Asian variety shows have a winning formula at local casinos

Singer Deeda Thao was fully engaged in one of the most glamorous gigs of her career. Maybe too glamorous.

“No more fog machine!” the California-based performer said between sultry numbers as the vapors floated across the stage. ”It’s messing with my throat."

Other than some of the theatrics, Thao and her fellow Hmong entertainers were reveling in their Nov. 1 gig at Red Wing’s Treasure Island Casino, just one example of how local casinos are betting on Asian-language shows to draw in clientele.

“We have a pretty large Asian population that comes to our casino and we want to offer them something other than just gaming,” said Paul Dockendorf, entertainment manager for Treasure Island, which will host a free Lunar New Year concert at 7 p.m. Feb. 28. “It’s almost like a thank-you for their patronage.”

At the November show, which celebrated Hmong New Year and drew about 800 people, fans were dressed in black cocktail dresses and suits, a sharp contrast to the clientele in sweatshirts and baseball caps sliding bills into nearby slot machines.

“I love my culture! I embrace it,” Woodbury’s Ying Xiong said, while waiting in line at a lobby bar that also featured a red carpet and a chance to get photos in front of exotic locations on green screen backdrops. “There’s lots of people you haven’t seen in a long time. It’s like a high school reunion.”

Several Minnesota casinos offer Vietnamese, Chinese and Hmong entertainment. Mystic Lake Casino Hotel and Grand Casino, which each host two or three Asian-language concerts a year, declined requests for details about their events.

“I don’t gamble much,” said Peter Chang, who organized the celebration that included a cornhole tournament. “But places like Treasure Island have so much to offer. I didn’t even know they had a bowling alley until five years ago. And a swim-up bar? What the heck is going on?”

In between musical numbers, Minnesota State Sen. Foung Hawj, DFL-St. Paul, pointed out another reason Asian Americans feel comfortable at local casinos operated by various American Indian tribes.

“There’s lots of people who have said negative things about us,” Hawj said. “But one group of people who never told us to go home is our tribal brothers and sisters.”

Most of the shows organized by Texas-based Ruby Blvd Entertainment are at tribal-owned casinos, many of which offer all-ages shows.

“It’s not a problem for whole families to take a vacation or spend the whole weekend there,” said Ruby owner Thomas Nguyen.

The talent may not be household names to most Americans, but try telling that to the fans at Treasure Island last November who screamed when Thao emerged, stuffing dollar bills into her hand, a Hmong New Year tradition, as she approached the lip of the stage for photos and fist pumps.

“It is really something new,” Thao said backstage after performing in front of one of her biggest audiences ever. “It’s a great start.”

Co-headliner Kenji Her got an equally enthusiastic response. Like Thao and Nguyen, he’s seeing more non-Asians at these kind of shows, even though many can’t understand the lyrics.