It’s all fun and games, until Wayne Newton and Tony Orlando show up.
Then it’s REALLY fun and games.
A night on the Strip took a legendary detour Thursday as Vinny Adinolfi of Bronx Wanderers celebrated his 60th birthday during the act’s performance at Windows Showroom at Bally’s. The show, and Adinolfi’s party, were planned. But dual surprises arrived as Orlando showed up unexpectedly to take in the show. Orlando helped the family band get its start years ago as his opening act early in their careers and has been friends of the Adinolfi’s for two decades.
Orlando and his wife, Francine, and daughter, Jenny Rose, were seated near the front of the stage to Adinolfi’s wide-eyed shock as he opened the show.
Adinolfi was further stunned when Mr. Las Vegas unexpectedly sauntered into the room. Newton is familiar with the second-level showroom as he’s also a headliner at Windows on Mondays through Wednesdays. Clad smartly in a black Tom Ford jacket, Newton made his way into Bally’sduring a break in a corporate show he’d been headlining for the ISRI The Voice of Recycling Industry convention at Mandalay Bay.
Customarily, Newton was met with a standing ovation as he walked to the stage, stopping to hug and plant a kiss on Orlando’s cheek. The two superstars have reconciled a long-running feud that was rooted in litigation during their days sharing of theater in Branson, Mo., in the late-1990s.
Newton took the stage, shaded his eyes and said, “Look at this group! I gotta tell you, I heard Tony Orlando came in tonight to fill in for me — what the hell are you doing here?” Newton laughed, wished Adinolfi a happy birthday and hustled off to resume his corporate gig.
Orlando later joined Adinolfi for a quick medley of Orlando’s hits from his days with Dawn. “Sweet Gypsy Rose, “Candida,” “Knock Three Times,” and “Tie a Yellow Ribbon” were mashed in an arrangement put together by Vinny’s son Vinny “Vin A.” Adinolfi.
“I’m having the time of my life with my friends up here,” said Orlando, who returns to the South Point Showroom in August. “I’ve been to a lot of birthday parties, but none I’ve enjoyed more than this one.”
Bucky Heard of the Righteous Brothers also joined the impromptu sing-along, which also included a Bronx Wanderers staple — Dion’s “Runaround Sue.” A show that usually runs 1 hour and 15 minutes lasted more than two hours.
“What a night,” Adinolfi said at his post-show party (there was that, too). “I am totally overwhelmed.”
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on Twitter, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.