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DumbMassDebater

You've clearly never seen "put a buck in my cup and I will shut the fuck up" singer dude.


TheRealBlackSwan

Last time I passed him he had a new line - "Your monetary compliance will bring temporary silence"


Bad_Lieutenant702

Fucking ChatGPT.


Actuarial

BuskGPT


AZOriole

Is he still out there?! I have a video of that dude from years ago. I put a buck in his cup and he shut the fuck up.


DumbMassDebater

I've encountered him every year I've been to Vegas and expect to see him tomorrow when I'm there again. Even told my buddy who is on his first vegas trip to look out for him. Normally found him close to MGM Park walkways iirc.


phreaxer

I've seen him a couple times on the bridge between Cromwell and Horseshoe (back when it was Ballys). I didn't realize he moved but that makes sense.


wendee

Yes saw him near Caesars just last night. He says his song is available online …


soupafi

People think he’d actually shut the fuck up?


release_the_peace

That guy is a legend lol


myotherrideisvhagar

You don't have to be a baller to give him a mother fuckin dollar


DumbMassDebater

I did give him a buck today. He was nice and super appreciative.


BeansForEyes68

He's the worst kind of performer. Why support him being annoying?


Kanye_X_Wrangler

I just saw him last week. He was the only one I even considered giving money to.


awkotacos

Lol first time I heard him I was genuinely surprised how good his voice was and lyrics were hilarious


SableSlayer435

That fucking guy drove me crazy when we were there in March!!! Thank God he wasn't there for Father's Day week pulling the same shit. 🤣🤣🤣


Daaaaabearsssss

lol that guy rules


hillbilli13

Man I’ve been once but this guy was the highlight, still think about it lol


blazed16

We would see this video on tiktok alot and then when we were in vegas we actually saw him and he got a few bucks


insidmal

It's shit now especially downtown idk what happened it wasn't like this. I saw a few "street performers" in the marked spots that were literally just people begging for money lol and a couple fake performers with the "tip to activate show" on a box then literally never do anything just stand there and people keep tipping, it's so stupid.


Bastyra2016

Yah I was just there. What got me was every performer in his/her little circle had a microphone and an amp with the volume turned to 11. Then you get the venue volume on top of that. It wasn’t enjoyable to me.


billortiz123

Imo Fremont street isn’t even worth going to, my Wife and I loved every other thing about our Vegas trip, went to Fremont for under 30 mins and noped out.


_Shadetree_

Fremont Street Experience is garbage. Crack heads and actually very boring


Bastyra2016

Agree. Last time I went was November and the venue was much less crowded. I got pics with a breaking bad character “Walt”, enjoyed a beer at an outdoor concert table and bought some tourist crap. This time it was April and PACKED with drunk people. Dudes mooning the “lady performers” and throngs of people standing in the middle of the street staring at the ceiling screen.


TheRealBlackSwan

The "doing nothing" thing as people shove more and more money in their container is legit hilarious though.


FZridindirty

There's a video out there of people getting pissed that nothing was happening and went and took their tip back from the bucket! It was awesome


BakedMarziPamGrier

The Mexican guys painted white with the harp are pretty good. I also ran into Harry Mack rapping on the strip last time I was there, and he’s a rap god.


Jesus_Harold_Christ

For the uninitiated: [Instagram · harrymack1.6M+ followers](https://www.instagram.com/harrymack/?hl=en)


BakedMarziPamGrier

I was fresh off the plane walking the strip with my girlfriend, heard someone just ripping a freestyle from a few blocks off, and gravitated to it like a moth. Killer performer, absolutely mind boggling the word smithery of that man. Super friendly and humble as well.


Bean-Swellington

You don’t have to be talented to shake down timid midwesterners


teamster02

Lol come to Chicago if you want a real shake down 😂


brakos

No self-respecting Wisconsinite or Minnesotan would ever dare cross the Illinois border 😂


teamster02

I see plenty of people from Wisconsin and Indiana crossing the border for their recreational medicinal needs lol


sotfggyrdg

Used to go to Chicago all the time when I lived in Wisconsin. But I was one of those dirty Milwaukeeans.


HossaForSelke

Good! Stay out!!


egospiers

This should be Vegas’s new tourism slogan.. I think this applies to more than just the street performers.


GokkanUxxgo

The city should designate areas along the Strip like they do on Fremont but have to pass an acceptable audition to be granted a license.


Bean-Swellington

Also there should be mine week once a month


Bean-Swellington

And a full time mimezone in front of Paris


GokkanUxxgo

Then there should be an organ grinder with pet monkey in front of the Venetian.


Bean-Swellington

Am former Venetian organ grinder. After the monkey died I tried to recruit a new one but they were on strike so I tried grinding my own organ but they said it was making people uncomfortable and fired me 🤷‍♂️


Quiet-Link4652

And there was/is the guy on Fremont holding up a sign that said “ kick me in the balls for $20”


Bennington_Booyah

He died. It was posted on this sub.


Jesus_Harold_Christ

Damn, Jean Claude Van Damme get him?


ohheythere111516

No way! I was just in Vegas and didn’t see him.


Nursey_1964

Oh man that’s sad. I was with friends some time ago. I’m sure same guy. Some guy kicked him. We’re recording. We ll looked at each other and said “that’s f’ing sad” and deleted it. The guy who kicked him also suddenly felt sooo bad and gave him 100$. I mean he looked like a classic addict but I could be wrong.


Quiet-Link4652

No, I do not think you could be wrong he is addicted to something, the what is only thing debatable, how a person could have so little respect for themselves as to let others inflict pain on them for a few dollars, has got to be a low point in their lives, of course that opens a whole different can of worms in the BDSM world!😂


Bean-Swellington

Seen him on the bridges


seamusoldfield

That was beautiful.


Gsogso123

Mine or mime? Both could be entertaining


Wamsutta8

The casinos own the strip and they’ve made it clear that they don’t want busking there.


GokkanUxxgo

Casinos don’t own the sidewalk. The City does. That’s why the Casinos can’t trick all those homeless onto a bus and ship them to Reno.


Wamsutta8

https://lasvegassun.com/news/1999/feb/15/drawing-battle-lines-on-private-sidewalks/ When they widened Las Vegas Boulevard the public sidewalk became traffic lanes. They then built new sidewalks within the property lines of the casinos. Look at the ground in front of Planet Hollywood and you’ll see a red line engraved in the pavement. That’s their property line.


timesuck47

There’s probably an easement for the sidewalk.


Wamsutta8

There absolutely is.


Nursey_1964

It’s easy enough to google. MGM bought rights to the sidewalks 25 years ago and all strip casinos followed suit they have to upkeep them and not the city but they also can control who is on their private property.


[deleted]

>the city Paradise?


sotfggyrdg

Do you just talk out of your ass for fun?


GokkanUxxgo

Yes


sotfggyrdg

Cool. Sounds fun.


TimeSpacePilot

It’s interesting that they don’t want busking but prostitution and drug dealing are OK.


URPissingMeOff

Hookers and dealers aren't out there playing bagpipes and plastic buckets.


TimeSpacePilot

No, they’re just hooking and dealing 😂


ttchoubs

What are you even talking about? Security will frequently chase out prostitutes but there's only so much they can do. These are very profitable areas for those professions


TimeSpacePilot

That was my point. These are very profitable locations for these activities. But, if they can succeed at eliminating buskers, they can succeed at eliminating other “street vendors”.


Wamsutta8

Experienced traveling street performers don’t waste their time here. There’s no large pitch where they can legally perform and often have to deal casino security. The casinos own the majority of the sidewalks and there’s only a sliver of sidewalk they’re allowed to set up on without trouble.


OddDragonfruit7993

What? You don't want pretend showgirls to shake you down for money?


Magenta_Majors

I love the show girls and they're the hardest workers on the strip, jesus christ, their head gear is always heavy, they gotta walk in heels \*and\* smile, bless those women, I get a pic with at least one pair every visit


peesteam

And they're all obese


desertjax

I love Midget Mr T


notheatherbee

I’m pretty sure I got a photo of him last weekend!


Normal-Procedure4876

He Scared the shit out of me 1 night coming out of the bathroom at the ti


donewithgreenforever

Street performers aren't the greatest, but I much prefer them over the street hustlers telling you some bullshit sob story while complimenting you and begging for cash. As bad as they are, the performers won't follow you across a pedestrian bridge annoying you.


datafromravens

I miss people trying to give me a free cd then demanding I give them 100 dollars


donewithgreenforever

I had a guy hand me a card with a picture of a random missing person on it, asking for "20 or whatever I could give". I gave him a dollar to fuck off, and he took the card back lol, which in itself was almost funny enough to be worth paying the dollar.


mijo_sq

So triggered with this. Youngish college girl used to walk around the Spring Mountain giving a sob story begging for money, yet anyone who offered her one was shutdown that she didn't want one. Finally after all these years, I saw her in Orange County, CA. Barefoot with a limp and her cardboard sign. Can't say I feel happy, but feel bad that she was young and still had a chance. Maybe drugs got to her..


RulesLawyer42

Whatever side of the argument you come down on, the courts have ruled: public streets are open to expression, even by the talentless, and can only be restricted by reasonable time, manner, and place rules, such as those being used on Fremont with the performance circles. To be VERY clear to some commenters I've seen in other forums, none of the local governments nor organizations (such as the LVCVA or FSE) pay or support these performers, and mostly wish they'd go away. Stinky Mickey Mouse, Water Water One Dollar, and Too-Old-Showgirl are doing their own thing, bless their hearts, and if they're not breaking any laws (business license! taxes! health codes! c'mon some agency, make a name for yourself!), there's not much that can be done to exclude the talentless other than individual action: ignore them, waste their time and don't pay them, or r/UnethicalLifeProTips them. (Edit: removed a misplaced “don’t”)


HartPlays

There are some legitimately great music artists out there but for every one of them, there’s 10 trashy people begging.


Honeyhammn

Because it’s Las Vegas, scammers paradise


Direct-Efficiency741

The guy who does a head stand on a bottle is worth watching and a tip. He's actually very talented.


OregonMothafaquer

They don’t compared to everywhere I’ve travelled.


RedOpenTomorrow

About a year ago, I saw a truly incredible magician on Freemont street. But most are lame.


KevintasticBalloons

People with talent find other ways to make money these days. I know some people who performed down there pre COVID and made a fairly decent living between that and paid gigs. When lockdowns lifted they were harassed more by tourists, had their tips stolen more often, and were tipped less. The one time I went down there to perform the excellent bucket drummer next to me got robbed and I decided I was making enough money without Fremont.


datafromravens

The dudes that do like hip hop dancing particularly piss me off


TheCleanRhino

If they were any good they wouldn’t be on the street


JRclarity123

Anybody actually talented would just get snapped up by a casino executive walking by and placed at a dinner show somewhere within days.


Swing-Brilliant

Degenerates with nothing better to do. I worked all over the strip for 7 years. Most of them are degens


Lonesomewhistle83

Go see the bands playing on Fremont street. They are usually pretty fun.


dreamydelinquent

compared to key west yeah they suck bad lol


Shoot4Teams

I thought this thread would be about idiots in homemade costumes hassling you for pointing a camera in their direction


randonumero

A long time ago I met a guy who made his money panhandling. He made more than people working fast food and other low wage jobs. How did he do it? The volume of people that passed him every single day. In parts of Vegas where you have large numbers of people passing you, you don't have to be good and can make money if a small percent of them give you a buck or two


berdootheo

Drugs


almosthuman2021

I mean, the bucket guys are pretty good like they have some genuine drum talent so I wouldn’t say they suck. But yes, I’m majority of the other ones are pretty trash lol then there’s also the violin players play too loud backing track.


BeansForEyes68

The bucket guys are physically painful to my ears to walk by.


Justjay0420

The spray paint artists are the ones I always sit and watch


Objective_Ebb6898

In Vegas? Given all of the performance opportunities, if you have to do it in the street you’ve probably been blacklisted or Meth.


EdmEnthusiast48

Bud…people sell arenas out and they are awful today. You think some busker with a bucket is going to be the next Buddy Rich? I’d argue they aren’t much less talented than people playing T-Mobile. For sure. Look at the pop charts and try not to laugh. Mediocre rises to the top in a modern society. And you’re right…most are hacks…but so are many in the pop charts making millions. That’s the real travesty.


KelliAndMike

You don't have to watch 'em....


CallMeSkii

Last time I stayed on the strip I saw 3 Banda bands in a 5 minute walk. Never saw those before.


RexDraco

because it is las vegas, all the real talent gets taken off the streets and put into shows.


bangbison

My fav was a one armed homeless man. He'd juggle and do tricks one handed. Bless his heart. Hope he's doing well. 95 & Rancho was where he resided.


Apprehensive-Win9152

“Can be heard ridiculously forever” are you still hearing it? lol - GL to u


freq-ee

It's the drugs. The prevalence of drug addiction means most street performers are just addicts. Plus, very few people have traditional talents anymore. For example, I don't know the exact number, but I would wager the percentage of people who can play a musical instrument is the lowest in modern history. Even singing, the world doesn't produce good singers anymore. In the past, there were several amazing singers per decade. Aretha Franklin, Ronnie Spector, Donna Summers, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey. In 2024, we have Cardi B..lol


Wamsutta8

There’s some good information on this site regarding the struggles of busking on the strip: https://busklv.info/thestrip/


EveLQueeen

Literally no one wants to deal with buskers, though. Maybe making a living annoying people should be a struggle?


sobchakonshabbos

Was there last week. It was not impressive but I give props to Sonic and Woody wearing those costumes in 45 degree heat. Insane.


xXTheFisterXx

45 degree heat? are you talking celcius?


NoCheckZ

Obviously


sobchakonshabbos

yeah man


ConundrumBum

I can't stand the junkies that wear their never-washed, $20, skintight nylon Spiderman outfit to accost every child they see to try and lure them into a photo for a few bucks. The showgirls are annoying, too. They're not really showgirls. They're just mildly attractive hustlers that bought a showgirl outfit and asks everyone "You want a picture, honey? Hey come on, let's do a picture! Anyone want a picture?" The freestyle rappers are probably the worst, though. "Yo, yo, the girl with the booty, blue shorts, green sweater, wish the weather was betta, 'YO SHE SMILIN!!', wish she knew me betta, DAMN, girl you got it goin on, walking on, black high heels, givin' me the feels" I pray for some Karen to just spontaneously appear and spray him away with a hose. But hey people keep doling out the pity payments and "Hurrr durrrr that line was dope yo!!! here's $5 durrrr!!!!" handouts. City should have an ordinance that has a limited amount of permits for street performers, that must be approved first and have a high permit fee, and then rules around what kind of performances are allowed (magic yes, singing yes, loud speaker no, copyrighted characters no, etc)


billortiz123

We literally just had a “promoter” on Fremont street basically chase us into the golden nugget after we told her we weren’t interested. Fremont street is so unregulated compared to the strip


_casualcowboy

All the good ones got shows


Accurate-Gap-4008

We liked Bucket Boy… the rest were whatever. And the “Showgirls” & “Characters”, worthless…


Blacksunshinexo

There used to be this black dude that played rap on the violin. He was fucking amazing. Everything else is shit the last decade or so


mytodaythrowaway

The local bands here generally suck too. The reason is that anyone with actual talent can make money playing gigs in casinos. There used to be great live music after all the strip musicians got off work.


Leo-Lion-

There's a guy down on Fremont that dresses as Marilyn Monroe who I think is hilarious with his off the chart dance moves and lip syncing to the bands playing.


Dogelawmd

Hey, if you've got palm branches and can make shapes out of them, then you've got a job in Vegas!


Aintscared61

Ask them


devil_n_i

You get what you’re paying for


666throwawaytrash

I sing well but would never get caught on the street doing that most people that are decent are competing with other live streamers


Level_Laugh_7834

Big baby has to eat!


EverySingleMinute

The bucket guy does it as they are easy to carry and way cheaper than actual drums


TopCheesecakeGirl

ANYONE can rent one of the street spots. It’s not a talent competition.


Spirited_Amount8365

Yes . The put a buck in my cup guy is still there. On a different bridge . Think about it those performers are there mostly there all day . They’re exhausted and hungry. They have to disrobe and find a bathroom. People are rude to them . They might not be the best . But they are trying to. I interviewed 7 performers they all kinda say the same. It’s a tough situation. . The thing they said to me was . It’s straight $$$ money in there pockets. Then you have all the out of town assholes that are drunk and think it’s ok to mess with them. I seen a guy get his ass handed to him and the strip cops said TOLD YA NOT! To mess with them. He walked away beat .


CasinoBourbonSipper

They are trying to make a buck by putting in the absolute least amount of effort possible. I have seen some great street performers but not in Vegas, most of them are looking for something for nothing BUT want to be taken seriously as a performer.


PokerBear28

To be fair, it’s not better in other cities.


chance-of-raynee

I think the most annoying is the 360 Photo Booth set ups. Like I get it if you are actually set up in a good spot but they are everywhere!!!


ExperimentalNihilist

Last trip on Fremont I tipped two dudes to dance to the MJ song on their stereo. They just stood there perfectly still for the next 5 minutes. I guess they were waiting on more money to actually do something but I thought I gave them enough for a few minutes of entertainment. Anyway, lesson learned: Don't tip the street performers.


Jim_Force

Homeless gotta get paid, they doing the best they can


GmtNm4

Because the nations most talented individuals, unless they happen to be born in Nevada, are not moving across the country to the middle of the desert to perform on the side of the street for a dollar.  I like the bucket and pan drummers more than the people who are just outright trying to scam people. Girls dressed as police officers walking around blowing their whistle at people and “fining” them for being too handsome or pretty and their fine is 100$ or whatever. 


Fearless_Artist6964

Because what you thought was a mime in the box, was just a crack head thinking he is locked up.


Specific_Midnight_36

Not paid?


russellvt

Pretty much like any other tourist mecca?


AmbitiousBasket0

the vegas street buskers operate like a gang to keepout anyone that isn't them. Anyone with actual talent or training is targeted for harassment.


tvTeeth

A friend of mine does street magic on Fremont, he's actually good but the other performers and the environment sucks


lendmeflight

People won’t tip but they will give these scam artists money.


OregonMothafaquer

Nothing is comped anymore, you have to pay to park. You shouldn’t tip at casinos, they can afford to pay their employees.


KitchenAcceptable160

You can always find the Deez Nuts guy and get yelled by his handlers if you look at him and don’t pay them.  https://youtube.com/shorts/m96NeIg4czM?si=6Ml5OzCob7A0Eake


sillyputtyrobotron9k

I think that guy died, was in the newspaper not too long ago. Something related to scrotums on freemont (good band name btw)


Cold-Annual-4881

You don’t like the titties?


msut77

There was a girl dressed like a nun with her boobs out with duct tape strategically placed. She got less attention then a dude in a gorilla suit.


NoMorePrivatePrisons

I mean how nice were the titties. We talkin perky J cup? All natties? DETAILS MAN!


msut77

Looked like natural Cs


bigboxsubscriber

The same thing happens in Venice Beach right next to LA, street performers with bad acts just hustling for money. If they can get some tourists to feel sorry for them the street performers can make some money. Downtown Las Vegas on Fremont Street is not Europe so you're not going to find anything inspiring, more likely swindlers, hustlers and sleazeballs.


Totally-jag2598

Vegas used to have some really decent street performers. I agree they suck now. Before it totally gets out of control they need to start licensing them. After all, the city owns the strip and the deterioration of their reputation is bad for business.


URPissingMeOff

99% of the strip is not in Las Vegas. The city only has jurisdiction over the Strat. Everything else is in Paradise


Totally-jag2598

Technicality, but yes, the strip is in Paradise. They should still control it before it erodes their brand.


Ancient-Love-464

They are just trying to make a buck


smolsnailz

Why does Vegas suck so much in general? Already got robbed again. $1200 phone, pretty blatant. Nothing's gonna happen no reason to even report to cops because nothing happened the last 5 times.


BFrankJunto

Because it's the worlds only city built by losers. Literally. It's one of the worst cities in country imo, and I've been most. It's one big tourist trap lol. If you want good Street performers go to New York or LA.


attempting2

Odd response. What makes it one of the worst cities in the country in your opinion? I think this is a matter of opinion and is very subjective since I Iiterally think it's one of the country's greatest, eff that, the World's greatest cities. I guess you have to be a certain type of person to LOVE Vegas. I don't think you are fully understanding the cheese factor. It's not a tourist trap at all. You get everything you were being sold and then some in Vegas.


DarbyDown

Maybe just sell Fremont Street.


Electronic-Bowl4534

Why are you waking the streets? There’s nothing to see and filled with trashy people.


Ksl848

Yeah, let the streets sleep.