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Revisited: My week that was live music in Vegas! Local Natives, Of Monsters and Men, Kenny Chesney, Beach House, The xx and more

21 Apr

I say it often, I am very fortunate for the opportunities and things I get to experience and the last three weeks have been nothing short of amazing (Yes, I still need to write a post about Festival Generation Week from the beginning of the month, such a cool five days).  Last week I recapped the week in music that was to me, Coachella East and this past week I was back at it again for round two.

It started on Monday night catching Beach House at House of Blues.  I had wanted to see their show for some time and there was a good turnout for show at the beginning of the week.  The show was just okay and left me trying to find a bit more energy to stay awake.  However, Holy Shit opened up and I have to say, a little fine tuning and these guys are going to be fun to see live.

Tuesday it was time for The xx at The Joint.  My first time seeing The xx it got rained out a couple songs in, the second time I just got up and left so the third time I wasn’t sure what to really expect and they did not disappoint.  I was floored by how good the show was and as my friend Abby would say, LASERS!  There were a ton of them.  Definitely caught up with a lot of friends at the show too which made it an even better evening.

Wednesday night, I had this one earmarked for some time; split billing of Local Natives and Of Monsters and Men at The Cosmopolitan.  But before that, I had the chance to head over to the CBS Radio studios earlier in the day and catch a mini Of Monsters and Men set.  So talented and seeing them in an intimate setting, again, has me spoiled.    Now to the show; I had caught a Local Natives show at SXSW and was amped to catch them again and they flat out destroyed it in front of a sold out crowd.  These guys are primed for a monster break out this year.  As for OMAM, the show was good, the band was on point but unfortunately I think the cool weather and whipping winds made it seem a bit tame instead of a giant sing-a-long dance party on The Strip. 

Thursday my body gave out and I had to miss Hot Chip.  I was told the show was great and I’m bummed I missed out but my body won.

When Friday rolled around the energy level came right back up as it was all about The Postal Service.  Reunited after 10 years since they released Give Up!  A chance to see Jenny Lewis again!  And LED overload!  Definitely was a lot of fun and after seeing Death Cab For Cutie a couple of times, was great to finally see The Postal Service.

Saturday it was a first for me as I attended my first country music concert!  I have no idea how many thousands of concerts I’ve been to but until Saturday night that category of country music was empty.   Yes, I had seen Garth Brooks’ show at Wynn but that was a show, not a concert.  My first country music concert was Kenny Chesney and it may have been the perfect artist to see live.  So much energy and an awesome environment, I felt right at home (if only I knew the lyrics to his songs).  Add on top of that the concert was two and a half hours which included a four song set with Grace Potter and I was thrilled.  After the show it was straight to The Cosmopolitan to catch the second half of the Band of Horses concert.  Getting to finally hear “The Funeral” live was a great way to wrap up a two week marathon of concerts.

A special tip of the cap to my friends at The Cosmopolitan, Hard Rock and House of Blues for lighting up Las Vegas the last two weeks with a plethora of fantastic shows.  The music scene continues to grow here and we are breaking out of the mold where bands skip Vegas and instead they now crave playing Vegas!  Thank you!

Here are some images from the shows.  The week would not have been nearly as much fun if I wasn’t surrounded by an amazing group of friends who make every experience that much more memorable. Thanks for being a part of this real life dream with me.  The best is yet to come, I promise you that!

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Revisited: @LifeIsBeautiful #DTLVMS at Commonwealth

8 Apr

Simply an awesome night of music last evening at Commonwealth for the April installment of the Life Is Beautiful Downtown Las Vegas Music Showcase! Great weather, great turnout and of course rocking music from six incredibly talented groups. The All Togethers were a perfect way to get things started, just love that duo! Next up was the incredible voice of Chandelle followed by a rooftop rattling performance by The Dirty Hooks. Avalon Landing were definitely a crowd pleaser, and won the hearts of the ladies. Moondog Matinee, took the evening to a new level and set the tone for a fantastic performance for A Crowd Of Small Adventures. Big thank you to everyone who came out, showed their support and listened to some great homegrown talent.

If you missed out, don’t worry as our next showcase is May 1 at Insert Coin(s).

Revisted: (Photos) Rival Sons and Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown – 2.23.13 Las Vegas

24 Feb

Last night was one of those nights of live music you wish you could experience on a nightly basis. If you happened to be one of the roughly 500 people inside Vinyl at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas, you were treated to an evening of real rock and roll. Beware of Darkness, Tyler Bryant & The Shakedown, great to see these two perform again and wow some new fans. Rival Sons, seriously brought it last night, 10 minutes shy of two straight hours. A tip of the hat gentlemen on a great show! My review of Rival Sons will be in the next issue of Vegas SEVEN but until then, check out these photos from my friend, Erik Kabik.

 

Revisited: JUSTICE | 4 19 12 | Las Vegas | (Photos)

20 Apr

Back in 2008 I had the chance to see JUSTICE perform at House of Blues in Las Vegas and I was just too exhausted to go (living in Las Vegas and the line of work I was in can do that to you) so I gave up my ticket .  Not a day went by I didn’t kick myself for missing that show.  Finally last night I got the opportunity to redeem myself as the duo of Gaspard Augé and Xavier de Rosnay took the stage in front of a amped crowd at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas.  I’ve often said I love concerts out at the BLVD Pool because one, it’s outdoors and two, the there is something about being surrounded by the neon glow of The Strip that just makes these shows better.

As for the show itself, AWESOME.  I know, I know it’s an experience and the lighting rig was impressive (LED piano was sweet, LED orbs adorning the backdrop were intense) but I really just wanted to hear them live.  For me the highlight was “On’n”On,” my favorite track off Audio, Video, Disco which along with “We Are Your Friends” was teased before bringing both back during the encore.   Plus when they played “D.A.N.C.E.” I don’t think you could find one person standing still which brings me to the wide eyed crowd; wow, it was an intense group right in front of the stage!

At the end of the day I can count on one hand the electronic acts I would go out of my way to see and sure enough, JUSTICE is right there.  See you in August at Lollapalooza!

 

Photos courtesy of Scott Harrison

Event: Classic Rock for the Future Vol. I: The Photography of Erik Kabik, August 31, John Varvatos Las Vegas

15 Aug

Attention music fans in Vegas.  On August 31 I hope you can make it over to the John Varvatos store inside the Hard Rock Hotel where our friend, Erik Kabik will be unveiling, Classic Rock for the Future Vol. I: The Photography of Erik Kabik.  The photo exhibition which will be on display in store through November 2011 will feature a large collection of rock and roll images captured by Kabik at an array of concerts, special events and more.

Weekend Wrap in Photos: Jenny & Johnny, Chairlift, Mumford & Sons, Nas & Damian Marley

17 Apr

What a weekend for live music it was in Las Vegas.  So many great bands and DJs in town stopping through before hitting Coachella that it almost felt like Coachella East as there was an electricity all weekend.  On Thursday, seeing Jenny & Johnny perform at the Chandelier Bar at Cosmopolitan was just awesome and a great way to kick things off.  Caught a couple minutes of Chairlift’s set after but wasn’t too impressed.  Friday night was bananas at Mumford & Sons rocked the Boulevard pool (when the weather is perfect I don’t know if there is a better place in Las Vegas to see a show); Tallest Man On Earth was a great opener as well.  My musical weekend was wrapped up on Saturday night as Nas and Damian Marley took to the stage for what’s always a fun and energetic performance.

Here’s the weekend in pictures, Jenny & Johnny courtesy of me and Mumford & Sons and Nas and Damian via Erik Kabik (www.erikkabikphoto.com).

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REVISITED: Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears | 1 26 11 | Las Vegas

27 Jan

Last night was just as I expected, a funky good time with Black Joe Lewis & The Honeybears. Over the course of three hours and two sets, the Austin, TX masters of music ran through their catalog of songs and let us in on a bunch of new tracks set for release on Scandalous as well as a couple covers.  Excited I am for both the new LP and to head on back to Book & Stage inside the Cosmopolitan this evening for Round II.

If it is any indication what you are in for the next three nights, to me this was really the first band to grace Book & Stage and treat it like a two set show with their song selection and demeanor.

See you tonight!

Images: Weezer | 1 21 11 | The Joint Las Vegas – @Erik_Kabik

22 Jan

In 2011 I’m going to be ramping up the photo content from concerts with the help of Las Vegas photographer Erik Kabik.  Be sure to check out Erik’s site www.ErikKabik.com for some amazing images he’s shot over the years and follow him on Twitter @Erik_Kabik for the latest scoop.

Here’s a gallery from the Weezer concert on January 21 at The Joint at the Hard Rock. Hotel