Wayne Newton Forced by Back Injury to Cancel Las Vegas Shows 

Posted on: October 14, 2021, 02:16h. 

Last updated on: October 14, 2021, 02:36h.

Larry Henry Read More
Expertise: Commercial Gaming, Gaming Business, Legislation, Politics, Regulation.

Legendary singer Wayne Newton has canceled this month’s return performance on the Las Vegas Strip because of a nagging back injury.

Kathleen, Wayne Newton
Wayne Newton and his wife, Kathleen, pose during an event several years ago at Caesars Palace on the Las Vegas Strip. Newton is a longtime Las Vegas headliner. (Image: Las Vegas Review-Journal)

The 79-year-old Newton injured himself this summer at his Rollins, Montana ranch, according to news reports. He underwent surgery for the back injury. 

On his Twitter feed, Newton, known as Mr. Las Vegas, announced he is canceling the planned launch in late October of his new show, “Up Close and Personal.” Newton’s longtime nickname extends to his Twitter handle, @WayneNewtonMrLV.

Newton said he looks forward to performing when he is “fully recovered” from the back injury. He did not give a date for when he might return to the stage. 

We want to give you what you deserve and expect from us, the best show possible,” Newton tweeted on Thursday. “Until then, stay safe and healthy, and we’ll see you soon.”

Newton was set to appear in the Wayne Newton Theater at Bugsy’s Cabaret inside the Flamingo hotel-casino on the resort corridor. The first performance was scheduled for Oct. 23. Other shows were set for Oct. 25. 27, and 30.

Before these scheduled dates, Newton celebrated his 60th year on stage in Las Vegas with a show titled “Mr. Las Vegas” at Caesars Palace from January 28, 2019 through May 2019.   

Rise to Fame

Newton rose to prominence in Las Vegas during an era when major stars performed in intimate settings at smaller showrooms inside casinos.

Newton’s rise began to take shape at the Fremont Casino in downtown’s Glitter Gulch in the late 1950s. By November 1963, he was performing at the Flamingo on the Strip, following the release of his hit song, “Danke Schoen.”

Newton later was part owner of the Aladdin hotel-casino. The Aladdin was on the east side of the Strip where the Planet Hollywood resort now is located.

Fans Recall Newton Shows

Many fans who recall that earlier era in the Las Vegas Valley remember Newton’s performances with fondness.

In a recent Casino.org story about Newton’s comeback, some readers expressed excitement about his return to the stage.

A reader identified as Nora Tomaskovich said Newton has been her “very favorite singer for longer than I can remember.”

He puts on a show of all shows,” Tomaskovich wrote. “When I first read this and heard he is performing again, my heart starting racing.”

One reader recalled a less-than-positive experience a couple of decades ago during a Newton performance at the Stardust. This summer, Resorts World Las Vegas opened where the now-demolished Stardust once stood.

“He couldn’t sing at all 22 years ago at the Stardust,” a reader identified as Carnak wrote. “No singing voice, none, just hoarse groaning and whispering. Does he have his voice back?”

Another reader, Judy Youngblood Knight, wrote that she and her parents began going to Las Vegas in the late 1970s to see Newton perform.

“He was at the Sands the first time we saw him, then the Desert Inn, Frontier and all of the many hotels he performed in,” she wrote. “He is such a showman, and his showmanship and personality made us keep going back for many years.”

With the megaresort boom on the Strip beginning in the late 1980s, the hotel-casinos that Knight named have been demolished.