LAS VEGAS — The fortysomething woman wearing the sparkling black Barbra Streisand concert sweatshirt paused during her marathon assault on the quarter slots at the new MGM Grand Hotel.
Standing and stretching near the massive lobby of the $1-billion hotel, casino and theme park, the woman pointed to the $1,100 jackpot total on the machine.
"I'm going to keep at it until I win enough to buy a front-row ticket to Barbra's show," she said, good-naturedly.
If the machine pays off, the fan could most certainly score a ticket to one of Streisand's two shows here this week, but $1,100 isn't likely to buy her a front-row seat.
Because the New Year's Eve and New Year's Day shows in the 13,105-seat Grand Garden arena will be the singer's first paid public performances in 24 years, demand was so strong that all available tickets were sold as fast as they could be processed on Nov. 7--despite a top price of $1,000 and an average price believed to be around $500.
Within hours, ticket brokers in Los Angeles were asking $1,500 and $3,000 for average to good $1,000 seats--with the best of the lot going for $4,000.
That Streisand frenzy was in evidence this week around town.
Fans stood in line outside the entrance to the 5,005-room hotel--the world's largest--to have their photo taken alongside a large Streisand poster.
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Inside, crowds were huddled at three souvenir stands, tempted by such items as $25 concert programs, $100 bottles of signature champagne and $100 sterling silver, limited-edition key chains. One couple walked away with $470 in merchandise.
It adds up to the most dramatic pop event in town since 1969 when Elvis Presley returned to concerts at the old International Hotel (now the Las Vegas Hilton) after nearly a decade devoted to films.
"There hasn't been an event with this type of demand in years, including the championship fights," said Thomas Willer, vice president of marketing for the rival Las Vegas Hilton. "What you have here, as far as concerts go, is the unretiring of a superstar. It's a blockbuster that is good for all of Las Vegas."
Though Streisand's camp and the hotel refused to divulge the singer's fee for the shows, industry insiders put the figure at around $15 million, from which she has to pay the shows' sizable production expenses.
