MediterraneanGrocery Wholesalers in Las Vegas, NV

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Phish opened its four-night stay at the Sphere Thursday with a four-hour show that used the advanced technology in the $2.3 billion arena to deliver a show that even the band’s most ardent fans have never experienced before.

“We came in really wanting to do a show that was a great Phish show,” said Abigail Rosen Holmes, who is running the visual show. She said the band and its creative team wanted to mix the Sphere’s technical capabilities and consider “what can we do for Phish that we maybe couldn’t do for any other artist?”

Here’s how Phish is creating a set of shows that even fans who’ve seen the band perform hundreds of times won’t have experienced before.

TAKING THE MUSIC ON SCREEN

While Phish shows usually get their visual punch from lighting guru Chris Kuroda’s massive lighting rig, these shows are completely different as the band uses custom visuals on the 160,000-square foot 16K-by-16K LED screen.

Three-dimensional blue bars moving and spinning in time and growing to meet beams of light falling from the ceiling. Live video of the band playing, cut into pieces. A wall of psychedelic-colored cars blinking their lights with a long improvisational jam. Easter eggs from Phish’s history — like the vacuum cleaner drummer Jon Fishman sometimes plays — falling from the ceiling. A naturescape that then morphs into a fantasy world.

Holmes sits in the center of the arena controlling the visuals in real-time, mixing the elements created with Montreal-based entertainment studio Moment Factory to match the band’s performance.

Kuroda sits beside her, using six light towers behind the stage plus spotlights to find the right moments to bring people back to the band on stage.

Toward the end of Thursday night’s show, Kuroda started to spotlight individual members of the band, sending a simple black silhouette onto the wall. The silhouette then burst into a reddened field of 20 silhouettes throughout the arena.

‘PINPOINTS OF SOUND’

There are 1,600 permanent speakers, along with 300 mobile speaker modules, that use a 3D audio beamforming and wave field synthesis technology to spread sound throughout the venue. The system allows for individual instruments to be heard from different parts of the arena. “It’s like pinpoints of sound and thousands and thousands of them,” says Phish’s Trey Anastasio.

GETTING FULL FEEL FOR THE MUSIC

There are 17,500 seats inside the Sphere, every one of which will be filled with a Phish fan this week, along with about 2,500 standing on the floor. The seats use haptic technology, so every bass line and drum kick from the band can be felt from your chair — for those actually sitting and not standing up and dancing.

WHY PHISH IS ONLY DOING FOUR SHOWS

U2 performed 40 shows to open the Sphere. Phish sold out its four shows this week within minutes and considered doing more, but decided they wanted to create four unique visual and music experiences to match the band’s history of never repeating the same show twice.

“I don’t know that we could have done it any other way,” said Page McConnell, Phish’s piano/organ/keyboard player. “We do it for us. We do it for the audience. It keeps it interesting for us and it keeps it interesting for them. And it’s what people like about us.”

PUCKS OF LIGHT

There are 1.2 million LED “pucks” that make up the 580,000-square feet exosphere, each of which can display more than 1 billion colors. The display has become an instant tourist attraction in Las Vegas, seen from hotel rooms around the Strip and from planes above.

It cycles through various funky visuals, including a giant yellow blinking smiley face and a furry creature. This week it includes a digital billboard for Phish.

The first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs features 16 teams in eight best-of-7 series, which start Saturday. Today, NHL.com previews the Western Conference First Round between the Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knights.

(1C) Dallas Stars vs. (2WC) Vegas Golden Knights

Stars: 52-21-9 113 points

Golden Knights: 45-29-8, 98 points

Season series: DAL: 0-1-2; VGK: 3-0-0

Game 1: Monday, at Dallas (9:30 p.m. ET; SCRIPPS, BSSW, ESPN, FX-CA, SN360, TVAS)

It's going to be a very familiar matchup when the Dallas Stars play the Golden Knights for the second consecutive postseason, this time in the 2024 Western Conference First Round.

Last season, the Golden Knights defeated the Stars in six games in the Western Conference Final en route to winning the Stanley Cup for the first time in their history.

If there was an emotional letdown for the Stars coming off last season, they didn't show it. They were the best team in the Western Conference and finished strong, winning 12 of their final 14 regular-season games.

"It's just a testament to our leadership and character," Stars coach Peter DeBoer said. "A lot of times when you go on a deep run and don't win, there's a hangover the next year. You're emotionally spent at the end of the year, it's really hard to get going again. I didn't sense that from our group.

"Right from training camp, we had a quick start to the season, got on the right foot, handled adversity throughout the year really well when it hit. Didn't have any extended losing streaks, found a way to win games and keep the losing streaks really short, get right back on track again. That's a testament to the leadership in our room."

The Golden Knights were on a three-game winning streak prior to their 4-1 loss to the Anaheim Ducks on Thursday. They could get a boost with the return of forward Mark Stone, who missed the remainder of the regular season with a lacerated spleen sustained on Feb. 20 against the Nashville Predators. He returned to practice April 12 in a noncontact jersey but it is unclear if or when he will play.

Regardless, the Golden Knights are confident coming into the postseason.

"We're in the playoffs. That was the goal at the beginning of the season," Vegas forward Jack Eichel said. "Every team that's left standing is a good hockey team. There's no easy path to winning. We understand that. Every game's going to be a battle. I think we should be pretty excited. It's a great opportunity for our team."

Game breakers

Stars: It starts with Jason Robertson, who led them in scoring for the second straight season. Robertson's numbers are down from his career-high 109-point season (46 goals, 63 assists) in 2022-23, but you could probably credit the Stars' balanced scoring to that more than any drop-off issues. Robertson had 80 points (29 goals, 51 assists) in 82 games. He also led the Stars with 28 power-play points. At 24, Robertson, born one month after the Stars last won the Stanley Cup in 1999, continues to be one of the most dynamic young players in the NHL.

Golden Knights: This is a close argument between leading scorer Jonathan Marchessault and Jack Eichel, who's next, but let's go with Eichel. Despite missing 19 games this season, Eichel has 68 points (31 goals, 37 assists), second to Marchessault with 69 points (42 goals, 27 assists) in 82 games. Eichel leads Vegas with seven game-winning goals and 11 power-play goals. He also led the 2023 playoffs in scoring with 26 points (six goal, 20 assists) in 22 games.

Goaltending

Stars: Jake Oettinger had some rough spots earlier in the season, but found his game late in the season. He was 35-14-4 with a 2.72 goals-against average, .905 save percentage and three shutouts in 54 games (53 starts). Oettinger was spectacular in the 2022 playoffs, with a 1.81 GAA and .954 save percentage in seven games but had a 3.06 GAA and .895 save percentage in 19 playoff games last season. Backup Scott Wedgewood went 16-7-5 with a 2.85 GAA and .899 save percentage in 32 games (28 starts) during the regular season.

Golden Knights: Vegas has gotten similar strong work from each of its goalies. Logan Thompson is 25-14-5 with a 2.70 GAA, .908 save percentage and one shutout in 46 games (42 starts). Adin Hill, who led the Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup last season, is 19-12-2 with a 2.71 GAA, .909 save percentage and two shutouts in 35 starts. Who gets the nod in the playoffs? The Golden Knights alternated between the two over the final six games of the regular season.

Numbers to know

Stars: Forward Joe Pavelski, who's entering his 16th postseason, is tied with former Minnesota North Stars forward Dino Ciccarelli for 13th place for playoff goals (73) in his NHL career. Pavelski also has the most career playoff games (182) among active players who have yet to win the Cup.

Golden Knights: Since entering the NHL for the 2017-18 season, Vegas has the second-most postseason games played (88) and wins (54), trailing the Tampa Bay Lightning, who are 61-37 in 98 games during that span.

X-factors

Stars: Jamie Benn had 60 points, including 21 goals, in 82 games this season and has sneaky upside heading into the playoffs on a strong third line with Wyatt Johnston and Logan Stankoven. The Stars captain is one of six Dallas players to hit the 60-point mark this season. He additionally has significant lineup placement on their top power-play unit with Pavelski, Robertson, Roope Hintz and Miro Heiskanen. Benn ranked second on the team in power-play points (22). Dallas ranked third in the NHL in goals per game during the regular season (3.59) and had the sixth-best power-play percentage (24.2). Last postseason, Benn had 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 17 playoff games. -- Anna Dua

Golden Knights: Tomas Hertl has played only six games with his new team after being acquired from the San Jose Sharks in a trade on Mar. 8, but has four points (two goals, two assists). The forward had 34 points, including 15 goals, in 48 games with San Jose this season prior to the trade. He has proven production ability that increases the depth of the Golden Knights, having had back-to-back 60 points seasons between 2021-22 (64 points, 30 goals) and 2022-23 (63 points, 22 goals). Hertl also had 15 points, including 10 goals in 19 postseason games with the Sharks in 2018-19 when they reached the Western Conference Final. He is seeing top unit power-play time with Eichel, Marchessault, William Karlsson and Shea Theodore. -- Anna Dua

They said it

"Real balanced hockey team. Had a great regular season. Healthy most of the year and continue to be. They present a challenge. They have some great depth. We haven't seen them for a while. I assume I know they're playing the same way, but they're probably playing it better. So, we're going to have to be at our best to win." -- Golden Knights coach Bruce Cassidy on Dallas

"It's everything. There are a ton of great goalies, great players in this league and what it comes down to at the end of the day is the guys who have confidence in themselves when no one else does and the guys who can bounce back when it's not their best showing in the playoffs. You can lose 10-0 and it doesn't matter the next night. One game at a time. I learned a lot last year and the year before and I feel like I'm ready for this one." -- Jake Oettinger on his confidence

Will win if…

Stars: They keep doing what they did at the end of the regular season. The Stars were playing complete games through the final weeks, getting great contributions from goaltending on out. They're going to need that against the Golden Knights. If this series is anything like last year, the Stars need to be able to win overtime games. They were 1-4 in overtime last postseason, including losing each of the first two games against Vegas.

Golden Knights: Health is on their side. Stone had 53 points (16 goals, 37 assists) in 56 games in the regular season and was a big part of the Cup-winning team last season with 24 points (11 goals, 13 assists) in 22 games. Defenseman Alex Pietrangelo has missed seven straight games and 13 of the past 15 with an illness. Forward William Carrier, who was out the final 11 games of the regular season with an undisclosed injury, has been skating. If the Golden Knights get them back, it would certainly give them a boost against the Stars.

How they look

Jason Robertson -- Roope Hintz -- Joe Pavelski

Mason Marchment -- Matt Duchene -- Tyler Seguin

Jamie Benn -- Wyatt Johnston -- Logan Stankoven

Craig Smith -- Radek Faksa -- Sam Steel

Thomas Harley -- Miro Heiskanen

Esa Lidell -- Chris Tanev

Ryan Suter -- Nils Lundqvist

Jake Oettinger

Scott Wedgewood

Scratched: Ty Dellandrea, Evgenii Dadonov

Injured: Jani Hakanpaa (lower body)

Ivan Barbashev -- Jack Eichel -- Jonathan Marchessault

Chandler Stephenson -- Tomas Hertl -- Pavel Dorofeyev

Brett Howden -- William Karlsson -- Anthony Mantha

Paul Cotter -- Nicolas Roy -- Keegan Kolesar

Alex Pietrangelo -- Alec Martinez

Noah Hanifin -- Nicolas Hague

Brayden McNabb -- Shea Theodore

Adin Hill

Logan Thompson

Scratched: Ben Hutton, Zach Whitecloud, Jonas Rondbjerg, Michael Amadio

Injured: Mark Stone (lacerated spleen), William Carrier (undisclosed)

LAS VEGAS – Moments before wrapping her glossy and efficient new residency show, Mariah Carey wanted to share a message.

“Protect your dreams,” she intoned on video as the text scrolled across a halo of lighting. “It’s all about faith. For me, I can’t define it, but it has defined me.”

Uplifting messages permeate Carey’s production at Dolby Live at Park MGM, officially dubbed "Mariah Carey: The Celebration of Mimi Live in Las Vegas."

The 90-minute show – Carey’s third Vegas residency – premiered last week in honor of the near-20-year anniversary of the album “The Emancipation of Mimi.” After performances on April 24, 26 and 27, she’ll return for eight dates in July and August. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. PT Friday via ticketmaster.com.

What songs does Mariah Carey play in her new Vegas residency?

Much like U2’s run at the Sphere, where “Achtung Baby” grabbed the spotlight, Carey’s show ostensibly highlights her hip-hop-inflected return in 2005. “Mimi” not only snagged eight Grammy nominations in 2006, but with bright production from Jermaine Dupri, it birthed hits “Shake It Off,” “We Belong Together” and “It’s Like That,” among others.

Devout fans will cherish hearing “Fly Like a Bird” – which closes her set – and “I Wish You Knew,” as neither song has been played frequently since 2006. Likewise “Circles,” which has rarely been heard on stage in a decade, and the equally infrequent “Say Somethin.’”

But from the moment a stately curtain parted to connect Carey, 55, with her “lambs,” her thigh-baring champagne-colored gown perfectly positioned and her honey-hued hair cascading onto her shoulders, it was apparent Carey’s decades of hits wouldn’t be shunned.

As sliding platforms glided behind her, Carey dug into “Vision of Love,” hitting her glass-shattering notes with seeming ease. A pack of male dancers slipped on and off the stage as Carey, tiptoeing in stilettos to get closer to fans bearing gifts, shimmied through “Make It Happen.”

During a lush ballad combo – “Can’t Let Go” and her searing cover of The Jackson 5’s “I’ll Be There” – Carey looked beatific as her chin quivered while again reaching for those skyscraper notes.

Most of the songs were reproduced in full, but it’s too bad her rewarding take on “Without You,” the aching ballad most associated with Harry Nilsson, was one of a few presented in shortened form.

But from the peak syrup of “Hero” to the thumping beat of “Fantasy,” Carey offered fans a gratifying overview of her own eras.

Mariah Carey carries herself like a diva, but is she really?

One of the most endearing traits about Carey is that while she enlists two of her dancers to carry the train of one of her beaded gowns as she arrives to sing “Circles” and grins while her makeup is retouched at the start of “Say Somethin’,” it all unfolds with obvious self-deprecation.

Carey might be gussied up in high-end couture from designers including Gaurav Gupta and Robert Wun, but she’s a Long Islander at heart, a down-to-earth entertainer with undiminished moxie and quick wit (“My earring fell off. We’re getting off to a wonderful start,” she joked after a couple of songs at Wednesday’s performance).

She shared a story about Aretha Franklin tutoring her not to accept anyone “playing games” while rehearsing for the 1998 “Divas Live” concert and frequently attempted to sign swag – or, on this night, a forearm – for the zealous fans clustered at the front of the stage.

“I want to sign all of these things, but it’s too haaaaard,” Carey said with mock exasperation (in reality, she was a bit too far to safely lean into the crowd).

The luminous Carey positions herself as an untouchable diva, and indeed, the show segment that featured her reclining on a blush velvet couch for the dramatic ballad “Looking In” furthered the expectation.

But the maven of the “Lambily” that has supported her for decades isn't so much a prima donna but an icon.

The Las Vegas Raiders quarterback situation often leads to lively back-and-forth debate. I’ve advocated for being bold — especially at the quarterback position. If Las Vegas identifies the quarterback it must have, then by all means, go get said prospect.

But even if I’m of that notion, I’m aware there’s valid concerns of being audacious. I’m not a fan of a franchise being risk-averse, I’m in the camp of being risk-aware.

But for as much as Antonio Pierce may loathe the “Band-Aid” solution and wanting to find the face of the franchise for the next decade at the all-important quarterback position, the Raiders find themselves in quite the limbo spot picking No. 13 overall. The Silver & Black are highly likely out of reach for the top prospects at signal caller with a predicted run of three or four quarterbacks going in the top 10, if not top 5.

We’ll go further into the predicaments the Raiders below, but let’s set the stage: The case for rolling with the winner of the O’Connell-Minshew battle isn’t an exercise in futility and is a feasible route for the Silver & Black to go.

O’Connell played in 11 games this past season and started 10 compiling a 5-5 mark as a fourth-round rookie. While there needs to be a leap in his progression from Year 1 to Year 2, O’Connell didn’t face plant with the trust he received from Pierce during the coach’s prove-it stint as interim head honcho. O’Connell was calm, collected, and showed more confidence as the season wore on. And Las Vegas can win with him as QB1.

Minshew, meanwhile, brings 49 career games to the table with 37 starts. He was a 13-game starter for the Indianapolis Colts in 2023 going 7-6 including a 23-20 win over the Raiders in Week 17. Minshew has two career wins over the Raiders including the 20-16 victory when he was the Jacksonville Jaguars starting quarterback in the final game in Oakland. Minshew is efficient, takes care of the ball, and brings a swagger under center.

With the experience between the two, the quarterback that emerges as starter will have done so by besting the other and will be on their toes as the season progresses. Lest they lose reps and their status as starting quarterback to the other.

O’Connell and Minshew are no stranger to competing for spots. And this past Monday, as the team reported for voluntary workouts, O’Connell spoke abut his history of competition.

“I mean, it’s the best of the best, and so the coaches and administration want to bring in the best players possible to try to make the team better. And the best guys are going to play, and so I’m just trying to do my job,” the second-year quarterback said. “Yeah, like you said, it’s new at this level for me, but it’s nothing new in terms of the competition. It’s been even since high school what I’ve been dealing with and working through, and so that’s just part of the game. It’s not unique to any one position, it’s how it is at every position. Obviously, only one quarterback plays, but it’s part of it.”

Which brings us to predicament No. 1: Cost.

Simply put, the price might just be too steep and rich for the Raiders’ blood.

Yes, point to owner Mark Davis giving the green light to make maneuvers all you like. In case you missed it, ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez had this interesting tidbit: “Sources say Raiders owner Mark Davis has given his blessing for Telesco and Pierce to make a move, any move ... so long as it makes sense.”

But does the leap from 13 into the top 5 make sense for Las Vegas?

It might be cost prohibitive, really.

The Raiders will likely have to part with draft picks as well as future selections. Projections are varied, but it’ll likely cost Las Vegas the No. 13 overall pick and the 2025 first-round pick along with potentially the No. 44 overall selection if not a third- or fourth-rounder, too.

And that may not be ideal for Las Vegas. General manager Tom Telesco noted he’s of the build via the draft and supplement via free agency philosophy. And while the team isn’t devoid of talent, it’s far from a finished products with needs at a number of position groups. The Raiders only have a finite amount of picks and offloading future selections to make the jump just might be detrimental for posterity’s sake.

And here comes predicament No. 2: Settling.

Imagine for a second the quarterback the Raiders coveted is unattainable and the team stays at No. 13 to make its selection. Is it wise to take another signal caller there while glaring needs along the offensive line (particularly right tackle) and defense (cornerback) exist? At that particular slot, Las Vegas may be better suited going best player available (BPA) and taking the top prospect on the draft board as said pick will likely put a checkmark on both need and BPA.

Fascinated to see what happens with teams picking 11, 12 & 13. All three have QB need but top 3 QB's are going with first three picks. Do you love the 4th enough to go up or are you content to see if he falls to you? Do they have the same guy rated as 4th QB? Huge storyline.

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) April 16, 2024

If there is a run of quarterbacks in the upper echelon of the draft, there’s high likelihood a talented prospect falls to Las Vegas at No. 13.

And look, I’m not going to be obtuse here.

If that prospect atop the Raiders’ draft board just so happens to be a quarterback that draft pundits and analysts denote as “second tier”, then so be it. That’s BPA — the Raiders best player available.

Finally, predicament No. 3: Final call.

Telesco is going to be the last stop in terms of personnel decisions and while he and Pierce will work in tandem, it’s the GM that is going to be the final say on the roster. There’s even a report out regarding discourse between Telesco and Pierce on the plan at quarterback (see below).

Whether the report is valid or not, Pierce spoke glowingly about how Telesco is the more patient and calculated one and noted the GM is more deliberate to how the coach wants to jump in and find solutions and fixes quickly. Pierce pointed specifically to free agency and how Telesco provided insight on multiple ways to solve roster problems by not merely throwing money at it.

And we’ll see the synergy (or rift) between the head coach and general manager more come draft time, post draft free agency, and beyond. That all said, Davis will let his football people handle the team and that’ll mean Telesco is the final say on the roster.

And whatever the GM finds is the best course of action (trade up, stand pat, trade down), that’s the likeliest path the Raiders will take.

VEGAS (April 19, 2024) – The Vegas Golden Knights announced today, April 19, the introduction of a new communication platform to give fans instant access to the latest information, special offers and news from the team. This text-messaging service, “Lmk VGK,” is free to join and delivers updates straight to users’ mobile phones.

Fans can register for Lmk VGK – shorthand for “Let me know, VGK” – here.

The service is launching today to provide another way to UKnight The Realm as the Golden Knights embark upon the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. Subscribers can look forward to updates on playoff ticket information, watch party details, special offers, new retail drops and more.

“We want our fans to be able to access important Golden Knights and Realm-related information in the most convenient and customized way possible,” said Chief Marketing Officer Eric Tosi. “Lmk VGK is a perfect complement to our social media platforms and email newsletters and will bring value to fans right to their mobile devices.”

VGK will continue to utilize its Pogoseat platform for last-minute text-based ticketing offers.

ABOUT THE VEGAS GOLDEN KNIGHTS

The Vegas Golden Knights are a National Hockey League franchise owned and operated by Black Knight Sports and Entertainment LLC. Established by Owner and Chairman Bill Foley and his family, the Golden Knights were the most successful expansion franchise in North American professional sports history in 2017-18 and won the Stanley Cup in 2022-23. For the latest news and information on the Golden Knights visit vegasgoldenknights.com and follow the team on Facebook, X, Instagram and TikTok.