Despite what you may have seen on the internet lately, Las Vegas is not dead. The casinos are not empty. The streets aren't bare. If I'm being honest here, I wouldn't have minded a little less crowding during my little mid-August gals' jaunt to Sin City in an ill-fated attempt to see Kelly Clarkson, who canceled her residency there this month. But the vibe in Vegas is different. It's a slow summer, and it shows.