Gaga in Vegas? Does this mean her career is over? I'd always thought that residencies were the last stop on an artist's career train. Still, I quickly bought tickets, and while in town during both trips, I also stopped by Christina Aguilera’s The Xperience, Barry Manilow’s The Hits Come Home, and Brian Newman’s After Dark.
Where to Stay in Las Vegas
At first, the crowds in Vegas were what I expected: rowdy bachelors and bachelorettes (the latter making a beeline for Chippendales), just-married couples, LGBTQ youth looking to party, and girlfriends celebrating the perks of retirement. But during my trips—when I often found myself completely losing track of time as I wandered through window-less casinos and bars—I was surprised to also find a distinct demographic: dozens of multi-generational families—like Karpin, his mom, and grandma.
It seems that a shared love for music is bringing in a new group of travelers who can enjoy the glamour of a Las Vegas pop show while grabbing a martini, taking selfies with Mom, and then getting into bed just before midnight. Las Vegas can no longer get a bad (or good, depending on who you’re talking to) rap for being a place of debauchery; it’s also a city where people are going to bond, reconnect, and take a deep sigh of relief from life’s stressors. Who would’ve thought that Las Vegas could be the perfect destination to please everyone in the family?
The idea of traveling to Vegas as a family isn't entirely new. (Remember Chevy Chase's 1997 cult classic Vegas Vacation?) And there is truth to the fact that Las Vegas, to this day, is still an older person’s playground. According to the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority’s 2018 “Visitor Profile Study,” the average age of the Vegas tourist between 2014 and 2018 was approximately 45 (evenly split between men and women)—not the bachelorette or just-turned-21 set.
But that appears to be changing. In 2018, a majority of visitors were actually between 21 and 39—a.k.a. Millennials—and they primarily traveled for “vacation/pleasure.” Judging by 2018’s statistics alone, the city’s noticeable efforts to appeal to a Millennial demographic have clearly paid off. Yes, artists like Gaga and Aguilera may be attracting generation me-me-me, but the city’s advertising campaigns have certainly aimed to attract the age group interested in LGBTQ rights, inclusivity, and progressive socio-political movements.
Fair warning: Vegas isn’t exactly cheap, and purchasing tickets for residencies requires some saving up. Moms I met at Christina Aguilera’s show joked that their daughters only obliged to join them because “I’ve got the money!” Prices vary: For this fall, Aguilera’s show starts at $40, going up to about $500. Others, like Gaga’s, could cost you a pretty penny if you wait too long: Enigma tickets begin at $90 for nosebleeds (though honestly, there’s no bad seat in the house), and they currently start at approximately $619 on resale sites such as Ticketmaster. This, of course, fluctuates based on demand and time of year.
At Enigma, I met Gaga fans and, specifically, families from Washington, North Dakota, Massachusetts, California, Texas, Ohio, Arizona, Idaho, Oregon, and Puerto Rico. Some were longtime Vegas aficionados, like the “Vegas Babes,” a group of women 40 to 60 who were in town this time for a retirement party (“We’ve been friends—well, family—for years”), or Carmen Frasier, in attendance with her grandson, Blake Murphy, who she introduced to Gaga’s discography (“But I’ve also seen Wayne Newton and the old timers, of course”). Deborah “Debby” Ritz and her group of five wore funny-looking wigs and sunglasses in honor of their late mother, “who liked to be called Gaga.”
Inside every show, the audiences look slightly different, and seek varied experiences. Gaga’s Little Monsters are on hand for her inclusive messaging, as Matt Cambers tells me. “I work at a Starbucks and I had a sandwich thrown at me three days ago when someone called me a faggot. Everyone here is like me,” he says, hugging his aunt, Pam Chambers. At Aguilera’s performance, mother-daughter pairings reconnect over her feminist anthems. “Tonight’s gonna take me back to listening to her music with Mom as a kid, and her actually liking it!” says Eileen Villaram-Horton, 40, while looking at her 64-year-old mother, Madeline.
Meanwhile, the crowd at Barry Manilow’s show soars past 45—far from Millennial—but families still stand out. Orange County’s Rachel Garcia, “49 years young today” is in attendance with her sister, who nearly burst into tears when I caught her smooching a Manilow T-shirt she spotted at the gift shop. “I was raised very Christian, so we weren’t allowed to hear his music. When we got older, my mother had a change of heart. We played ‘Copacabana’ at her funeral—it was her favorite,” she says.
Where to Eat in Vegas
What’s funny is that unlike the Aguilera moms who smiled over buying their daughters' tickets, it’s the children of Manilow fans that bought their parents a seat inside. “It’s Father’s Day, and we woke them up at 6 a.m. in the morning and said, ‘Get ready, pack a bag, we’re going to Vegas! We live in Arizona,” Heidi Torres, 47, says. She was with her 42-year-old sister, Lysette, and their mom and dad, Miriam, 69, and Hector, 73. “We love the movie Copacabana—and the song ‘Mandy!’”
Ultimately, the families I met—not the majority of Vegas visitors, but a noticeable portion— were not interested in staying up 'til dawn and recounting their messy nights in the morning. That, still, is mainly reserved for the 20-somethings. Instead, these groups—whose trips are more PG-13, less Bradley Cooper’s The Hangover—traveled to spend quality time with two and even three generations of family members they may not get to often see.
And it was a musician’s show—regardless of whether they were trendy and hip, like Gaga, or timeless and classic, like Manilow—that served as a vehicle for these crews to find common ground—a shared interest that brought them closer. These fans won’t remember exactly how well the performers hit his or her notes, but rather, how good of a time they had with Mom, Dad, Grandma, and those they’d do anything for.
Back at Manilow’s show, Jane Merrin, 74, is the photographer snapping ticket-holder shots outside the merch store. She’s been at that job for 48 years, back when Elvis Presley was still in town, and the crowds pouring in, she tells me, are significantly different. In the ‘70s, a residency show meant date night—an evening outing you’d wait for all week, then wear your Sunday’s best to. Today? The concerts are still bucket list items, but they’re more...chill, and based on her insinuation, tame. “Vegas used to be an event! It was all about dinner and a show. Now, it’s different. People are more relaxed,” she says.
A little R&R; courtesy of Gaga, Aguilera, or Manilow? That’s exactly what everyone in the family needs.
What to Do in Las Vegas
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As the Senior Editor of OprahMag.com, I'm a jack-of-all-trades, overseeing our entertainment coverage (we cover TV shows like The Politician and Big Brother, movies such as J.Lo's Hustlers and Lena Waithe's Queen and Slim), features, news items, and— as her number one fan—all of Lady Gaga's whereabouts. I proudly edit Coming Out, a series where LGBTQ+ change-makers reflect on self-acceptance. And I edit our Weird or Wellness series, which I highly recommend you read on the weekend. Prior to O, I began my career in the fashion department at Marie Claire, and eventually moved on to InStyle, where I dabbled in social media and covered events such as the Grammys, Toronto International Film Festival, and New York Fashion Week. A native of Miami, I received my journalism degree from the University of Miami. One time, Rosario Dawson complimented my hair and asked to touch it. I let her.
