 I would venture to say that when the majority of people born in the late 1960's hear the name Frank Sinatra, they almost immediately think of Las Vegas. Although Sinatra had an entire career's worth of material before his extended runs in Las Vegas began, most people tend to only think of him as the Rat Pack leader on top of his game. For myself, I only had a casual interest in Sinatra's music until I caught an unedited performance of the Rat Pack on PBS a few years ago. Watching the interaction between Dean Martin, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Frank Sinatra was truly eye-opening. The chemistry and masterful manipulation of the audience was mesmerizing. Seeing that performance, it is no wonder that Sinatra is most fondly remembered for those Las Vegas years.It is exactly that attitude and charisma that is on display in Rhino's five disc box set (four CDs/1 DVD), Sinatra: Vegas. Featuring five concert performances spanning 1961 – 1987, this set gives listeners a taste of just how comfortable and confident Sinatra was with an audience.
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Discs one and two cover performances at The Sands from the 1960s. The second one (from 1966) finds Sinatra with Count Basie and Quincy Jones conducting the orchestra. This performance is a real treat with the band sounding fantastic. Highlights are “Street of Dreams” and the Vegas standby “Luck Be A Lady” where the band really is swinging and Sinatra sounds like he's having a lot of fun. Disc three features a 1982 performance at Circus Maximus and disc four was recorded at The Golden Nugget in 1987. These are interesting in that they seem a little more polished, more “showbiz” ifyou will, and less off the cuff as the 1960's performances. This is easily forgiven, after all he'd done a kajillion shows by this time, and they don't sound bad at all. They just don't feel as organic as the previous shows. Still, there are some great highlights here, especially “Pennies From Heaven” from the Golden Nugget Show.
 Finally, the DVD captures a 1978 performance at Caesar's Palace which was recorded for television but never released in its entirety until now. The visual aspect of the performance will bring home just how great it must have been to actually be in the audience of a Sinatra show. The man had loads of talent and magnetism like no other. For fans of Frank Sinatra, this set will be a welcome addition to any collection, however even casual fans may want to check this out as each performance is well worth a listen and may be all the Frank Sinatra you need in one package. Since so many years are covered, the song selection includes all of the hits you could want and more. The five discs feature a total of 69 songs, and everything from “My Way”, “Witchcraft”, “The Lady is a Tramp” and “All of Me” to “Baubles, Bangles and Beads” is here. Simply put, there is no greater way to hear Sinatra than in his element, and that is live on stage. Make it a point to pick up Sinatra: Vegas if you have the chance. You won’t be disappointed.
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